Minor constituents of terrestrial atmosphere

‘Atmospheric trace species’ are the minor constituents which abundances are less than 0.1 %. For example, carbon dioxide and methane are famous as greenhouse gas and ozone, nitric oxide, and carbon monoxide are famous as air pollutants. In spite of the small abundance, they have impacts on the atmospheric temperature or circulation and sometimes have interactions with lives. Therefore, behaviors of trace species are important for ‘atmospheric environment’. We are investigating the variations of the trace species mainly with spectroscopy. Many trace species can be observed simultaneously by ground-based solar absorption measurement with Fourier transform spectrometer. Stratospheric ozone and some other species are measured with balloon-borne spectrometer.

Assoc. Prof. Isao Murata