Ratios of peroxyacetyl nitrate to active nitrogen observed during aircraft flights over the eastern Pacific Oceans and continental United States

Journal Article · Wed Jun 20 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JD095iD07p10179· OSTI ID:5456886

Ridley, B A; Shetter, J D; Gandrud, B W ^[1]; Salas, L J ^[2]; Singh, H B; Condon, E P ^[3]; Carroll, M A; Albritton, D L ^[4]; Huebler, G ^[5]; Hastie, D R ^[6]; Schiff, H I ^[7]; Mackay, G I; Karechi, D R ^[8]; Davis, D D; Bradshaw, J D; Rodgers, M O; Sandholm, S T ^[9]; Torres, A L ^[10]; Gregory, G L; Beck, S M ^[11]

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1. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (USA)
2. SRI International, Menlo Park, CA (USA)
3. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA (USA)
4. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO (USA)
5. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO (USA) Univ. of Colorado, Boulder (USA)
6. York Univ., Downsview, Ontario (Canada)
7. York Univ., Downsview, Ontario (Canada) Unisearch Associates, Inc., Concord, Ontario (Canada)
8. Unisearch Associates, Inc., Concord, Ontario (Canada)
9. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta (USA)
10. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Island, VA (USA)
11. NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA (USA)

During August and September 1986, 11 aircraft flights were made over the eastern Pacific Ocean and continental United States. The suite of observations included simultaneous measurements of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and active nitrogen (NO{sub x} = NO + NO{sub 2}). At altitudes of 4.5-6.1 km in the middle free troposphere, PAN was usually 5-6 times NO{sub x} in maritime air masses and 2-4 times NO{sub x} in continental air masses. In air masses of tropical origin, or in the marine boundary layer, both PAN and NO{sub x} were typically less than 20-30 parts per trillion by volume, and the PAN to NO{sub x} ratio was less than one. The observations show that PAN can be a major component of the odd nitrogen budget in the middle free troposphere, and strongly reinforce earlier views that the abundance is mainly governed by long-range transport processes including formation during transport and continental boundary layer to free tropospheric exchange of PAN and its precursors. Unlike reservoir HNO{sub 3}, PAN can be transformed to active nitrogen and peroxy radicals by a variety of physical atmospheric processes that lead to air mass warming. Since NO{sub x} plays a critical role in determining photochemical O{sub 3} production, which in turn determines the oxidative power of the atmosphere, the observed large ratios of reservoir PAN to active NO{sub x} imply an important photochemical and dynamical role for PAN in the eastern Pacific remote free troposphere.

• OSTI ID: 5456886
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 95:D7; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
NITROGEN OXIDES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
PEROXYACETYL NITRATE
AIRCRAFT
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
LONG-RANGE TRANSPORT
PACIFIC OCEAN
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
TROPOSPHERE
USA
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
ESTERS
MASS TRANSFER
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID ESTERS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
010900 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Environmental Aspects