Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net 1680-7367 1680-7375 6 2 2006 10.5194/acpd-6-2923-2006 http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/6/2923/2006/ http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/6/2923/2006/acpd-6-2923-2006.html http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/6/2923/2006/acpd-6-2923-2006.pdf 2923 2964 2006-04-12 Application of thermal dissociation-laser induced fluorescence (TD-LIF) to measurement of HNO₃, Σalkyl nitrates, Σperoxy nitrates, and NO₂ fluxes using eddy covariance D. K. Farmer P. J. Wooldridge R. C. Cohen Department of Chemistry; University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA Dept. of Earth and Planetary Science; University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA Nitrogen exchange between the atmosphere and biosphere directly influences atmospheric composition. While much is known about mechanisms of NO and N₂O emissions, instrumentation for the study of mechanisms contributing to exchange of other major nitrogen species is quite limited. Here we describe the application of a new technique, thermal dissociation-laser induced fluorescence (TD-LIF), to eddy covariance measurements of the fluxes of NO₂, total peroxy acyl and peroxy nitrates, total alkyl and multifunctional alkyl nitrates, and nitric acid. The technique offers the potential for investigating mechanisms of exchange of these species at the canopy scale over timescales from days to years. Examples of flux measurements at a ponderosa pine plantation in the mid-elevation Sierra Nevada Mountains in California are reported and used to evaluate instrument performance.