The lifetime of nitrogen oxides in an isoprene-dominated forest
Creators
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Romer, Paul S.1
- Duffey, Kaitlin C.1
- Wooldridge, Paul J.1
- Allen, Hannah M.2, 3
- Ayres, Benjamin R.2
- Brown, Steven S.4
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Brune, William H.5
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Crounse, John D.3
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de Gouw, Joost4, 6
- Draper, Danielle C.2, 7
- Feiner, Philip A.5
- Fry, Juliane L.2
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Goldstein, Allen H.1
- Koss, Abigail4, 6
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Misztal, Pawel K.1
- Nguyen, Tran B.3, 8
- Olson, Kevin1
- Teng, Alex P.3
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Wennberg, Paul O.3
- Wild, Robert J.4, 6
- Zhang, Li5
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Cohen, Ronald C.1
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1.
University of California, Berkeley
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2.
Reed College
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3.
California Institute of Technology
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4.
Earth System Research Laboratory
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5.
Pennsylvania State University
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6.
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
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7.
University of California, Irvine
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8.
University of California, Davis
Abstract
The lifetime of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) affects the concentration and distribution of NO_x and the spatial patterns of nitrogen deposition. Despite its importance, the lifetime of NO_x is poorly constrained in rural and remote continental regions. We use measurements from a site in central Alabama during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) in summer 2013 to provide new insights into the chemistry of NO_x and NO_x reservoirs. We find that the lifetime of NO_x during the daytime is controlled primarily by the production and loss of alkyl and multifunctional nitrates (ΣANs). During SOAS, ΣAN production was rapid, averaging 90 ppt h^(−1) during the day, and occurred predominantly during isoprene oxidation. Analysis of the ΣAN and HNO_3 budgets indicate that ΣANs have an average lifetime of under 2 h, and that approximately 45 % of the ΣANs produced at this site are rapidly hydrolyzed to produce nitric acid. We find that ΣAN hydrolysis is the largest source of HNO_3 and the primary pathway to permanent removal of NO_x from the boundary layer in this location. Using these new constraints on the fate of ΣANs, we find that the NO_x lifetime is 11 ± 5 h under typical midday conditions. The lifetime is extended by storage of NO_x in temporary reservoirs, including acyl peroxy nitrates and ΣANs.
Additional Information
© Author(s) 2016. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Received 12 Jan 2016; published in Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss. 21 Jan 2016; revised 4 May 2016; accepted 16 May 2016; published 23 Jun 2016. Financial and logistical support for SOAS was provided by the NSF, the Earth Observing Laboratory at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (operated by NSF), the personnel at Atmospheric Research and Analysis, and the Electric Power Research Institute. The Berkeley authors acknowledge the support of the NOAA Office of Global Programs (NA13OAR4310067) and the NSF (AGS-1352972) and by EPA STAR Grant 835407 (to Allen H. Goldstein). The Caltech authors acknowledge the support of the NSF (AGS-1331360, AGS-1240604). The Penn State authors acknowledge the support of the NSF (AGS-1246918). Ronald C. Cohen acknowledges support from the Miller Institute for Basic Research.Attached Files
Published - acp-16-7623-2016.pdf
Files
acp-16-7623-2016.pdf
Additional details
Identifiers
- Eprint ID
- 69452
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20160804-150734787
Funding
- National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
- Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- NA13OAR4310067
- NSF
- AGS-1352972
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- 835407
- NSF
- AGS-1331360
- NSF
- AGS-1240604
- NSF
- AGS-1246918
- Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science
Dates
- Created
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2016-08-09Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-11Created from EPrint's last_modified field
Caltech Custom Metadata
- Caltech groups
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences (GPS)