March 15, 2019 CHEMICAL COMMUNICATION

Viva Cundliffe¹

The Hydroxyl Radical is most likely being inundated by pollution in worldwide air sheds, leading to an overall failure to oxidize methane.

Over 30 air shed reporting sites were consulted to observe and note the pollution levels, and placed in this small calculator to determine what the Hydroxyl deficit was in each area.

In all cases, there was a deficit of the hydroxyl radical when totaled against the listed species. This strongly indicates that the future will include a growing failure by hydroxyls to remove methane, leading to a non-linear climate forcing feedback, which we suggest, has now begun.

Simple Calculator of *OH Needs
Airshed Constituents in ppm			This calculator can be adjusted for any air shed’s constituents and show the deficit of *OH. With wildfires the deficit becomes extremely high.
CAP	ppm
CO	0.871
Sox	0.0004
CH4	0.2
PM 2.5	7
O3	0.028
Nox	0.0126	.010-.045
CO2 0>0006x 410ppm	0.24	1/100 of 6% buffering
VOC	0.32
SGHG basket	0.018638	synthetic GHGs or CFC gases
Total Reactant Flux	8.690638
(*)OH	ppm
PPM (*)OH natural	6
added PPM (*)OH	1.1	1.1 , 2.2, 1.5,3
.25 assist	0.275	25% builds up in air
Total Flux	7.375
DEFICIT OF OH	1.315638	ppm

This is a snapshot of the calculator, where as noted, a new group can add hydroxyl to the environment that has a deficit. Shown here is an addition of 1.1 ppm, but this leaves still, a deficit of 1.315 ppm in addition to that. The total deficit shown here in this typical air sample is 2.415 ppm, which we suggest, is enough of a deficit (over 25%) to leave room for a cumulative buildup of total methane, as well as other pollutants.

As many will recall, about 25% of the hydroxyl will be recycled over four days. Any pollution demand over this “recycled boost” will result in un-reacted pollution remaining in the air, and this critical tipping point is reached.

The tipping point has been shown here.

Lead author: Viva Cundliffe