Abstract
Nitric acid (HNO3) is the dominant end product of NOx (= NO + NO2) oxidation in the troposphere, and its dry deposition is considered to be a major removal pathway for the atmospheric reactive nitrogen. Here we present both field and laboratory results to demonstrate that HNO3 deposited on ground and vegetation surfaces may undergo effective photolysis to form HONO and NOx, 1–2 orders of magnitude faster than in the gas phase and aqueous phase. With this enhanced rate, HNO3 photolysis on surfaces may significantly impact the chemistry of the overlying atmospheric boundary layer in remote low‐NOx regions via the emission of HONO as a radical precursor and the recycling of HNO3 deposited on ground surfaces back to NOx.
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