scholarly journals Sensitivities of gas-phase dimethylsulfide oxidation products to the assumed mechanisms in a chemical transport model

2005 ◽  
Vol 110 (D21) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald D. Lucas ◽  
Ronald G. Prinn
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Badia ◽  
Oriol Jorba ◽  
Apostolos Voulgarakis ◽  
Donald Dabdub ◽  
Carlos Pérez García-Pando ◽  
...  

Abstract. This paper presents a comprehensive description and benchmark evaluation of the tropospheric gas-phase chemistry component of the NMMB/BSC Chemical Transport Model (NMMB/BSC-CTM), an online chemical weather prediction system conceived for both the regional and the global scale. We provide an extensive evaluation of a global annual cycle simulation using a variety of background surface stations (EMEP, WDCGG and CASTNET), ozonesondes (WOUDC, CMD and SHADOZ), aircraft data (MOZAIC and several campaigns), and satellite observations (SCIAMACHY and MOPITT). We also include an extensive discussion of our results in comparison to other state-of-the-art models. The model shows a realistic oxidative capacity across the globe. The seasonal cycle for CO is fairly well represented at different locations (correlations around 0.3–0.7 in surface concentrations), although concentrations are underestimated in spring and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and are overestimated throughout the year at 800 and 500 hPa in the Southern Hemisphere. Nitrogen species are well represented in almost all locations, particularly NO2 in Europe (RMSE below 9 μg m−3). The modeled vertical distribution of NOx and HNO3 are in excellent agreement with the observed values and the spatial and seasonal trends of tropospheric NO2 columns correspond well to observations from SCIAMACHY, capturing the highly polluted areas and the biomass burning cycle throughout the year. Over Asia, the model underestimates NOx from March to August probably due to an underestimation of NOx emissions in the region. Overall, the comparison of the modelled CO and NO2 with MOPITT and SCIAMACHY observations emphasizes the need for more accurate emission rates from anthropogenic and biomass burning sources (i.e., specification of temporal variability). The resulting ozone (O3) burden (348 Tg) lies within the range of other state-of-the-art global atmospheric chemistry models. The model generally captures the spatial and seasonal trends of background surface O3 and its vertical distribution. However, the model tends to overestimate O3 throughout the troposphere in several stations. This is attributed to an overestimation of CO concentration over the southern hemisphere leading to an excessive production of O3. Overall, O3 correlations range between 0.6 to 0.8 for daily mean values. The overall performance of the NMMB/BSC-CTM is comparable to that of other state-of-the-art global chemical transport models.


2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (21) ◽  
pp. 5675-5694 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Hoyle ◽  
T. Berntsen ◽  
G. Myhre ◽  
I. S. A. Isaksen

Abstract. The global chemical transport model Oslo CTM2 has been extended to include the formation, transport and deposition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Precursor hydrocarbons which are oxidised to form condensible species include both biogenic species such as terpenes and isoprene, as well as species emitted predominantly by anthropogenic activities (toluene, m-xylene, methylbenzene and other aromatics). A model simulation for 2004 gives an annual global SOA production of approximately 55 Tg. Of this total, 2.5 Tg is found to consist of the oxidation products of anthropogenically emitted hydrocarbons, and about 15 Tg is formed by the oxidation products of isoprene. The global production of SOA is increased to about 69 Tg yr−1 by allowing semi-volatile species to partition to ammonium sulphate aerosol. This brings modelled organic aerosol values closer to those observed, however observations in Europe remain significantly underestimated. Allowing SOA to partition into ammonium sulphate aerosol increases the contribution of anthropogenic SOA from about 4.5% to 9.4% of the total production. Total modelled organic aerosol (OA) values are found to represent a lower fraction of the measured values in winter (when primary organic aerosol (POA) is the dominant OA component) than in summer, which may be an indication that estimates of POA emissions are too low. Additionally, for measurement stations where the summer OA values are higher than in winter, the model generally underestimates the increase in summertime OA. In order to correctly model the observed increase in OA in summer, additional SOA sources or formation mechanisms may be necessary. The importance of NO3 as an oxidant of SOA precursors is found to vary regionally, causing up to 50%–60% of the total amount of SOA near the surface in polluted regions and less than 25% in more remote areas, if the yield of condensible oxidation products for β-pinene is used for NO3 oxidation of all terpenes. Reducing the yield for α-pinene and limonene oxidation in line with recent measurements reduces the global fraction of SOA formed from NO3 oxidation products from 27% to about 21%. This study underscores the need for SOA to be represented in a more realistic way in global aerosol models in order to better reproduce observations of organic aerosol burdens in industrialised and biomass burning regions.


1999 ◽  
Vol 104 (D9) ◽  
pp. 11755-11781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene V. Rozanov ◽  
Vladimir A. Zubov ◽  
Michael E. Schlesinger ◽  
Fanglin Yang ◽  
Natalia G. Andronova

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 7073-7085 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kuttippurath ◽  
S. Godin-Beekmann ◽  
F. Lefèvre ◽  
G. Nikulin ◽  
M. L. Santee ◽  
...  

Abstract. We present a detailed discussion of the chemical and dynamical processes in the Arctic winters 1996/1997 and 2010/2011 with high resolution chemical transport model (CTM) simulations and space-based observations. In the Arctic winter 2010/2011, the lower stratospheric minimum temperatures were below 195 K for a record period of time, from December to mid-April, and a strong and stable vortex was present during that period. Simulations with the Mimosa-Chim CTM show that the chemical ozone loss started in early January and progressed slowly to 1 ppmv (parts per million by volume) by late February. The loss intensified by early March and reached a record maximum of ~2.4 ppmv in the late March–early April period over a broad altitude range of 450–550 K. This coincides with elevated ozone loss rates of 2–4 ppbv sh−1 (parts per billion by volume/sunlit hour) and a contribution of about 30–55% and 30–35% from the ClO-ClO and ClO-BrO cycles, respectively, in late February and March. In addition, a contribution of 30–50% from the HOx cycle is also estimated in April. We also estimate a loss of about 0.7–1.2 ppmv contributed (75%) by the NOx cycle at 550–700 K. The ozone loss estimated in the partial column range of 350–550 K exhibits a record value of ~148 DU (Dobson Unit). This is the largest ozone loss ever estimated in the Arctic and is consistent with the remarkable chlorine activation and strong denitrification (40–50%) during the winter, as the modeled ClO shows ~1.8 ppbv in early January and ~1 ppbv in March at 450–550 K. These model results are in excellent agreement with those found from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder observations. Our analyses also show that the ozone loss in 2010/2011 is close to that found in some Antarctic winters, for the first time in the observed history. Though the winter 1996/1997 was also very cold in March–April, the temperatures were higher in December–February, and, therefore, chlorine activation was moderate and ozone loss was average with about 1.2 ppmv at 475–550 K or 42 DU at 350–550 K, as diagnosed from the model simulations and measurements.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 2741-2754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Baranizadeh ◽  
Benjamin N. Murphy ◽  
Jan Julin ◽  
Saeed Falahat ◽  
Carly L. Reddington ◽  
...  

Abstract. The particle formation scheme within PMCAMx-UF, a three-dimensional chemical transport model, was updated with particle formation rates for the ternary H2SO4–NH3–H2O pathway simulated by the Atmospheric Cluster Dynamics Code (ACDC) using quantum chemical input data. The model was applied over Europe for May 2008, during which the EUCAARI-LONGREX (European Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interactions–Long-Range Experiment) campaign was carried out, providing aircraft vertical profiles of aerosol number concentrations. The updated model reproduces the observed number concentrations of particles larger than 4 nm within 1 order of magnitude throughout the atmospheric column. This agreement is encouraging considering the fact that no semi-empirical fitting was needed to obtain realistic particle formation rates. The cloud adjustment scheme for modifying the photolysis rate profiles within PMCAMx-UF was also updated with the TUV (Tropospheric Ultraviolet and Visible) radiative-transfer model. Results show that, although the effect of the new cloud adjustment scheme on total number concentrations is small, enhanced new-particle formation is predicted near cloudy regions. This is due to the enhanced radiation above and in the vicinity of the clouds, which in turn leads to higher production of sulfuric acid. The sensitivity of the results to including emissions from natural sources is also discussed.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Edwards ◽  
Mathew J. Evans

Abstract. Tropospheric ozone is important for the Earth’s climate and air quality. It is produced during the oxidation of organics in the presence of nitrogen oxides. Due to the range of organic species emitted and the chain like nature of their oxidation, this chemistry is complex and understanding the role of different processes (emission, deposition, chemistry) is difficult. We demonstrate a new methodology for diagnosing ozone production based on the processing of bonds contained within emitted molecules, the fate of which is determined by the conservation of spin of the bonding electrons. Using this methodology to diagnose ozone production in the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model, we demonstrate its advantages over the standard diagnostic. We show that the number of bonds emitted, their chemistry and lifetime, and feedbacks on OH are all important in determining the ozone production within the model and its sensitivity to changes. This insight may allow future model-model comparisons to better identify the root causes of model differences.


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