The Study of Oxygen Isotopic Fractionation Mechanisms in Ozone Formation and Measurement of these ratios in air O2 at ultrahigh precision.

在过去的十年里，科学界已经成为 更加了解发生在地球上的复杂的光化学反应 在中层大气中。 在海拔约四十 千米及以上的分子氧（O2）被解离， 紫外线和形成的氧原子与O2反应， 臭氧（O3）。 这些反应序列 创造了保护地球的臭氧层 表面免受有害的紫外线辐射。 兴趣 臭氧光化学的出现是因为人类 活动，如高空飞行的飞机，氯氟烃 释放到大气中，以及大气中释放的亚硝酸盐 农业产生的氧化物可能会破坏臭氧层 在中层大气中。 自20世纪70年代初， 并进行了实地调查， 更好地定义平流层化学和人类的潜力， 扰乱了这个微妙的系统 在这些过程中， 研究发现，臭氧在中间 大气中明显富含重氧同位素 (i.e.,氧原子的重量比最常见的 氧原子）。 这一发现的有害分布的氧气 臭氧层中的同位素一直是科学研究的主题。 质疑和辩论，因为目前的知识， 臭氧的产生和破坏的机制和速率 不能预测臭氧的同位素组成。 这是美国国家科学基金会在资助ATM下的支持更新-

In the past decade the scientific community has become more aware of the complex photochemical reactions which occur in the middle atmosphere. At an altitude of about forty kilometers and above molecular oxygen (O2) is dissociated by ultraviolet light and the oxygen atoms formed react with O2 to create ozone (O3). These reaction sequences are responsible for creation the layer of ozone which shields the earth's surface from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Interest in the ozone photochemistry has been spurred by concerns that human activities such as high flying aircraft, chlorofluorocarbon release to the atmosphere, and atmospheric release of nitrous oxide by agriculture might result in the destruction of ozone in the middle atmosphere. Since the early 1970's laboratory and field investigations have been carried out in order to better define stratospheric chemistry and man's potential of perturbing this delicate system. In the course of these studies it has been discovered that ozone in the middle atmosphere is apparently enriched in the heavy oxygen isotopic (i.e., oxygen atoms which weigh more than the most common oxygen atoms.) This finding of anomalously distributed oxygen isotopes in the ozone layer has been the subject of scientific questioning and debate since current knowledge about the mechanisms and rates of ozone production and destruction does not predict the observed isotopic composition of ozone. This is a renewal of NSF support under the grant ATM-