Articles | Volume 15, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6283-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6283-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
09 Jun 2015
Research article |
| 09 Jun 2015
A large and ubiquitous source of atmospheric formic acid
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
M. Baasandorj
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
D. K. Farmer
Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
J. A. Thornton
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
K. Baumann
Atmospheric Research & Analysis Inc., Cary, NC 27513, USA
P. Brophy
Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
S. Chaliyakunnel
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
J. A. de Gouw
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Chemical Sciences Division, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
now at: Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Chemical Sciences Division, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
L. Hu
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
now at: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
A. Koss
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Chemical Sciences Division, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
B. H. Lee
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
F. D. Lopez-Hilfiker
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
J. A. Neuman
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Chemical Sciences Division, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
F. Paulot
NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
J. Peischl
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Chemical Sciences Division, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
I. B. Pollack
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Chemical Sciences Division, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
now at: Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
T. B. Ryerson
Chemical Sciences Division, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
C. Warneke
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Chemical Sciences Division, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
B. J. Williams
Department of Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
J. Xu
Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
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Latest update: 14 Nov 2025
Short summary
Formic acid (HCOOH) is an abundant atmospheric acid that affects precipitation chemistry and acidity. HCOOH measurements over the USA are 2-3× larger than can be explained by known sources and sinks, revealing a key gap in current understanding. Observations indicate a large biogenic source plus chemical production across a range of precursors. Model simulations cannot capture the HCOOH diurnal amplitude or nocturnal profile, implying a deposition bias and possibly even larger missing source.
Formic acid (HCOOH) is an abundant atmospheric acid that affects precipitation chemistry and...
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