Nitric acid scavenging by mineral and biomass burning aerosols

Authors

A Tabazadeh, NASA
M Z. Jacobson, Stanford University
H B. Singh, NASA
O Brian Toon, University of Colorado Boulder
J S. Lin, Bay Area Environmental Research Institut
R B. Chatfield, NASA
A N. Thakur, NASA
R. Talbot, University of New HampshireFollow
Jack E. Dibb, University of New HampshireFollow

Abstract

The abundance of gas phase nitric acid in the upper troposphere is overestimated by global chemistry-transport models, especially during the spring and summer seasons. Recent aircraft data obtained over the central US show that mineral aerosols were abundant in the upper troposphere during spring. Chemical reactions on mineral dust may provide an important sink for nitric acid. In regions where the mineral dust abundance is low in the upper troposphere similar HNO₃ removal processes may occur on biomass burning aerosols. We propose that mineral and biomass burning aerosols may provide an important global sink for gas phase nitric acid, particularly during spring and summer when aerosol composition in the upper troposphere may be greatly affected by dust storms from east Asia or tropical biomass burning plumes.

Department

Earth Sciences, Earth Systems Research Center

Publication Date

11-15-1998

Journal Title

Geophysical Research Letters

Publisher

Wiley

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1029/1998GL900062

Document Type

Article

Recommended Citation

A. Tabazadeh et al., "Nitric acid scavenging by mineral and biomass burning aerosols," Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 25, no. 22, pp. 4185–4188, Nov. 1998.

Rights

Copyright 1998 by the American Geophysical Union.