Nonmethane hydrocarbons in an oceanic atmosphere

C₂–C₆ Nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC) and radioactive continental tracers were measured during two oceanographic cruises, in June 1982 in the Mediterranean and Red Sea, and in November 1982 across the North Atlantic and South Pacific oceans. Typical concentrations in marine atmosphere are between 0.05 and 0.2 ppbv. Owing to their similar lifetimes, propane and radon-222 are found to be well correlated. This relationship establishes that propane is mainly produced over lands and enables us to estimate its continental source strength at about 60×10⁶ tons of carbon per year.Also at Université de Picardie