HR: 1400h
AN: A33A-19 [Abstracts]
TI: Airborne measurements of acetonitrile and other organic tracers during MIRAGE- MEX
AU: * Apel, E C
EM: apel@ucar.edu
AF: National Center for Atmospheric Research, 3450 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, CO 80301, United
States
AU: Hills, A
EM: hills@ucar.edu
AF: National Center for Atmospheric Research, 3450 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, CO 80301, United
States
AU: Emmons, L
EM: emmons@ucar.edu
AF: National Center for Atmospheric Research, 3450 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, CO 80301, United
States
AU: Orlando, J
EM: orlando@ucar.edu
AF: National Center for Atmospheric Research, 3450 Mitchell Lane, Boulder, CO 80301, United
States
AU: Riemer, D
EM: driemer@rsmas.miami.udu
AF: Univeristy of Miami, Rosensteil School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, 4600
Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States
AU: Sive, B
EM: bcs@gust.sr.unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, Climate Change Research Center, Institute for the Study of
Earth, Oceans and Space, 351 Morse Hall, Durham, NH 03824, United States
AB:
Biomass burning (BB) plumes are known to impact air quality throughout the globe and can be important sources
of pollution in megacities. A number of chemical tracers for BB have been used in the recent past with
acetonitrile, a long-lived (~6 months) organic trace gas, among them. However, the atmospheric budget of
acetonitrile is not well-known. It has been accepted in the recent literature that the primary source for acetonitrile
is from BB, but a recent study points to an oceanic source. Loss is believed to be by reaction with OH and oceanic
uptake. Earlier studies indicated that acetonitrile may be produced in emissions from automobile exhaust but a
study done in the late 1990s appeared to discredit this. We use measurements from the Trace Organic Gas
Analyzer (TOGA) onboard the NCAR C-130 aircraft to investigate the sources and sinks of acetonitrile in and
around the Mexico City Metropolitan Area, investigate its utility as a tracer of emissions, and present data on
emissions characterization based on measurements of acetonitrile and other co-measured VOCs.
DE: 0300 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE
DE: 0345 Pollution: urban and regional (0305, 0478, 4251)
DE: 0365 Troposphere: composition and chemistry
DE: 0368 Troposphere: constituent transport and chemistry
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly