Article abstract
Nature Geoscience 1, 324 - 328 (2008)
Published online: 6 April 2008 | doi:10.1038/ngeo177
Subject Category: Atmospheric science
High levels of nitryl chloride in the polluted subtropical marine boundary layer
Hans D. Osthoff1,2,6, James M. Roberts1, A. R. Ravishankara1,3, Eric J. Williams1,2, Brian M. Lerner1,2, Roberto Sommariva1,2, Timothy S. Bates4, Derek Coffman4, Patricia K. Quinn4, Jack E. Dibb5, Harald Stark1,2, James B. Burkholder1, Ranajit K. Talukdar1,2, James Meagher1, Fred C. Fehsenfeld1,2 & Steven S. Brown1
Abstract
The cycling of halogen compounds in the lower atmosphere is poorly understood. It is known that halogens such as chlorine, bromine and iodine are converted from halides, which are relatively inert, to reactive radicals. These reactive radicals can affect ozone production and destruction, aerosol formation and the lifetimes of important trace gases such as methane, mercury and naturally occurring sulphur compounds. However, the processes by which halides are converted to reactive halogens are uncertain. Here, we report atmospheric measurements of nitryl chloride, an active halogen, along the southeast coastline of the United States and near Houston, Texas. We show that the main source of nitryl chloride is the night-time reaction of dinitrogen pentoxide with chloride-containing aerosol. The levels observed are much greater than earlier estimates based on numerical models and are sufficiently large to affect oxidant photochemistry in areas where nitrogen oxides and aerosol chloride sources coexist, such as urban areas and ship engine exhaust plumes.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory, CSD, 325 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado 80305, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Pacific Marine Environment Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA
- Climate Change Research Center, Institute for the Study of Earth Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA
- Present address: Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
Correspondence to: James M. Roberts1 e-mail: James.M.Roberts@noaa.gov
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