James B. Burkholder

Bio: James B. Burkholder is an academic researcher from Earth System Research Laboratory. The author has contributed to research in topics: Absorption spectroscopy & Absorption (electromagnetic radiation). The author has an hindex of 36, co-authored 84 publications receiving 4185 citations. Previous affiliations of James B. Burkholder include Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.

Rate coefficients for the reaction of methylglyoxal (CH 3 COCHO) with OH and NO 3 and glyoxal (HCO) 2 with NO 3

Abstract: . Rate coefficients, k, for the gas-phase reaction of CH3COCHO (methylglyoxal) with the OH and NO3 radicals and (CHO)2 (glyoxal) with the NO3 radical are reported. Rate coefficients for the OH + CH3COCHO (k1) reaction were measured under pseudo-first-order conditions in OH as a function of temperature (211–373 K) and pressure (100–220 Torr, He and N2 bath gases) using pulsed laser photolysis to produce OH radicals and laser induced fluorescence to measure its temporal profile. k1 was found to be independent of the bath gas pressure with k1(295 K) = (1.29 ± 0.13) × 10−11 cm3 molecule−1 s−1 and a temperature dependence that is well represented by the Arrhenius expression k1(T) = (1.74 ± 0.20) × 10−12 exp[(590 ± 40)/T] cm3 molecule−1 s−1 where the uncertainties are 2σ and include estimated systematic errors. Rate coefficients for the NO3 + (CHO)2 (k3) and NO3 + CH3COCHO (k4) reactions were measured using a relative rate technique to be k3(296 K) = (4.0 ± 1.0) × 10−16 cm3 molecule−1 s−1 and k4(296 K) = (5.1 ± 2.1) × 10−16 cm3 molecule−1 s−1. k3(T) was also measured using an absolute rate coefficient method under pseudo-first-order conditions at 296 and 353 K to be (4.2 ± 0.8) × 10−16 and (7.9 ± 3.6) × 10−16 cm3 molecule−1 s−1, respectively, in agreement with the relative rate result obtained at room temperature. The atmospheric implications of the OH and NO3 reaction rate coefficients measured in this work are discussed.

Atmospheric fate and greenhouse warming potentials of HFC 236fa and HFC 236ea

Abstract: The rate coefficient for the reaction OH + CF3CH2CF3 (1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane, HFC236fa) was measured between 269 and 413 K using the pulsed photolysis-laser induced fluorescence technique to be k1 = (1.60 ± 0.40) × 10−12 exp (−(2450 ± 150)/T) cm3 molecule−1 s−1. The rate coefficient, k2b, for the destruction of CF3CH2CF3 via reaction with O(1D) was measured to be (4.5 ± 1.9) × 10−12 cm3 molecule−1 s−1 using the laser photolysis-resonance fluorescence technique. From these data, along with previously published rate coefficients for OH reaction with HFC236ea, the atmospheric lifetimes of HFC236fa and HFC236ea were calculated to be 210 and 8.1 years, respectively. The room temperature infrared absorption cross sections for these two compounds were measured over the range 650 to 1350 cm−1. The global warming potentials (GWPs) of HFC236fa and HFC236ea, respectively, were calculated to be 5610 and 2200 for a 20-year horizon and 5160 and 220 for a 500-year horizon.

The HITRAN 2008 molecular spectroscopic database

Abstract: This paper describes the contents of the 2016 edition of the HITRAN molecular spectroscopic compilation. The new edition replaces the previous HITRAN edition of 2012 and its updates during the intervening years. The HITRAN molecular absorption compilation is composed of five major components: the traditional line-by-line spectroscopic parameters required for high-resolution radiative-transfer codes, infrared absorption cross-sections for molecules not yet amenable to representation in a line-by-line form, collision-induced absorption data, aerosol indices of refraction, and general tables such as partition sums that apply globally to the data. The new HITRAN is greatly extended in terms of accuracy, spectral coverage, additional absorption phenomena, added line-shape formalisms, and validity. Moreover, molecules, isotopologues, and perturbing gases have been added that address the issues of atmospheres beyond the Earth. Of considerable note, experimental IR cross-sections for almost 300 additional molecules important in different areas of atmospheric science have been added to the database. The compilation can be accessed through www.hitran.org. Most of the HITRAN data have now been cast into an underlying relational database structure that offers many advantages over the long-standing sequential text-based structure. The new structure empowers the user in many ways. It enables the incorporation of an extended set of fundamental parameters per transition, sophisticated line-shape formalisms, easy user-defined output formats, and very convenient searching, filtering, and plotting of data. A powerful application programming interface making use of structured query language (SQL) features for higher-level applications of HITRAN is also provided.

Nitric oxide, superoxide, and peroxynitrite: the good, the bad, and ugly.

Abstract: Nitric oxide contrasts with most intercellular messengers because it diffuses rapidly and isotropically through most tissues with little reaction but cannot be transported through the vasculature due to rapid destruction by oxyhemoglobin. The rapid diffusion of nitric oxide between cells allows it to locally integrate the responses of blood vessels to turbulence, modulate synaptic plasticity in neurons, and control the oscillatory behavior of neuronal networks. Nitric oxide is not necessarily short lived and is intrinsically no more reactive than oxygen. The reactivity of nitric oxide per se has been greatly overestimated in vitro because no drain is provided to remove nitric oxide. Nitric oxide persists in solution for several minutes in micromolar concentrations before it reacts with oxygen to form much stronger oxidants like nitrogen dioxide. Nitric oxide is removed within seconds in vivo by diffusion over 100 microns through tissues to enter red blood cells and react with oxyhemoglobin. The direct toxicity of nitric oxide is modest but is greatly enhanced by reacting with superoxide to form peroxynitrite (ONOO-). Nitric oxide is the only biological molecule produced in high enough concentrations to out-compete superoxide dismutase for superoxide. Peroxynitrite reacts relatively slowly with most biological molecules, making peroxynitrite a selective oxidant. Peroxynitrite modifies tyrosine in proteins to create nitrotyrosines, leaving a footprint detectable in vivo. Nitration of structural proteins, including neurofilaments and actin, can disrupt filament assembly with major pathological consequences. Antibodies to nitrotyrosine have revealed nitration in human atherosclerosis, myocardial ischemia, septic and distressed lung, inflammatory bowel disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Bounding the role of black carbon in the climate system: A scientific assessment

Abstract: Black carbon aerosol plays a unique and important role in Earth's climate system. Black carbon is a type of carbonaceous material with a unique combination of physical properties. This assessment provides an evaluation of black-carbon climate forcing that is comprehensive in its inclusion of all known and relevant processes and that is quantitative in providing best estimates and uncertainties of the main forcing terms: direct solar absorption; influence on liquid, mixed phase, and ice clouds; and deposition on snow and ice. These effects are calculated with climate models, but when possible, they are evaluated with both microphysical measurements and field observations. Predominant sources are combustion related, namely, fossil fuels for transportation, solid fuels for industrial and residential uses, and open burning of biomass. Total global emissions of black carbon using bottom-up inventory methods are 7500 Gg yr−1 in the year 2000 with an uncertainty range of 2000 to 29000. However, global atmospheric absorption attributable to black carbon is too low in many models and should be increased by a factor of almost 3. After this scaling, the best estimate for the industrial-era (1750 to 2005) direct radiative forcing of atmospheric black carbon is +0.71 W m−2 with 90% uncertainty bounds of (+0.08, +1.27) W m−2. Total direct forcing by all black carbon sources, without subtracting the preindustrial background, is estimated as +0.88 (+0.17, +1.48) W m−2. Direct radiative forcing alone does not capture important rapid adjustment mechanisms. A framework is described and used for quantifying climate forcings, including rapid adjustments. The best estimate of industrial-era climate forcing of black carbon through all forcing mechanisms, including clouds and cryosphere forcing, is +1.1 W m−2 with 90% uncertainty bounds of +0.17 to +2.1 W m−2. Thus, there is a very high probability that black carbon emissions, independent of co-emitted species, have a positive forcing and warm the climate. We estimate that black carbon, with a total climate forcing of +1.1 W m−2, is the second most important human emission in terms of its climate forcing in the present-day atmosphere; only carbon dioxide is estimated to have a greater forcing. Sources that emit black carbon also emit other short-lived species that may either cool or warm climate. Climate forcings from co-emitted species are estimated and used in the framework described herein. When the principal effects of short-lived co-emissions, including cooling agents such as sulfur dioxide, are included in net forcing, energy-related sources (fossil fuel and biofuel) have an industrial-era climate forcing of +0.22 (−0.50 to +1.08) W m−2 during the first year after emission. For a few of these sources, such as diesel engines and possibly residential biofuels, warming is strong enough that eliminating all short-lived emissions from these sources would reduce net climate forcing (i.e., produce cooling). When open burning emissions, which emit high levels of organic matter, are included in the total, the best estimate of net industrial-era climate forcing by all short-lived species from black-carbon-rich sources becomes slightly negative (−0.06 W m−2 with 90% uncertainty bounds of −1.45 to +1.29 W m−2). The uncertainties in net climate forcing from black-carbon-rich sources are substantial, largely due to lack of knowledge about cloud interactions with both black carbon and co-emitted organic carbon. In prioritizing potential black-carbon mitigation actions, non-science factors, such as technical feasibility, costs, policy design, and implementation feasibility play important roles. The major sources of black carbon are presently in different stages with regard to the feasibility for near-term mitigation. This assessment, by evaluating the large number and complexity of the associated physical and radiative processes in black-carbon climate forcing, sets a baseline from which to improve future climate forcing estimates.

Anthropogenic and Natural Radiative Forcing

Abstract: This chapter should be cited as: Myhre, G., D. Shindell, F.-M. Bréon, W. Collins, J. Fuglestvedt, J. Huang, D. Koch, J.-F. Lamarque, D. Lee, B. Mendoza, T. Nakajima, A. Robock, G. Stephens, T. Takemura and H. Zhang, 2013: Anthropogenic and Natural Radiative Forcing. In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. Coordinating Lead Authors: Gunnar Myhre (Norway), Drew Shindell (USA)