Airborne observations over the North Atlantic Ocean reveal the importance of gas-phase urea in the atmosphere.

ABSTRACT: Reduced nitrogen (N) is central to global biogeochemistry, yet there are large uncertainties surrounding its sources and rate of cycling. Here, we present observations of gas-phase urea (CO(NH₂)₂) in the atmosphere from airborne high-resolution mass spectrometer measurements over the North Atlantic Ocean. We show that urea is ubiquitous in the lower troposphere in the summer, autumn, and winter but was not detected in the spring. The observations suggest that the ocean is the primary emission source, but further studies are required to understand the responsible mechanisms. Urea is also observed aloft due to long-range transport of biomass-burning plumes. These observations alongside global model simulations point to urea being an important, and currently unaccounted

SUBMITTER: Matthews E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10288635 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature