Articles | Volume 23, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6271-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6271-2023
Research article
 | 
07 Jun 2023
Research article |  | 07 Jun 2023

Background nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over the United States and its implications for satellite observations and trends: effects of nitrate photolysis, aircraft, and open fires

Ruijun Dang, Daniel J. Jacob, Viral Shah, Sebastian D. Eastham, Thibaud M. Fritz, Loretta J. Mickley, Tianjia Liu, Yi Wang, and Jun Wang

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Cited articles

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Bates, K. H. and Jacob, D. J.: A new model mechanism for atmospheric oxidation of isoprene: global effects on oxidants, nitrogen oxides, organic products, and secondary organic aerosol, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 9613–9640, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-9613-2019, 2019. 
Belmonte Rivas, M., Veefkind, P., Eskes, H., and Levelt, P.: OMI tropospheric NO2 profiles from cloud slicing: constraints on surface emissions, convective transport and lightning NOx, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 13519–13553, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-13519-2015, 2015. 
Boeing: Boeing Commercial Market Outlook 2022–2041, https://www.boeing.com/commercial/market/commercial-market-outlook/ (last access: 26 May 2023), 2022. 
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Short summary
We use the GEOS-Chem model to better understand the magnitude and trend in free tropospheric NO2 over the contiguous US. Model underestimate of background NO2 is largely corrected by considering aerosol nitrate photolysis. Increase in aircraft emissions affects satellite retrievals by altering the NO2 shape factor, and this effect is expected to increase in future. We show the importance of properly accounting for the free tropospheric background in interpreting NO2 observations from space.
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