The impact of organic nitrates on summer ozone formation in Shanghai, China
<p>Organic nitrates serve as important secondary oxidation products in the atmosphere, playing a crucial role in the atmospheric radical cycles and influencing the production of secondary pollutants (ozone (O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>) an...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/3905/2025/acp-25-3905-2025.pdf |
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| Summary: | <p>Organic nitrates serve as important secondary oxidation products in the atmosphere, playing a crucial role in the atmospheric radical cycles and influencing the production of secondary pollutants (ozone (O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>) and secondary organic aerosols). However, field measurements of organic nitrates are scarce in China, and a comprehensive localized mechanism for organic nitrates is absent, hindering effective pollution mitigation strategies. In this study, we conducted measurements of ambient gaseous organic nitrates and examined their effects on local O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> production at a polluted urban site in eastern China during summer. The average daytime concentrations of alkyl nitrates (ANs) and peroxy nitrates (PNs) throughout the campaign were 0.5 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 0.3 and 0.9 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 0.7 ppbv, respectively, with peaks reaching up to 1.6 and 3.6 ppbv. An observation-constrained box model, incorporating an updated mechanism for organic nitrates, was employed to assess the environmental impact of these compounds. The model results indicated that PN production inhibited the daytime O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> production by 16 % (0.8 ppbv h<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>), which is relatively low compared to previous studies. Furthermore, scenario analyses revealed that production yields (<span class="inline-formula"><i>α</i></span>) of ANs would alter the response of O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> formation to precursors due to varying compositions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Our results suggest that blind pollution control may cause ineffective pollution prevention and highlight the necessity of a thorough understanding of organic nitrate chemistry for local O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> control strategy.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |