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An Odd Oxygen Framework for Wintertime Ammonium Nitrate Aerosol Pollution in Urban Areas: NO x and VOC Control as Mitigation Strategies
Author(s) -
Womack C. C.,
McDuffie E. E.,
Edwards P. M.,
Bares R.,
Gouw J. A.,
Docherty K. S.,
Dubé W. P.,
Fibiger D. L.,
Franchin A.,
Gilman J. B.,
Goldberger L.,
Lee B. H.,
Lin J. C.,
Long R.,
Middlebrook A. M.,
Millet D. B.,
Moravek A.,
Murphy J. G.,
Quinn P. K.,
Riedel T. P.,
Roberts J. M.,
Thornton J. A.,
Valin L. C.,
Veres P. R.,
Whitehill A. R.,
Wild R. J.,
Warneke C.,
Yuan B.,
Baasandorj M.,
Brown S. S.
Publication year - 2019
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 - 10.1029/2019gl082028
Subject(s) - nitrate , environmental science , aerosol , ozone , pollution , ammonium , pollutant , environmental chemistry , nox , air pollution , air quality index , nitrogen oxide , ammonium nitrate , atmospheric sciences , environmental engineering , chemistry , meteorology , geography , ecology , combustion , geology , organic chemistry , biology
Wintertime ammonium nitrate aerosol pollution is a severe air quality issue affecting both developed and rapidly urbanizing regions from Europe to East Asia. In the United States, it is acute in western basins subject to inversions that confine pollutants near the surface. Measurements and modeling of a wintertime pollution episode in Salt Lake Valley, Utah, demonstrate that ammonium nitrate is closely related to photochemical ozone through a common parameter, total odd oxygen, O x,total . We show that the traditional nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compound (NOx‐VOC) framework for evaluating ozone mitigation strategies also applies to ammonium nitrate. Despite being nitrate‐limited, ammonium nitrate aerosol pollution in Salt Lake Valley is responsive to VOCs control and, counterintuitively, not initially responsive to NO x control. We demonstrate simultaneous nitrate limitation and NO x saturation and suggest this phenomenon may be general. This finding may identify an unrecognized control strategy to address a global public health issue in regions with severe winter aerosol pollution.