摘要
The CO_2 in the atmosphere is in contact with water vapor and rain droplets forming CO_2·H_2O, HCO -_3 and CO 2- _3. Global precipitation is about 505×10 15 kg/a. Based on theoretical calculation for unpolluted air and measurement observations, we estimated that 100—270×10 12 gC/a are scavenged from the air by global precipitation. This roughly equals carbon emissions from volcanic sources or 2—6 per cent of current CO_2 emissions. An inventory-based estimate on carbon removal in northwestern Europe supports the above calculation on global scale. With increasing CO_2 concentration in the air, precipitation scavenging may increase.
The CO_2 in the atmosphere is in contact with water vapor and rain droplets forming CO_2·H_2O, HCO -_3 and CO 2- _3. Global precipitation is about 505×10 15 kg/a. Based on theoretical calculation for unpolluted air and measurement observations, we estimated that 100—270×10 12 gC/a are scavenged from the air by global precipitation. This roughly equals carbon emissions from volcanic sources or 2—6 per cent of current CO_2 emissions. An inventory-based estimate on carbon removal in northwestern Europe supports the above calculation on global scale. With increasing CO_2 concentration in the air, precipitation scavenging may increase.
