Search

OH, HO 2 , total and partially speciated RO 2 , and OH reactivity (kOH′) were measured during the July 2015 ICOZA (Integrated Chemistry of OZone in the Atmosphere) project that took place at a coastal site in north Norfolk, UK. Maximum measured daily OH, HO 2 and total RO 2 radical concentrations were in the range 2.6–17 × 10 6 , 0.75–4.2 × 10 8 and 2.3–8.0 × 10 8 molec. cm -3 , respectively. kOH′ ranged from 1.7 to 17.6 s -1 , with a median value of 4.7 s -1. ICOZA data were split by wind direction to assess differences in the radical chemistry between air that had passed over the North Sea (NW–SE sectors) and that over major urban conurbations such as London (SW sector). A box model using the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCMv3.3.1) was in reasonable agreement with the OH measurements, but it overpredicted HO 2 observations in NW–SE air in the afternoon by a factor of ∼ 2–3, although slightly better agreement was found for HO 2 in SW air (factor of ∼ 1.4–2.0 underprediction). The box model severely underpredicted total RO 2 observations in both NW–SE and SW air by factors of ∼ 8–9 on average. Measured radical and kOH′ levels and measurement–model ratios displayed strong dependences on NO mixing ratios, with the results suggesting that peroxy radical chemistry is not well understood under high-NO x conditions. The simultaneous measurement of OH, HO 2 , total RO 2 and kOH′ was used to derive experimental (i.e. observationally determined) budgets for all radical species as well as total RO x (i.e. OH + HO 2 + RO 2). In NW–SE air, the RO x budget could be closed during the daytime within experimental uncertainty, but the rate of OH destruction exceeded the rate of OH production, and the rate of HO 2 production greatly exceeded the rate of HO 2 destruction, while the opposite was true for RO 2. In SW air, the RO x budget analysis indicated missing daytime RO x sources, but the OH budget was balanced, and the same imbalances were found with the HO 2 and RO 2 budgets as in NW–SE air. For HO 2 and RO 2 , the budget imbalances were most severe at high-NO mixing ratios, and the best agreement between HO 2 and RO 2 rates of production and destruction rates was found when the RO 2 + NO rate coefficient was reduced by a factor of 5. A photostationary-steady-state (PSS) calculation underpredicted daytime OH in NW–SE air by ∼ 35 %, whereas agreement (∼ 15 %) was found within instrumental uncertainty (∼ 26 % at 2 σ) in SW air. The rate of in situ ozone production (P (O x)) was calculated from observations of RO x , NO and NO 2 and compared to that calculated from MCM-modelled radical concentrations. The MCM-calculated P (O x) significantly underpredicted the measurement-calculated P (O x) in the morning, and the degree of underprediction was found to scale with NO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OH, HO2, total and partially-speciated RO2, and OH reactivity (k'OH) were measured during the July 2015 ICOZA (Integrated Chemistry of OZone in the Atmosphere) project that took place at a coastal site in North Norfolk, UK. Maximum measured daily OH, HO2, and total RO2 radical concentrations were in the range 2.6-17 × 106, 0.75-4.2 × 108, and 2.3-8.0 × 108 molecule cm-3, respectively. k'OH ranged from 1.7 to 17.6 s-1 with a median value of 4.7 s-1. ICOZA data were split by wind direction to assess differences in the radical chemistry between air that had passed over the North Sea (NW-SE sectors) or major urban conurbations such as London (SW sector). A photostationary steady-state (PSS) calculation underpredicted daytime OH in NW-SE air by ~35%, whereas agreement (~15%) was found within instrumental uncertainty (~26% at 2σ) in SW air. A box model using MCMv3.3.1 chemistry was in better agreement with the OH measurements, but it overpredicted HO2 observations in NW-SE air in the afternoon by a factor of ~2-3, although slightly better agreement was found for HO2 in SW air (factor of ~1.4-2.0 underprediction). The box model severely underpredicted total RO2 observations in both NW-SE and SW air by factors of ~8-9 on average. Measured radical and k'OH levels and measurement-to-model ratios displayed strong dependences on NO mixing ratios. The PSS calculation could capture OH observations at high NO but underpredicted the observations at low NO. The box model overpredicted HO2 concentrations at low NO in NW-SE air, whereas in SW air, the measurements and model results were in agreement across the full NO range. The box model underpredicted total RO2 at all NO levels, where the measurement-to-model ratio scaled with NO. This trend has been found in all previous field campaigns in which total RO2 was measured using the ROxLIF technique and suggests that peroxy radical chemistry is not well understood under high NOx conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our companion paper (Woodward-Massey et al., 2022), we presented measurements of radical species and OH reactivity (k'OH) made in summer 2015 during the ICOZA (Integrated Chemistry of OZone in the Atmosphere) field campaign at the Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory, a site on the east coast of the UK. In the present work, we used the simultaneous measurement of OH, HO2, total RO2, and k'OH to derive experimental (i.e., observationally determined) budgets for all radical species as well as total ROx (= OH + HO2 + RO2). Data were separated according to wind direction: prevailing SW winds (with influence from London and other major conurbations), and all other winds (NW-SE; predominantly marine in origin). In NW-SE air, the ROx budget could be closed during the daytime within experimental uncertainty but OH destruction exceeded OH production, and HO2 production greatly exceeded HO2 destruction while the opposite was true for RO2. In SW air, the ROx budget analysis indicated missing daytime ROx sources but the OH budget was balanced, and the same imbalances were found with the HO2 and RO2 budgets as in NW-SE air. For HO2 and RO2, the budget imbalances were most severe at high NO mixing ratios. We explored several mechanistic modifications to the experimental budgets to try to reconcile the HO2 and RO2 budget imbalances: (1) the addition of generic radical recycling processes, (2) reduction of the rate of RO2 x HO2 conversion, (3) inclusion of heterogeneous HO2 uptake, and (4) addition of chlorine chemistry. The best agreement between HO2 and RO2 production and destruction rates was found for option (2), in which we reduced the RO2 + NO rate constant by a factor of 5. The rate of in situ ozone production (P(Ox)) was calculated from observations of ROx, NO, and NO2 and compared to that calculated from MCM-modelled radical concentrations. The MCM-calculated P(Ox) significantly 35 underpredicted the measurement-calculated P(Ox) in the morning, and the degree of underprediction was found to scale with NO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delhi is one of the world's most polluted cities, with very high concentrations of airborne particulate matter. However, little is known on the factors controlling the characteristics of particle number size distributions. Here, new measurements are reported from three field campaigns conducted in winter, pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons on the Indian Insitute of Technology campus in the south of the city. Particle number size distributions were measured simultaneously using a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer and a Grimm optical particle monitor, covering 15 nm to >10 µm diameter. The merged, wide-range size distributions were categorised into five size ranges: nucleation (15-20 nm), Aitken (20-100 nm), accumulation (100 nm-1 µm), large fine (1-2.5 µm) and coarse (2.5-10 µm) particles. The ultrafine fraction (15-100 nm) accounts for about 52 % of all particles by number (PN10), but just 1 % by PM10 volume (PV10). The measured size distributions are markedly coarser than most from other parts of the world, but are consistent with earlier cascade impactor data from Delhi. Our results suggest substantial aerosol processing by coagulation, condensation and water uptake in the heavily polluted atmosphere, which takes place mostly at nighttime and in the morning hours. Total number concentrations are highest in winter, but the mode of the distribution is largest in the post-monsoon (autumn) season. The accumulation mode particles dominate the particle volume in autumn and winter, while the coarse mode dominates in summer. Polar plots show a huge variation between both size fractions in the same season and between seasons for the same size fraction. The diurnal pattern of particle numbers is strongly reflective of a road traffic influence upon concentrations, especially in autumn and winter. There is a clear influence of diesel traffic at nighttime when it is permitted to enter the city, and also indications in the size distribution data of a mode <15 nm, probably attributable to CNG/LPG vehicles. New particle formation appears to be infrequent, and in this dataset is limited to one day in the summer campaign. Our results reveal that the very high emissions of airborne particles in Delhi, particularly from traffic, determine the variation of particle number size distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian megacity of Delhi suffers from some of the poorest air quality in the world. While ambient NO2 and particulate matter (PM) concentrations have received considerable attention in the city, high ground level ozone (O3) concentrations are an often overlooked component of pollution. O3 can lead to significant ecosystem damage, agricultural crop losses, and adversely affect human health. During October 2018, concentrations of speciated non-methane hydrocarbons volatile organic compounds (C2 -- C13), oxygenated volatile organic compounds (o-VOCs), NO, NO2, HONO, CO, SO2, O3, and photolysis rates, were continuously measured at an urban site in Old Delhi. These observations were used to constrain a detailed chemical box model utilising the Master Chemical Mechanism v3.3.1. VOCs and NOx (NO + NO2) were varied in the model to test their impact on local O3 production rates, P(O3), which revealed a VOC-limited chemical regime. When only NOx concentrations were reduced, a significant increase in P(O3) was observed, thus VOC co-reduction approaches must also be considered in pollution abatement strategies. Of the VOCs examined in this work, mean morning P(O3) rates were most sensitive to monoaromatic compounds, followed by monoterpenes and alkenes, where halving their concentrations in the model led to a 15.6 %, 13.1 % and 12.9 % reduction in P(O3), respectively. P(O3) was not sensitive to direct changes in aerosol surface area but was very sensitive to changes in photolysis rates, which may be influenced by future changes in PM concentrations. VOC and NOx concentrations were divided into emission source sectors, as described by the EDGAR v5.0 Global Air Pollutant Emissions and EDGAR v4.3.2_VOC_spec inventories, allowing for the impact of individual emission sources on P(O3) to be investigated. Reducing road transport emissions only, a common strategy in air pollution abatement strategies worldwide, was found to increase P(O3), even when the source was removed in its entirety. Effective reduction in P(O3) was achieved by reducing road transport along with emissions from combustion for manufacturing and process emissions. Modelled P(O3) reduced by ~ 20 ppb h-1 when these combined sources were halved. This study highlights the importance of reducing VOCs in parallel with NOx and PM in future pollution abatement strategies in Delhi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of OH, HO2, RO2-complex (alkene and aromatic-related RO2) and total RO2 radicals taken during the AIRPRO campaign in central Beijing in the summer of 2017, alongside observations of OH reactivity are presented. The concentrations of radicals were elevated with OH reaching up to 2.8 x 107 molecule cm-3, HO2 peaked at 1 x 109 molecule cm-3 and the total RO2 concentration reached 5.5 x 109 molecule cm-3. OH reactivity (k(OH)) peaked at 89 s-1 during the night, with a minimum during the afternoons of ~22 s-1 on average. An experimental budget analysis, in which the rates of production and destruction of the radicals are compared, highlighted that although the sources and sinks of OH were balanced under high NO concentrations, the OH sinks exceeded the known sources (by 15 ppbv hr-1) under the very low NO conditions (<0.5 ppbv) experienced in the afternoons, demonstrating a missing OH source consistent with previous studies under high volatile organic compound (VOC), low NO loadings. Under the highest NO mixing ratios (104 ppbv), the HO2 production rate exceeded the rate of destruction by ~ 50 ppbv hr-1, whilst the rate of destruction of total-RO2 exceeded the production by the same rate indicating that the net propagation rate of RO2 to HO2 may be substantially slower than assumed. If just 10% of the RO2 radicals propagate to HO2 upon reaction with NO, the HO2 and RO2 budgets could be closed at high NO, but at low NO this lower RO2 to HO2 propagation rate revealed a missing RO2 sink that was similar in magnitude to the missing OH source. A detailed box model that incorporated the latest MCM chemical mechanism (MCM3.3.1) reproduced the observed OH concentrations well, but over-predicted the observed HO2 under low concentrations of NO (<1 ppbv) and under-predicted RO2 (both the complex-RO2 fraction and other RO2 types which we classify as simple-RO2) most significantly at the highest NO concentrations. The model also under-predicted the observed k(OH) consistently by ~10 s-1 across all NO[sub x] levels highlighting that the good agreement for OH was fortuitous due to a cancellation of missing OH source and sink terms in its budget. Including heterogeneous loss of HO2 to aerosol surfaces did reduce the modelled HO2 concentrations in-line with the observations, but only at NO mixing ratios <0.3 ppbv. The inclusion of Cl atoms, formed from the photolysis of nitryl chloride, enhanced the modelled RO2 concentration on several mornings when the Cl atom concentration was calculated to exceed 1 x 104 atoms cm-3 and could reconcile the modelled and measured RO2 concentrations at these times. However, on other mornings, when the Cl atom concentration was lower, large under-predictions in total RO2 remained. Furthermore, the inclusion of Cl atom chemistry did not enhance the modelled RO2 beyond the first few hours after sunrise and so was unable to resolve the modelled under-prediction in RO2 observed at other times of the day. Model scenarios, in which missing VOC reactivity was included as an additional reaction that converted OH to RO2, highlighted that the modelled OH, HO2 and RO2 concentrations were sensitive to the choice of RO2 product. The level of modelled to measured agreement for HO2 and RO2 (both complex and simple) could be improved if the missing OH reactivity formed a larger RO2 species that was able to undergo reaction with NO, followed by isomerisation reactions reforming other RO2 species, before eventually generating HO2. In this work an α-pinene-derived RO2 species was used as an example. In this simulation, consistent with the experimental budget analysis, the model underestimated the observed OH indicating a missing OH source. The model uncertainty, with regards to the types of RO2 species present and the radicals they form upon reaction with NO (HO2 directly or another RO2 species), leads to over an order of magnitude less O3 production calculated from the predicted peroxy radicals than calculated from the observed peroxy radicals at the highest NO concentrations. This demonstrates the rate at which the larger RO2 species propagate to HO2 or to another RO2 or indeed to OH needs to be understood to accurately simulate the rate of ozone production in environments such as Beijing where large multifunctional VOCs are likely present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous pollutants in air, soil and water and known to have harmful effects on human health and the environment. The diurnal and nocturnal variation of 17-PAHs in ambient particle-bound PAHs were measured in urban Beijing (China) and Delhi (India) during the summer season using GC-Q-TOF-MS. The mean concentration of particles less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) observed in Delhi was 3.6 times higher than in Beijing during the measurement period in both the day-time and night-time. In Beijing, the mean concentration of the sum of the 17 PAHs (Σ17-PAHs) was 8.2 ± 5.1 ng m-3 in daytime, with the highest contribution from Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (12 %), while at night-time the total PAHs was 7.2 ± 2.0 ng m-3, with the largest contribution from Benzo[b]fluoranthene (14 %). In Delhi, the mean Σ17-PAHs was 13.6 ± 5.9 ng m-3 in daytime, and 22.7 ± 9.4 ng m-3 at night-time, with the largest contribution from Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene in both the day (17 %) and night (20 %). Elevated mean concentrations of total PAHs in Delhi observed at night were attributed to emissions from vehicles and biomass burning and to meteorological conditions leading to their accumulation from a stable and low atmospheric boundary layer. Local emission sources were typically identified as the major contributors to total measured PAHs, however, in Delhi 25 % of the emissions were attributed to long-range atmospheric transport. Major emission sources were characterized based on the contribution from each class of PAHs, with the 4, 5, and 6 ring PAHs accounting ~ 95 % of the total PM2.5-bound PAHs mass in both locations. The high contribution of 5 ring PAHs to total PAH concentration in summer Beijing and Delhi suggests a high contribution from petroleum combustion. In Delhi, a high contribution from 6 ring PAHs was observed at night, suggesting a potential emission source from the combustion of fuel and oil in power generators, widely used in Delhi. The lifetime excess lung cancer risk (LECR) was calculated for Beijing and Delhi, with the highest estimated risk attributed to Delhi (LECR = 155 per million people), 2.2 times higher than Beijing risk assessment value (LECR = 70 per million people). Finally, we have assessed the emission control policies in each city and identified those major sectors that could be subject to mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) are critical intermediates in atmospheric chemistry. NOx levels control the cycling and hence abundance of the primary atmospheric oxidants OH and NO3, and regulate the ozone production which results from the degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight. They are also atmospheric pollutants, and NO2 is commonly included in air quality objectives and regulations. NOx levels also affect the production of the nitrate component of secondary aerosol particles and other pollutants such as the lachrymator peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN). The accurate measurement of NO and NO2 is therefore crucial to air quality monitoring and understanding atmospheric composition. The most commonly used approach for measurement of NO is chemiluminescent detection of electronically excited NO2 (NO2*) from the NO + O3 reaction. Alkenes, ubiquitous in the atmosphere from biogenic and anthropogenic sources, also react with ozone to produce chemiluminescence and thus may contribute to the measured NOx signal. Their ozonolysis reaction may also be sufficiently rapid that their abundance in the instrument background cycle, which also utilises reaction with ozone, differs from the measurement cycle - such that the background subtraction is incomplete, and an interference effect results. This interference has been noted previously, and indeed the effect has been used to measure both alkenes and ozone in the atmosphere. Here we report the results of a systematic investigation of the response of a selection of commercial NOx monitors, ranging from systems used for routine air quality monitoring to atmospheric research instrumentation, to a series of alkenes. Alkenes investigated range from short chain alkenes, such as ethene, to the biogenic monoterpenes. Experiments were performed in the European Photoreactor (EUPHORE) to ensure common calibration and samples for the monitors, and to unequivocally confirm the alkene levels present (via FTIR). The instrument interference responses ranged from negligible levels up to 11% depending upon the alkene present and conditions used (e.g. presence of co-reactants and differing humidity). Such interferences may be of substantial importance for the interpretation of ambient NOx data, particularly for high-VOC, low-NOx environments such as forests, or indoor environments where alkene abundance from personal care and cleaning products may be significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isoprene is the most important biogenic volatile organic compound in the atmosphere. Its calculated impact on ozone (O3) is critically dependent on the model isoprene oxidation chemical scheme, in particular the way the isoprene-derived nitrates (IN) are treated. By combining gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, we have developed a system capable of separating, and unambiguously measuring, individual IN isomers. In this paper we report measurements from its first field deployment, which took place in Beijing as part of the Atmospheric Pollution and Human Health in a Chinese Megacity (APHH-Beijing) programme, along with box model simulations using the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) (v.3.3.1) to assess the key processes affecting the production and loss of the IN. Seven individual isoprene nitrates were identified and quantified during the summer campaign: two β-isoprene hydroxy nitrates (IHN); four δ isoprene carbonyl nitrates (ICN); and propanone nitrate. Whilst we had previously demonstrated that the system can measure the four δ-IHN, we found no evidence of them in Beijing. The two β-IHN mixing ratios are well correlated with an R² value of 0.85. The mean for their ratio ((1-OH, 2-ONO2)-IHN : (4-OH, 3-ONO2)-IHN) is 3.4 and exhibits no clear diel cycle (the numbers in the names indicate the carbon (C) atom in the isoprene chain to which the radical is added). Examining this in a box model demonstrates its sensitivity to nitric oxide (NO), with lower NO mixing ratios favouring (1-OH, 2-ONO2)-IHN over (4-OH, 3-ONO2)-IHN. This is largely a reflection of the modelled ratios of their respective precursor peroxy radicals which, at NO mixing ratios of less than 1 part per billion (ppb), increase substantially with decreasing NO. Interestingly, this ratio in the peroxy radicals still exceeds the kinetic ratio (i.e. their initial ratio based on the yields of the adducts from OH addition to isoprene and the rates of reaction of the adducts with oxygen (O2)) even at NO mixing ratios as high as 100 ppb. The relationship of the observed β-IHN ratio with NO is much weaker than modelled, partly due to far fewer data points, but it agrees with the model simulation in so far as there tend to be larger ratios at sub 1 ppb amounts of NO. Of the δ-ICN, the two trans (E) isomers are observed to have the highest mixing ratios and the mean isomer ratio (E-(4-ONO2, 1-CO)-ICN to E-(1-ONO2, 4-CO)-ICN)) is 1.4, which is considerably lower than the expected ratio of 6 for addition of NO3 in the C1 and C4 carbon positions in the isoprene chain. The MCM produces far more δ-ICN than observed, particularly at night and it also simulates an increase in the daytime δ-ICN that greatly exceeds that seen in the observations. Interestingly, the modelled source of δ-ICN is predominantly during the daytime, due to the presence in Beijing of appreciable daytime amounts of NO3 along with isoprene. The modelled ratios of δ-ICN to propanone nitrate are very different to the observed. This study demonstrates the value of speciated IN measurements to test our understanding of the isoprene degradation chemistry. Our interpretation is limited by the uncertainties in our measurements and relatively small data set, but highlights areas of the isoprene chemistry that warrant further study, in particular the NO3 initiated isoprene degradation chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of atmospheric boundary layer nitrous acid (HONO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were performed in summer 2016 inside a city centre road tunnel in Birmingham, United Kingdom. HONO and NOx mixing ratios were strongly correlated with traffic density, with peak levels observed during the early evening rush hour as a result of traffic congestion in the tunnel. A daytime ΔHONO / ΔNOx ratio of 0.85 % (0.72–1.01 %, 95 % CI) was calculated using reduced major axis regression as the overall fleet-average (comprising 59 % diesel-fuelled vehicles). A comparison with previous tunnel studies and analysis on composition of the fleet suggest that goods-vehicles have a large impact on the overall HONO vehicle emissions; however, new technologies aimed at reducing exhaust emissions, particularly for diesel vehicles, may have reduced the overall direct HONO emission in the UK. This result suggests that in order to accurately represent urban atmospheric emissions and OH radical budget, fleet-weighted HONO / NOx ratios may better quantify HONO vehicle emissions in models, compared with use of a single emissions ratio for all vehicles. The contribution of the direct vehicular source of HONO to total ambient HONO concentrations is also investigated and results show that, in areas with high traffic density, vehicle exhaust emissions are likely to be the dominant HONO source to the boundary layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]