Satellite-based estimates of radiative forcing of long-lived halogenated gases from spectral observations

Abstract

While the atmospheric concentrations of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are gradually declining following regulatory measures, the levels of other halogenated compounds, such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), continue to rise or are only just starting to stabilize. These halogenated substances are potent greenhouse gases. Their radiative efficiency, which quantifies along with their lifetime their impact on the climate, has until now only been estimated indirectly by means of models. Here, we report the clear-sky instantaneous radiative efficiencies of CFC-11, CFC-12, SF6, HCFC-22 and HFC-134a estimated directly from an observational dataset. This is achieved by combining trends observed in 15 years (2008-2022) of spectrally resolved infrared radiance fluxes from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer on Metop satellites, with concentrations measured from ground and space.

Comparisons with literature-reported values generally confirm previous model estimates, with some notable differences. The most significant discrepancies are for CFC-11 and SF6, with our estimates being 27% lower but, nevertheless, within the bounds of the uncertainty estimates.

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Cite

BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{whitburn2026satellitebased,
  title = {{Satellite-based estimates of radiative forcing of long-lived halogenated gases from spectral observations}},
  author = {Simon Whitburn and Lieven Clarisse and Hélène de Longueville and Keith P Shine and Pierre F Coheur and Cathy Clerbaux and Andy W Delcloo},
  journal = {Communications Earth \& Environment},
  year = {2026},
  month = may,
  doi = {10.1038/s43247-026-03691-w},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05682129v3},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Satellite-based estimates of radiative forcing of long-lived halogenated gases from spectral observations
AU  - Simon Whitburn
AU  - Lieven Clarisse
AU  - Hélène de Longueville
AU  - Keith P Shine
AU  - Pierre F Coheur
AU  - Cathy Clerbaux
AU  - Andy W Delcloo
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/29
JO  - Communications Earth & Environment
DO  - 10.1038/s43247-026-03691-w
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05682129v3
AB  - While the atmospheric concentrations of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are gradually declining following regulatory measures, the levels of other halogenated compounds, such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), continue to rise or are only just starting to stabilize. These halogenated substances are potent greenhouse gases. Their radiative efficiency, which quantifies along with their lifetime their impact on the climate, has until now only been estimated indirectly by means of models. Here, we report the clear-sky instantaneous radiative efficiencies of CFC-11, CFC-12, SF6, HCFC-22 and HFC-134a estimated directly from an observational dataset. This is achieved by combining trends observed in 15 years (2008-2022) of spectrally resolved infrared radiance fluxes from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer on Metop satellites, with concentrations measured from ground and space.  Comparisons with literature-reported values generally confirm previous model estimates, with some notable differences. The most significant discrepancies are for CFC-11 and SF6, with our estimates being 27% lower but, nevertheless, within the bounds of the uncertainty estimates.
SN  - 2662-4435
ER  -

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