AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Long-term Observations of Ammonia, Nitric Acid, Ammonium, and Nitrate in a Rural Gas Production Region
AMY P. SULLIVAN, Yi Li, Mark Tigges, Cassie Archuleta, Jeffrey Collett, Colorado State University
Abstract Number: 260 Working Group: Remote and Regional Atmospheric Aerosols
Abstract Ammonia is the most abundant basic gas in the atmosphere. It is an important contributor to nitrogen deposition and one of its most important sources includes agricultural activities. Ammonia can react with nitric acid, formed from the oxidation of NOx (nitrogen oxides), to form submicron particulate ammonium nitrate. This ammonium nitrate formed can contribute to visibility impairment. Class 1 areas in the United States have been identified for protection from visibility impairment through the Regional Haze Rule. In the western U.S., many of these visibility-protected areas are near oil and gas production activities, which are large emitters of NOx. Western Wyoming is one region of recent active gas development. However, there are few measurements of ammonia in this region (or much of the western U.S.), meaning that when estimating the impacts of NOx emissions from gas development on visibility and regional haze in this region a background ammonia mixing ratio is often assumed. Therefore, long-term measurements of ammonia, nitric acid, ammonium, and nitrate using URG denuder and filter packs were started in 2007 in Boulder, Wyoming, located in the midst of the Jonah and Pinedale Anticline Gas Fields. Results from these measurements will be presented and discussed to examine the seasonal variability in these species, provide insights into typical ammonia concentrations, and better understand the role of the ammonia-ammonium-nitric acid-nitrate system in this region.