Measurement report: Airborne measurements of NOx fluxes over Los Angeles during the RECAP-CA 2021 campaign

C. M. Nussbaumer; C. M. Nussbaumer; B. K. Place; Q. Zhu; E. Y. Pfannerstill; P. Wooldridge; B. C. Schulze; C. Arata; R. Ward; A. Bucholtz; J. H. Seinfeld; A. H. Goldstein; A. H. Goldstein; R. C. Cohen; R. C. Cohen

doi:10.5194/acp-23-13015-2023

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Oct 2023)

Measurement report: Airborne measurements of NOx fluxes over Los Angeles during the RECAP-CA 2021 campaign

C. M. Nussbaumer,
C. M. Nussbaumer,
B. K. Place,
Q. Zhu,
E. Y. Pfannerstill,
P. Wooldridge,
B. C. Schulze,
C. Arata,
R. Ward,
A. Bucholtz,
J. H. Seinfeld,
A. H. Goldstein,
A. H. Goldstein,
R. C. Cohen,
R. C. Cohen

Affiliations

C. M. Nussbaumer: Department of Atmospheric Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
C. M. Nussbaumer: Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
B. K. Place: Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Q. Zhu: Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
E. Y. Pfannerstill: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
P. Wooldridge: Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
B. C. Schulze: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
C. Arata: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
R. Ward: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
A. Bucholtz: Department of Meteorology, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA 93943, USA
J. H. Seinfeld: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
A. H. Goldstein: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
A. H. Goldstein: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
R. C. Cohen: Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
R. C. Cohen: Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13015-2023
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 23
pp. 13015 – 13028

Abstract

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Nitrogen oxides (NOx≡NO+NO2) are involved in most atmospheric photochemistry, including the formation of tropospheric ozone (O3). While various methods exist to accurately measure NOx concentrations, it is still a challenge to quantify the source and flux of NOx emissions. We present airborne measurements of NOx and winds used to infer the emission of NOx across Los Angeles. The measurements were obtained during the research aircraft campaign RECAP-CA (Re-Evaluating the Chemistry of Air Pollutants in CAlifornia) in June 2021. Geographic allocations of the fluxes are compared to the NOx emission inventory from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). We find that the NOx fluxes have a pronounced weekend effect and are highest in the eastern part of the San Bernardino Valley. The comparison of the RECAP-CA and the modeled CARB NOx fluxes suggests that the modeled emissions are higher than expected near the coast and in Downtown Los Angeles and lower than expected further inland in the eastern part of the San Bernardino Valley.

Published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

ISSN: 1680-7316 (Print); 1680-7324 (Online)
Publisher: Copernicus Publications
Country of publisher: Germany
LCC subjects: Science: Physics; Science: Chemistry
Website: http://www.atmospheric-chemistry-and-physics.net/

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