Evidence of nighttime production of organic nitrates during SEAC4RS,
FRAPPE, and KORUS-AQ
Abstract
Organic nitrates (RONO) are an important NO sink. In rural environments
dominated by biogenic emissions, nocturnal NO-initiated production of
RONO is competitive with daytime OH-initiated RONO production. However,
in urban areas, OH-initiated production of RONO has been assumed
dominant and NO-initiated production considered negligible. We show
evidence for nighttime RONO production similar in magnitude to daytime
production during three aircraft campaigns in chemically-distinct
environments: SEACRS in the rural Southeastern US, FRAPPÉ in the
Colorado Front Range, and KORUS-AQ around the megacity of Seoul. During
each campaign, morning observations show RONO enhancements at constant,
near-background Ox (≡ O + NO), indicating that the RONO are from a
non-photochemical source, whereas afternoon observations show a strong
correlation between RONO and O resulting from photochemical production.
We show there are sufficient precursors for nighttime RONO formation
during all three campaigns. This evidence impacts our understanding of
the nighttime lifetime and fate of NO.