Absorption cross-section of N2O complexes

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is now the single most important ozone depleting substance in Earth’s atmosphere and the third most significant greenhouse gas. Nitrous oxide has both natural and anthropogenic sources, primarily from agriculture. The major loss process of N2O from the atmosphere is photodissociation, which occurs in the stratosphere where UV photons are available. We investigate changes in the cross-section of N2O upon complexation with molecular oxygen. Previous studies have shown that complexes involving molecular oxygen may be atmospherically significant.