Abstract
The role of alkaline mineral aerosol in controlling HNO3 partitioning between gas and aerosol phases is explored using a comprehensive, process oriented three-dimensional model. Simulation results for March 1994, a period from the PEM West B experiment, are presented. It is found that in the dust impacted regions of the boundary layer and free troposphere, more than 50% of HNO3 ispartitioned onto dust particles; while 10∼50% of HNO3 in the boundarylayer and 10∼ 30% of HNO3 in the free troposphere is partitionedonto sea-salt particles. This higher capacity of mineral dust to uptake HNO3 is due to the fact that carbonate in the dust particles is more volatile (thus easily replaced by nitrate) than chloride in the sea-salt particles. When this process of nitric acid partitioning onto alkaline particles is included in the analysis, model predicted HNO3-to-NOx ratios are much closer to observed valuesthat typically range between 1 and 9.
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