Nitrate radicals and biogenic volatile organic compounds: oxidation, mechanisms, and organic aerosol
Oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) by the nitrate radical (NO<sub>3</sub>) represents one of the important interactions between anthropogenic emissions related to combustion and natural emissions from the biosphere. This interaction has been recognized for more than...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2017-02-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/17/2103/2017/acp-17-2103-2017.pdf |
| Summary: | Oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) by the nitrate
radical (NO<sub>3</sub>) represents one of the important interactions between
anthropogenic emissions related to combustion and natural emissions from the
biosphere. This interaction has been recognized for more than 3 decades,
during which time a large body of research has emerged from laboratory,
field, and modeling studies. NO<sub>3</sub>-BVOC reactions influence air quality,
climate and visibility through regional and global budgets for reactive
nitrogen (particularly organic nitrates), ozone, and organic aerosol. Despite
its long history of research and the significance of this topic in
atmospheric chemistry, a number of important uncertainties remain. These
include an incomplete understanding of the rates, mechanisms, and organic
aerosol yields for NO<sub>3</sub>-BVOC reactions, lack of constraints on the role
of heterogeneous oxidative processes associated with the NO<sub>3</sub> radical,
the difficulty of characterizing the spatial distributions of BVOC and
NO<sub>3</sub> within the poorly mixed nocturnal atmosphere, and the challenge of
constructing appropriate boundary layer schemes and non-photochemical
mechanisms for use in state-of-the-art chemical transport and
chemistry–climate models.<br><br>
This review is the result of a workshop of the same title held at the Georgia
Institute of Technology in June 2015. The first half of the review summarizes
the current literature on NO<sub>3</sub>-BVOC chemistry, with a particular focus on
recent advances in instrumentation and models, and in organic nitrate and
secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation chemistry. Building on this current
understanding, the second half of the review outlines impacts of
NO<sub>3</sub>-BVOC chemistry on air quality and climate, and suggests critical
research needs to better constrain this interaction to improve the predictive
capabilities of atmospheric models. |
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| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |