Impact of Heatwaves and Declining NO_x on Nocturnal Monoterpene Oxidation in the Urban Southeastern United States.

ABSTRACT: Nighttime oxidation of monoterpenes (MT) via the nitrate radical (NO₃) and ozone (O₃) contributes to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). This study uses observations in Atlanta, Georgia from 2011-2022 to quantify trends in nighttime production of NO₃ (PNO₃) and O₃ concentrations and compare to model outputs from the EPA's Air QUAlity TimE Series Project (EQUATES). We present urban-suburban gradients in nighttime NO₃ and O₃ concentrations and quantify their fractional importance (F) for MT oxidation. Both observations and EQUATES show a decline in PNO₃, with modeled PNO₃ declining faster than observations. Despite decreasing PNO₃, we find that NO₃ continues

SUBMITTER: Desai NS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11492963 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature