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A negative-ion proton-transfer chemical ionization mass spectrometer was deployed on a mobile tower-mounted platform during Nitrogen, Aerosol Composition, and Halogens on a Tall Tower (NACHTT) to measure nitrous acid (HONO) in the winter of 2011. High resolution vertical profiles revealed (i) HONO gradients in nocturnal boundary layers, (ii) ground surface dominates HONO production by heterogeneous uptake of NO2, (iii) significant quantities of HONO may be deposited to the ground surface at night, (iv) daytime gradients indicative of ground HONO production or emission, and (v) an estimated surface HONO reservoir comparable or larger than integrated daytime HONO surface production. Nocturnal integrated column observations of HONO and NO2 allowed direct evaluation of nocturnal ground surface uptake coefficients for these species (γNO2, surf = 2 × 10 -6 to 1.6 × 10-5 and γHONO, surf = 2 × 10-5 to 2 × 10-4). A chemical model showed that the unknown source of HONO was highest in the morning, 4 × 10 6 molecules cm-3 s-1 (600 pptv h-1), declined throughout the day, and minimized near 1 × 106 molecules cm-3 s-1 (165 pptv h-1). The quantity of surface-deposited HONO was also modeled, showing that HONO deposited to the surface at night was at least 25%, and likely in excess of 100%, of the calculated unknown daytime HONO source. These results suggest that if nocturnally deposited HONO forms a conservative surface reservoir, which can be released the following day, a significant fraction of the daytime HONO source can be explained for the NACHTT observations. Key Points HONO vertical gradients form on nights with stable nocturnal boundary layersNocturnal HONO production consistent with ground surface area dominanceSurface deposition of HONO may be a reservoir for the unknown daytime source ©2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

At the Rocky Mountain Biogenic Aerosol Study (BEACHON-RoMBAS) field campaign in the Colorado front range, July-August 2011, measurements of gas- and aerosol-phase organic nitrates enabled a study of the role of NOx (NOx Combining double low line NO + NO2) in oxidation of forest-emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and subsequent aerosol formation. Substantial formation of peroxy- and alkyl-nitrates is observed every morning, with an apparent 2.9% yield of alkyl nitrates from daytime RO2 + NO reactions. Aerosol- phase organic nitrates, however, peak in concentration during the night, with concentrations up to 140 ppt as measured by both optical spectroscopic and mass spectrometric instruments. The diurnal cycle in aerosol fraction of organic nitrates shows an equilibrium-like response to the diurnal temperature cycle, suggesting some reversible absorptive partitioning, but the full dynamic range cannot be reproduced by thermodynamic repartitioning alone. Nighttime aerosol organic nitrate is observed to be positively correlated with [NO2] × [O3] but not with [O3]. These observations support the role of nighttime NO3-initiated oxidation of monoterpenes as a significant source of nighttime aerosol. Nighttime production of organic nitrates is comparable in magnitude to daytime photochemical production at this site, which we postulate to be representative of the Colorado front range forests. © 2013 Author(s).

Organic aerosols (OA) in Pasadena are characterized using multiple measurements from the California Research at the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change (CalNex) campaign. Five OA components are identified using positive matrix factorization including hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) and two types of oxygenated OA (OOA). The Pasadena OA elemental composition when plotted as H:C versus O:C follows a line less steep than that observed for Riverside, CA. The OOA components from both locations follow a common line, however, indicating similar secondary organic aerosol (SOA) oxidation chemistry at the two sites such as fragmentation reactions leading to acid formation. In addition to the similar evolution of elemental composition, the dependence of SOA concentration on photochemical age displays quantitatively the same trends across several North American urban sites. First, the OA/ΔCO values for Pasadena increase with photochemical age exhibiting a slope identical to or slightly higher than those for Mexico City and the northeastern United States. Second, the ratios of OOA to odd-oxygen (a photochemical oxidation marker) for Pasadena, Mexico City, and Riverside are similar, suggesting a proportional relationship between SOA and odd-oxygen formation rates. Weekly cycles of the OA components are examined as well. HOA exhibits lower concentrations on Sundays versus weekdays, and the decrease in HOA matches that predicted for primary vehicle emissions using fuel sales data, traffic counts, and vehicle emission ratios. OOA does not display a weekly cycle - after accounting for differences in photochemical aging - which suggests the dominance of gasoline emissions in SOA formation under the assumption that most urban SOA precursors are from motor vehicles. © 2013. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. American Geophysical Union.