Science Inventory

TROPOSPHERIC NITROGEN: THE INFLUENCE OF ANTHROPOGENIC SOURCES ON DISTRIBUTIONS AND DEPOSITION

Citation:

Penner, J., C. Atherton, AND J. Walton. TROPOSPHERIC NITROGEN: THE INFLUENCE OF ANTHROPOGENIC SOURCES ON DISTRIBUTIONS AND DEPOSITION. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/3-91/070 (NTIS PB92126937), 1991.

Description:

A general circulation model is used to provide three.dimensional global winds, vertical convective mass transport and precipitation fields for modeling the transport of reactive nitrogen and its removal by precipitation. ajor sources of NOx include lightning, soil microbial activity, oxidation of N2O in the stratosphere and its transport to the troposphere1 fossil-fuel combustion, and biomass burning. n this modeling study, a simplified approach for the atmospheric chemistry of NOx and its conversion to HNO3 is used. he gas-phase concentrations of NOx, and HNO3 throughout the troposphere as well as the deposition of nitrate in precipitation and dry deposition are determined for January and July. odel predictions of NOx and HNO3 concentrations in precipitation are compared to measured abundances as well as predictions of surface NOx and HNO3 concentrations. he model is used to treat three situations: nly fossil-fuel sources, only natural sources, and all sources in order to discern the contribution of various sources to the observed and predicted abundances. nformation about the source and deposition amounts are combined to create regional net nitrogen mass balances, thereby, illustrating which regions and sourceS contribute to increase nitrogen deposition. his study represents a significant step in the global analysis of tropospheric species distribution, however, a number of model features need improvement in order to present a definitive treatment of the reaction nitrogen cycle in the troposphere.

Record Details:

Record Type:DOCUMENT( REPORT )
Product Published Date:11/30/1991
Record Last Revised:12/22/2005
Record ID: 32683