Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorHonrath, Richard Edward, Jr.
dc.date.accessioned2018-08-08T01:46:44Z
dc.date.available2018-08-08T01:46:44Z
dc.date.issued1991
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11122/9324
dc.descriptionDissertation (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1991
dc.description.abstractNitrogen oxides play a critical role in tropospheric photochemistry. In order to characterize these compounds in the arctic troposphere, ground-level concentrations of total reactive nitrogen (NO$\sb{y}$) and NO were determined over an extended period at a site near Barrow, Alaska. A high-sensitivity instrument developed for this purpose was used in three measurement campaigns: summer 1988, spring 1989, and March-December 1990. During the 1990 campaign, the detection limit for NO was 3-10 pptv (depending on averaging period), and the NO$\sb{y}$ uncertainty was $\pm$26%. A screening algorithm was applied to the data to eliminate effects from local (Barrow) sources, and the remaining data were divided into "background periods" (unaffected by local or regional NO$\sb{x}$ sources), and "events" (periods when emissions from a regional NO$\sb{x}$ source--the Prudhoe Bay oil-producing region--apparently impacted Barrow). These measurements revealed a sharp seasonal cycle of background NO$\sb{y}$ concentrations, with high values in early spring (median 560-620 pptv) and $\sim$70 pptv (median) during summer. This cycle is similar to that of other compounds in arctic haze but is partially attributed to a reduction in NO$\sb{y}$ lifetime due to organic nitrate decomposition as temperatures and insolation increased. Evidence indicates that the springtime arctic NO$\sb{y}$ reservoir was primarily composed of stable removal-resistant species, including PAN and other organic nitrates. PAN decomposition as temperatures rose in late spring likely caused an observed pulse of NO to $\sim$35 pptv (maximum hourly average); hourly-average NO concentrations were otherwise generally $<$8 pptv. NO$\sb{x}$ production from PAN decomposition due to the onset of spring or southward advection may affect springtime O$\sb3$ levels both in the Arctic and in the northern mid-latitudes. NO$\sb{y}$ and O$\sb3$ concentrations were positively correlated during summer, possibly indicating long-range transport of both and/or the presence of a mid-tropospheric NO$\sb{y}$ reservoir combined with a stratospheric O$\sb3$ source. A number of events with substantially elevated NO$\sb{y}$ concentrations (to 16 ppbv) were observed in air not impacted by emissions from the town of Barrow. Substantial evidence indicates that these events were a result of NO$\sb{x}$ emissions from the Prudhoe Bay region ($\sim$300 km to the ESE), which is also expected to affect measurements of other compounds at the Barrow site.
dc.subjectEnvironmental science
dc.subjectPhysics, Atmospheric Science
dc.titleNitrogen oxides in the Arctic troposphere
dc.typeDissertation
dc.type.degreephd
dc.identifier.departmentChemistry Department
dc.contributor.chairJaffe, Daniel A.
dc.contributor.committeeGosnick, Joan P.
dc.contributor.committeeStolzberg, Richard J.
dc.contributor.committeeStamnes, Knut
dc.contributor.committeeShaw, Glenn E.
refterms.dateFOA2020-03-05T17:26:54Z


Files in this item

Thumbnail
Name:
Honrath_R_1991.pdf
Size:
7.481Mb
Format:
PDF

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record