We propose to continue to process and/or archive whole air samples collected from aircraft and balloon flights during upcoming NASA missions and flights of opportunity for measurements of the isotopic…

This federal contract award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the Regents of the University of California, doing business as the University of California, Berkeley, provides $933,946.91 to process and archive whole air samples collected from aircraft and balloon flights for measurements of the isotopic compositions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. The research aims to monitor atmospheric composition and transport processes in the stratosphere and upper troposphere over the next four years, building on measurements dating back to 1996-1997. The observations and analysis will contribute to understanding stratospheric transport, mixing, and exchange with the troposphere, with applications to predicting the recovery of the ozone layer and greenhouse gas levels. This contract award is not set aside for any specific business size or socioeconomic status. The parent organization administering the funding is the State of California Controller's Office.

We propose to continue to process and/or archive whole air samples collected from aircraft and balloon flights during upcoming NASA missions and flights of opportunity for measurements of the isotopic compositions of chemically and/or radiatively important trace gases, including carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. The isotope measurements and their analysis will allow continued monitoring of atmospheric composition and transport processes in the stratosphere and upper troposphere over the next 4 years, following on our measurements now dating back to NASA suborbital flights in 1996-1997. The observations and comparison with atmospheric models will be used to better understand and quantify stratospheric transport and mixing, stratospheric mean ages and residence times, stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE), mesosphere-stratosphere exchange, processes that control the composition of the tropical tropopause transition layer and midlatitude upper troposphere, and the extent to which STE creates signals at earth's surface that compete with signals from anthropogenic and natural emissions of chemically and radiatively important species, such as ozone, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide. Insights and constraints for chemistry-climate models will also be gained and enable better prediction of how these processes may have changed in the past and how they may change in the future, with applications to better predicting the recovery of the ozone layer, greenhouse gas levels, and feedbacks between them. Overall, these measurements and analyses will contribute to the strategic goals of this solicitation and to NASA earth science goals in general to better understand and monitor atmospheric composition, feedbacks with climate, and how these may be changing over time.