Soils: A global sink of atmospheric carbon tetrachloride

Analysis of soil gas from the world's major biomes indicates that carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) uptake by soils is a ubiquitous process. The global flux of CCl₄ from the atmosphere to soils was estimated to be 27 ± 21 kilotons per year (Kt yr^-1 , corresponding to a partial atmospheric lifetime of 90 years (yr). The total lifetime of CCl₄ in the atmosphere, taking into account the stratospheric, oceanic and soil sinks is estimated to be 20 yr. The recently identified oceanic and soil sinks of atmospheric CCl₄ suggest that current emission estimates of CCl₄ may be underestimated by ∼60%.