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Deposition of atmospheric nitrous acid on alkaline snow surfaces
Author(s) -
Beine H. J.,
Amoroso A.,
Esposito G.,
Sparapani R.,
Ianniello A.,
Georgiadis T.,
Nardino M.,
Bonasoni P.,
Cristofanelli P.,
Dominé F.
Publication year - 2005
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 - 10.1029/2005gl022589
Subject(s) - snow , nitrous acid , atmosphere (unit) , deposition (geology) , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , nitrate , environmental chemistry , mineral dust , atmospheric chemistry , snowmelt , aerosol , chemistry , meteorology , ozone , geology , inorganic chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , sediment , paleontology
The photolysis of atmospheric nitrous acid (HONO) is a significant source of OH radicals in remote and Polar Regions. HONO is produced in/on snow surfaces in a photochemical reaction from nitrate ions. In an attempt to quantify the production of HONO at a snow covered mid‐latitude location we made measurements of HONO fluxes for a 10‐day period at the Mt. Cimone (MTC) research station in the Italian northern Apennines (2165 m asl) during March 2004. Production fluxes under normal background conditions were small, and reached maximum values of 20 nmol m −2 h −1 on only two occasions. However, during a transport event of Saharan dust to MTC we observed deposition fluxes of up to −120 nmol m −2 h −1 of HONO on to the snow surface. The deposited Sahara dust had rendered the surface snow alkaline, so that large amounts of acids could be absorbed from the atmosphere.