The role of precursor gases and meteorology on temporal evolution of O3 at a tropical location in northeast India

South Asia, particularly the Indo-Gangetic Plains and foothills of the Himalayas, has been found to be a major source of pollutant gases and particles affecting the regional as well as the global climate. Inventories of greenhouse gases for the South Asian region, particularly the sub-Himalayan region, have been inadequate. Hence, measurements of the gases are important from effective characterization of the gases and their climate effects. The diurnal, seasonal, and annual variation of surface level O₃ measured for the first time in northeast India at Dibrugarh (27.4° N, 94.9° E, 111 m amsl), a sub-Himalayan location in the Brahmaputra basin, from November 2009 to May 2013 is presented. The effect of the precursor gases NO _x and CO measured simultaneously during January 2012–May 2013 and the prevailing meteorology on the growth and decay of O₃ has been studied. The O₃ concentration starts to increase gradually after sunrise attaining a peak level around 1500 hours LT and then decreases from evening till sunrise next day. The highest and lowest monthly maximum concentration of O₃ is observed in March (42.9?±?10.3 ppb) and July (17.3?±?7.0 ppb), respectively. The peak in O₃ concentration is preceded by the peaks in NO _x and CO concentrations which maximize during the period November to March with peak values of 25.2?±?21.0 ppb and 1.0?±?0.4 ppm, respectively, in January. Significant nonlinear correlation is observed between O₃ and NO, NO₂, and CO. National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory back-trajectory and concentration weighted trajectory analysis carried out to delineate the possible airmass trajectory and to identify the potential source region of NO _x and O₃ concentrations show that in post-monsoon and winter, majority of the trajectories are confined locally while in pre-monsoon and monsoon, these are originated at the Indo-Gangetic plains, Bangladesh, and Bay of Bengal.     

The characteristics of ozone and related compounds in the boundary layer of the South China coast: temporal and vertical variations during autumn season

We present measurements of several trace gases made at a subtropical coastal site in Hong Kong in October and November 1997. The gases include O₃, CO, SO₂, and NO_x. The surface measurement data are compared with those from an aircraft study [Kok et al. J. Geophys. Res. 102 (D15) (1997) 19043–19057], and a subset of the latter is used to show the vertical distribution of the trace gases in the boundary layer. During the study period, averaged concentrations at the surface site for O₃, CO, NO_x, and SO₂ were 50, 298, 2.75, and 1.65 ppbv, respectively. Their atmospheric abundance and diurnal pattern are similar to those found in the “polluted” rural areas in North America. The measured trace gases are fairly well mixed in the coastal boundary layer in the warm South China region. Large variability is indicated from the data. Examination of 10-day, isentropic back trajectories shows that the measured trace gases are influenced by maritime air masses, outflow of pollution-laden continental air, and the mixing of the two. The trajectories capture the contrasting chemical features of the large-scale air masses impacting on the study area. CO, NO_x and SO₂ all show higher concentrations in the strong outflow of continental air, as expected, than those in the marine category. Compared with previously reported values for the western Pacific, the much higher levels found in the marine trajectories in our study suggest the impacts of regional and/or sub-regional emissions on the measured trace gases at the study site. The presence of abundant O₃ and other chemically active trace gases in the autumn season, coupled with high solar radiation and warm weather, suggests that the South China Sea is a photochemically active region important for studying the chemical transformation of pollutants emitted from the Asian continent.     

C2–C8 NMHCs over the Eastern Mediterranean: Seasonal variation and impact on regional oxidation chemistry

More than 2500 measurements of C₂–C₈ non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) have been conducted at Finokalia sampling station on the island of Crete over a thirty-month period (September 2003–February 2006), to investigate the factors controlling NMHC levels and estimate their role in the oxidizing capacity of the Eastern Mediterranean atmosphere. Atmospheric concentrations of NMHCs range from below the detection limit (5 pptv) to a few ppbv and present a hydroxyl radical (OH) driven seasonal pattern with lower values during summer. The diel variability was also influenced by the reaction of the NMHC with the OH radical, exhibiting a nighttime maximum and a midday or early afternoon minimum. Long-lived compounds demonstrate higher concentrations under the influence of the northern sector (European continent), indicating that besides chemistry, transport significantly contributes to NMHCs levels in the area. Based on the observed NMHCs diurnal cycles, mean OH radical levels of 3.5 × 10⁶ molecules cm⁻³ have been derived for May–October period.     

Aerosol indirect effect over Indo-Gangetic plain

Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are analyzed over the Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP) to study the effect of aerosol optical depth (AOD) on the water (R_eff,w) and ice (R_eff,i) cloud effective radius for the period 2001–2005. The temporal variation of R_eff,w and R_eff,i shows reverse trend as that of AOD for most of the time. The intensity of positive indirect effect (i.e. increase of R_eff,w/i with decrease of AOD and vice versa) is the highest in winter (ΔR_eff,w/ΔAOD∼−9.67 μm and ΔR_eff,i/ΔAOD∼−12.15 μm), when the role of meteorology is the least. The positive indirect effect is significant in 43%, 37%, 68% and 54% of area for water clouds in winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, respectively, whereas the corresponding values for ice clouds are 42%, 35%, 53% and 53% for the four seasons, respectively. On the contrast, R_eff,i in some locations shows increment with the increase in AOD (negative indirect effect). The negative indirect effect is significant at 95% confidence level in 7%, 18%, 9% and 6% grids for winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. The restricted spatial distribution of negative indirect effect in IGP shows that the cloud microphysical processes are very complex. Our analyses clearly identify the contrasting indirect effect, which requires further in situ investigations for better understanding of the aerosol–cloud interaction in the region.     

Computing surface concentration fluxes of trace gases from a variational method using measured variance and single-level concentration data

Surface fluxes of O₃, CO₂ and SO₂ were estimated from a variational method by using measured concentrations and variances of these trace gases. The measurements were taken over a deciduous forest when it was fully leafed during the summer of 1988 and when it was leafless during the winter of 1990. A flux–variance relation and a flux–gradient relation were employed as constraints in a cost function which is minimized to find the optimal estimate of concentration fluxes of the gases under study. Fluxes of O₃, CO₂ and SO₂ from the variational method were compared with fluxes estimated by the flux–variance relation and measured using an eddy correlation technique. Results show that the variational method improves the estimates of fluxes.     

Sulphate aerosol size distributions at Mumbai,India, during the INDOEX-FFP (1998)

Sulphate size distributions were measured at the coastal station of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) through 1998, during the Indian ocean experiment (INDOEX) first field phase (FFP), to fill current gaps in size-resolved aerosol chemical composition data. The paper examines meteorological, seasonal and source-contribution effects on sulphate aerosol and discusses potential effects of sulphate on regional climate. Sulphate size-distributions were largely trimodal with a condensation mode (mass median aerodynamic diameter or MMAD 0.6 μm), a droplet mode (MMAD 1.9–2.4 μm) and a coarse mode (MMAD 5 μm). Condensation mode sulphate mass-fractions were highest in winter, consistent with the high meteorological potential for gas-to-particle conversion along with low relative humidity (RH). The droplet mode concentrations and MMADs were larger in the pre-monsoon and winter than in monsoon, implying sulphate predominance in larger sized particles within this mode. In these seasons the high RH, and consequently greater aerosol water in the droplet mode, would favour aerosol-phase partitioning and reactions of SO₂. Coarse mode sulphate concentrations were lowest in the monsoon, when continental contribution to sulphate was low and washout was efficient. In winter and pre-monsoon, coarse mode sulphate concentrations were somewhat higher, likely from SO₂ gas-to-particle conversion. Low daytime sulphate concentrations with a large coarse fraction, along with largely onshore winds, indicated marine aerosol predominance. High nighttime sulphate concentrations and a coincident large fine fraction indicated contributions from anthropogenic/industrial sources or from gas-to-particle conversion. Monthly mean sulphate concentrations increased with increasing SO₂ concentrations, RH and easterly wind direction, indicating the importance of gas-to-particle conversion and industrial sources located to the east. Atmospheric chemistry effects on sulphate size distributions in Mumbai, indicated by this data, must be further examined.     

Study of aerosol transport through precipitation chemistry over Arabian Sea during winter and summer monsoons

Precipitation samples over the Arabian Sea collected during Arabian Sea Monsoon Experiment (ARMEX) in 2002–2003 were examined for major water soluble components and acidity of aerosols during the period of winter and summer monsoon seasons. The pH of rain water was alkaline during summer monsoon and acidic during winter monsoon. Summer monsoon precipitation showed dominance of sea-salt components (∼90%) and significant amounts of non-sea salt (nss) Ca²⁺ and SO₄²⁻. Winter monsoon precipitation samples showed higher concentration of NO₃⁻ and NH₄⁺ compared to that of summer monsoon, indicating more influence of anthropogenic sources. The rain water data is interpreted in terms of long-range transport and background pollution. In summer monsoon, air masses passing over the north African and Gulf continents which may be carrying nss components are advected towards the observational location. Also, prevailing strong southwesterly winds at surface level produced sea-salt aerosols which led to high sea-salt contribution in precipitation. While in winter monsoon, it was observed that, air masses coming from Asian region towards observational location carry more pollutants like NO₃⁻and nss SO₄²⁻ that acidify the precipitation.     

Seasonal trends,meteorological impacts,and associated health risks with atmospheric concentrations of gaseous pollutants at an Indian coastal city

This study presents surface ozone (O₃) and carbon monoxide (CO) measurements conducted at Bhubaneswar from December 2010 to November 2012 and attempts for the very first time a health risk assessment of the atmospheric trace gases. Seasonal variation in average 24 h O₃ and CO shows a distinct winter (December to February) maxima of 38.98?±?9.32 and 604.51?±?145.91 ppbv, respectively. O₃ and CO characteristics and their distribution were studied in the form of seasonal/diurnal variations, air flow patterns, inversion conditions, and meteorological parameters. The observed winter high is likely due to higher regional emissions, the presence of a shallower boundary layer, and long-range transport of pollutants from the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). Large differences between daytime and nighttime O₃ values during winter compared to other seasons suggest that photochemistry is much more active on this site during winter. O₃ and CO observations are classified in continental and marine air masses, and continental influence is estimated to increase O₃ and CO by up to 20 and 120 ppbv, respectively. Correlation studies between O₃ and CO in various seasons indicated the role of CO as one of the O₃ precursors. Health risk estimates predict 48 cases of total premature mortality in adults due to ambient tropospheric O₃ during the study period. Comparatively low CO concentrations at the site do not lead to any health effects even during winter. This study highlights the possible health risks associated with O₃ and CO pollution in Bhubaneswar, but these results are derived from point measurements and should be complemented either with regional scale observations or chemical transport models for use in design of mitigation policies.     

Relating Summer Ambient Particulate Sulfur,Sulfur Dioxide,and Light Scattering to Gaseous Tracer Emissions from the MOHAVE Power Project

ABSTRACT

Project MOHAVE was initiated in 1992 to examine the role of emissions from the 1580 MW coal-fired MOHAVE Power Project (MPP) on haze at the Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP), located about 130 km north-northeast of the power plant. Statistical relationships were analyzed between summertime ambient concentrations of a gaseous perfluorocarbon tracer released from MPP and ambient SO₂, particulate sulfur, and light scattering to evaluate whether MPP's emissions could be transported to the GCNP and then impact haze levels there. Spatial analyses indicated that particulate sulfur levels were strongly correlated across the monitoring network, regardless of whether the monitoring stations were upwind or downwind of MPP. This indicates that particulate sulfur levels in this region were influenced by distant regional emission sources. A significant particulate sulfur contribution from a point source such as MPP would result in a non-uniform pattern downwind. There was no suggestion of this in the data.

Furthermore, correlations between the MPP tracer and ambient particulate sulfur and light scattering at locations in the park were virtually zero for averaging times ranging from 24 hr to 1 hr. Hour-by-hour MPP tracer levels and light scattering were individually examined, and still no positive correlations were detected. Finally, agreement between tracer and particulate sulfur did not improve as a function of meteorological regime, implying that, even during cloudy monsoon days when more rapid conversion of SO₂ to par-ticulate sulfur would be expected, there was no evidence for downwind particulate sulfur impacts. Despite the fact that MPP was a large source of SO₂ and tracer, neither time series nor correlation analyses were able to detect any meaningful relationship between MPP's SO₂ and tracer emission “signals” to particulate sulfur or light scattering.     

Ground level ozone concentrations and its association with NOx and meteorological parameters in Kathmandu valley, Nepal

This paper summarizes the results of a yearlong continuous measurements of gaseous pollutants, NO, NO₂, NO_x and O₃ in the ambient air at Kathmandu valley. Measured concentration of the pollutants in study area is a function of time. NO, NO₂ and O₃ peak occurred in succession in presence of sunlight. At the time of maximum O₃ concentration most of the NO_x are utilized. The diurnal cycle of ground level ozone concentrations, revealed mid-day peak with lower nocturnal concentrations and inverse relationship exists between O₃ and NO_x, which are evidences of photochemical O₃ formation. The observed ground level ozone during monsoon is slight lower than the pre-monsoon value. Further, lack of rainfall and higher temperature, solar radiation in the pre-monsoon have given rise to the gradual build up of ozone and it is lowest during winter. Ground level ozone concentrations measured during bandha (general strike) and weekend are 19% and 13% higher than those measured during weekdays. The most effective ozone abatement strategy for Kathmandu Valley may be control of NO_x emissions.     

Evaluation of the Iron-o-Phenanthroline Procedure For Determining S02 in Turbine Exhaust Gases

Several wet chemical methods have been used or suggested for the determination of SO₂ concentrations in air pollution work. These include the iron-O-phenanthroline procedure reported by Stephens and Lindstrom, the Scaringelli-modified West-Gaeke method and the Schulze method. This paper describes a laboratory study to evaluate the usefulness of the iron-o-phenanthroline procedure and is directed to individuals concerned with the analysis of gases from the exhaust of gas turbine engines and other combustion processes, including stationary power plants. The variables considered were: range of usefulness in terms of concentration of SO₂, efficiency of collection, effect of contaminants, specifically oxides of nitrogen, olefin and aldehyde and effect of storage prior to spectrophctometric measurement. The Stephens-Lindstrom method was found to be suitable for measuring higher levels of SO₂ concentrations. It can accurately measure amounts totalling 6000 µl of SO₂ and above whereas the other mentioned methods are generally used for lower levels. Collection efficiency was satisfactory. Contaminants, particularly oxides of nitrogen, are a problem only at low levels of SO₂. NO₂ interference may be eliminated by absorption of the NO₂ on Ultraport S impregnated with ANEDA/H₂SO₄ solution. Temperature control during SO₂ addition is necessary. Storage of exposed reagents prior to measurement produce only small errors if stored at 0°C or at room temperature.     

Effect of Oxidizing and Reducing Conditions on the Reaction of Water with Sulfur Bearing Blast Furnace Slags

The evolution of H₂S and SO₂ from hot blast furnace slags by reaction with H₂O has been found to be dependent upon the presence of O₂ or H₂ in the reaction zone as well as on the temperature. H₂ has been found to produce a small increase in H₂S and a small decrease in SO₂ emission, while O₂ has been found to produce a very great inhibiting effect on H₂S emission and only a small increase in SO₂ emission. The total emission of sulfur bearing gases is much less when H₂O + air is blown at the slag than when H₂O + Ar is blown at the slag, particularly at 1200°C and above. These effects may be useful in attempts to design systems for slag quenching which will produce less pollution.     

The air pollution caused by the burning of fireworks during the lantern festival in Beijing

The effects of the burning of fireworks on air quality in Beijing was firstly assessed from the ambient concentrations of various air pollutants (SO₂, NO₂, PM_2.5, PM₁₀ and chemical components in the particles) during the lantern festival in 2006. Eighteen ions, 20 elements, and black carbon were measured in PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, and the levels of organic carbon could be well estimated from the concentrations of dicarboxylic acids. Primary components of Ba, K, Sr, Cl⁻, Pb, Mg and secondary components of C₅H₆O₄²⁻, C₃H₂O₄²⁻, C₂O₄²⁻, C₄H₄O₄²⁻, SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻ were over five times higher in the lantern days than in the normal days. The firework particles were acidic and of inorganic matter mostly with less amounts of secondary components. Primary aerosols from the burning of fireworks were mainly in the fine mode, while secondary formation of acidic anions mainly took place on the coarse particles. Nitrate was mainly formed through homogeneous gas-phase reactions of NO₂, while sulfate was largely from heterogeneous catalytic transformations of SO₂. Fe could catalyze the formation of nitrate through the reaction of α-Fe₂O₃ with HNO₃, while in the formation of sulfate, Fe is not only the catalyst, but also the oxidant. A simple method using the concentration of potassium and a modified method using the ratio of Mg/Al have been developed to quantify the source contribution of fireworks. It was found that over 90% of the total mineral aerosol and 98% of Pb, 43% of total carbon, 28% of Zn, 8% of NO₃⁻, and 3% of SO₄²⁻ in PM_2.5 were from the emissions of fireworks on the lantern night.     

Characterization of major pollution events (dust, haze, and two festival events) at Agra, India

Total suspended particulate (TSP) samples were collected during dust, haze, and two festival events (Holi and Diwali) from February 2009 to June 2010. Pollutant gases (NO₂, SO₂, and O₃) along with the meteorological parameters were also measured during the four pollution events at Agra. The concentration of pollutant gases decreases during dust events (DEs), but the levels of the gases increase during other pollution events indicating the impact of anthropogenic emissions. The mass concentrations were about two times higher during pollution events than normal days (NDs). High TSP concentrations during Holi and Diwali events may be attributed to anthropogenic activities while increased combustion sources in addition to stagnant meteorological conditions contributed to high TSP mass during haze events. On the other hand, long-range transport of atmospheric particles plays a major role during DEs. In the dust samples, Ca²⁺, Cl^?, NO₃ ^?, and SO₄ ^2? were the most abundant ions and Ca²⁺ alone accounted for 22 % of the total ionic mass, while during haze event, the concentrations of secondary aerosols species, viz., NO₃ ^?, SO₄ ^2?, and NH₄ ⁺, were 3.6, 3.3, and 5.1 times higher than the normal days. During Diwali, SO₄ ^2? concentration (17.8 μg?m^?3) was highest followed by NO₃ ^?, K⁺, and Cl^? while the Holi samples were strongly enriched with Cl^? and K⁺ which together made up 32.7 % of the total water-soluble ions. The ion balances indicate that the haze samples were acidic. On the other hand, Holi, Diwali, and DE samples were enriched with cations. The carbonaceous aerosol shows strong variation with the highest concentration during Holi followed by haze, Diwali, DEs, and NDs. However, the secondary organic carbon concentration follows the order haze > DEs > Diwali > Holi > NDs. The scanning electron microscope/EDX results indicate that KCl and carbon-rich particles were more dominant during Holi and haze events while DE samples were enriched with particles of crustal origin.     

C2–C10 nonmethane hydrocarbons measured in Dallas,USA—Seasonal trends and diurnal characteristics

Nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) are important precursors of ozone and other photo oxidants. We presented continuous hourly average concentrations of 45 C₂–C₁₀ NMHCs measured in urban area of Dallas, USA from 1996 to 2004. Most of the selected compounds are good variables with less noise. The top 10 species with high ozone-generating potential were identified according to their concentrations and reactivities. The ambient concentrations of abundant anthropogenic emission hydrocarbons measured in Dallas were about 2–4 times of the background values measured in the remote areas with adjacent latitude. The time series for anthropogenic emission hydrocarbons showed an obvious seasonal cycle with relatively high concentration in winter and low concentration in summer. The sinusoidal function with a linearly decreasing factor could well fit the time series of NMHCs. The phase of seasonal cycle for the aromatic hydrocarbons of toluene, m/p xylene and o-xylene that might come from both vehicle emission and solvent utilities evaporation was about 1 month earlier than that for alkanes and alkenes that mainly came from vehicle emission. Ambient NMHCs in Dallas decreased with a stable rate during 1996–2004. For most of compounds with high ozone-generating potential, the rate of ambient concentration decrease was higher or much higher than the rate of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) source emission reduction estimated by EPA's National Emission Inventory. On weekdays, the morning hydrocarbon concentration peak was coincident with morning traffic rush time in Dallas. Another concentration peak was delayed to afternoon traffic rush time. The characteristics of VOCs sources, photochemical removal processes and atmospheric dilution could be interpreted by the diurnal variations of benzene/ethylbenzene (B/E), toluene/ethylbenzene (T/E) and xylene/ethylbenzene (X/E). The ratio of VOC/NO_x measured in Dallas was substantially smaller than that calculated for USA cities. Ozone formation in Dallas was VOC sensitive.     

The NOAA Twin Otter and its role in BRACE: A comparison of aircraft and surface trace gas measurements

A DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter, operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was deployed in Tampa, FL to measure aerosols and primary and secondary trace gases in support of the Bay Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (BRACE). The Twin Otter repeatedly overflew the surface chemistry monitoring super site near Sydney, FL to assess the comparability of surface and airborne datasets and the spatial representativeness of the surface measurements. Prior to comparing the chemical datasets, we evaluated the comparability of the standards used to calibrate surface and airborne detectors, as well as the uniformity of wind fields aloft and at the surface. Under easterly flow, when the dearth of significant upwind emission sources promoted chemical homogeneity at Sydney, trace gas concentrations at the surface and aloft were generally well correlated; R² ranged from 0.4396 for H₂O₂ to 0.9738 for O₃, and was typically better than 0.70 for NO, NO₂, NO_Y, HNO₃, HCHO, and SO₂. Mean ratios of aircraft-to-surface concentrations during 10 overflights of Sydney were as follows: 1.002±0.265 (NO), 0.948±0.183 (NO₂), 1.010±0.214 (NO_Y), 0.941±0.263 (HCHO), and 0.952±0.046 (O₃). Poorer agreement and larger variability in measured ratios were noted for SO₂ (1.764±0.559), HNO₃ (1.291±0.391), and H₂O₂ (1.200±0.657). Under easterly flow, surface measurements at Sydney were representative of conditions over horizontal scales as large as 50 km and agreed well with airborne values throughout the depth of the turbulently mixed boundary layer at mid-day. Westerly flow advected the Tampa urban plume over the site; under these conditions, as well as during transitional periods associated with the development of the land–sea breeze, surface conditions were representative of smaller spatial scales. Finally, we estimate possible errors in future measurement-model comparisons likely to arise from fine scale (or subgrid;<2 km) variability of trace gas concentrations. Large subgrid variations in concentration fields were observed downwind of large emission point sources, and persisted across multiple model grid cells (distances>4 km) in coherent plumes. Variability at the edges of the well-mixed urban plume, and at the interface of the land–sea breeze circulation, was significantly smaller. This suggests that even a failure of modeled wind fields to resolve the sea breeze return can induce moderate, but not overwhelming, errors in simulated concentration fields and dependent chemical processes.     

Removal of SO2 from Simulated Flue Gases Using Non-Thermal Plasma-Based Microgap Discharge

Abstract

The removal of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) from simulated flue gases streams (N₂/O₂/H₂O/SO₂) was experimentally investigated using microgap discharge. In the experiment, the thinner dielectric layers of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) were used to form the microgap discharge. With this physical method, a high concentration of hydroxyl (OH·) radicals were produced using the ionization of O₂ and H₂O to further the conversion of SO₂ into sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) at 120° C in the absence of any catalysts and absorbents, which were captured with the electrostatic precipitator (ESP). As a result, the increase of discharge power and concentrations of O₂ and H₂O increased the production of OH· radicals resulting in enhanced removal of SO₂ from gas streams. With the test and analysis, a number of H₂SO₄ droplets were produced in experiment. Therefore, a new method for removal of SO₂ in semidry method without ammonia (NH₃) additive was found.     

Extraction and identification of volatile organic substances (VOS) from Scottish peat cores

The degradation of organic matter in peat bogs is complex and not yet well understood. Recent investigations of the trace gases CO₂ and CH₄ focussed on the impact of these greenhouse gases on global warming. However, there have to be metabolic intermediates between complex organic structures (i.e., humic acids) and gaseous end products (CH₄, CO₂, N₂, NO_x and H₂S) other than water-soluble substances (i.e., aromatic acids, amino acids, fatty acids). Deoxygenation during microbial decomposition of plant material also produces anoxic conditions that favor the formation of kinetically stable hydrocarbons. In this study, volatile organic substances (VOS) in peat bogs were investigated using two techniques: purge-and-trap and closed-loop stripping. Coupled gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy analysis revealed mainly branched hydrocarbons (C₈H₁₈) in concentrations up to 260 nM in peat pore-water. Additionally, alkylated benzenes were found in concentrations of up to 464 nM, in the peat pore-water, and up to 23 pptv in the headspace of peat cores. However, one-third of all the compounds in the complex VOS-fraction extracted from the peat system remain to be identified, especially those substances containing oxygen.     

Chemical characteristics of atmospheric aerosols over southwest coast of India

Ambient aerosol samples, collected from Mangalore region in the southwest coast of India during the period of late winter (February and March) to early summer (April and May), have been analysed for water-soluble ionic species. Their abundance pattern is dominated by HCO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, Na⁺, Cl⁻, with minor contribution from NO₃⁻, Ca²⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺ and Mg²⁺ indicating the contribution from not only sea salt, but also from anthropogenic and dust sources; with pronounced seasonal variability. The suspended particulate matter concentration varied from 35 to 160 μg m⁻³, with consistently higher values during the late winter. Back trajectory analysis suggests the origin of the air masses shifting from Indo-Gangetic Plains (during late winter) to those from the Arabian Sea and the area around Persian Gulf during April–May. Air masses passing over Northern India (Indo-Gangetic Plains) impart characteristic contribution of ionic species from fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning and eolian dust as asserted by the factor analysis. A detailed study on characterisation of aerosols from south Asian region is rather sparse but essential for modelling the effect of tropospheric aerosols on climate.     

Effects of Sulfur Dioxide and Nitric Oxide on Mercury Oxidation and Reduction under Homogeneous Conditions

Abstract

This paper is particularly related to elemental mercury (Hg⁰) oxidation and divalent mercury (Hg²⁺) reduction under simulated flue gas conditions in the presence of nitric oxide (NO) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂). As a powerful oxidant and chlorinating reagent, Cl₂ has the potential for Hg oxidation. However, the detailed mechanism for the interactions, especially among chlorine (Cl)-containing species, SO₂, NO, as well as H₂O, remains ambiguous. Research described in this paper therefore focused on the impacts of SO₂ and NO on Hg⁰ oxidation and Hg²⁺ reduction with the intent of unraveling unrecognized interactions among Cl species, SO₂, and NO most importantly in the presence of H₂O. The experimental results demonstrated that SO₂ and NO had pronounced inhibitory effects on Hg⁰ oxidation at high temperatures when H₂O was also present in the gas blend. Such a demonstration was further confirmed by the reduction of Hg²⁺ back into its elemental form. Data revealed that SO₂ and NO were capable of promoting homogeneous reduction of Hg²⁺ to Hg⁰ with H₂O being present. However, the above inhibition or promotion disappeared under homogeneous conditions when H₂O was removed from the gas blend.