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Sulfate production by reactive bromine: Implications for the global sulfur and reactive bromine budgets
Author(s) -
Chen Q.,
Schmidt J. A.,
Shah V.,
Jaeglé L.,
Sherwen T.,
Alexander B.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl073812
Subject(s) - bromine , sulfate , sulfur , troposphere , chemistry , sulfur cycle , aerosol , bromide , sulfate aerosol , environmental chemistry , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , inorganic chemistry , geology , organic chemistry
Abstract Sulfur and reactive bromine (Br y ) play important roles in tropospheric chemistry and the global radiation budget. The oxidation of dissolved SO 2 (S(IV)) by HOBr increases sulfate aerosol abundance and may also impact the Br y budget, but is generally not included in global climate and chemistry models. In this study, we implement HOBr + S(IV) reactions into the GEOS‐Chem global chemical transport model and evaluate the global impacts on both sulfur and Br y budgets. Modeled HOBr mixing ratios on the order of 0.1–1.0 parts per trillion (ppt) lead to HOBr + S(IV) contributing to 8% of global sulfate production and up to 45% over some tropical ocean regions with high HOBr mixing ratios (0.6–0.9 ppt). Inclusion of HOBr + S(IV) in the model leads to a global Br y decrease of 50%, initiated by the decrease in bromide recycling in cloud droplets. Observations of HOBr are necessary to better understand the role of HOBr + S(IV) in tropospheric sulfur and Br y cycles.