Articles | Volume 26, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13909-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13909-2026
Research article
 | 
05 Oct 2026
Research article |  | 05 Oct 2026

Consistent estimates of carbonyl sulfide and methane stratospheric lifetimes retrieved from AirCore profiles at different latitudes

Alessandro Zanchetta, Steven van Heuven, Rigel Kivi, Michel Ramonet, Andreas Engel, Maarten Krol, and Huilin Chen

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Cited articles

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In this study, we calculate the mean lifetime of carbonyl sulfide (COS) and methane (CH4) in the stratosphere from continuous vertical profiles sampled with balloon-borne instruments. We used two methods based on the stratospheric relationship of these gas species with N2O. The estimated stratospheric lifetime range is 69–90 years for COS and 146–172 years for CH4. These results are consistent with other studies and suggest no long-term trends in the stratospheric lifetime of these gas species.
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