Articles | Volume 20, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11551-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11551-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Characterizing the spatiotemporal nitrogen stable isotopic composition of ammonia in vehicle plumes
Wendell W. Walters
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Linlin Song
CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110016, China
Key Laboratory of Stable Isotope Techniques and Applications, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110016, China
College of Sources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Jiajue Chai
Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Yunting Fang
CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110016, China
Key Laboratory of Stable Isotope Techniques and Applications, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110016, China
College of Sources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Nadia Colombi
Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
current address: Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Meredith G. Hastings
Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
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Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 13431–13448, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13431-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13431-2022, 2022
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Jiajue Chai, Jack E. Dibb, Bruce E. Anderson, Claire Bekker, Danielle E. Blum, Eric Heim, Carolyn E. Jordan, Emily E. Joyce, Jackson H. Kaspari, Hannah Munro, Wendell W. Walters, and Meredith G. Hastings
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Nitrous acid (HONO) derived from wildfire emissions plays a key role in controlling atmospheric oxidation chemistry. However, the HONO budget remains poorly constrained. By combining the field-observed concentrations and novel isotopic composition (N and O) of HONO and nitrogen oxides (NOx), we quantitatively constrained the relative contribution of each pathway to secondary HONO production and the relative importance of major atmospheric oxidants (ozone versus peroxy) in aged wildfire smoke.
Huan Fang, Wendell W. Walters, David Mase, and Greg Michalski
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A new photochemical reaction scheme that incorporates nitrogen isotopes has been developed to simulate isotope tracers in air pollution. The model contains 16 N compounds, and 96 reactions involving N used in the Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism (RACM) were replicated using 15N in a new mechanism called iNRACM. The model is able to predict d15N variations in NOx, HONO, and HNO3 that are similar to those observed in aerosol and gases in the troposphere.
Veronica R. Rollinson, Julie Granger, Sydney C. Clark, Mackenzie L. Blanusa, Claudia P. Koerting, Jamie M. P. Vaudrey, Lija A. Treibergs, Holly C. Westbrook, Catherine M. Matassa, Meredith G. Hastings, and Craig R. Tobias
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We measured nutrients and the naturally occurring nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) stable isotope ratios of nitrate discharged from a New England river over an annual cycle, to monitor N loading and identify dominant sources from the watershed. We uncovered a seasonality to loading and sources of N from the watershed. Seasonality in the nitrate isotope ratios also informed on N cycling, conforming to theoretical expectations of riverine nutrient cycling.
Guitao Shi, Hongmei Ma, Zhengyi Hu, Zhenlou Chen, Chunlei An, Su Jiang, Yuansheng Li, Tianming Ma, Jinhai Yu, Danhe Wang, Siyu Lu, Bo Sun, and Meredith G. Hastings
The Cryosphere, 15, 1087–1095, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1087-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1087-2021, 2021
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It is important to understand atmospheric chemistry over Antarctica under a changing climate. Thus snow collected on a traverse from the coast to Dome A was used to investigate variations in snow chemistry. The non-sea-salt fractions of K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ are associated with terrestrial inputs, and nssCl− is from HCl. In general, proportions of non-sea-salt fractions of ions to the totals are higher in the interior areas than on the coast, and the proportions are higher in summer than in winter.
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Short summary
This article details new field observations of the nitrogen stable isotopic composition of ammonia emitted from vehicles conducted in the US and China. Vehicle emissions of ammonia may be a significant source to urban regions with important human health and environmental implications. Our measurements have indicated a consistent isotopic signature from vehicle ammonia emissions. The nitrogen isotopic composition of ammonia may be a useful tool for tracking vehicle emissions.
This article details new field observations of the nitrogen stable isotopic composition of...
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