Free tropospheric and boundary layer measurements of NO over the central and eastern North Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Reported in this paper are the Georgia Institute of Technology NO results from the fall 1983 NASA GTE/CITE 1 Airborne Field Sampling Program. These data were predominantly collected over a geographical area defined by the eastern and central North Pacific Ocean, spanning the latitude range of 15°–42°N. These NO measurements were taken using the two‐photon laser‐induced fluorescence technique. The data show a general trend of increasing levels of NO from the boundary layer up to altitudes of nearly 10 km. The average midday value of No at altitudes of ≤1.8 km was 4 parts per trillion by volume (pptv), and at ∼6 km, 20 pptv, whereas that at ∼9 km was 25–35 pptv, the higher value reflecting the inclusion of NO data collected from the outflow region of two electrically active cumulonimbus clouds. The high‐altitude NO data strongly suggest that at least during the time of the GTE flight operation, the major sources of NO for remote regions of the Pacific Ocean were those resulting from lightning and the downward transport of stratospheric air.