Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions
www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net
1680-7367
1680-7375
9
3
2009
10.5194/acpd-9-12465-2009
http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/12465/2009/
http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/12465/2009/acpd-9-12465-2009.html
http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/12465/2009/acpd-9-12465-2009.pdf
12465
12482
2009-05-20
Global distribution of upper tropospheric formic acid from the ACE-FTS
G. González Abad
P. F. Bernath
C. D. Boone
S. D. McLeod
G. L. Manney
G. C. Toon
Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, UK
Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Inst. of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
also at: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico, USA
We present the first near global upper tropospheric distribution of formic
acid (HCOOH) observed from the space using solar occultation measurements
from the Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) on board the Atmospheric
Chemistry Experiment (ACE) satellite. Using a new set of spectroscopic line
parameters recently published for formic acid, we have retrieved the
concentrations of HCOOH between 5 km and the tropopause for ACE-FTS
observations from February 2004 to September 2007. We observe a significant
seasonal dependence for the HCOOH concentrations related to vegetation
growth and biomass burning. We estimate an emission ratio of 0.0051±0.0015 for HCOOH relative to CO for tropical South American fires using a
selected set of data for September 2004. Results from the balloon-borne MkIV
Fourier transform spectrometer are also presented and used to validate the
ACE measurements.
Andreae, M O., Talbot, R W., Andreae, T W., and Harris, R C.: Formic and Acetic Acid over the Central Amazon Region, Brazil, 1. Dry Season, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 1616–1624, 1988.
Andreae, M O. and Merlet, P.: Emission of Trace Gases and Aerosols from Biomass Burning, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 15(4), 955–966, 2001.
Atkinson, R., Baulch, D. L., Cox, R. A., Crowley, J. N., Hampson, R. F., Hynes, R. G., Jenkin, M. E., Rossi, M. J., Troe, J., and IUPAC Subcommittee: Evaluated kinetic and photochemical data for atmospheric chemistry: Volume II –gas phase reactions of organic species, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 3625–4055, 2006.
Baboukas, E D., Kanakidou, M., and Mihalopoulos, N.: Carboxylic acids in gas and particulate phase above the Atlantic Ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 105, 14459–14471, 2000.
Bernath, P F.: Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE): Analytical Chemistry from Orbit, TRAC-Trend. Anal. Chem., 25, 647–654, 2006.
Bernath, P F., McElroy, C T., Abrams, M C., Boone, C D., Butler, M., Camy-Peyret, C., Carleer, M., Clerbaux, C., Coheur, P.-F., Colin, R., DeCola, P., DeMaziere, M., Drummond, J R., Dufour, D., Evans, W F J., Fast, H., Fussen, D., Gilbert, K., Jennings, D E., Llewellyn, E J., Lowe, R P., Mahieu, E., McConnell, J C., McHugh, M., McLeod, S D., Michaud, R., Midwinter, C., Nassar, R., Nichitiu, F., Nowlan, C., Rinsland, C P., Rochon, Y J., Rowlands, N., Semeniuk, K., Simon, P., Skelton, R., Sloan, J J., Soucy, M.-A., Strong, K., Tremblay, P., Turnbull, D., Walker, K A., Waltkty, I., Wardle, D A., Wehrle, V., Zander, R., and Zou, J.: Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE): Mission overview, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L15S01, doi:10.1029/2005GL022386, 2005.
Boone, C D., Nassar, R., Walker, K A., Rochon, Y., McLeod, S D., Rinsland, C P., and Bernath, P F.: Retrievals for the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer, Appl. Opt., 44, 7218–7231, 2005.
Chameides, W L. and Davis, D D.: Aqueous phase source of formic acid in clouds, Nature, 304, 427–429, 1983.
Coheur, P.-F., Herbin, H., Clerbaux, C., Hurtmans, D., Wespes, C., Carleer, M., Turquety, S., Rinsland, C. P., Remedios, J., Hauglustaine, D., Boone, C. D., and Bernath, P. F.: ACE-FTS observation of a young biomass burning plume: first reported measurements of C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub>, C<sub>3</sub>H$_6$O, \chemH_2CO and PAN by infrared occultation from space, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 5437–5446, 2007.
Davies, T., Cullen, M J P., Malcolm, A J., Mawson, M H., Staniforth, A., White, A A., and Wood, N.: A new dynamical core for the Met Office's global and regional modelling of the atmosphere, Q J Roy. Meteor. Soc., 131, 1759–1782, 2005.
Goode, J G., Yokelson, R J., Ward, D E., Sussot, R A., Babbitt, R E., Davies, M A., and Hao, W M.: Measurements of excess O<sub>3</sub>, CO<sub>2</sub>, CO, CH<sub>4</sub>, C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub>, C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>2</sub>, HCN, NO, NH<sub>3</sub>, HCOOH, CH<sub>3</sub>COOH, HCHO and CH<sub>3</sub>OH in 1997 Alaskan biomass burning plumes by airborne Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (AFTIR), J. Geophys. Res., 105, 22147–22166, 2000.
Hartmann, W R., Santana, M., Hermoso, M., Andreae, M O., and Sanhueza, E.: Diurnal Cycles of Formic and Acetic Acids in the Northern Part of the Guyana Shield, Venezuela, J. Atmos. Chem., 13, 63–72, 1991.
Hatakeyama, S., Bandow, H., Okuda, M., and Akimoto, H.: Reactions of CH<sub>2</sub>OO and CH$_2(^1$A$_1)$ with H<sub>2</sub>O in the gas phase, J. Phys. Chem., 85, 2249–2254, 1981.
Herndon, S C., Zahniser, M S., Nelson, D D. Jr., Shorter, J., McManus, J B., Jiménez, R., Warneke, C., and de Gouw, J A.: Airborne measurements of HCHO and HCOOH during the New England Air Quality Study 2004 using a pulsed quantum cascade laser spectrometer, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D10S03, doi:10.1029/2006JD007600, 2007.
Horie, O., Neeb, P., Limbach, S., and Moortgat, G K.: Formation of formic acid and organic peroxides in the oxonolysis of ethene with added water vapor, Geophys. Res. Lett., 21, 1523–1526, 1994.
Ito, A., Sillman, S. and Penner, J E.: Effects of additional nonmethane volatile organic compounds, organic nitrates, and direct emissions of oxygenated organic species on global tropospheric chemistry, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D06309, doi:10.1029/2005JD006556, 2007.
Jacob, D J.: Chemistry of OH in remote clouds and its role in the production of formic acid and peroxymonosulfate, J. Geophys. Res., 91, 9807–9826, 1986.
Jacob, D J. and Wofsy, S C.: Photochemistry of biogenic emissions over the Amazon forest, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 1477–1486, 1988.
Kawamura, K., Ng, L L., and Kaplan, I R.: Determination of organic acids (C1–C10) in the atmosphere, motor exhaust and engine oils, Environ. Sci. Technol., 19, 1082–1086, 1985.
Keene, W C. and Galloway, J N.: Organic acidity in the precipitation of North America, Atmos. Environ., 18, 2491–2497, 1984.
Keene, W C. and Galloway, J N.: Considerations regarding sources for formic and acetic acids in the troposphere, J. Geophys. Res., 91, 14466–14474, 1986.
Keene, W C. and Galloway, J N.: The biogeochemical cycling of formic and acetic acids through the troposphere: An overview of current understanding, Tellus, 40B, 332–334, 1988.
Khare, P., Kumar, N., Kumari, K M., and Srivastava, S S.: Atmospheric formic and acetic acids: An overview, Rev. Geophys., 37, 227–248, 1999.
Madronich, S. and Galvert, J G.: Permutation Reactions of Organic Peroxy Radicals in the Troposphere, J. Geophys. Res., 95, 5697–5715, 1990.
Manney G L., Daffer W H., Zawodny J M., Bernath P F., Hoppel K W., Walker K A., et al.: Solar occultation satellite data and derived meteorological products: sampling issues and comparisons with Aura MLS, J. Geophys. Res., 112, D24S50, doi:10.1029/2007JD008709, 2007.
Nassar, R., Bernath, P F., Boone, C D., Manney, G L., McLeod, S D., Rinsland, C P., Skelton, R., and Walker, K A.: ACE-FTS measurements across the edge of the winter 2004 Arctic vortex, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L15S05, doi:10.1029/2005GL022671, 2005.
Perrin, A. and Vander Auwera, J.: An improved database for the 9 um region of the formic acid spectrum, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer, 108, 363–370, doi:10.1016/j.jqsrt.2007.05.002, 2007.
Radojevic, M. and Harrison, R. M.: Atmospheric Acidity: Sources, Consequences and Abatement, Springer, London, 1992.
Rasmussen, R A. and Khalil, M A K.: Isoprene over the Amazon Basin, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 1417–1421, 1988.
Remedios, J. J., Allen, G., Waterfall, A. M., Oelhaf, H., Kleinert, A., and Moore, D. P.: Detection of organic compound signatures in infra-red, limb emission spectra observed by the MIPAS-B2 balloon instrument, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 1599–1613, 2007.
Rinsland, C P., Mahieu, E., Zander, R., Goldman, A., Wood, S., and Chiou, L.: Free tropospheric measurements of formic acid (HCOOH) from infrared ground-based solar absorption spectra: Retrieval approach, evidence for a seasonal cycle, and comparison with model calculations, J. Geophys. Res., 109, D18308, doi:10.1029/2004JD004917, 2004.
Rinsland, C P., Boone, C D., Bernath, P F., Mahieu, E., Zander, R., Dufour, G., Clerbaux, C., Turquety, S., Chiou, L., McConnell, J C., Neary, L., and Kaminski, J W.: First space-based observations of formic acid (HCOOH): Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment austral spring 2004 and 2005 Southern Hemisphere tropical – mid-latitude upper tropospheric measurements, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L23804, doi:10.1029/2006GL027128, 2006.
Rinsland, C P., Dufour, G., Boone, C D., Bernath, P F., Chiou, L., Coheur, P.-F., Turquety, S., and Clerbaux, C.: Simultaneous measurements of upper tropospheric CO, C<sub>2</sub>H$_6$, HCN, CH<sub>3</sub>Cl, CH<sub>4</sub>, C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>3</sub>OH, HCOOH, OCS, and SF$_6$ mixing ratios, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 21, GB3008, doi:10.1029/2006GB002795, 2007.
Sanhueza, E. and Andreae, M O.: Emission of formic and acetic acids from tropical savanna soils, Geophys. Res. Lett., 18, 1707–1710, 1991.
Sanhueza, E., Figueroa, L., and Santana, M.: Atmospheric formic and acetic acids in Venezuela, Atmos. Environ., 30, 1861–1873, 1996.
Sen, B., Toon, G C., Osterman, G B., Blavier, J.-F., Margitan, J J., Salawitch, R J., and Yue, G K.: Measurements of reactive nitrogen in the stratosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 3571–3585, 1998.
Su, F., Calvert, J G., and Shaw, J H.: Mechanism of the photooxidation of gaseous formaldahyde, J. Phys. Chem., 83, 3185–3191, 1979.
Swinbank, R. and O'Neill, A.: A stratosphere-troposphere data assimilation system, Mon. Weather Rev., 122, 686–702, 1994.
Swinbank, R., Ingleby, N B., Boorman, P M. and Renshaw, R J.: A 3D variational data assimilation system for the stratosphere and troposphere, Tech. Rep. 71, Met Off., Exeter, UK, 2002.
Talbot, R W., Beecher, K M., Harris, R C., and Cofer III, W R.: Atmospheric geochemistry of formic and acetic acids at a mid-latitude temperate site, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 1638–1652, 1988.
Talbot, R W., Andreae, M O., Berresheim, H., Jacob, D J., and Beecher, K M.: Sources and sinks of formic, acetic, and pyruvic acids over central Amazonia. 2, wet season, J. Geophys. Res., 95, 16799–16811, 1990.
Talbot, R W., Vijgen, A S., and Harris, R C.: Soluble species in the Arctic summer troposphere: acidic gases, aerosols, and precipitation, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 16531–16543, 1992.
Toon, G C.: The JPL MkIV Interferometer, Optics and Photonics News, 2, 19–21, 1991.
Vander Auwera, J., Didriche, K., Perrin, A., and Keller, F.: Absolute line intensities for formic acid and dissociation constant of the dimer, J. Chem. Phys, 126, 124311–124319, doi:10.1063/1.2712439, 2007.
Yokelson, R J., Goode, J G., Ward, D E., Susott, R A., Babbitt, R E., Wade, D D., Bertschi, I., Griffith, D W T., and Hao, W M.: Emissions of formaldahyde, acetic acid, methanol, and other trace gases from biomass fires in North Carolina measured by airborne Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 30109–30125, 1999.