Formaldehyde in the Tropical Western Pacific: Chemical sources and sinks, convective transport, and representation in CAM-Chem and the CCMI models.

ABSTRACT: Formaldehyde (HCHO) directly affects the atmospheric oxidative capacity through its effects on HOx. In remote marine environments, such as the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP), it is particularly important to understand the processes controlling the abundance of HCHO because model output from these regions is used to correct satellite retrievals of HCHO. Here, we have used observations from the CONTRAST field campaign, conducted during January and February 2014, to evaluate our understanding of the processes controlling the distribution of HCHO in the TWP as well as its representation in chemical transport/climate models. Observed HCHO mixing ratios varied from ~500 pptv near the surface to ~75 pptv in the upper troposphere. Recent convective transport of near surface HCHO and its precursors

SUBMITTER: Anderson DC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5839129 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature