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Portrait of Alex Vermeulen

Alex Vermeulen

Manager

Portrait of Alex Vermeulen

Ubiquity of organic nitrates from nighttime chemistry in the European submicron aerosol

Author

  • A. Kiendler-Scharr
  • A. A. Mensah
  • E. Friese
  • D. Topping
  • E. Nemitz
  • A. S H Prevot
  • M. Äijälä
  • J. Allan
  • F. Canonaco
  • M. Canagaratna
  • S. Carbone
  • M. Crippa
  • M. Dall Osto
  • D. A. Day
  • P. De Carlo
  • C. F. Di Marco
  • H. Elbern
  • A. Eriksson
  • E. Freney
  • L. Hao
  • H. Herrmann
  • L. Hildebrandt
  • R. Hillamo
  • J. L. Jimenez
  • A. Laaksonen
  • G. McFiggans
  • C. Mohr
  • C. O'Dowd
  • R. Otjes
  • J. Ovadnevaite
  • S. N. Pandis
  • L. Poulain
  • P. Schlag
  • K. Sellegri
  • E. Swietlicki
  • P. Tiitta
  • Alex Vermeulen
  • A. Wahner
  • D. Worsnop
  • H. C. Wu
Show all

Summary, in English

In the atmosphere nighttime removal of volatile organic compounds is initiated to a large extent by reaction with the nitrate radical (NO3) forming organic nitrates which partition between gas and particulate phase. Here we show based on particle phase measurements performed at a suburban site in the Netherlands that organic nitrates contribute substantially to particulate nitrate and organic mass. Comparisons with a chemistry transport model indicate that most of the measured particulate organic nitrates are formed by NO3 oxidation. Using aerosol composition data from three intensive observation periods at numerous measurement sites across Europe, we conclude that organic nitrates are a considerable fraction of fine particulate matter (PM1) at the continental scale. Organic nitrates represent 34% to 44% of measured submicron aerosol nitrate and are found at all urban and rural sites, implying a substantial potential of PM reduction by NOx emission control.

Department/s

  • Department of Physics
  • MERGE: ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system

Publishing year

2016-07-28

Language

English

Pages

7735-7744

Publication/Series

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume

43

Issue

14

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Topic

  • Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences

Keywords

  • field study
  • organic nitrate
  • particulate matter

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0094-8276