Mean ages of stratospheric air derived from in situ observations of CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O

Accurate mean ages for stratospheric air have been derived from a spatially and temporally comprehensive set of in situ observations of CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O obtained from 1992 to 1998 from the NASA ER‐2 aircraft and balloon flights. Errors associated with the tropospheric CO 2 seasonal cycle and interannual variations in the CO 2 growth rate are <0.5 year throughout the stratosphere and <0.3 year for air older than 2 years (N 2 O<275...