Airborne Observations Constrain Heterogeneous Nitrogen and Halogen
Chemistry on Tropospheric and Stratospheric Biomass Burning Aerosol
Abstract
Heterogeneous chemical cycles of pyrogenic nitrogen and halides
influence tropospheric ozone and affect the stratosphere during extreme
pyrocumulonimbus (PyroCB) events. We report field-derived N2O5 uptake
coefficients, γ(N2O5), and ClNO2 yields, φ(ClNO2), from two aircraft
campaigns observing fresh smoke in the lower and mid troposphere and
processed/aged smoke in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere
(UTLS). Derived φ(ClNO2) varied across the full 0–1 range but was
typically < 0.5 and smallest in a PyroCB (< 0.05).
Derived γ(N2O5) was low in agricultural smoke (0.2–3.6 ×10-3),
extremely low in mid-tropospheric wildfire smoke (0.1 × 10-3), but
larger in PyroCB processed smoke (0.7–5.0 × 10–3). Aged BB aerosol in
the UTLS had a higher median γ(N2O5) of 17 × 10–3 that increased with
sulfate and liquid water, but that was nevertheless 1–2 orders of
magnitude lower than values for aqueous sulfuric aerosol used in
stratospheric models.