Low frequency (<500 cm <sup>−1</sup> ) contribution to greenhouse gas radiative efficiency
Daniel Van Hoomissen, Vassileios C. Papadimitriou, James B. Burkholder
Abstract
Radiative efficiency (RE) is a key climate metric used in the evaluation of a greenhouse gases global warming potential. However, experimental methods are commonly limited to measurements in the spectral region greater than ∼500 cm−1. In this study, density functional theory with the wB97X-D/def2TZVPPD level of theory was employed to calculate the infrared absorption spectra and the contribution of the 0–500 cm−1 spectral region to the total RE for the nearly 800 greenhouse gases, 20 different classes of primarily halogenated compounds, included in the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion Annex [1]. In general, the results indicate that the contribution of the low-frequency regime to the total overall RE is not significant, < 2%, with a few exceptions, e.g. several compounds in the hydrocarbon class.