Measurements of PAN, Alkyl Nitrates, Ozone and Hydrocarbons During Spring in Interior Alaska

Harald J. Beine, Daniel A. Jaffe, Donald R. Blake, Elliot Atlas, Joyce Harris

J. Geophys. Res., in press, 1996.

Abstract. Measurements of the atmospheric mixing ratios of ozone, peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN), hydrocarbons and alkyl nitrates were made in a boreal forest ecosystem in the interior of Alaska from March, 15 to May 14, 1993. During this period the mixing ratios of PAN, alkyl nitrates and nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC) generally decreased due to the influence of both meteorology and OH removal. Mean mixing ratios of ozone, PAN, C2 - C6 alkyl nitrates and total C2 - C5 NMHC during southerly flow periods were 24.4 ppbv, 132.1 pptv, 34 pptv and 8.2 ppbCv, respectively. During a short period of northerly flow mixing ratios of PAN and total NMHC were approximately two times the southerly flow mixing ratios. PAN is correlated with ozone, and alkyl nitrates are correlated with alkanes. PAN and ozone mixing ratios exhibit similar diurnal variations on a number of days with an early morning minimum and afternoon maximum. This is likely due to a diurnal cycle in the boundary layer - free troposphere exchange and loss processes in the boundary layer for both O3 and PAN. Higher molecular weight (mw) hydrocarbons and alkyl nitrates are observed to decrease more quickly than the lower mw ones, consistent with removal by OH as the primary loss process.