Effects of additional nonmethane volatile organic compounds, organic nitrates, and direct emissions of oxygenated organic species on global tropospheric chemistry

Abstract

This work evaluates the sensitivity of tropospheric ozone and its precursors to the representation of nonmethane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) and organic nitrates. A global 3‐D tropospheric chemistry/transport model (IMPACT) has been exercised initially using the GEOS‐Chem chemical reaction mechanism. The model was then extended by adding emissions and photochemical reactions for aromatic and terpenoid hydrocarbons, and by adding explicit representation of hydroxy alkyl nitrates produced from isoprene. Emissions of methanol, phenol, acetic acid and formic acid associated with biomass burning were also added. Results show that O3 increases by 20% in most of the troposphere, peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) increases by 30% over much of the troposphere and OH increases by 10%. NOx (NO + NO2) decreases near source regions and increases in remote locations, reflecting increased transport of NOx away from source regions by organic nitrates. The increase in O3 was driven largely by the increased role of PAN as a transporter of NOx and by the rerelease of NOx from isoprene nitrates. The increased PAN production was associated with increases in methyl glyoxal and hydroxyacetone. Comparison with measured values show reasonable agreement for O3 and PAN, but model measurement agreement does not either improve or degrade in the extended model. The extended model shows improved agreement with measurements for methanol, acetic acid and peroxypropional nitrate (PPN). Results from the extended model were consistent with measured alkyl nitrates and glycolaldehyde, but hydroxyacetone and methyl glyoxal were overestimated. The latter suggests that the effect of the isoprene nitrates is somewhat smaller than estimated here. Although the model measurement comparison does not show specific improvements with the extended model, it provides a more complete description of tropospheric chemistry that we believe is important to include.