Amplified Trace Gas Removal in the Troposphere
Top Cited Papers
- 26 June 2009
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 324 (5935), 1702-1704
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1164566
Abstract
The degradation of trace gases and pollutants in the troposphere is dominated by their reaction with hydroxyl radicals (OH). The importance of OH rests on its high reactivity, its ubiquitous photochemical production in the sunlit atmosphere, and most importantly on its regeneration in the oxidation chain of the trace gases. In the current understanding, the recycling of OH proceeds through HO2 reacting with NO, thereby forming ozone. A recent field campaign in the Pearl River Delta, China, quantified tropospheric OH and HO2 concentrations and turnover rates by direct measurements. We report that concentrations of OH were three to five times greater than expected, and we propose the existence of a pathway for the regeneration of OH independent of NO, which amplifies the degradation of pollutants without producing ozone.Keywords
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