Direct measurement of NO3 reactivity in a boreal forest

Seasonality and extent of extratropical TST derived from in-situ CO measurements during SPURT

Abstract. We present airborne in-situ trace gas measurements which were performed on eight campaigns between November 2001 and July 2003 during the SPURT-project (SPURenstofftransport in der Tropopausenregion, trace gas transport in the tropopause region). The measurements on a quasi regular basis allowed an overview of the seasonal variations of the trace gas distribution in the tropopause region over Europe from 35°-75°N to investigate the influence of transport and mixing across the extratropical tropopause on the lowermost stratosphere. From the correlation of CO and O3 irreversible mixing of tropospheric air into the lowermost stratosphere is identified. The CO distribution indicates t…

Risk assessment of Bundeswehr (German Federal Armed Forces) permethrin-impregnated battle dress uniforms (BDU).

In an age when vector-borne diseases are emerging worldwide, personal protective measures are essential for shielding soldiers and other exposed persons from arthropod attack. The development of permethrin-impregnated clothing has been one recent advance in protecting persons at-risk. However, to date risk assessment has not been performed related to wearing permethrin-impregnated clothing over longer time periods. Therefore, this paper describes relevant toxicological aspects of permethrin and estimates the extent of dermal permethrin uptake by soldiers wearing impregnated uniforms by determining urine metabolites of permethrin. The exposure monitoring conducted in wearers of untreated uni…

Determination of eddy diffusivity in the lowermost stratosphere

[1] We present a 2D-advection-diffusion model that simulates the main transport pathways influencing tracer distributions in the lowermost stratosphere (LMS). The model describes slow diabatic descent of aged stratospheric air, vertical (cross-isentropic) and horizontal (along isentropes) diffusion within the LMS and across the tropopause using equivalent latitude and potential temperature coordinates. Eddy diffusion coefficients parameterize the integral effect of dynamical processes leading to small scale turbulence and mixing. They were specified by matching model simulations to observed CO distributions. Interestingly, the model suggests mixing across isentropes to be more important tha…

Measurement report: Photochemical production and loss rates of formaldehyde and ozone across Europe

Various atmospheric sources and sinks regulate the abundance of tropospheric formaldehyde (HCHO), which is an important trace gas impacting the HOx (≡ HO2 + OH) budget and the concentration of ozone (O3). In this study, we present the formation and destruction terms of ambient HCHO and O3 calculated from in situ observations of various atmospheric trace gases measured at three different sites across Europe during summertime. These include a coastal site in Cyprus, in the scope of the Cyprus Photochemistry Experiment (CYPHEX) in 2014, a mountain site in southern Germany, as part of the Hohenpeißenberg Photochemistry Experiment (HOPE) in 2012, and a forested site in Finland, where measurement…

Direct measurement of NO<sub>3</sub> reactivity in a boreal forest

Abstract. We present the first direct measurements of NO3 reactivity (or inverse lifetime, s−1) in the Finnish boreal forest. The data were obtained during the IBAIRN campaign (Influence of Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions on the Reactive Nitrogen budget) which took place in Hyytiälä, Finland during the summer/autumn transition in September 2016. The NO3 reactivity was generally very high with a maximum value of 0.94 s−1 and displayed a strong diel variation with a campaign-averaged nighttime mean value of 0.11 s−1 compared to a daytime value of 0.04 s−1. The highest nighttime NO3-reactivity was accompanied by major depletion of canopy level ozone and was associated with strong temperature…

Direct measurement of NO<sub>3</sub> radical reactivity in a boreal forest

Abstract. We present the first direct measurements of NO3 reactivity (or inverse lifetime, s−1) in the Finnish boreal forest. The data were obtained during the IBAIRN campaign (Influence of Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions on the Reactive Nitrogen budget) which took place in Hyytiälä, Finland during the summer/autumn transition in September 2016. The NO3 reactivity was generally very high with a maximum value of 0.94 s−1 and displayed a strong diel variation with a campaign-averaged nighttime mean value of 0.11 s−1 compared to a daytime value of 0.04 s−1. The highest nighttime NO3 reactivity was accompanied by major depletion of canopy level ozone and was associated with strong temperature…

First measurements of reactive α-dicarbonyl concentrations on PM2.5 aerosol over the Boreal forest in Finland during HUMPPA-COPEC 2010 – source apportionment and links to aerosol aging

The first dataset for summertime boreal forest concentrations of two atmospherically relevant α-dicarbonyl compounds, glyoxal (Gly) and methylglyoxal (Mgly) on PM2.5 aerosol was obtained during the HUMPPA-COPEC-2010 field measurement intensive in Hyytiälä, Finland. Anthropogenic influences over the course of the campaign were identified using trace gas signatures and aerosol particle chemical composition analysis. The data evaluation allowed the identification of different events such as urban pollution plumes, biomass burning and sawmill emissions as sources of high Gly and Mgly concentrations. Mean aerosol concentrations during periods of biogenic influence were 0.81 ng m−3 for Gly and 0.…

Direct measurement of NO3 radical reactivity in a boreal forest

We present the first direct measurements of NO3 reactivity (or inverse lifetime, s−1) in the Finnish boreal forest. The data were obtained during the IBAIRN campaign (Influence of Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions on the Reactive Nitrogen budget) which took place in Hyytiälä, Finland during the summer/autumn transition in September 2016. The NO3 reactivity was generally very high with a maximum value of 0.94 s−1 and displayed a strong diel variation with a campaign-averaged nighttime mean value of 0.11 s−1 compared to a daytime value of 0.04 s−1. The highest nighttime NO3 reactivity was accompanied by major depletion of canopy level ozone and was associated with strong temperature inversion…

Daytime formation of nitrous acid at a coastal remote site in Cyprus indicating a common ground source of atmospheric HONO and NO

Abstract. Characterization of daytime sources of nitrous acid (HONO) is crucial to understand atmospheric oxidation and radical cycling in the planetary boundary layer. HONO and numerous other atmospheric trace constituents were measured on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus during the CYPHEX campaign (CYPHEX = CYprus PHotochemical EXperiment) in summer 2014. Average volume mixing ratios of HONO were 35 pptv (±25 pptv) with a HONO/NOx ratio of 0.33, which was considerably higher than reported for most other rural and urban regions. Diel profiles of HONO showed peak values in the late morning (60±28 pptv around 09:00 local time), and persistently high mixing ratios during daytime (45±18 pptv…

Enhanced sulfur in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere in spring 2020

Sulfur compounds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) impact the atmosphere radiation budget, either directly as particles or indirectly as precursor gas for new particle formation. In situ measurements in the UTLS are rare but are important to better understand the impact of the sulfur budget on climate. The BLUESKY mission in May and June 2020 explored an unprecedented situation. (1) The UTLS experienced extraordinary dry conditions in spring 2020 over Europe, in comparison to previous years, and (2) the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic caused major emission reductions from industry, ground, and airborne transportation. With the two research aircraft HALO and Falc…