Publications by authors named "Maarten M J W van Herpen"
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
August 2023
Article Synopsis
- Active chlorine in the atmosphere affects methane oxidation, leading to uncertainty in methane budget assessments globally due to limited understanding of its production and role.
- A new photocatalytic mechanism suggests chlorine atoms are produced when Sahara dust interacts with sea spray aerosol, validated through modeling and explaining long-standing observations of carbon depletion in air samples from Barbados and the CO:ethane ratio at Cape Verde.
- Increased chlorine production, particularly in the North Atlantic, alters methane budget models and can lead to miscalculations in methane emissions from biological sources like agriculture and wetlands, complicating our understanding of recent methane increases linked to North African dust emissions.
