A Re-Evaluation of Sulfur Budgets, Lifetimes, and Scavenging Ratios for Eastern North America

Lifetimes, scavenging ratios, andbudgets describe the cycling of atmosphericconstituents and are often used in formulating airpollution control strategies. Most previous studiesof sulfur lifetimes, budgets, and scavenging ratioshave been based on limited observational data or datafrom highly simplified models. The Regional AcidDeposition Model (RADM2.61) shows some skill inpredicting atmospheric mixing ratios of acidicmaterials and other related trace constituents andacid deposition patterns in North America, and so,analysis of its established, theoretical, databaseserves as a counterpoint to previous studies of sulfurbudgets, lifetimes, and scavenging ratios. The annualbudget shows that the net transport (outflow minusinflow) of sulfur compounds out of eastern NorthAmerica is equal to the total deposition within thedomain. Of the total deposition, 63% is from wetdeposition and 37% is from dry deposition. Theannual average lifetime of sulfur dioxide (38 hours),estimated by the turnover time, is limited by aqueousconversion, while that for sulfate aerosols (54 hours)is limited by their removal in precipitation. Theannual average lifetime of sulfur in this domain isslightly more than three days. Episodic lifetimes andbudgets, based on particular synoptic situations, showlarge variations around the annual values. Episodicprecipitation scavenging ratios exhibit similarvariability and are used to offer explanations ofseveral potential biases found in the wet sulfurdeposition amounts as predicted by the EMEP sulfurtransport model and other published results.