Reactive nitrogen in and around the northeastern and mid-Atlantic US: sources, sinks, and connections with ozone

<p>This study describes the application of a regional Earth system model with updated parameterizations for selected land–atmosphere exchange processes and multiplatform, multidisciplinary observations. We estimate reactive nitrogen (Nr <span class="inline-formula">=</span&g...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: M. Huang, G. R. Carmichael, K. W. Bowman, I. De Smedt, A. Colliander, M. H. Cosh, S. V. Kumar, A. B. Guenther, S. J. Janz, R. M. Stauffer, A. M. Thompson, N. M. Fedkin, R. J. Swap, J. D. Bolten, A. T. Joseph
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2025-02-01
Series:Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Online Access:https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/1449/2025/acp-25-1449-2025.pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832542935796678656
author M. Huang
M. Huang
G. R. Carmichael
K. W. Bowman
I. De Smedt
A. Colliander
M. H. Cosh
S. V. Kumar
A. B. Guenther
S. J. Janz
R. M. Stauffer
A. M. Thompson
N. M. Fedkin
R. J. Swap
J. D. Bolten
A. T. Joseph
author_facet M. Huang
M. Huang
G. R. Carmichael
K. W. Bowman
I. De Smedt
A. Colliander
M. H. Cosh
S. V. Kumar
A. B. Guenther
S. J. Janz
R. M. Stauffer
A. M. Thompson
N. M. Fedkin
R. J. Swap
J. D. Bolten
A. T. Joseph
author_sort M. Huang
collection DOAJ
description <p>This study describes the application of a regional Earth system model with updated parameterizations for selected land–atmosphere exchange processes and multiplatform, multidisciplinary observations. We estimate reactive nitrogen (Nr <span class="inline-formula">=</span> NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub><i>y</i></sub>+</span> NH<span class="inline-formula"><sub><i>x</i></sub></span>) emissions from various sources, surface and column nitrogen dioxide (NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>), and total and speciated Nr dry and wet deposition during 2018–2023 over the northeastern and mid-Atlantic US where nitrogen-oxide-limited or transitional chemical regimes dominate. The estimated Nr concentrations and deposition fluxes are related to ozone (O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>) in terms of spatiotemporal variability and its key drivers as well as possible ecosystem impacts. Modeled surface O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> persistently agrees well with observations, with root mean square errors staying within 4–7 ppbv for individual years in May–June–July. Model-based surface O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>–NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> column correlation, which shows a dependency on column formaldehyde <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M9" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mo>/</mo></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="8pt" height="14pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="880d1b22cfae9b4167ff115d05c6894c"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="acp-25-1449-2025-ie00001.svg" width="8pt" height="14pt" src="acp-25-1449-2025-ie00001.png"/></svg:svg></span></span> NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>, is higher in 2020 (<span class="inline-formula"><i>r</i>=0.62</span>) than in other years (<span class="inline-formula"><i>r</i>=0.47</span>–0.56). Ozone vegetative uptake overall dropped by <span class="inline-formula">∼10 <i>%</i></span> from 2018 to 2023, displaying clearer downward temporal changes than total Nr deposition as declining NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub><i>y</i></sub></span> emission and deposition competed with increasing NH<span class="inline-formula"><sub><i>x</i></sub></span> fluxes. It is highlighted that temporal variabilities of Nr and O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> concentrations and fluxes on subregional to local scales respond to hydrological variability that can be influenced by precipitation and controllable human activities like irrigation. Deposition and biogenic emissions that are highly sensitive to interconnected environmental and plant physiological conditions, plus extra-regional sources (e.g., O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>-rich stratospheric air and dense wildfire plumes from upwind regions), have been playing increasingly important roles in controlling pollutant budgets as local emissions decline owing to effective emission regulations and COVID lockdowns.</p>
format Article
id doaj-art-fb9f538749fe4c4dbbac197aa6e90278
institution Kabale University
issn 1680-7316
1680-7324
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Copernicus Publications
record_format Article
series Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
spelling doaj-art-fb9f538749fe4c4dbbac197aa6e902782025-02-03T12:27:01ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics1680-73161680-73242025-02-01251449147610.5194/acp-25-1449-2025Reactive nitrogen in and around the northeastern and mid-Atlantic US: sources, sinks, and connections with ozoneM. Huang0M. Huang1G. R. Carmichael2K. W. Bowman3I. De Smedt4A. Colliander5M. H. Cosh6S. V. Kumar7A. B. Guenther8S. J. Janz9R. M. Stauffer10A. M. Thompson11N. M. Fedkin12R. J. Swap13J. D. Bolten14A. T. Joseph15Earth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAEarth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USACollege of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USAJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USAAtmospheric reactive gases, Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, 1180 Brussels, BelgiumJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USAHydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, USAEarth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USADepartment of Earth System Science, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USAEarth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAEarth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAEarth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAEarth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAEarth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAEarth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USAEarth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA<p>This study describes the application of a regional Earth system model with updated parameterizations for selected land–atmosphere exchange processes and multiplatform, multidisciplinary observations. We estimate reactive nitrogen (Nr <span class="inline-formula">=</span> NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub><i>y</i></sub>+</span> NH<span class="inline-formula"><sub><i>x</i></sub></span>) emissions from various sources, surface and column nitrogen dioxide (NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>), and total and speciated Nr dry and wet deposition during 2018–2023 over the northeastern and mid-Atlantic US where nitrogen-oxide-limited or transitional chemical regimes dominate. The estimated Nr concentrations and deposition fluxes are related to ozone (O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>) in terms of spatiotemporal variability and its key drivers as well as possible ecosystem impacts. Modeled surface O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> persistently agrees well with observations, with root mean square errors staying within 4–7 ppbv for individual years in May–June–July. Model-based surface O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>–NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span> column correlation, which shows a dependency on column formaldehyde <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M9" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mo>/</mo></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="8pt" height="14pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="880d1b22cfae9b4167ff115d05c6894c"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="acp-25-1449-2025-ie00001.svg" width="8pt" height="14pt" src="acp-25-1449-2025-ie00001.png"/></svg:svg></span></span> NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub>2</sub></span>, is higher in 2020 (<span class="inline-formula"><i>r</i>=0.62</span>) than in other years (<span class="inline-formula"><i>r</i>=0.47</span>–0.56). Ozone vegetative uptake overall dropped by <span class="inline-formula">∼10 <i>%</i></span> from 2018 to 2023, displaying clearer downward temporal changes than total Nr deposition as declining NO<span class="inline-formula"><sub><i>y</i></sub></span> emission and deposition competed with increasing NH<span class="inline-formula"><sub><i>x</i></sub></span> fluxes. It is highlighted that temporal variabilities of Nr and O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span> concentrations and fluxes on subregional to local scales respond to hydrological variability that can be influenced by precipitation and controllable human activities like irrigation. Deposition and biogenic emissions that are highly sensitive to interconnected environmental and plant physiological conditions, plus extra-regional sources (e.g., O<span class="inline-formula"><sub>3</sub></span>-rich stratospheric air and dense wildfire plumes from upwind regions), have been playing increasingly important roles in controlling pollutant budgets as local emissions decline owing to effective emission regulations and COVID lockdowns.</p>https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/1449/2025/acp-25-1449-2025.pdf
spellingShingle M. Huang
M. Huang
G. R. Carmichael
K. W. Bowman
I. De Smedt
A. Colliander
M. H. Cosh
S. V. Kumar
A. B. Guenther
S. J. Janz
R. M. Stauffer
A. M. Thompson
N. M. Fedkin
R. J. Swap
J. D. Bolten
A. T. Joseph
Reactive nitrogen in and around the northeastern and mid-Atlantic US: sources, sinks, and connections with ozone
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
title Reactive nitrogen in and around the northeastern and mid-Atlantic US: sources, sinks, and connections with ozone
title_full Reactive nitrogen in and around the northeastern and mid-Atlantic US: sources, sinks, and connections with ozone
title_fullStr Reactive nitrogen in and around the northeastern and mid-Atlantic US: sources, sinks, and connections with ozone
title_full_unstemmed Reactive nitrogen in and around the northeastern and mid-Atlantic US: sources, sinks, and connections with ozone
title_short Reactive nitrogen in and around the northeastern and mid-Atlantic US: sources, sinks, and connections with ozone
title_sort reactive nitrogen in and around the northeastern and mid atlantic us sources sinks and connections with ozone
url https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/1449/2025/acp-25-1449-2025.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT mhuang reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT mhuang reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT grcarmichael reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT kwbowman reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT idesmedt reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT acolliander reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT mhcosh reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT svkumar reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT abguenther reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT sjjanz reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT rmstauffer reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT amthompson reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT nmfedkin reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT rjswap reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT jdbolten reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone
AT atjoseph reactivenitrogeninandaroundthenortheasternandmidatlanticussourcessinksandconnectionswithozone