Indications of photochemical histories of Pacific air masses from measurements of atmospheric trace species at Point Arena, California
- NOAA, Aeronomy Lab., Boulder, CO (United States) Cooperative Inst. for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder, CO (United States) NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA (United States) NCAR, Boulder, CO (United States)
Measurements were made of a suite of photochemically active trace species (including light hydrocarbons, ozone, peroxyacetyl nitrate, HNO[sub 3], NO[sub 3](-), NO(x), and NO(y)) in marine air collected during a 10-day period in April and May 1985 at Point Arena (California), a coastal inflow site. It was found that the mixing ratios of the alkanes, ozone, peroxyacetyl nitrate, and HNO3 correlated with variations in the origins of calculated air parcel trajectories and with variations in the ratios of the light alkanes. The highest levels of alkanes and the photochemical products were found in parcels that had been rapidly transported across the North Pacific Ocean from near the 600-mbar level above the east Asian coast. It is suggested that production over the continents, transport to the marine areas, and parallel removal processes account for much of the observed correlation. 62 refs.
- OSTI ID:
- 6895845
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 97; ISSN JGREA2; ISSN 0148-0227
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AIR
AIR-WATER INTERACTIONS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CALIFORNIA
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ESTERS
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROCARBONS
METEOROLOGY
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID ESTERS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OZONE
PACIFIC OCEAN
PEROXYACETYL NITRATE
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
TROPOSPHERE
USA