Satellite captures dramatic increase in HFC-125, a powerful greenhouse gas

HFC-125 is a greenhouse gas that is a major cause of global warming, and in the first study to use satellites to measure HFC-125 concentrations in the atmosphere, researchers found that HFC-125 has They found an exponential increase over 20 years.

A paper about this research, “First satellite measurements of HFC-125 by ACE-FTS: Long-term trends and distribution in Earth’s upper troposphere and lower stratosphere,” will be published in the Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative Transfer.

The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment, conducted by a research group at the University of Waterloo and under contract with the Canadian Space Agency, will measure atmospheric concentrations of HFC-125, a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) commonly found in fire extinguishers and commercial fire extinguishers, in space. I measured it for the first time since. cooling system.

HFC-125 is one of the three most common HFCs used in Canada. HFCs are regulated by amendments to the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty to protect the Earth’s ozone layer. HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer, but they do contribute to global warming.

For several years, the research team has been measuring the decline in restricted ozone-depleting substances and the increase in global ozone. Researchers are now focused on measuring concentrations of HFC-125 around the world and between 11 and 25 kilometers above the Earth.

“Our satellites have been collecting data since 2004, and we found that HFC-125 concentrations in the atmosphere are now nearly 10 times higher,” said Atmospheric Mission Scientist and Professor of Science at the University of Waterloo. said one Dr. Peter Bernas. Chemical experiment. “We hope that new international regulations will soon reduce the growth rate of HFC-125, similar to previously regulated refrigerants.”

The research team’s satellite data will give climate scientists more information to accurately predict climate change and learn more about stratospheric chemistry. Until this study, the only other measurements available to climate modelers were at ground level or much lower in the atmosphere.

“After 20 years in orbit and measuring more than 46 different atmospheric molecules, this solo Canadian mission has become one of Canada’s most successful scientific satellite missions, if not its largest. ” Bernas said. “We continue to find new ways to provide the global scientific community with information about the molecules in the atmosphere that affect the ozone layer and global warming.”