Abstract
A new instrument has beendeveloped to measure the total decay rate of OH in ambient air. Theinstrument is based on the discharge flow technique in which OHgenerated within the instrument is reacted with ambient air pulled intothe flow tube. The OH decay is monitored by laser-induced fluorescence. Thistotal decay rate is compared to the sum of the individual decay rates ofOH with each trace species measured in the air to test for missing OHreactants. OH decay rates measured in an urban environment in thesummer of 1999 illustrates the promise of this technique.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atkinson, R., 1994: Gas-phase tropospheric chemistry of organic compounds, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data Monogr. 2, 1-216.
Atkinson, R., 1997: Gas-phase tropospheric chemistry of volatile organic compounds: 1. alkanes and alkenes, J. Chem. Ref. Data 26, 215-290.
Brune, W. H., Faloona, I. C., Tan, D., Weinheimer, A. J., Campos, T., Ridley, B. A., Vay, S. A., Collins, J. E., Sachse, G. W., Jaegle, L., and Jacob, D. J., 1998: Airborne in-situ OH and HO2 observations in the cloud-free troposphere and lower stratosphere during SUCCESS, Geophys. Res. Lett. 25, 1701-1704.
Crosley, D. R., 1995: The measurement of OH and HO2 in the atmosphere, J. Atmos. Sci. 52, 3299-3314.
DeMore, W. B., Sander, S. P., Golden, D. M., Hampson, R. F., Kurylo, M. J., Howard, C. J., Ravishankara, A. R., Kolb, C. E., and Molina, M. J., 1997: Chemical kinetics and photochemical data for use in stratospheric modeling, NASA, Eval. 10.
Donahue, N. M., Clarke, J. S., Demerjian, K. L., and Anderson, J. G., 1996: Free-radical kinetics at high pressure: a mathematical analysis of the flow reactor, J. Phys. Chem. 100, 5821-5838.
Eisele, F. L., Tanner, D. J., Cantrell, C. A., and Calvert, J. G., 1996: Measurements and steady state calculations of OH concentrations at Mauna Loa Observatory, J. Geophys. Res. 101, 14665-14679.
Jaegle, L., Jacob, D. J., Wennberg, P. O., Spivakovsky, C. M., Hanisco, T. F., Lanzendorf, E. J., Hintsa, E. J., Fahey, D. W., Keim, E. R., Proffitt, M. H., Atlas, E. C., Flocke, F., Schauffler, S., McElroy, C., Midwinter, C. T., Pfister, L., and Wilson, J. C., 1997: Observed OH and HO2 in the upper troposphere suggest a major source from convective injection of peroxides, Geophys. Res. Lett. 24, 3181-3184.
Kaufman, F., 1984: Kinetics of elementary radical reactions in the gas phase, J. Phys. Chem. 88, 4909-4917.
Mauldin III, R., Frost, G., Chen, G., Tanner, D., Prevot, A., Davis, D., and Eisele, F., 1998: OH measurements during the First Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE 1): observations and model comparisons, J. Geophys. Res. 103, 16713-16729.
McKeen, S., Mount, G., Eisele, F., Williams, E., Harder, J., Goldan, P., Kuster, W., Liu, S., Baumann, K., Tanner, D., Fried, A., Sewell, S., Cantrell, C., and Shetter, R., 1997: Photochemical modeling of hydroxyl and its relationship to other species during the Tropospheric OH Photochemistry Experiment, J. Geophys. Res. 102, 6467-6493.
McKeen, S. A., Gierczak, T., Burkholder, J. B., Wennberg, P. D., Hanisco, T. F., Keim, E. R., Gao, R.-S., Liu, S. C., Ravishankara, A. R., and Fahey, D. W., 1997: The photochemistry of acetone in the upper troposphere: a source of odd-hydrogen radicals, Geophys. Res. Lett. 24, 3177-3180.
Poppe, D., Zimmermann, J., and Dorn, H. P., 1995: Field data and model calculations for the hydroxyl radical, J. Atmos. Sci. 52, 3402-3407.
Prather, M. and Spivakovsky, C., 1990: Tropospheric OH and the lifetime of hydrofluorocarbons, J. Geophys. Res. 95, 18723-18729.
Prather, M. J. and Jacob, D. J., 1997: A persistent imbalance in HOx and NOx photochemistry of the upper troposphere driven by deep tropical convection, Geophys. Res. Lett. 24, 3189-3192.
Seeley, J. V., Jayne, J. T., and Molina, M. J., 1993: High pressure fast-flow technique for gas phase kinetics studies. Int. J. Chem. Kinet. 25, 571-594.
Stevens, P., Mather, J., Brune, W., Eisele, F., Tanner, D., Jefferson, A., Cantrell, C., Shetter, R., Sewell, S., Fried, A., Henry, B., Williams, E., Baumann, K., Goldan, P., and Kuster, W., 1997: HO2/OH and RO2/HO2 ratios during the Tropospheric OH Photochemistry Experiment: measurement and theory, J. Geophys. Res. 102, 6379-6391.
Stevens, P. S., Mather, J. H., and Brune, W. H., 1994: Measurement of tropospheric OH and HO2 by laser-induced fluorescence at low pressure, J. Geophys. Res. 99, 3543-3557.
Thompson, A. M., 1995: Measuring and modelling the tropospheric hydroxyl radical, J. Atmos. Sci. 52, 3315-3327.
Wennberg, P., Hazen, N., Lapson, L., and Anderson, J., 1994: Aircraft-borne, laser-induced fluorescence instrument for the in situ detection of hydroxyl and hydroperoxyl radicals, Review Scient. Instruments 65, 1858-1876.
Wennberg, P. O., Hanisco, T. F., Jaegle, L., Jacob, J., Hintsa, E. J., Lanzendorf, E. J., Anderson, J. G., Gao, R.-S., Keim, E. R., Donnelly, S. G., Del Negro, L. A., Fahey, D. W., Mckeen, S. A., Salawitch, R. J., Webster, C. R., May, R. D., Herman, R. L., Proffitt, M. H., Margitan, J. J., Atlas, E. L., Schauffler, S. M., Flocke, F. McElroy, C. T., and Bui, T. P., 1998: Hydrogen radicals, nitrogen radicals, and the production of O3 in the upper troposphere, Science 279, 49-53.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kovacs, T.A., Brune, W.H. Total OH Loss Rate Measurement. Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry 39, 105–122 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010614113786
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010614113786