Measurement report: Spatiotemporal variability of peroxy acyl nitrates (PANs) over Mexico City from TES and CrIS satellite measurements

Abstract

Peroxy acyl nitrates (PANs) are photochemical pollutants with implications for health and atmospheric oxidation capacity. PANs are formed via the oxidation of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) in the presence of nitrogen oxide radicals (NOx = NO + NO2). While urban environments are large sources of PANs, in situ observations in urban areas are limited. Here we use satellite measurements of PANs from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) to evaluate the spatiotemporal variability of PANs over and around Mexico City. Monthly mean maxima in PANs over the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) occur during spring months (March–May). This time of year coincides with a peak in local photochemistry and more frequent air stagnation. Local fire activity also typically peaks between February and May, which leads to strong interannual variability of PANs over the MCMA. We use S-NPP CrIS data to probe the spatial outflow pattern of PANs produced within urban Mexico City during the month with the largest mixing ratios of PANs (April). Peak outflow in April occurs to the northeast of the city and over the mountains south of the city. Outflow to the northwest appears infrequently. Using observations during 2018 versus 2019, we also show that PANs were not significantly reduced during a year, with a significant decrease in NOx over Mexico City. Our analysis demonstrates that the space-based observations provided by CrIS and TES can increase understanding of the spatiotemporal variability of PANs over and surrounding Mexico City.