Abstract View
Understanding Ambient Trends in Particle Phase Nitrate Contributions from Inorganic & Organic Species
JESSICA HASKINS, Colette L. Heald, Douglas Day, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Jose-Luis Jimenez, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract Number: 329
Working Group: Remote and Regional Atmospheric Aerosol
Abstract
There is conclusive evidence from field studies across the globe showing that organic nitrate aerosols (pRONO2) are important components of fine mode total particle nitrate (pNO3) on a continental scale in Europe and of ambient organic aerosols (OA) on a global scale. pRONO2 have been shown to be responsible for > 50% of the OA production in the southeast US during summer. However, the broader regional contribution of pRONO2 to total particle nitrate and, the variability in that contribution throughout North America in different seasons, and chemical regimes remains in question. We present data compiled from 10+ field campaigns across North America showing the large-scale trends in spatial and temporal variability in ambient measurements of pRONO2 under various conditions utilizing simultaneous measurements of assorted biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and other gas phase species. We highlight how both the total mass of pRONO2 and fraction of total pNO3 that is organic vary in polluted verses rural areas, in the vertical, across different temperature and relative humidity schemes, diurnally, and as a function of measured BVOCs.