Small HONO emissions from snow surfaces at Browning Pass, Antarctica

• Main Authors: Beine, H. J., Amoroso, A., Dominé, F., King, M. D., Nardino, M., Ianniello, A., France, J. L.
• Other Authors: C.N.R., IIA, Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement (LGGE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Geology, Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL), Istituto di Biometeorologia Bologna (IBIMET), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2006
• Subjects: [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; Browning; Browning Pass; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00327807; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00327807/document; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00327807/file/acpd-6-615-2006.pdf

International audience Measured Fluxes of nitrous acid at Browning Pass, Antarctica were very low, despite conditions that are generally understood as favorable for HONO emissions, including: acidic snow surfaces, an abundance of NO 3 - anions in the snow surface, and abundant UV light for NO 3 - photolysis. Photochemical modeling suggests noon time HONO fluxes of 5–10 nmol m -2 h -1 the measured fluxes, however, were close to zero throughout the campaign. The analysis of soluble mineral ions in snow reveals that the NO 3 - ion is probably present in aged snows as NaNO 3 . This is peculiar to our study site, and we suggest that this may affect the photochemical reactivity of NO 3 - , by preventing the release of products, or providing a reactive medium for newly formed HONO. In fresh snow, the NO 3 - ion is probably present as dissolved or adsorbed HNO 3 and yet, no HONO emissions were observed. We speculate that HONO formation from NO 3 - photolysis may involve electron transfer reactions of NO 2 from photosensitized organics and that fresh snows at our site had insufficient concentrations of adequate organic compounds to favor this reaction.