Fast nitrogen oxide photochemistry in Summit, Greenland snow

Dibb, Jack E.; Arsenault, Matthew; Peterson, Matt A.; Honrath, R. E.

doi:10.1016/s1352-2310(02)00130-9

Cited by 176 publications

(180 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

162

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As discussed earlier, snowpack emissions due to the photolysis of nitrate in the snow during late spring and summer could contribute to NO x and HONO levels in the ambient air, which could enhance O 3 production (Crawford et al, 2001;Zhou et al, 2001;Dibb et al, 2002;Yang et al, 2002;Grannas et al, 2007;Legrand et al, 2014). We ran a sensitivity study to test the response of surface O 3 mixing ratios to the perturbations of NO x and HONO from snowpack emissions.…”

Section: Omentioning

confidence: 96%

Surface ozone and its precursors at Summit, Greenland: comparison between observations and model simulations

Huang¹,

Wu²,

Kramer³

et al. 2017

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Recent studies have shown significant challenges for atmospheric models to simulate tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) and its precursors in the Arctic. In this study, ground-based data were combined with a global 3-D chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to examine the abundance and seasonal variations of O 3 and its precursors at Summit, Greenland (72.34 • N, 38.29 • W; 3212 m a.s.l.). Model simulations for atmospheric nitrogen oxides (NO x ), peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), ethane (C 2 H 6 ), propane (C 3 H 8 ), carbon monoxide (CO), and O 3 for the period July 2008-June 2010 were compared with observations. The model performed well in simulating certain species (such as CO and C 3 H 8 ), but some significant discrepancies were identified for other species and further investigated. The model generally underestimated NO x and PAN (by ∼ 50 and 30 %, respectively) for MarchJune. Likely contributing factors to the low bias include missing NO x and PAN emissions from snowpack chemistry in the model. At the same time, the model overestimated NO x mixing ratios by more than a factor of 2 in wintertime, with episodic NO x mixing ratios up to 15 times higher than the typical NO x levels at Summit. Further investigation showed that these simulated episodic NO x spikes were always associated with transport events from Europe, but the exact cause remained unclear. The model systematically overestimated C 2 H 6 mixing ratios by approximately 20 % relative to observations. This discrepancy can be resolved by decreasing anthropogenic C 2 H 6 emissions over Asia and the US by ∼ 20 %, from 5.4 to 4.4 Tg year −1 . GEOS-Chem was able to reproduce the seasonal variability of O 3 and its spring maximum. However, compared with observations, it underestimated surface O 3 by approximately 13 % (6.5 ppbv) from April to July. This low bias appeared to be driven by several factors including missing snowpack emissions of NO x and nitrous acid in the model, the weak simulated stratosphereto-troposphere exchange flux of O 3 over the summit, and the coarse model resolution.

show abstract

Section: Omentioning

confidence: 96%

Surface ozone and its precursors at Summit, Greenland: comparison between observations and model simulations

Huang¹,

Wu²,

Kramer³

et al. 2017

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, based on findings by Beine et al (2003), Amoroso et al (2006) and Bjö rkman (2013) (Honrath et al 1999;Dibb et al 2002;Rö thlisberger et al 2002;Blunier et al 2005) or wind action that mixes surficial snow layers, thereby altering the…”

Section: Seasonal Variability Of [Nomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…by sunlight (Honrath et al 1999;Honrath et al 2000;Dibb et al 2002;Hastings et al 2004;Jarvis et al 2008). Sublimation of HNO 3 can also take place at the snow/ air interface (Honrath et al 1999;Dibb et al 2002;Rö thlisberger et al 2002), and both photolysis and sublimation modify the 15 N/ 14 N ratio of NO À 3 in snow (Blunier et al 2005).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrate stable isotopes and major ions in snow and ice samples from four Svalbard sites

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…These surfaces include those coated with phenols and aromatic ketones as proposed by George et al (2005) and humic acids and soil as suggested by Stemmler et al (2006Stemmler et al ( , 2007. Another proposed daytime HONO formation mechanism is the photolysis of surface adsorbed nitric acid (HNO 3 ) (Zhou et al, 2007;He et al, 2006;Beine et al, 2002;Dibb et al, 2002;Zhou et al, 2002Zhou et al, , 2003Zhou et al, , 2011. Both of these heterogeneous formation pathways, NO 2 conversion and photolysis of HNO 3 , can potentially occur on aerosol and ground surfaces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling of daytime HONO vertical gradients during SHARP 2009

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nitrous acid (HONO) acts as a major precursor of the hydroxyl radical (OH) in the urban atmospheric boundary layer in the morning and throughout the day. Despite its importance, HONO formation mechanisms are not yet completely understood. It is generally accepted that conversion of NO₂ on surfaces in the presence of water is responsible for the formation of HONO in the nocturnal boundary layer, although the type of surface on which the mechanism occurs is still under debate. Recent observations of higher than expected daytime HONO concentrations in both urban and rural areas indicate the presence of unknown daytime HONO source(s). Various formation pathways in the gas phase, and on aerosol and ground surfaces have been proposed to explain the presence of daytime HONO. However, it is unclear which mechanism dominates and, in the cases of heterogeneous mechanisms, on which surfaces they occur.

Vertical concentration profiles of HONO and its precursors can help in identifying the dominant HONO formation pathways. In this study, daytime HONO and NO₂ vertical profiles, measured in three different height intervals (20–70, 70–130, and 130–300 m) in Houston, TX, during the 2009 Study of Houston Atmospheric Radical Precursors (SHARP) are analyzed using a one-dimensional (1-D) chemistry and transport model. Model results with various HONO formation pathways suggested in the literature are compared to the the daytime HONO and HONO/NO₂ ratios observed during SHARP. The best agreement of HONO and HONO/NO₂ ratios between model and observations is achieved by including both a photolytic source of HONO at the ground and on the aerosol. Model sensitivity studies show that the observed diurnal variations of the HONO/NO₂ ratio are not reproduced by the model if there is only a photolytic HONO source on aerosol or in the gas phase from NO₂^* + H₂O. Further analysis of the formation and loss pathways of HONO shows a vertical dependence of HONO chemistry during the day. Photolytic HONO formation at the ground is the major formation pathway in the lowest 20 m, while a combination of gas-phase, photolytic formation on aerosol, and vertical transport is responsible for daytime HONO between 200–300 m a.g.l. HONO removal is dominated by vertical transport below 20 m and photolysis between 200–300 m a.g.l

show abstract

Fast nitrogen oxide photochemistry in Summit, Greenland snow

Cited by 176 publications

References 20 publications

Surface ozone and its precursors at Summit, Greenland: comparison between observations and model simulations

Surface ozone and its precursors at Summit, Greenland: comparison between observations and model simulations

Nitrate stable isotopes and major ions in snow and ice samples from four Svalbard sites

Modeling of daytime HONO vertical gradients during SHARP 2009

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About