We present the first measurements of nitryl chloride (ClNO2) over continental Europe. Significant quantities of ClNO2, up to 800 pptv, were measured at a mountaintop field site in Hessen, southwest Germany. ClNO2 was detected during the majority of nights between the 15th August and 16th September 2011, its largest mixing ratios being associated with air masses influenced by sea salt and anthropogenic NOx emissions. ClNO2 persisted in measurable quantities until early afternoons on days with low photolysis frequencies. As a consequence, early morning production rates of Cl atoms could significantly exceed the production of OH via ozone photolysis, likely leading to increased O3 production.
Abstract. This paper describes the background, instrumentation, goals, and the regional influences on the HUMPPA-COPEC intensive field measurement campaign, conducted at the Boreal forest research station SMEAR II (Station for Measuring Ecosystem-Atmosphere Relation) in Hyytiälä, Finland from 12 July-12 August 2010. The prevailing meteorological conditions during the campaign are examined and contrasted with those of the past six years. Back trajectory analyses show that meteorological conditions at the site in 2010 were characterized by a higher proportion of southerly flow than in the other years studied. As a result the summer Correspondence to: J. Williams (jonathan.williams@mpic.de) of 2010 was anomalously warm and high in ozone making the campaign relevant for the analysis of possible future climates. A comprehensive land use analysis, provided on both 5 and 50 km scales, shows that the main vegetation types surrounding the site on both the regional and local scales are: coniferous forest (Scots pine and/or Norway spruce); mixed forest (Birch and conifers); and woodland scrub (e.g. Willows, Aspen); indicating that the campaign results can be taken as representative of the Boreal forest ecosystem. In addition to the influence of biogenic emissions, the measurement site was occasionally impacted by sources other than vegetation. Specific tracers have been used here to identify the time periods when such sources have impacted the site namely: biomass burning (acetonitrile and CO), urbanPublished by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 10600 J. Williams et al.: An overview of meteorological and chemical influences anthropogenic pollution (pentane and SO 2 ) and the nearby Korkeakoski sawmill (enantiomeric ratio of chiral monoterpenes). None of these sources dominated the study period, allowing the Boreal forest summertime emissions to be assessed and contrasted with various other source signatures.
We describe measurements of peroxyacetyl nitrate (CH<sub>3</sub>C(O)O<sub>2</sub>NO<sub>2</sub>, PAN) and peroxyacetic acid (CH<sub>3</sub>C(O)OOH, PAA) in the Boreal forest using iodide chemical ionization mass spectrometry (ICIMS). The measurements were made during the Hyytiälä United Measurement of Photochemistry and Particles – Comprehensive Organic Particle and Environmental Chemistry (HUMPPA-COPEC-2010) measurement intensive. Mixing ratios of PAN and PAA were determined by measuring the acetate ion signal (CH<sub>3</sub>C(O)O<sup>−</sup>, <i>m/z</i> = 59) resulting from reaction of CH<sub>3</sub>C(O)O<sub>2</sub> (from the thermal dissociation of PAN) or CH<sub>3</sub>C(O)OOH with iodide ions using alternatively heated and ambient temperature inlet lines. During some periods of high temperature (~ 30 °C) and low NO<sub>x</sub> (< 1 ppbv), PAA mixing ratios were similar to, or exceeded those of PAN and thus contributed a significant fraction of the total acetate signal. PAA is thus a potential interference for ICIMS measurements of PAN, and especially eddy covariance flux measurements in environments where the PAA flux is likely to be a significant proportion of the (short timescale) acetate ion variability. Within the range of mixing ratios of NO<sub>x</sub> measured during HUMPPA-COPEC, the modelled ratio of PAA-to-PAN was found to be sensitive to temperature (through the thermal decomposition rate of PAN) and the HO<sub>2</sub> mixing ratio, thus providing some constraint to estimates of photochemical activity and oxidation rates in the Boreal environment
Abstract. We present an estimation of the uptake coefficient (γ ) and yield of nitryl chloride (ClNO 2 ) (f ) for the heterogeneous processing of dinitrogen pentoxide (N 2 O 5 ) using simultaneous measurements of particle and trace gas composition at a semi-rural, non-coastal, mountain site in the summer of 2011. The yield of ClNO 2 varied between (0.035 ± 0.027) and (1.38 ± 0.60) with a campaign average of (0.49 ± 0.35). The large variability in f reflects the highly variable chloride content of particles at the site. Uptake coefficients were also highly variable with minimum, maximum and average γ values of 0.004, 0.11 and 0.028 ± 0.029, respectively, with no significant correlation with particle composition, but a weak dependence on relative humidity. The uptake coefficients obtained are compared to existing parameterizations based on laboratory datasets and with other values obtained by analysis of field data.
Abstract. Through measurements of NO2, O3 and NO3 during the PARADE campaign (PArticles and RAdicals, Diel observations of mEchanisms of oxidation) in the German Taunus mountains we derive nighttime steady-state lifetimes (τss) of NO3 and N2O5. During some nights, high NO3 (∼ 200 pptv) and N2O5 (∼ 1 ppbv) mixing ratios were associated with values of τss that exceeded 1 h for NO3 and 3 h for N2O5 near the ground. Such long boundary-layer lifetimes for NO3 and N2O5 are usually only encountered in very clean/unreactive air masses, whereas the PARADE measurement site is impacted by both biogenic emissions from the surrounding forest and anthropogenic emissions from the nearby urbanised/industrialised centres. Measurement of several trace gases which are reactive towards NO3 indicates that the inferred lifetimes are significantly longer than those calculated from the summed loss rate. Several potential causes for the apparently extended NO3 and N2O5 lifetimes are examined, including additional routes to formation of NO3 and the presence of a low-lying residual layer. Overall, the most likely cause of the anomalous lifetimes are related to the meteorological conditions, though additional NO3 formation due to reactions of Criegee intermediates may contribute.
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