Trace gases over the western Atlantic Ocean: Fluxes From the eastern United States and distributions in and above the planetary boundary layer

During January 1986 we took about 80 air samples on four aircraft flights over a horizontal surface parallel to the east coast of the United States spanning latitudes from 30°N to 46°N and altitudes from near the Earth's surface to about 6 km above. These measurements were part of the Western Atlantic Ocean Experiment (WATOX). The prevailing winds carry man‐made pollutants from the densely populated and industrialized eastern United States to regions over the western Atlantic. The measurements taken over the vertical surface intercept the pollutants. By calculating the fluxes of gases through this surface we obtained estimates of emissions from the eastern United States during winter. We estimate that every day about 165 tons of man‐made chlorine‐containing gases passed through the region of measurements. Some 3,200 tons/day of light hydrocarbons (C2 and C3) , 25,300 tons of methane, and nearly 40,000 tons of carbon monoxide were also transported every day from the east coast to the western Atlantic. These estimates can probably be extended to the entire winter; however, the fluxes can change dramatically during other seasons.