Seasonal surface ozone and filterable bromine relationship in the high Arctic

Study of an Arctic blowing snow-induced bromine explosion event in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

Bromine explosion events (BEEs) are important processes that influence the atmospheric oxidation capacity, especially in the polar troposphere during spring. Although sea ice surface is thought to be a significant bromine source, bromine release mechanisms remain unclear. High-resolution ground-based observations of reactive bromine, such as BrO, are important for assessing the potential impacts on tropospheric ozone and evaluating chemical models. However, previous model studies paid little attention to Svalbard, which is surrounded by both open ocean and sea ice. In this paper, we present continuous BrO slant column densities and vertical column densities derived by Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy deployed at Ny-Ålesund (78.92°N, 11.93°E) in March 2017. We focused on one BEE in mid-March, during which the vertical column densities of BrO surged from 4.26 × 10¹³ molecular cm^-2 to the peak at 1.23 × 10¹⁴ molecular cm^-2 on March 17, surface ozone depleted from a background level of 46.25 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) to 13.9 ppbv. This case study indicates that the BEE was strongly associated with blowing snow induced by the cyclone systems that approached Svalbard from March 14 to 18. By considering meteorological conditions, sea ice coverage, and airmass trajectory history, we demonstrate that sea salt aerosols (SSAs) from blowing snow on sea ice, rather than from open ocean, are attributed to the occurrence of this BEE. Model results from a parallelized-tropospheric offline model of chemistry and transport (p-TOMCAT) indicate that this BEE was mainly triggered by a blowing snow event associated with a low-pressure cyclone system. The concentration of blowing-snow-sourced SSAs surged to peak when the airmass pass across the sea-ice-covered area under high wind speed, which is a critical factor in the process of bromine explosion observed in Ny-Ålesund. Due to the coarse resolution, the possible delayed timing of bromine release from SSA and the model-data discrepancies still exist.

Acidity and the multiphase chemistry of atmospheric aqueous particles and clouds

The acidity of aqueous atmospheric solutions is a key parameter driving both the partitioning of semi-volatile acidic and basic trace gases and their aqueous-phase chemistry. In addition, the acidity of atmospheric aqueous phases, e.g., deliquesced aerosol particles, cloud, and fog droplets, is also dictated by aqueous-phase chemistry. These feedbacks between acidity and chemistry have crucial implications for the tropospheric lifetime of air pollutants, atmospheric composition, deposition to terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems, visibility, climate, and human health. Atmospheric research has made substantial progress in understanding feedbacks between acidity and multiphase chemistry during recent decades. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge on these feedbacks with a focus on aerosol and cloud systems, which involve both inorganic and organic aqueous-phase chemistry. Here, we describe the impacts of acidity on the phase partitioning of acidic and basic gases and buffering phenomena. Next, we review feedbacks of different acidity regimes on key chemical reaction mechanisms and kinetics, as well as uncertainties and chemical subsystems with incomplete information. Finally, we discuss atmospheric implications and highlight the need for future investigations, particularly with respect to reducing emissions of key acid precursors in a changing world, and the need for advancements in field and laboratory measurements and model tools.

The Acidity of Atmospheric Particles and Clouds

Acidity, defined as pH, is a central component of aqueous chemistry. In the atmosphere, the acidity of condensed phases (aerosol particles, cloud water, and fog droplets) governs the phase partitioning of semi-volatile gases such as HNO3, NH3, HCl, and organic acids and bases as well as chemical reaction rates. It has implications for the atmospheric lifetime of pollutants, deposition, and human health. Despite its fundamental role in atmospheric processes, only recently has this field seen a growth in the number of studies on particle acidity. Even with this growth, many fine particle pH estimates must be based on thermodynamic model calculations since no operational techniques exist for direct measurements. Current information indicates acidic fine particles are ubiquitous, but observationally-constrained pH estimates are limited in spatial and temporal coverage. Clouds and fogs are also generally acidic, but to a lesser degree than particles, and have a range of pH that is quite sensitive to anthropogenic emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, as well as ambient ammonia. Historical measurements indicate that cloud and fog droplet pH has changed in recent decades in response to controls on anthropogenic emissions, while the limited trend data for aerosol particles indicates acidity may be relatively constant due to the semi-volatile nature of the key acids and bases and buffering in particles. This paper reviews and synthesizes the current state of knowledge on the acidity of atmospheric condensed phases, specifically particles and cloud droplets. It includes recommendations for estimating acidity and pH, standard nomenclature, a synthesis of current pH estimates based on observations, and new model calculations on the local and global scale.

The Intraseasonal and Interannual Variability of Arctic Temperature and Specific Humidity Inversions

Temperature and humidity inversions are common in the Arctic’s lower troposphere, and are a crucial component of the Arctic’s climate system. In this study, we quantify the intraseasonal oscillation of Arctic temperature and specific humidity inversions and investigate its interannual variability using data from the Surface Heat Balance of the Arctic (SHEBA) experiment from October 1997 to September 1998 and the European Centre for Medium-Range Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis (ERA)-interim for the 1979–2017 period. In January 1998, there were two noticeable elevated inversions and one surface inversion. The transitions between elevated and surface-based inversions were associated with the intraseasonal variability of the temperature and humidity differences between 850 and 950 hPa. The self-organizing map (SOM) technique is utilized to obtain the main modes of surface and elevated temperature and humidity inversions on intraseasonal time scales. Low (high) pressure and more (less) cloud cover are related to elevated (surface) temperature and humidity inversions. The frequency of strong (weak) elevated inversions over the eastern hemisphere has decreased (increased) in the past three decades. The wintertime Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Arctic Dipole (AD) during their positive phases have a significant effect on the occurrence of surface and elevated inversions for two Nodes only.

Accurate Global Potential Energy Surface and Reaction Dynamics for the Ground State of HgBr2

A global potential energy surface (PES) for the (1)A' ground state of HgBr(2) has been constructed in order to determine the rate constants for atmospherically important reactions involving mercury and bromine. The total energy of HgBr(2) was calculated by the multireference configuration interaction level of theory with series of correlation consistent basis sets up to quadruple-zeta quality with subsequent extrapolation to the complete basis set limit. An additive correction for spin-orbit coupling was also included. The global PES was represented piecewise by interpolating three separate parts of the surface with the reproducing kernel Hilbert space method and connecting them smoothly by switch functions. Quasiclassical trajectory calculations carried out on the surface yielded 298 K thermal rate constants of 3.89 x 10(-11) cm(3)/(mol.s) for the abstraction reaction HgBr + Br --> Hg + Br(2), 2.98 x 10(-11) cm(3)/(mol.s) for the recombination reaction Br + HgBr --> HgBr(2), and 3.97 x 10(-11) cm(3)/(mol.s) for the exchange reaction Br + HgBr --> BrHg + Br. The insertion reaction Hg + Br(2) --> HgBr(2) was found to have a high barrier of 27.2 kcal/mol and a very small rate constant of just 2.74 x 10(-31) cm(3)/(mol.s) determined by the microcanonical variational transition state theory method. The implications of the obtained results to the description of the mechanism of recently observed polar tropospheric mercury depletion events are briefly discussed.

Dynamic oxidation of gaseous mercury in the Arctic troposphere at polar sunrise

Gaseous elemental mercury (Hg0) is a globally distributed air toxin with a long atmospheric residence time. Any process that reduces its atmospheric lifetime increases its potential accumulation in the biosphere. Our data from Barrow, AK, at 71 degrees N show that rapid, photochemically driven oxidation of boundary-layer Hg0 after polar sunrise, probably by reactive halogens, creates a rapidly depositing species of oxidized gaseous mercury in the remote Arctic troposphere at concentrations in excess of 900 pg m(-3). This mercury accumulates in the snowpack during polar spring at an accelerated rate in a form that is bioavailable to bacteria and is released with snowmelt during the summer emergence of the Arctic ecosystem. Evidence suggests that this is a recent phenomenon that may be occurring throughout the earth's polar regions.

Equilibrium and kinetics of bromine chloride hydrolysis

Aqueous-phase halogen reactions play an important role in tropospheric ozone depletion that is observed during Arctic sunrise where bromine chloride is a key intermediate. The temperature dependencies of BrCl(aq) equilibration with BrCl2-, HOBr(aq), Br2(aq), Cl2(aq), HOCl(aq), Br-, and other species (Br3-, Br2Cl-, Cl3-, OBr-, and OCI-) are determined as a function of Cl- concentration from pH 0 to pH 7. Values for K1 (=[BrCl2-]/([BrCl(aq)][Cl-])) at mu = 1.0 M are 3.8 M(-1) at 25.0 degrees C, 4.7 M(-1) at 10.0 degrees C, and 5.5 M(-1) at 0.0 degrees C, with deltaH1 degrees = -9.9 kJ mol(-1) and deltaS1 degrees = -22 J K(-1) mol(-1). BrCl(aq) hydrolysis equilibria have little or no temperature dependence with Kh1 (=[HOBr(aq)][Cl-][H+]/[BrCl(aq)]) = 1.3 x 10(-4) M2 from 25.0 to 5.0 degrees C, mu = 1.0 M. When conditions are adjusted to give a rapid partial hydrolysis of BrCl in equilibrium with HOBr and Cl- at p[H+] 4.31, a relatively slow reaction (kobsd = 2.4 s(-1)) to form HOCl and Br- is observed. This takes place via BrCl reaction with Cl- to form Cl2, which hydrolyzes in the rate-determining step to give HOCl. On the other hand, the rate of complete BrCl hydrolysis to form HOBr and Cl- at p[H+] 6.4 is extremely rapid with a first-order rate constant of 3.0 x 10(6) s(-1) at 25.0 degrees C. The reverse reaction between HOBr, Cl-, and H+ has a rate constant of 2.3 x 10(10) M(-2) s(-1), so that in seawater, where [Cl-]/[Br-] = 700, the formation of BrCl is much faster than the formation of Br2 from HOBr, Br-, and H+. Rapid formation of BrCl(aq) and its subsequent reaction with Br- is a viable pathway to give Br2(aq). Photolysis of Br2(g) is believed to initiate the reactions associated with ozone depletion.

Soluble metals in the atmosphere and their biological implications. A study to identify important aerosol components by statistical analysis of PIXE data

Multivariate statistical analysis has been applied to time series measurements of aerosol elemental composition from PIXE analysis of filter samples, and principal components have been resolved that represent distinct particle types in an external mixture in the atmosphere. In this study, it is argued that a combination of chemical and statistical analyses of the data may be more powerful in determining chemical species in atmospheric aerosols than studied that employ mainly direct chemical analysis of chemical species in unresolved mixtures of aerosol particle samples. Sulfur is generally associated with mineral dust elements. It is reasoned that the association may represent sulfuric acid coatings on particles that can lead to mineral dissolution and solubilization of significant amounts of aluminum, iron, and other metals. Upon wet or dry deposition to the surface, the fluxes of these metals in biologically-available form may be sufficient to affect primary productivity in the world ocean and cause ecological damage in lakes. As a consequence, the fluxes of biogenic trace gases to the atmosphere may be changed, possibly leading to changes in the tropospheric concentration of ozone. The inputs to lakes of soluble aluminum, which is toxic to fish, may be partly by deposition directly from the atmosphere, thus not limited to leaching of soils by acid deposition. Human inhalation of soluble aluminum and other solubilized mineral metals may account, in part, for the observed geographic pattern of deaths attributed to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that show high rates in cities of the Western US and the southeast region, but low in most of the midwest and northeast.