Environmental Chemistry Commons^™

Efficient Removal Of Lead Ions From Aqueous Media Using Sustainable Sources On Marine Algae, Hannah Namkoong, Erik Biehler, Gon Namkoong, Tarek M. Abdel-Fattah

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The goal of this project is to explore a new method to efficiently remove Pb(II) ions from water by processing Undaria pinnatifida into immobilized beads using sodium alginate and calcium chloride. The resulting biosorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Using immobilized U. pinnatifida, we investigated the effect of various factors on Pb(II) ion removal efficiency such as temperature, pH, ionic strength, time, and underlying biosorption mechanisms. For Pb(II) ion biosorption studies, Pb(II) ion biosorption data were obtained and analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. It …

Stratospheric Aerosol Composition Observed By The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Following The 2019 Raikoke Eruption, Chris D. Boone, Peter F. Bernath, Keith Labelle, Jeff Crouse

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Infrared aerosol spectra derived from Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment measurements following the June 2019 Raikoke volcanic eruption are used to evaluate the composition of stratospheric aerosols in the Arctic. A blanket of aerosols, spanning an altitude range from the tropopause (8–11 km) to 20 km, persisted in the stratosphere over northern latitudes for many months. The aerosols within this blanket were almost exclusively sulfates. The percentage of sulfuric acid in the aerosols decreased over time, dropping below 50% H₂SO₄ concentration at some altitudes by March 2020. Contrary to previous reports, the aerosol blanket was not comprised of smoke …

Carbon Dioxide And Particulate Matter Concentration On Hampton Roads Air Quality, Gregory Hubbard

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

Hampton Roads has been a maritime crossroads for the last 400 years. Industrialization has impacted the coastal region for the last 250 years. The expansion of the Port of Virginia in 2019 has created dense traffic in the region resulting in impacts to air quality. Two waste products that affect humans are particulate matter and carbon dioxide. Both respective emissions can cause adverse effects on humans, such as asthma, some lung cancers, and other respiratory distress. Scientists and health practitioners are studying the effects of particulate matter on human health. Hampton Roads, in particular, because of its unique location on …

World Oceans: A Reference Handbook, Rob Tench

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Book review of Newton, David, World Oceans: A Reference Handbook, ABC-CLIO. (Contemporary World Issues), Feb. 2021, ISBN 9781440875434.

Oxygen Harvesting From Carbon Dioxide: Simultaneous Epoxidation And Co Formation, Han Xu, Muhammad Shaban, Sui Wang, Anas Alkayal, Dingxin Liu, Michael G. Kong, Felix Plasser, Benjamin R. Buckley, Felipe Iza

Bioelectrics Publications

Due to increasing concentrations in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide has, in recent times, been targeted for utilisation (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage, CCUS). In particular, the production of CO from CO₂ has been an area of intense interest, particularly since the CO can be utilized in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. Herein we report that CO₂ can also be used as a source of atomic oxygen that is efficiently harvested and used as a waste-free terminal oxidant for the oxidation of alkenes to epoxides. Simultaneously, the process yields CO. Utilization of the atomic oxygen does not only generate a valuable product, …

Pore Water Exchange-Driven Inorganic Carbon Export From Intertidal Salt Marshes, Joeseph J. Tamborski, Meagan Eagle, Barret L. Kurylyk, Kevin D. Kroeger, Zhaoihui Aleck Wang, Paul Henderson, Matthew A. Charette

OES Faculty Publications

Respiration in intertidal salt marshes generates dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) that is exported to the coastal ocean by tidal exchange with the marsh platform. Understanding the link between physical drivers of water exchange and chemical flux is a key to constraining coastal wetland contributions to regional carbon budgets. The spatial and temporal (seasonal, annual) variability of marsh pore water exchange and DIC export was assessed from a microtidal salt marsh (Sage Lot Pond, Massachusetts). Spatial variability was constrained from ²²⁴Ra : ²²⁸Th disequilibria across two hydrologic units within the marsh sediments. Disequilibrium between the more soluble ²²⁴Ra …

Toward Resolving Disparate Accounts Of The Extent And Magnitude Of Nitrogen Fixation In The Eastern Tropical South Pacific Oxygen Deficient Zone, Corday R. Selden, Margaret R. Mulholland, Brittany Widner, Peter Bernhardt, Amal Jayakumar

OES Faculty Publications

Examination of dinitrogen (N₂) fixation in the Eastern Tropical South Pacific oxygen deficient zone has raised questions about the range of diazotrophs in the deep sea and their quantitative importance as a source of new nitrogen globally. However, technical considerations in the deployment of stable isotopes in quantifying N₂ fixation rates have complicated interpretation of this research. Here, we report the findings of a comprehensive survey of N₂ fixation within, above and below the Eastern Tropical South Pacific oxygen deficient zone. N₂ fixation rates were measured using a robust ¹⁵N tracer method (bubble removal) …

The Role Of Oxygen In Stimulating Methane Production In Wetlands, Jared L. Wilmoth, Jeffra K. Schaefer, Danielle R. Schlesinger, Spencer W. Roth, Patrick G. Hatcher, Julie K. Shoemaker, Xinning Zhang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Methane (CH₄), a potent greenhouse gas, is the second most important greenhouse gas contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide (CO₂). The biological emissions of CH₄ from wetlands are a major uncertainty in CH₄ budgets. Microbial methanogenesis by Archaea is an anaerobic process accounting for most biological CH₄ production in nature, yet recent observations indicate that large emissions can originate from oxygenated or frequently oxygenated wetland soil layers. To determine how oxygen (O₂) can stimulate CH₄ emissions, we used incubations of Sphagnum peat to demonstrate that the temporary exposure of …

Biolability Of Fresh And Photodegraded Pyrogenic Dissolved Organic Matter From Laboratory-Prepared Chars, K. W. Bostick, A. R. Zimmerman, A. I. Goranov, S. Mitra, P. G. Hatcher, A. S. Wozniak

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Pyrogenic dissolved organic matter (pyDOM) is known to be an important biogeochemical constituent of aquatic ecosystems and the carbon cycle. While recent studies have examined how pyDOM production, composition, and photolability varies with parent pyrogenic solid material type, we lack an understanding of potential microbial mineralization and transformation of pyDOM in the biogeosphere. Thus, leachates of oak, charred at 400 °C and 650 °C, as well as their photodegraded counterparts were incubated with a soil‐extracted microbial consortium over 96 days. During the incubation, significantly more carbon was biomineralized from the lower versus higher temperature char leachate (45% vs. 37% lost, …

Fifteen Years Of Hfc-134a Satellite Observations: Comparisons With Slimcat Calculations, Jeremy J. Harrison, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Christopher D. Boone, Sandip S. Dhomse, Peter F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The phase out of anthropogenic ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons under the terms of the Montreal Protocol led to the development and worldwide use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in refrigeration, air conditioning, and as blowing agents and propellants. Consequently, over recent years, the atmospheric abundances of HFCs have dramatically increased. HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases and are now controlled under the terms of the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. HFC-134a is currently the most abundant HFC in the atmosphere, breaking the 100 ppt barrier in 2018, and can be measured in the Earth's atmosphere by the satellite remote-sensing instrument …

Line-Of-Sight Winds And Doppler Effect Smearing In Ace-Fts Solar Occultation Measurements, Chris D. Boone, Johnathen Steffen, Jeff Crouse, Peter F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Line-of-sight wind profiles are derived from Doppler shifts in infrared solar occultation measurements from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier transform spectrometers (ACE-FTS), the primary instrument on SCISAT, a satellite-based mission for monitoring the Earth’s atmosphere. Comparisons suggest a possible eastward bias from 20 m/s to 30 m/s in ACE-FTS results above 80 km relative to some datasets but no persistent bias relative to other datasets. For instruments operating in a limb geometry, looking through a wide range of altitudes, smearing of the Doppler effect along the line of sight can impact the measured signal, particularly for saturated absorption lines. Implications …

Potentiometric Biosensing Of Ascorbic Acid, Uric Acid, And Cysteine In Microliter Volumes Using Miniaturized Nanoporous Gold Electrodes, Christopher J. Freeman, Borkat Ullah, Md. Shafiul Islam, Maryanne M. Collinson

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Potentiometric redox sensing is a relatively inexpensive and passive approach to evaluate the overall redox state of complex biological and environmental solutions. The ability to make such measurements in ultra-small volumes using high surface area, nanoporous electrodes is of particular importance as such electrodes can improve the rates of electron transfer and reduce the effects of biofouling on the electrochemical signal. This work focuses on the fabrication of miniaturized nanoporous gold (NPG) electrodes with a high surface area and a small footprint for the potentiometric redox sensing of three biologically relevant redox molecules (ascorbic acid, uric acid, and cysteine) in …

Stratospheric Fluorine As A Tracer Of Circulation Changes: Comparison Between Infrared Remote-Sensing Observations And Simulations With Five Modern Reanalyses, M. Prignon, S. Chabrillat, M. Friedrich, D. Smale, S. E. Strahan, Peter F. Bernath, M. P. Chipperfield, S. S. Dhomse, W. Feng, D. Minganti, C. Servais, E. Mahieu

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Using multidecadal time series of ground-based and satellite Fourier transform infrared measurements of inorganic fluorine (i.e., total fluorine resident in stratospheric fluorine reservoirs), we investigate stratospheric circulation changes over the past 20 years. The representation of these changes in five modern reanalyses is further analyzed through chemical-transport model (CTM) simulations. From the observations but also from all reanalyses, we show that the inorganic fluorine is accumulating less rapidly in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere during the 21st century. Comparisons with a study evaluating the age-of-air of these reanalyses using the same CTM allow us to link this …

Labilization And Diversification Of Pyrogenic Dissolved Organic Matter By Microbes, Aleksandar I. Goranov, Andrew S. Wozniak, Kyle W. Bostick, Andrew R. Zimmerman, Siddhartha Mitra, Patrick G. Hatcher

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

With the increased occurrence of forest fires around the world, interest in the chemistry of pyrogenic organic matter (pyOM) and its fate in the environment has increased. Upon leaching from soils by rain events, significant amounts of dissolved pyOM (pyDOM) enter the aquatic environment and interact with microbial communities that are essential for cycling organic matter within the different biogeochemical cycles. To evaluate the bio-reactivity of pyDOM, aqueous extracts of laboratory-produced chars were incubated with soil microbes and the molecular changes to the composition of pyDOM were probed using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry (Fourier transform – ion cyclotron resonance – …

Microplastic Fragment And Fiber Contamination Of Beach Sediments From Selected Sites In Virginia And North Carolina, Usa, Gabrielle Z. Dodson, A. Katrina Shotorban, Patrick G. Hatcher, Derek Waggoner, Sutapa Ghosal, Nora Noffke

OES Faculty Publications

Microplastic particles (<5 >mm) constitute a growing pollution problem within coastal environments. This study investigated the microplastic presence of estuarine and barrier island beaches in the states of Virginia and North Carolina, USA. Seventeen sediment cores were collected at four study sites and initially tested for microplastic presence by pyrolysis-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. For the extraction, microplastic particles were first separated from the sediment using a high-density cesium chloride solution (1.88 g/mL). In a second step, an oil extraction collected the remaining microplastic particles of higher densities. Under the light microscope, the extracted microplastic particles were classified based on their morphologies …

Molecular Nature Of Marine Particulate Organic Iron-Carrying Moieties Revealed By Electrospray Ionization Fourier-Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (Esi-Fticrms), Chen Xu, Peng Lin, Luni Sun, Hongmei Chen, Wei Xing, Manoj Kamalanathan, Patrick G. Hatcher, Maureen H. Conte, Antonietta Quigg, Peter H. Santschi

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Marine sinking particulate organic matter (POM), acting as a link between surface primary production and burial of organic matter in marine sediments, undergoes a variety of physical and biochemical alterations on its way to the deep ocean, resulting in an increase in its un-characterizable proportion with diagenesis. Further, the binding ligands in POM for iron, an essential nutrient to marine life and tightly coupled with organic matter, has rarely been studied. In the current study, we employed an approach combining sequential extraction with ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICRMS), in order to explore and unravel the chemical characteristics of organic matter …

Nrlmsis 2.0: A Whole-Atmosphere Empirical Model Of Temperature And Neutral Species Densities, J. T. Emmert, D. P. Drob, J. M. Picone, D. E. Siskind, M. Jones Jr., M. G. Mlynczak, Peter F. Bernath, X. Chu, E. Doornbos, B. Funke, L. P. Goncharenko, M. E. Hervig, M. J. Schwartz, P. E. Sheese, F. Vargas, B. P. Williams, T. Yuan

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

NRLMSIS® 2.0 is an empirical atmospheric model that extends from the ground to the exobase and describes the average observed behavior of temperature, eight species densities, and mass density via a parametric analytic formulation. The model inputs are location, day of year, time of day, solar activity, and geomagnetic activity. NRLMSIS 2.0 is a major, reformulated upgrade of the previous version, NRLMSISE-00. The model now couples thermospheric species densities to the entire column, via an effective mass profile that transitions each species from the fully mixed region below ~70 km altitude to the diffusively separated region above ~200 km. Other …

Recent Trends In Stratospheric Chlorine From Very Short‐Lived Substances, Ryan Hossaini, Elliot Atlas, Sandip S. Dhomse, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Peter F. Bernath, Anton M. Fernando, Jens Mühle, Amber A. Leeson, Stephen A. Montzka, Wuhu Feng

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Very short‐lived substances (VSLS), including dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂), chloroform (CHCl₃), perchloroethylene (C₂Cl₄), and 1,2‐dichloroethane (C₂H₄Cl₂), are a stratospheric chlorine source and therefore contribute to ozone depletion. We quantify stratospheric chlorine trends from these VSLS (VSLCl_tot) using a chemical transport model and atmospheric measurements, including novel high‐altitude aircraft data from the NASA VIRGAS (2015) and POSIDON (2016) missions. We estimate VSLCl_tot increased from 69 (±14) parts per trillion (ppt) Cl in 2000 to 111 (±22) ppt Cl in 2017, with >80% delivered to …

Shelf Inputs And Lateral Transport Of Mn, Co, And Ce In The Western North Pacific Ocean, Peter L. Morton, William M. Landing, Alan M. Shiller, Amy Moody, Thomas D. Kelly, Michael Bizimis, John R. Donat, Eric H. De Carlo, Joseph Shacat

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The margin of the western North Pacific Ocean releases redox-active elements like Mn, Co, and Ce into the water column to undergo further transformation through oxide formation, scavenging, and reductive dissolution. Near the margin, the upper ocean waters enriched in these elements are characterized by high dissolved oxygen, low salinity, and low temperature, and are a source of the North Pacific Intermediate Water. High dissolved concentrations are observed across the Western Subarctic Gyre, with a rapid decrease in concentrations away from the margin and across the subarctic-subtropical front. The particulate concentrations of Mn, Co, and Ce are also high in …

Phosgene In The Upper Troposphere And Lower Stratosphere: A Marker For Product Gas Injection Due To Chlorine-Containing Very Short Lived Substances, Jeremy J. Harrison, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Ryan Hossaini, Christopher D. Boone, Sandip Dhomse, Wuhu Feng, Peter F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Abstract: Phosgene in the atmosphere is produced via the degradation of carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, and a number of chlorine‐containing very short lived substances (VSLS). These VSLS are not regulated by the Montreal Protocol even though they contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion. While observations of VSLS can quantify direct stratospheric source gas injection, observations of phosgene in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere can be used as a marker of product gas injection of chlorine‐containing VSLS. In this work we report upper troposphere/lower stratosphere measurements of phosgene made by the ACE‐FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer) instrument and compare with results …

Production And Composition Of Pyrogenic Dissolved Organic Matter From A Logical Series Of Laboratory-Generated Chars, Kyle W. Bostick, Andrew R. Zimmerman, Andrew S. Wozniak, Siddhartha Mitra, Patrick G. Hatcher

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Though pyrogenic carbon (pyC) has been assumed to be predominantly stable, degradation and transfers of pyC between various pools have been found to influence its cycling and longevity in the environment. Dissolution via leaching may be the main control on loss processes such as microbial or abiotic oxidation, mineral sorption, or export to aquatic systems. Yet, little is known about the controls on pyrogenic dissolved organic matter (pyDOM) generation or composition. Here, the yield and composition of pyDOM generated through batch leaching of a thermal series of oak and grass biochars, as well as several non-pyrogenic reference materials, was compared …

Perspectives On Chemical Oceanography In The 21st Century: Participants Of The Come Aboard Meeting Examine Aspects Of The Field In The Context Of 40 Years Of Disco, Andrea J. Fassbender, Hilary I. Palevsky, Todd R. Martz, Anitra E. Ingalls, Martha Gledhill, Sarah E. Fawcett, Jay A. Brandes, Lihini I. Aluwihare, The Participants Of Come Aboard, Disco Xxv

OES Faculty Publications

The questions that chemical oceanographers prioritize over the coming decades, and the methods we use to address these questions, will define our field's contribution to 21st century science. In recognition of this, the U.S. National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration galvanized a community effort (the Chemical Oceanography MEeting: A BOttom-up Approach to Research Directions, or COME ABOARD) to synthesize bottom-up perspectives on selected areas of research in Chemical Oceanography. Representing only a small subset of the community, COME ABOARD participants did not attempt to identify targeted research directions for the field. Instead, we focused on how best …

Interpreting Mosaics Of Ocean Biogeochemistry, Andrea Fassbender, A. Bourbonnais, Sophie Clayton, P. Gaube, M. Ormand, P.J.S. Franks, M. A. Altabet, D.J. Mcgillicuddy Jr.

OES Faculty Publications

Advances in technology and modeling capabilities are driving a surge in progress in our understanding of how ocean ecosystems mix and mingle on medium to small scales.

Surface Oxygenation Of Biochar Through Ozonization For Dramatically Enhancing Cation Exchange Capacity, Matthew D. Huff, Sarah Marshall, Haitham A. Saeed, James Weifu Lee

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Background

Biochar cation exchange capacity (CEC) is a key property that is central to biochar environmental applications including the retention of soil nutrients in soil amendment and removal of certain pollutants in water-filtration applications.

Results

This study reports an innovative biochar-ozonization process that dramatically increases the CEC value of biochars by a factor of 2. The ozonized biochars also show great improvement on adsorption of methylene blue by as much as a factor of about 5. In this study, biochar samples treated with and without ozone were analyzed by means of pH and CEC assays, water field capacity measurement, elemental …

Analysis Of The Red And Green Optical Absorption Spectrum Of Gas Phase Ammonia, Nikolai F. Zobov, Phillip A. Coles, Roman I. Ovsyannikov, Aleksandra A. Kyuberis, Robert J. Hargreaves, Peter F. Bernath, Jonathan Tennyson, Sergei N. Yurchenko, Oleg L. Polyansky

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Room temperature NH₃ absorption spectra recorded at the Kitt Peak National Solar Observatory in 1980 are analyzed. The spectra cover two regions in the visible: 15,200 - 15,700 cm^-1 and 17,950 - 18,250 cm^-1. These high overtone rotation-vibration spectra are analyzed using both combination differences and variational line lists. Two variational line lists were computed using the TROVE nuclear motion program: one is based on an ab initio potential energy surface (PES) while the other used a semi-empirical PES. Ab initio dipole moment surfaces are used in both cases. 95 energy levels with J = 1 …

Observations Of Greenhouse Gas Isotopologues With Ace-Fts And Waccm, Eric Michael Buzan

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Increases in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are the major driver of climate change. Quantifying the sources and sinks of these gases is a major focus of research. Measuring isotopologues, or molecules that differ in isotopic composition, is one useful way of constraining the budget of a molecule as they are highly sensitive to different sources and sinks. However, measurements above the surface have been restricted to a few locations and have only reached the lower stratosphere. Satellite-based remote sensing can achieve nearly global measurement coverage, but so far no satellites have measured isotopologues.

Presented here are measurements of …

Depletion Of Ozone And Reservoir Species Of Chlorine And Nitrogen Oxide In The Lower Antarctic Polar Vortex Measured From Aircraft, T. Jurkat, C. Voigt, S. Kaufmann, J.-U. Grooß, H. Ziereis, A. Dörnbrack, P. Hoor, H. Bozem, A. Engel, H. Bönisch, P. F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Novel airborne in situ measurements of inorganic chlorine, nitrogen oxide species, and ozone were performed inside the lower Antarctic polar vortex and at its edge in September 2012. We focus on one flight during the Transport and Composition of the LMS/Earth System Model Validation (TACTS/ESMVal) campaign with the German research aircraft HALO (High-Altitude LOng range research aircraft), reaching latitudes of 65°S and potential temperatures up to 405 K. Using the early winter correlations of reactive trace gases with N₂O from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment-Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS), we find high depletion of chlorine reservoir gases up to ∼40% …

Phytoplankton Plastid Proteomics: Cracking Open Diatoms To Understand Plastid Biochemistry Under Iron Limitation, Skyler J. Nunn, Phoebe Dreux Chappell, Kristofer Gomes, Anasthasia Bonderenko, Bethany D. Jenkins, Brook L. Nunn

OES Faculty Publications

Diatoms, such as Thalassiosira pseudonana, are important oceanic primary producers, as they sequester carbon dioxide (CO₂) out of the atmosphere, die, and precipitate to the ocean floor. In many areas of the world’s oceans, phytoplankton, such as diatoms, are limited in growth by the availability of iron (Fe). Fe is an essential nutrient for phytoplankton, as it is central in the electron transport chain component of photosynthesis. Through this study, we examined if Fe-limitation makes a significant difference in the proteins expressed within the chloroplast, the power source for diatoms. Here, we utilized a new plastid isolation technique specific …

Possible Sources And Impacts Of Biochar Water Extractable Organic Compounds On Aquatic Microorganisms, Cameron Russell Smith

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Smokeless biomass pyrolysis with application of biochar as a soil amendment could be a significant approach for carbon sequestration to possibly control climate change for energy and environmental sustainability. If biochar were to be utilized as a soil amendment and a carbon sequestration agent at Gt C scales, the release of potentially toxic compounds into soils and associated hydrological systems, through soil rainwater runoff and leaching, might have negative consequences, in both agro-ecosystems and aquatic environmental systems. Therefore, the main focus of this dissertation was to study the sources and chemical composition of biochar water extractable (soluble) organic compounds and …

Nitrous Oxide In The Atmosphere: First Measurements Of A Lower Thermospheric Source, Patrick E. Sheese, Kaley A. Walker, Chris D. Boone, Peter F. Bernath, Bernd Funke

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is an important anthropogenic greenhouse gas, as well as one of the most significant anthropogenic ozone-depleting substances in the stratosphere. The satellite-based instrument Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment-Fourier Transform Spectrometer has been observing the Earth's limb since 2004 and derives profiles of N₂O volume mixing ratios in the upper troposphere to the lower thermosphere. The resulting climatology shows that N₂O is continuously produced in the lower thermosphere via energetic particle precipitation and enhanced N₂O is present at all latitudes, during all seasons. The results are consistent with an N₂O …