Measurements and Modeling of Isotopic Ratios of Atmospheric Methane and Carbon Monoxide from Pacific Ocean Shipboard Sampling

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This project involves the measurement of the isotopic and mixing ratios of methane and carbon monoxide from a shipboard transect in the Pacific Ocean between Los Angeles and New Zealand. These combined measurements, made through four trips per year for three years, will help answer questions related to the growth rate of methane in the atmosphere and provide constraints on the overall global budgets of methane and carbon monoxide. The resultant methane data will be combined with data from other researchers and used in a 3-D model to evaluate the changes concentrations of atmospheric methane and how these changes affect the oxidizing power of the atmosphere. This project involves collaboration with a research group in Wellington, New Zealand that is making similar measurements and collaboration with the University of Oslo where the modeling and analysis will take place. These collaborations greatly enhance the ability of this effort to produce information with broader societal relevance, such as developing an improved understanding of the global methane budget that has implications for understanding human impact on climate change.