A13E-0382
OH radical reactivity in an Indiana Forest: Measurements and model comparisons

Monday, 14 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Pamela Sue Rickly Sigler1, Brandon Bottorff2, Michelle Lew3, Philip S Stevens4, Thierry Leonardis5, Nadine Locoge5, Sofia Sklaveniti6, Sebastien Dusanter7, Shuvashish Kundu8, Ezra C D Wood9 and Drew R Gentner10, (1)Indiana University Bloomington, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Bloomington, IN, United States, (2)Indiana University Bloomington, Chemistry, Bloomington, IN, United States, (3)Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States, (4)Indiana Univ, Bloomington, IN, United States, (5)Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Douai, SAGE, Douai, France, (6)School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States, (7)Ecole des Mines de Douai, Douai Cedex, France, (8)University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States, (9)U. of Massachusetts - Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States, (10)Yale University, Chemical & Environmental Engineering, New Haven, CT, United States
Abstract:
The hydroxyl (OH) radicals plays an important role in the chemistry of the atmosphere. OH radical reactions initiate the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which can lead to the production of ozone and secondary organic aerosols in the atmosphere. In addition, reactions of OH radicals controls the lifetime of methane and other greenhouse gases that affect the radiative balance of the atmosphere. Previous measurements of total hydroxyl radical reactivity in forest environments have found discrepancies between measured values and those calculated from collocated measurements of biogenic VOC (BVOC) concentrations. Additional measurements of total OH reactivity together with measurements of BVOCs are needed to understand the source of this missing reactivity and to further constrain atmospheric chemistry models.

Total hydroxyl radical (OH) reactivity was measured using a turbulent flow reactor were made during summer 2015 as part of the Indiana Radical, Reactivity and Ozone Production Intercomparison (IRRONIC). This campaign took place in a forested area at the Indiana Research and Teaching Preserve (IURTP) near the Bloomington campus characterized by high mixing ratios of isoprene and low mixing ratios of NOx. Measurements of a suite of VOCs and oxygenated VOCs was also conducted at the site, allowing a comparison of the observed reactivity with the expected OH reactivity from these measurements.

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