Photosynthetic control of atmospheric carbonyl sulfide during the growing season

J E Campbell; G R Carmichael; T Chai; M Mena-Carrasco; Y Tang; D R Blake; N J Blake; S A Vay; G J Collatz; I Baker; J A Berry; S A Montzka; C Sweeney; J L Schnoor; C O Stanier

doi:10.1126/science.1164015

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Photosynthetic control of atmospheric carbonyl sulfide during the growing season

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Photosynthetic control of atmospheric carbonyl sulfide during the growing season

J E Campbell, G R Carmichael, T Chai, M Mena-Carrasco, Y Tang, D R Blake, N J Blake, S A Vay, G J Collatz, I Baker, …

Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Vol.322(5904), pp.1085-1088

11/14/2008

DOI: 10.1126/science.1164015

PMID: 19008442

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https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82r9s2x3View

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Abstract

Climate models incorporate photosynthesis-climate feedbacks, yet we lack robust tools for large-scale assessments of these processes. Recent work suggests that carbonyl sulfide (COS), a trace gas consumed by plants, could provide a valuable constraint on photosynthesis. Here we analyze airborne observations of COS and carbon dioxide concentrations during the growing season over North America with a three-dimensional atmospheric transport model. We successfully modeled the persistent vertical drawdown of atmospheric COS using the quantitative relation between COS and photosynthesis that has been measured in plant chamber experiments. Furthermore, this drawdown is driven by plant uptake rather than other continental and oceanic fluxes in the model. These results provide quantitative evidence that COS gradients in the continental growing season may have broad use as a measurement-based photosynthesis tracer.

North America

Photosynthesis

Plants - metabolism

Sulfur Oxides - analysis

Carbon Dioxide - metabolism

Plant Development

Atmosphere - chemistry

Seasons

Carbon Dioxide - analysis

Sulfur Oxides - metabolism

Details

Title: Subtitle: Photosynthetic control of atmospheric carbonyl sulfide during the growing season
Creators: J E Campbell - Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. ecampbell3@ucmerced.edu
G R Carmichael
T Chai
M Mena-Carrasco
Y Tang
D R Blake
N J Blake
S A Vay
G J Collatz
I Baker
J A Berry
S A Montzka
C Sweeney
J L Schnoor
C O Stanier
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Vol.322(5904), pp.1085-1088
DOI: 10.1126/science.1164015
PMID: 19008442
NLM abbreviation: Science
ISSN: 1095-9203
eISSN: 1095-9203
Publisher: United States
Language: English
Date published: 11/14/2008
Academic Unit: Civil and Environmental Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health; Center for Global & Regional Environmental Research; Nursing; Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Record Identifier: 9983997977902771

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