Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Dec 2021)
Formaldehyde evolution in US wildfire plumes during the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality experiment (FIREX-AQ)
- J. Liao,
- J. Liao,
- G. M. Wolfe,
- R. A. Hannun,
- R. A. Hannun,
- J. M. St. Clair,
- J. M. St. Clair,
- T. F. Hanisco,
- J. B. Gilman,
- A. Lamplugh,
- A. Lamplugh,
- V. Selimovic,
- G. S. Diskin,
- J. B. Nowak,
- H. S. Halliday,
- J. P. DiGangi,
- S. R. Hall,
- K. Ullmann,
- C. D. Holmes,
- C. H. Fite,
- A. Agastra,
- T. B. Ryerson,
- T. B. Ryerson,
- J. Peischl,
- J. Peischl,
- I. Bourgeois,
- I. Bourgeois,
- C. Warneke,
- M. M. Coggon,
- M. M. Coggon,
- G. I. Gkatzelis,
- G. I. Gkatzelis,
- G. I. Gkatzelis,
- K. Sekimoto,
- A. Fried,
- D. Richter,
- P. Weibring,
- E. C. Apel,
- R. S. Hornbrook,
- S. S. Brown,
- C. C. Womack,
- C. C. Womack,
- M. A. Robinson,
- M. A. Robinson,
- R. A. Washenfelder,
- P. R. Veres,
- J. A. Neuman,
- J. A. Neuman
Affiliations
- J. Liao
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- J. Liao
- Goddard Earth Science Technology and Research (GESTAR) II, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
- G. M. Wolfe
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- R. A. Hannun
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- R. A. Hannun
- Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
- J. M. St. Clair
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- J. M. St. Clair
- Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
- T. F. Hanisco
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- J. B. Gilman
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- A. Lamplugh
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- A. Lamplugh
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- V. Selimovic
- Department of Chemistry, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
- G. S. Diskin
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
- J. B. Nowak
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
- H. S. Halliday
- Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
- J. P. DiGangi
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
- S. R. Hall
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
- K. Ullmann
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
- C. D. Holmes
- Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
- C. H. Fite
- Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
- A. Agastra
- Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
- T. B. Ryerson
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- T. B. Ryerson
- now at: Scientific Aviation, Boulder, CO, USA
- J. Peischl
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- J. Peischl
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- I. Bourgeois
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- I. Bourgeois
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- C. Warneke
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- M. M. Coggon
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- M. M. Coggon
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- G. I. Gkatzelis
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- G. I. Gkatzelis
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- G. I. Gkatzelis
- now at: Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
- K. Sekimoto
- Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
- A. Fried
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- D. Richter
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- P. Weibring
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- E. C. Apel
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
- R. S. Hornbrook
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
- S. S. Brown
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- C. C. Womack
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- C. C. Womack
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- M. A. Robinson
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- M. A. Robinson
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- R. A. Washenfelder
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- P. R. Veres
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- J. A. Neuman
- NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL), Boulder, CO, USA
- J. A. Neuman
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-18319-2021
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 21
pp. 18319 – 18331
Abstract
Formaldehyde (HCHO) is one of the most abundant non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by fires. HCHO also undergoes chemical production and loss as a fire plume ages, and it can be an important oxidant precursor. In this study, we disentangle the processes controlling HCHO by examining its evolution in wildfire plumes sampled by the NASA DC-8 during the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality experiment (FIREX-AQ) field campaign. In 9 of the 12 analyzed plumes, dilution-normalized HCHO increases with physical age (range 1–6 h). The balance of HCHO loss (mainly via photolysis) and production (via OH-initiated VOC oxidation) seems to control the sign and magnitude of this trend. Plume-average OH concentrations, calculated from VOC decays, range from −0.5 (± 0.5) × 106 to 5.3 (± 0.7) × 106 cm−3. The production and loss rates of dilution-normalized HCHO seem to decrease with plume age. Plume-to-plume variability in dilution-normalized secondary HCHO production correlates with OH abundance rather than normalized OH reactivity, suggesting that OH is the main driver of fire-to-fire variability in HCHO secondary production. Analysis suggests an effective HCHO yield of 0.33 (± 0.05) per VOC molecule oxidized for the 12 wildfire plumes. This finding can help connect space-based HCHO observations to the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere and to VOC emissions.
