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An investigation of the interaction of carbonyl compounds with the snowpack
Author(s) -
Couch Tara Lin,
Sumner Ann Louise,
Dassau Terra M.,
Shepson Paul B.,
Honrath Richard E.
Publication year - 2000
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 - 10.1029/1999gl011288
Subject(s) - snowpack , snow , formaldehyde , flux (metallurgy) , acetaldehyde , adsorption , acetone , desorption , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , chemistry , materials science , environmental chemistry , geology , geomorphology , organic chemistry , ethanol
Measurements of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone in ambient and snowpack air were conducted as a part of the SNOW99 study in northern Michigan. Vertical profiles of ambient and snowpack air illustrate large concentration gradients through the top ∼10 cm of the snowpack, implying a positive flux of these species from the surface. Snow chamber experiments that involved flushing a snow‐filled 34L Teflon‐lined chamber with zero air at 20 slpm indicated that release from the snow followed first order kinetics, with decay constants of 0.19, 0.44, and 0.34 hr−1 for formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone, respectively. Although it is likely that temperature dependent adsorption/desorption processes play a role, the data are not inconsistent with loss from the snowpack via snow grain metamorphism. The data also imply that formaldehyde is not hydrated in the snow grain surface layer.