Modelling multiphase chemistry in deliquescent aerosols and clouds using CAPRAM3.0i

Modelling studies were performed with the multiphase mechanism RACM-MIM2ext/CAPRAM 3.0i to investigate the tropospheric multiphase chemistry in deliquesced particles and non-precipitating clouds using the SPACCIM model framework. Simulations using a non-permanent cloud scenario were carried out for two different environmental conditions focusing on the multiphase chemistry of oxidants and other linked chemical subsystems. Model results were analysed by time-resolved reaction flux analyses allowing advanced interpretations. The model shows significant effects of multiphase chemical interactions on the tropospheric budget of gas-phase oxidants and organic compounds. In-cloud gas-phase OH radical concentration reductions of about 90 % and 75 % were modelled for urban and remote conditions, respectively. The reduced in-cloud gas-phase oxidation budget increases the tropospheric residence time of organic trace gases by up to about 30 %. Aqueous-phase oxidations of methylglyoxal and 1,4-butenedial were identified as important OH radical sinks under polluted conditions. The model revealed that the organic C₃ and C₄ chemistry contributes with about 38 %/48 % and 8 %/9 % considerably to the urban and remote cloud / aqueous particle OH sinks. Furthermore, the simulations clearly implicate the potential role of deliquescent particles to operate as a reactive chemical medium due to an efficient TMI/HO_x,y chemical processing including e.g. an effective in-situ formation of OH radicals. Considerable chemical differences between deliquescent particles and cloud droplets, e.g. a circa 2 times more efficient daytime iron processing in the urban deliquescent particles, were identified. The in-cloud oxidation of methylglyoxal and its oxidation products is identified as efficient sink for NO₃ radicals in the aqueous phase.     

Cloud chemistry effects on tropospheric photooxidants in polluted atmosphere — Model results

The mathematical model presented in this paper describes in detail the gas-phase chemistry (22 reactions), gas-phase/liquid-phase equilibrium (18 equilibria) and liquid-phase chemistry (57 reactions and equilibria) in a stratiform cloud system. The model is used to analyze the influence of the liquid phase on the photooxidant formation and destruction for different gaseous SO₂ concentrations with and without consideration of organic aqueous phase chemistry. It has been shown that for [SO₂]>1 ppb the cloud is quantitatively a sink for H₂O₂, OH, HO₂ and O₃. The ozon destruction via O₃+O₂ ^-, which is most important in remote areas, is in polluted areas only significant at summer days. The role of organic components in cloud water consists in the transformation OH HO₂ where HO₂ is further transformed into H₂O₂.     

Urban Atmospheric Chemistry During the PUMA Campaign 2: Radical Budgets for OH,HO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and RO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

A detailed photochemical box model was used to investigate the key reaction pathways between OH, HO₂ and RO₂ radicals during the summer and winter PUMA field campaigns in the urban city-centre of Birmingham in the UK. The model employed the most recent version of the Master Chemical Mechanism and was constrained to 15-minute average measurements of long-lived species determined in situ at the site. The results showed that in the summer, OH initiation was dominated by the reactions of ozone with alkenes, nitrous acid (HONO) photolysis and the reaction of excited oxygen atoms atoms with water. In the winter, ozone+alkene reactions were the primary initiation route, with a minor contribution from HONO photolysis. Photolysis of aldehydes was the main initiation route for HO₂, in both summer and winter. RO₂ initiation was dominated by the photolysis of aldehydes in the summer with a smaller contribution from ozone+alkenes, a situation that was reversed in the winter. At night, ozone+alkene reactions were the main radical source. Termination, under all conditions, primarily involved reactions with NO (OH) and NO₂ (OH and RCO₃). These results demonstrate the importance of ozone+alkene reactions in urban atmospheres, particularly when photolysis reactions were less important during winter and at nighttime. The implications for urban atmospheric chemistry are discussed.     

Hydroxyl and Peroxy Radical Chemistry in a Rural Area of Central Pennsylvania: Observations and Model Comparisons

Atmospheric hydroxyl (OH), hydroperoxy (HO₂), total peroxy (HO₂ and organic peroxy radicals, RO₂) mixing ratios and OH reactivity (first order OH loss rate) were measured at a rural site in central Pennsylvania during May and June 2002. OH and HO₂ mixing ratios were measured with laser induced fluorescence (LIF); HO₂ + RO₂ mixing ratios were measured with chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS). The daytime maximum mixing ratios were up to 0.6 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) for OH, 30 pptv for HO₂, and 45 pptv for HO₂ + RO₂. A parameterized RACM (Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism) box model was used to predict steady state OH, HO₂ and HO₂ + RO₂ concentrations by constraining the model to the measured OH reactivity and previously measured volatile organic compound (VOC) distributions. The averaged model calculations are generally in good agreement with the observations. For OH, the model matched the observations for day and night, with an average observed-to-modeled ratio of 0.80. In previous studies such as PROPHET98, nighttime NO was near 0 pptv and observed nighttime OH was significantly larger than modeled OH. In this study, nighttime observed and modeled OH agree to within measurement and model uncertainties because the main source of the nighttime OH was the reaction HO₂ + NO → OH + NO₂, with the NO being continually emitted from the surrounding fertilized corn field. The observed-to-modeled ratio for HO₂ is 1.0 on average, although daytime HO₂ is underpredicted by a factor of 1.2 and nighttime HO₂ is over-predicted by a factor of ∼2. The average measured and modeled HO₂ + RO₂ agree well during daytime, but the modeled value is about twice the measured value during nighttime. While measured HO₂ + RO₂ values agree with modeled values for NO mixing ratios less than a few parts per billion by volume (ppbv), it increases substantially above the expected value for NO greater than a few ppbv. This observation of the higher-than-expected HO₂ + RO₂ with the CIMS technique confirms the observed increase of HO₂ above expected values at higher NO mixing ratios in HO₂ measurements with the LIF technique. The maximum instantaneous O₃ production rate calculated from HO₂ and RO₂ reactions with NO was as high as 10–15 ppb h⁻¹ at midday; the total daily O₃ production varied from 13 to 113 ppbv d⁻¹ and was 48 ppbv d⁻¹ on average during this campaign.     

Responses of the tropospheric ozone and odd hydrogen radicals to column ozone change

The response of tropospheric ozone to a change in solar UV penetration due to perturbation on column ozone depends critically on the tropospheric NO _x (NO+NO₂) concentration. At high NO _x or a polluted area where there is net ozone production, a decrease in column ozone will increase the solar UV penetration to the troposphere and thus increase the tropospheric ozone concentration. However, the opposite will occur, for example, at a remote oceanic area where NO _x is so low that there is net ozone destruction. This finding may have important implication on the interpretation of the long term trend of tropospheric ozone. A change in column ozone will also induce change in tropospheric OH, HO₂, and H₂O₂ concentrations which are major oxidants in the troposphere. Thus, the oxidation capacity and, in turn, the abundances of many reduced gases will be perturbed. Our model calculations show that the change in OH, HO₂, and H₂O₂ concentrations are essentially independent of the NO _x concentration.     

Interference Testing for Atmospheric HOx Measurements by Laser-induced Fluorescence

Accurate OH and HO₂ (collectively called HO_x) measurements by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) may be contaminated by spurious signals from interfering atmospheric chemicals or from the instrument itself. Interference tests must be conducted to ensure that observed OH signal originates solely from ambient OH and is not due to instrument artifacts. Several tests were performed on the Penn State LIF HO_x instrument, both in the laboratory and in the field. Theseincluded measurements of the instrument's zero signal by using either zero air or perfluoropropylene to remove OH, examination of spectral interferences from naphthalene, sulfur dioxide, and formaldehyde, and tests of interferences by addition of suspected interfering atmospheric chemicals, including ozone, hydrogen peroxide, nitrous acid, formaldehyde, nitric acid, acetone, and organic peroxy radicals (RO₂). All tests lacked evidence ofsignificant interferences for measurements in the atmosphere, including highly polluted urban environments.     

A Three-Dimensional Simulation of HO x Concentrations Over East Asia During TRACE-P

The Models-3 Community Multi-scale Air Quality modeling system (CMAQ) coupled with the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) is used to simulate three-dimensional concentration distributions of hydroxyl (OH) and hydroperoxyl (HO₂) radicals over the western Pacific Ocean during the NASA Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P) field campaign. Modeled values of OH and HO₂ and their closely related chemical species and photolysis rates are compared with observational data collected onboard the DC-8 aircraft. Comparison shows that the model reasonably reproduced these observed values over a broad range of conditions with an overall tendency to overestimate the measured OH and HO₂ by a factor of 1.56 and 1.24, respectively. A case study of OH, HO₂ and their closely related chemical species and photolysis rates along the DC-8 flights 11 and 12 conducted on 17–18 March 2001 shows that the model reproduces the temporal and spatial variations reasonable well, and produces more reliable OH and HO₂ concentrations in the polluted environment than in the clean marine boundary layer.     

A complete dynamical ozone budget measured in the tropical marine boundary layer during PASE

The Pacific Atmospheric Sulfur Experiment (PASE) was a field mission that took place aboard the NCAR C-130 airborne laboratory over the equatorial Pacific Ocean near Christmas Island (Kirimati, Republic of Kiribati) during August?CSeptember, 2007. Eddy covariance measurements of the ozone fluxes at various altitudes above the ocean surface, along with simultaneous mapping of the horizontal gradients provided a unique opportunity to observe all of the dynamical components of the ozone budget in this remote marine environment. The results of six daytime and two sunrise flights indicate that vertical transport into the marine boundary layer from above and horizontal advection by the tradewinds are both important source terms, while photochemical destruction consisting of 82% photolysis (leading to OH production), 11% reaction with HO₂, and 7% reaction with OH provides the main sink. The overall photochemical lifetime of ozone in the marine boundary layer was found to be 6.5 days. Ocean uptake of ozone was observed to be fairly slow (mean deposition velocity of 0.024?±?0.014 cm s^?1) accounting for a diurnally averaged loss rate that was ??30% as large as the net photochemical destruction. From the measurement of deposition velocity an ozone reactivity of ??50 s^?1 in seawater is inferred. Due to the unprecedented measurement accuracy of the dynamical budget terms, unobserved photochemistry was able to be deduced, leading to the conclusion that 3.9?±?3.0 ppt (parts per trillion by volume) of NO is present on average in the daytime tropical marine boundary layer, broadly consistent with several previous studies in similar environments. It is estimated, however, that each ppt of BrO hypothetically present would counter each ppt of NO above the requisite 3.9 ppt needed for budget closure. The long-term budget of ozone is further analyzed in the buffer layer, between the boundary layer and free troposphere, and used to derive an entrainment velocity across the trade wind inversion of 0.51 ± 0.38 cm s^?1.     

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.     

On the Budget of OH Radicals and Ozone in an Urban Plume from the Decay of C5–C8 Hydrocarbons and NOx

Simultaneous measurements of ozone and ozoneprecursors were made during a field campaign atSchauinsland in the Black Forest and in the valleynorth of Schauinsland that channels the flow ofpolluted air from the city of Freiburg to the site.From the decay of hydrocarbons and NO_x between the twomeasuring sites and the known rate coefficients, theconcentration of OH radicals was calculated. From abudget analysis of OH and HO_x it is concluded that therelatively high OH concentrations (5–8 ×10⁶cm^-3) in the presence of high NO₂concentrations cannot be explained by the knownprimary sources. The budget can be closed if efficientrecycling of OH via HO₂ is assumed to occur andthat, based on the measured hydrocarbons, 2 HO₂molecules are formed for each OH radical that reactswith a hydrocarbon molecule. This assumption is inaccordance with the budget of O_x obtained from ourmeasurements and with results from earliermeasurements of alkylnitrates and peroxy radicals atSchauinsland. A possible conclusion is that the decayof precursors and production of photooxidants in urbanplumes proceeds at a faster rate than is currentlyassumed. The potential role of biogenichydrocarbons for the radical budget is alsodiscussed.     

Tropospheric ozone chemistry. The impact of cloud chemistry

The effect of clouds and cloud chemistry on tropospheric ozone chemistry is tested out in a two-dimensional channel model covering a latitudinal band from 30 to 60° N. Three different methods describing how clouds affect gaseous species are applied, and the results are compared. The three methods are:

?A first order parameterization scheme for the removal of sulphur and other soluble gases by liquid droplets.

?A parameterization scheme for SO₂, O₃, and H₂O₂ removal is constructed. The scheme is based on the solubility of gases in liquid droplets, cycling times of air masses between clouds and cloud free areas and on the chemical interaction of SO₂ with H₂O₂ and O₃ in the liquid phase.

?Gas-aqueous-phase interactions and aqueous-phase chemical reactions are included in the reaction scheme for a number of components in areas where clouds are present.

In all three methods, a full gas-phase chemistry scheme is used. Particular emphasis is given to the study of how the ozone and hydrogen peroxide levels are affected. Significant changes in the distributions are found when aqueous-phase chemical reactions are included. The result is loss of ozone in the aqueous phase, with pronounced reductions in ozone levels in the middle and lower troposphere. Ozone levels are reduced by 10 to 30% with the largest reductions in the remote middle troposphere, bringing the values in better agreement with observations. Changes in H₂O₂ are harder to predict. Although, in one case study, hydrogen peroxide is produced within the aqueous phase, concentrations are mostly comparable or even lower than in the other cases. Hydrogen peroxide levels are, however, shown to be very pH sensitive. pH values around 5 seem to favour high H₂O₂ levels. High H₂O₂ concentrations may be found particularly in the upper part of the clouds under favourable conditions.     

A numerical investigation of the destruction of peroxy radical by Cu ion catalysed reactions on atmospheric particles

To determine if Cu mediated reactions on atmospheric particles are important to HO₂ chemistry in the ambient atmosphere, Cu molalities were calculated from measured Cu aerosol particle concentrations, mass and number size distribution data from a site in central Sweden. A comparison of characteristic times indicates that at low relative humidities the reaction is limited by the mass transport of gas phase HO₂ to the particle surface and not by the chemical kinetics of the aqueous reaction. Comparison of half-lives for particle reactions and the gas phase destruction of HO₂ to form H₂O₂ indicate that heterogeneous reactions on aerosol particles may have important consequences on the chemistry of HO₂ and H₂O₂ in the troposphere.     

Heterogeneous Chemistry and the O3 Budget in the Lower Mid-Latitude Stratosphere

A photochemical box model including a detailed heterogeneous chemistrymodule has been used to analyze in detail the effects of temperature andaerosol surface area on odd oxygen production/depletion in the lowerstratosphere at 30° S. Results show that for background aerosolloading, the hydrolysis of BrONO₂ and N₂O₅are most important atall temperatures studied except when the temperature falls below about205 K, when ClONO₂ hydrolysis becomes most important. Thisprocessing leads to removal of active nitrogen to form nitric acid andenhancement of HO_x, BrO_x, ClO_x levels. Detailed O₃ budgets asa function of temperature are presented showing how ozone loss andproduction terms vary with changes in stratospheric sulfate aerosol loadingfor the individual families. For (most) aerosol loading levels, thelargest ozone losses occurred at warmer temperatures due to the strongtemperature dependence of the NO_x ozone-destroying reactions. Theexception to this occurred for the conditions representative of volcanicloading, which showed a strong increase in ozone destruction due toincreases in destruction from the ClO_x and HO_x families.The ozoneproduction term k[NO][HO₂] did not show a strong dependence oneithertemperature or aerosol loading, due to the offsetting effect of reducedNO_xand increased HO_x concentrations.     

The potential impact of the reaction OH+ClO→HCl+O2 on polar ozone photochemistry

We call attention to the likely importance of the potential reaction OH+ClOHCl+O₂. It may only be a minor channel for the reaction of OH with ClO, which is often ignored in models, but if it occurs it considerably increases the rate of recovery of HCl after an air parcel has encountered a polar stratospheric cloud (PSC). The net effect of this reaction on the ozone concentration depends on the relative HCl concentration and whether the air parcel is in a PSC. When an air parcel is in a PSC and the HCl concentration is less than the sum of the HOCl and ClONO₂ concentrations, heterogeneous ClO _x production is rate limited by the production of HCl. Under these conditions the reaction allows HCl to be reprocessed more rapidly by the heterogeneous reactions of HCl with HOCl and ClONO₂. This allows high ClO _x concentration to be maintained for longer, and at a slightly higher level, than would otherwise be possible which in turn leads to more ozone depletion. When there are PSCs but HCl is in excess, or outside of the PSC regions (i.e. during the recovery phase), the reaction will always reduce the ClO/HCl ratio and hence slightly reduce the ozone loss.     

Impacts of uncertainty in AVOC emissions on the summer ROx budget and ozone production rate in the three most rapidly-developing economic growth regions of China

High levels of uncertainty in non-methane volatile organic compound （NMVOC） emissions in China could lead to significant variation in the budget of the sum of hydroxyl （OH） and peroxy （HO2,RO2） radicals （ROx =OH ＋ HO2 ＋ RO2） and the ozone production rate [P（O3）],but few studies have investigated this possibility,particularly with three-dimensional air quality models.We added diagnostic variables into the WRF-Chem model to assess the impact of the uncertainty in anthropogenic NMVOC （AVOC） emissions on the ROx budget and P（O3） in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region,Yangtze River Delta,and Pearl River Delta of China.The WRF-Chem simulations were compared with satellite and ground observations,and previous observation-based model studies.Results indicated that 68％ increases （decreases） in AVOC emissions produced 4％-280％ increases （2％-80％ decreases） in the concentrations of OH,HO2,and RO2 in the three regions,and resulted in 35％-48％ enhancements （26％-39％ reductions） in the primary ROx production and ～ 65％ decreases （68％-73％ increases） of the P（O3） in Beijing,Shanghai,and Guangzhou.For the three cities,the two largest contributors to the ROx production rate were the reaction of O1D ＋ H2O and photolysis of HCHO,ALD2,and others; the reaction of OH ＋ NO2 （71％-85％） was the major ROx sink; and the major contributor to P（O3） was the reaction of HO2 ＋ NO （～ 65％）.Our results showed that AVOC emissions in 2006 from Zhang et al.（2009） have been underestimated by ～ 68％ in suburban areas and by ＞ 68％ in urban areas,implying that daily and hourly concentrations of secondary organic aerosols and inorganic aerosols could be substantially underestimated,and cloud condensation nuclei could be underestimated,whereas local and regional radiation was overestimated.     

OH in the tropical upper troposphere and its relationships to solar radiation and reactive nitrogen

In situ measurements of [OH], [HO₂] (square brackets denote species concentrations), and other chemical species were made in the tropical upper troposphere (TUT). [OH] showed a robust correlation with solar zenith angle. Beyond this dependence, however, [OH] did not correlate to its primary source, the product of [O₃] and [H₂O] ([O₃]?[H₂O]), or its sink [NO_y]. This suggests that [OH] is heavily buffered in the TUT. One important exception to this result is found in regions with very low [O₃], [NO], and [NO_y]. Under these conditions, [OH] is highly suppressed, pointing to the critical role of NO in sustaining OH in the TUT and the possibility of low [OH] over the western Pacific warm pool due to strong marine convections bringing NO-poor air to the TUT. In contrast to [OH], [HO_x] ([OH] + [HO₂]) correlated reasonably well with [O₃]?[H₂O]/[NO_y], suggesting that [O₃]?[H₂O] and [NO_y] are the significant source and sink, respectively, of [HO_x].     

Atmospheric chemistry of alkanes

The reactions of the alkanes under atmospheric conditions and in the presence of oxides of nitrogen are reviewed and evaluated. Particular emphasis is placed upon their subsequent reactions after the initial OH radical reaction under conditions where the alkyl peroxy radicals produced react predominantly with NO, rather than with HO₂ and/or RO₂ radicals. Methods are discussed for estimating the overall OH radical rate constants, the number of molecules of NO consumed per alkane molecule reacted, and the products formed and their yields.     

Effects of Monochromatic UV-Visible Light and Sunlight on Fe(III)-Catalyzed Oxidation of Dissolved Sulfur Dioxide

The effect of UV-visible light and natural sunlight on the Fe(III)-catalyzed oxidation of dissolved sulfur dioxide has been studied under the conditions representative for those of acidified atmospheric liquids. The experimental results have shown that both sunlight and UV-visible light enhance the rate of Fe(III)-catalyzed oxidation of aqueous sulfite with wavelength ranging from 300 to 575 nm. The light enhanced oxidation is mainly due to photochemical formation of OH radicals from Fe(OH)²⁺ complexes in the wavelength region below 420 nm and SO₃^•− free radicals from Fe(III) sulfite complexes above 420 nm in the absence of organic ligands. Like the Fe(III)-catalyzed thermal chemical oxidation, the Fe(III)-catalyzed photochemical oxidation is also first order with respect to sulfite ion concentration. The sunlight irradiation can increase the Fe(III)-catalyzed oxidation of S(IV) over 45%. The presence of organic complex ligands, such as oxalate, can completely inhibit the Fe-catalyzed oxidation of S(IV) in the dark. However, the photolysis of Fe(III)-oxalato complexes generates oxalate free radicals, leading to the formation of H₂O₂ and OH radicals and the oxidation of S(IV). The rate of Fe(III)-catalyzed oxidation of S(IV) species is found to increase with increasing light intensity. The effects of sunlight on the Fe(III)-catalyzed oxidation of S(IV) should be taken into account when predicting the daytime rates of sulfuric acid formation in atmospheric water droplets.