The total reactive oxidized nitrogen levels and the partitioning between the individual species at six rural sites in eastern North America

Journal Article · Fri Feb 19 23:00:00 EST 1993 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/92JD02384· OSTI ID:6711510

Parrish, D D; Norton, R B ^[1]; Buhr, M P; Trainer, M; Fehsenfeld, F C ^[2]; Shimshock, J P ^[3]; Anlauf, K G; Bottenheim, J W; Tang, Y Z; Wiebe, H A ^[4]; Roberts, J M; Tanner, R L; Newman, L ^[5]; Bowersox, V C ^[6]; Olszyna, K J; Bailey, E M ^[7]; Rodgers, M O; Wang, T; Berresheim, H ^[8]; Roychowdhury, U K ; Demerjian, K L ^[9]

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1. NOAA, Boulder, CO (United States)
2. NOAA, Boulder, CO (United States) Univ. of Colorado, Boulder (United States)
3. NOAA, Boulder, CO (United States) Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park (United States)
4. Atmospheric Environment Service, Downsview, Ontario (Canada)
5. Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
6. Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign (United States)
7. Tennessee Valley Authority, Muscle Shoals, AL (United States)
8. Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta (United States)
9. State Univ. of New York, Albany (United States)

During the last summer and early fall of 1988, measurements of many trace species of tropospheric photochemical interest, including NO, NO[sub 2], PAN, HNO[sub 3], NO[sub 3][sup [minus]], NO[sub Y], and ozone were made at seven surface stations in the eastern United States and Canada. The NO[sub Y] (as well as ozone) levels and its partitioning were strongly influenced by the diurnal evolution of the boundary layer at the sites that are beneath the nocturnal inversion. At the higher elevation sites the median levels of all species were much more nearly constant. During the daytime the median NO[sub Y] levels were 2 to 5 ppbv at all sites, which may be representative of rural areas in the populated regions of eastern North America. Each site showed variations in the NO[sub Y] levels of an order of magnitude or more. Measurements from all of the sites are consistent with the major contributors to NO[sub Y] being NO[sub X] (the sum of NO and NO[sub 2]), PAN, and nitric acid with a minor contribution from aerosol nitrate. At the lower elevation sites the median [NO[sub X]] to [NO[sub Y]] ratios were 70% or more during the night and declined to minima of 25 to 40% during the day. During the daytime the ranges of the median contributions of PAN and HNO[sub 3] to NO[sub Y] were 12 to 25% and approximately 20 to 30%, respectively. The distributions of the contributions about these medians are discussed. Results from all of the sites are consistent with the individually measured species accounting for about 90% of the simultaneously measured NO[sub Y]. 41 refs., 14 figs., 2 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6711510
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 98:D2; ISSN JGREA2; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AEROSOLS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CANADA
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
COLLOIDS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISPERSIONS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
ESTERS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
LEVELS
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITRIC ACID ESTERS
NITRIC OXIDE
NITROGEN
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NITROUS OXIDE
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OZONE
PEROXYACETYL NITRATE
RURAL AREAS
SOLS
VARIATIONS