Intercomparison of HONO Measurements Made Using Wet-Chemical (NITROMAC) and Spectroscopic (IBBCEAS & LP/FAGE) Techniques

A good understanding of the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere is important to tackle fundamental issues related to climate change and air quality. The hydroxyl radical (OH) is the dominant oxidant in the daytime troposphere and an accurate description of its sources in atmospheric models is of utmost importance. Recent field studies indicate higher-than-expected concentrations of HONO during the daytime, suggesting that the photolysis of HONO may be an important underestimated source of OH. Understanding the tropospheric HONO budget requires confidence in analytical instrumentation capable of selectively measuring HONO. In this presentation, we discuss an intercomparison study of HONO measurements performed during summer 2013 at the edge of a hardwood forest in Southern Indiana. This exercise involved a wet chemical technique (NITROMAC), an Incoherent Broad-Band Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy instrument (IBBCEAS), and a Laser-Photofragmentation/Fluorescence Assay by Gas Expansion instrument (LP/FAGE). The agreement observed between the three techniques will be discussed for both ambient measurements and cross calibration experiments.