Articles | Volume 24, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3421-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3421-2024
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
20 Mar 2024
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 20 Mar 2024

Observations of cyanogen bromide (BrCN) in the global troposphere and their relation to polar surface O3 destruction

James M. Roberts, Siyuan Wang, Patrick R. Veres, J. Andrew Neuman, Michael A. Robinson, Ilann Bourgeois, Jeff Peischl, Thomas B. Ryerson, Chelsea R. Thompson, Hannah M. Allen, John D. Crounse, Paul O. Wennberg, Samuel R. Hall, Kirk Ullmann, Simone Meinardi, Isobel J. Simpson, and Donald Blake

Related authors

Calibration of hydroxyacetonitrile (HOCH2CN) and methyl isocyanate (CH3NCO) isomers using I chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS)
Zachary Finewax, Aparajeo Chattopadhyay, J. Andrew Neuman, James M. Roberts, and James B. Burkholder
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6865–6873, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6865-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6865-2024, 2024
Short summary
Temperature-dependent sensitivity of iodide chemical ionization mass spectrometers
Michael A. Robinson, J. Andrew Neuman, L. Gregory Huey, James M. Roberts, Steven S. Brown, and Patrick R. Veres
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4295–4305, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4295-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4295-2022, 2022
Short summary
Comment on “Isotopic evidence for dominant secondary production of HONO in near-ground wildfire plumes” by Chai et al. (2021)
James M. Roberts
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16793–16795, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16793-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16793-2021, 2021
Short summary
Secondary organic aerosols from anthropogenic volatile organic compounds contribute substantially to air pollution mortality
Benjamin A. Nault, Duseong S. Jo, Brian C. McDonald, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Douglas A. Day, Weiwei Hu, Jason C. Schroder, James Allan, Donald R. Blake, Manjula R. Canagaratna, Hugh Coe, Matthew M. Coggon, Peter F. DeCarlo, Glenn S. Diskin, Rachel Dunmore, Frank Flocke, Alan Fried, Jessica B. Gilman, Georgios Gkatzelis, Jacqui F. Hamilton, Thomas F. Hanisco, Patrick L. Hayes, Daven K. Henze, Alma Hodzic, James Hopkins, Min Hu, L. Greggory Huey, B. Thomas Jobson, William C. Kuster, Alastair Lewis, Meng Li, Jin Liao, M. Omar Nawaz, Ilana B. Pollack, Jeffrey Peischl, Bernhard Rappenglück, Claire E. Reeves, Dirk Richter, James M. Roberts, Thomas B. Ryerson, Min Shao, Jacob M. Sommers, James Walega, Carsten Warneke, Petter Weibring, Glenn M. Wolfe, Dominique E. Young, Bin Yuan, Qiang Zhang, Joost A. de Gouw, and Jose L. Jimenez
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 11201–11224, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11201-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11201-2021, 2021
Short summary
The nitrogen budget of laboratory-simulated western US wildfires during the FIREX 2016 Fire Lab study
James M. Roberts, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Robert J. Yokelson, Joost de Gouw, Yong Liu, Vanessa Selimovic, Abigail R. Koss, Kanako Sekimoto, Matthew M. Coggon, Bin Yuan, Kyle J. Zarzana, Steven S. Brown, Cristina Santin, Stefan H. Doerr, and Carsten Warneke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 8807–8826, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8807-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-8807-2020, 2020
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Gases | Research Activity: Field Measurements | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
Accurate elucidation of oxidation under heavy ozone pollution: a full suite of radical measurements in the chemically complex atmosphere
Renzhi Hu, Guoxian Zhang, Haotian Cai, Jingyi Guo, Keding Lu, Xin Li, Shengrong Lou, Zhaofeng Tan, Changjin Hu, Pinhua Xie, and Wenqing Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3011–3028, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3011-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3011-2025, 2025
Short summary
Emissions of intermediate-volatility and semi-volatile organic compounds (I/SVOCs) from different cumulative-mileage diesel vehicles at various ambient temperatures
Shuwen Guo, Xuan Zheng, Xiao He, Lewei Zeng, Liqiang He, Xian Wu, Yifei Dai, Zihao Huang, Ting Chen, Shupei Xiao, Yan You, Sheng Xiang, Shaojun Zhang, Jingkun Jiang, and Ye Wu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2695–2705, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2695-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2695-2025, 2025
Short summary
Characterization of nitrous acid and its potential effects on secondary pollution in the warm season in Beijing urban areas
Junling Li, Chaofan Lian, Mingyuan Liu, Hao Zhang, Yongxin Yan, Yufei Song, Chun Chen, Jiaqi Wang, Haijie Zhang, Yanqin Ren, Yucong Guo, Weigang Wang, Yisheng Xu, Hong Li, Jian Gao, and Maofa Ge
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2551–2568, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2551-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2551-2025, 2025
Short summary
Vertical changes in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and impacts on photochemical ozone formation
Xiao-Bing Li, Bin Yuan, Yibo Huangfu, Suxia Yang, Xin Song, Jipeng Qi, Xianjun He, Sihang Wang, Yubin Chen, Qing Yang, Yongxin Song, Yuwen Peng, Guiqian Tang, Jian Gao, Dasa Gu, and Min Shao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2459–2472, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2459-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2459-2025, 2025
Short summary
Diurnal, seasonal, and interannual variations in δ(18O) of atmospheric O2 and its application to evaluate natural and anthropogenic changes in oxygen, carbon, and water cycles
Shigeyuki Ishidoya, Satoshi Sugawara, and Atsushi Okazaki
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1965–1987, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1965-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1965-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Abbatt, J. P. D., Thomas, J. L., Abrahamsson, K., Boxe, C., Granfors, A., Jones, A. E., King, M. D., Saiz-Lopez, A., Shepson, P. B., Sodeau, J., Toohey, D. W., Toubin, C., von Glasow, R., Wren, S. N., and Yang, X.: Halogen activation via interactions with environmental ice and snow in the polar lower troposphere and other regions, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 6237–6271, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-6237-2012, 2012. 
Abrahamsson, K., Granfors, A., Ahnoff, M., Cuevas, C. A., and Saiz-Lopez, A.: Organic bromine compounds produced in sea ice in Antarctic winter, Nature Commun., 9, 5291, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07062-8, 2018. 
Allen, H. M., Crounse, J. D., Kim, M. J., Teng, A. P., Ray, E. A., McKain, K., Sweeny, C., and Wennberg, P. O.: H2O2 and CH3OOH(MHP) in the remote atmosphere: 1. Global distribution and regional influences, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 127, e2021JD035701, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD035701, 2022. 
Anderson, P. S. and Neff, W. D.: Boundary layer physics over snow and ice, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 3563–3582, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-8-3563-2008, 2008. 
Artiglia, L., Edebeli, J., Orlando, F., Chen, S., Lee, M.-T., Arroyo, P. C., Gilgen, A., Bartels-Rausch, T., Kleibert, A., Vazdar, M., Carignano, M. A., Francisco, J. S., Shepson, P. B., Gladich, I., and Ammann, M.: A surface-stabilized ozonide triggers bromide oxidation at the aqueous solution-vapour interface, Nat. Commun., 8, 700, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00823-x, 2017. 
Download
Executive editor
Bromine chemistry in polar regions is important for the composition of the atmosphere as well as climate. Reactive bromine strongly affects the oxidation capacity and the local ozone budget, and through the export to lower latitudes, it affects the ozone budget and the atmosphere's radiative properties outside polar regions. The newly identified bromine reservoir changes our understanding of the chemical budgets of polar halogens which will have implications for the ozone and mercury removal cycles.
Short summary
We measured cyanogen bromide (BrCN) in the troposphere for the first time. BrCN is a product of the same active bromine chemistry that destroys ozone and removes mercury in polar surface environments and is a previously unrecognized sink for active Br compounds. BrCN has an apparent lifetime against heterogeneous loss in the range 1–10 d, so it serves as a cumulative marker of Br-radical chemistry. Accounting for BrCN chemistry is an important part of understanding polar Br cycling.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint