Sulfur dioxide in rain clouds: Gas-liquid scavenging efficiencies and wet deposition rates in the presence of formaldehyde

The interaction of formaldehyde with SO₂ dissolved in the aqueous phase of clouds leads to the formation of hydroxymethane sulfonate. The impact of this process upon the gas-liquid equilibrium distribution of SO₂ in rain clouds and the ensuing wet SO₂ precipitation rate is explored. Model vertical SO₂ distributions are derived from observational data for three atmospheric regions: continental polluted, continental remote, and marine. The wet deposition rate for SO₂ in the polluted atmosphere increases by about a factor of two in the presence of formaldehyde compared with its absence. The effect is much stronger in the remote atmosphere leading to a potentially significant enhancement of wet SO₂ deposition. In the marine atmosphere, wet deposition of SO₂ may contribute as much as 35% to the total removal rate for SO₂ by all processes including dry deposition and chemical conversion to sulfate.