Comparisons of box model calculations and measurements of formaldehyde from the 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment

G. J. Frost; A. Fried; Y. N. Lee; B. Wert; B. Henry; J. R. Drummond; M. J. Evans; F. C. Fehsenfeld; P. D. Goldan; J. S. Holloway; G. Hübler; R. Jakoubek; B. T. Jobson; K. Knapp; W. C. Kuster; J. Roberts; J. Rudolph; T. B. Ryerson; A. Stohl; C. Stroud; D. T. Sueper; M. Trainer; J. Williams

doi:10.1029/2001JD000896

Comparisons of box model calculations and measurements of formaldehyde from the 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment

G. J. Frost^*, A. Fried, Y. N. Lee, B. Wert, B. Henry, J. R. Drummond, M. J. Evans, F. C. Fehsenfeld, P. D. Goldan, J. S. Holloway, G. Hübler, R. Jakoubek, B. T. Jobson, K. Knapp, W. C. Kuster, J. Roberts, J. Rudolph, T. B. Ryerson, A. Stohl, C. StroudD. T. Sueper, M. Trainer, J. Williams

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Formaldehyde (CH₂O) measurements from two independent instruments are compared with photochemical box model calculations. The measurements were made on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration P-3 aircraft as part of the 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment (NARE 97). The data set considered here consists of air masses sampled between 0 and 8 km over the North Atlantic Ocean which do not show recent influence from emissions or transport. These air masses therefore should be in photochemical steady state with respect to CH₂O when constrained by the other P-3 measurements, and methane oxidation was expected to be the predominant source of CH ₂O in these air masses. For this data set both instruments measured identical CH₂O concentrations to within 40 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) on average over the 0-800 pptv range, although differences larger than the combined 2σ total uncertainty estimates were observed between the two instruments in 11% of the data. Both instruments produced higher CH ₂O concentrations than the model in more than 90% of this data set, with a median measured-modeled [CH₂O] difference of 0.13 or 0.18 ppbv (depending on the instrument), or about a factor of 2. Such large differences cannot be accounted for by varying model input parameters within their respective uncertainty ranges. After examining the possible reasons for the model-measurement discrepancy, we conclude that there are probably one or more additional unknown sources of CF₂O in the North Atlantic troposphere.

Original language	English
Journal	Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences
Volume	107
Issue number	13
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD000896
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2002

Keywords

Aircraft measurements
Formaldehyde
North atlantic troposphere
Photochemical modeling

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10.1029/2001JD000896

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Frost, G. J., Fried, A., Lee, Y. N., Wert, B., Henry, B., Drummond, J. R., Evans, M. J., Fehsenfeld, F. C., Goldan, P. D., Holloway, J. S., Hübler, G., Jakoubek, R., Jobson, B. T., Knapp, K., Kuster, W. C., Roberts, J., Rudolph, J., Ryerson, T. B., Stohl, A., ... Williams, J. (2002). Comparisons of box model calculations and measurements of formaldehyde from the 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 107(13). https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD000896

@article{454f059c0e2c4008b3b1cd1722ed8c95,

title = "Comparisons of box model calculations and measurements of formaldehyde from the 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment",

abstract = "Formaldehyde (CH2O) measurements from two independent instruments are compared with photochemical box model calculations. The measurements were made on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration P-3 aircraft as part of the 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment (NARE 97). The data set considered here consists of air masses sampled between 0 and 8 km over the North Atlantic Ocean which do not show recent influence from emissions or transport. These air masses therefore should be in photochemical steady state with respect to CH2O when constrained by the other P-3 measurements, and methane oxidation was expected to be the predominant source of CH 2O in these air masses. For this data set both instruments measured identical CH2O concentrations to within 40 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) on average over the 0-800 pptv range, although differences larger than the combined 2σ total uncertainty estimates were observed between the two instruments in 11% of the data. Both instruments produced higher CH 2O concentrations than the model in more than 90% of this data set, with a median measured-modeled [CH2O] difference of 0.13 or 0.18 ppbv (depending on the instrument), or about a factor of 2. Such large differences cannot be accounted for by varying model input parameters within their respective uncertainty ranges. After examining the possible reasons for the model-measurement discrepancy, we conclude that there are probably one or more additional unknown sources of CF2O in the North Atlantic troposphere.",

keywords = "Aircraft measurements, Formaldehyde, North atlantic troposphere, Photochemical modeling",

author = "Frost, {G. J.} and A. Fried and Lee, {Y. N.} and B. Wert and B. Henry and Drummond, {J. R.} and Evans, {M. J.} and Fehsenfeld, {F. C.} and Goldan, {P. D.} and Holloway, {J. S.} and G. H{\"u}bler and R. Jakoubek and Jobson, {B. T.} and K. Knapp and Kuster, {W. C.} and J. Roberts and J. Rudolph and Ryerson, {T. B.} and A. Stohl and C. Stroud and Sueper, {D. T.} and M. Trainer and J. Williams",

year = "2002",

month = jan,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1029/2001JD000896",

language = "English",

volume = "107",

journal = "Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences",

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Frost, GJ, Fried, A, Lee, YN, Wert, B, Henry, B, Drummond, JR, Evans, MJ, Fehsenfeld, FC, Goldan, PD, Holloway, JS, Hübler, G, Jakoubek, R, Jobson, BT, Knapp, K, Kuster, WC, Roberts, J, Rudolph, J, Ryerson, TB, Stohl, A, Stroud, C, Sueper, DT, Trainer, M & Williams, J 2002, 'Comparisons of box model calculations and measurements of formaldehyde from the 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment', Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, vol. 107, no. 13. https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD000896

TY - JOUR

T1 - Comparisons of box model calculations and measurements of formaldehyde from the 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment

AU - Frost, G. J.

AU - Fried, A.

AU - Lee, Y. N.

AU - Wert, B.

AU - Henry, B.

AU - Drummond, J. R.

AU - Evans, M. J.

AU - Fehsenfeld, F. C.

AU - Goldan, P. D.

AU - Holloway, J. S.

AU - Hübler, G.

AU - Jakoubek, R.

AU - Jobson, B. T.

AU - Knapp, K.

AU - Kuster, W. C.

AU - Roberts, J.

AU - Rudolph, J.

AU - Ryerson, T. B.

AU - Stohl, A.

AU - Stroud, C.

AU - Sueper, D. T.

AU - Trainer, M.

AU - Williams, J.

PY - 2002/1/1

Y1 - 2002/1/1

N2 - Formaldehyde (CH2O) measurements from two independent instruments are compared with photochemical box model calculations. The measurements were made on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration P-3 aircraft as part of the 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment (NARE 97). The data set considered here consists of air masses sampled between 0 and 8 km over the North Atlantic Ocean which do not show recent influence from emissions or transport. These air masses therefore should be in photochemical steady state with respect to CH2O when constrained by the other P-3 measurements, and methane oxidation was expected to be the predominant source of CH 2O in these air masses. For this data set both instruments measured identical CH2O concentrations to within 40 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) on average over the 0-800 pptv range, although differences larger than the combined 2σ total uncertainty estimates were observed between the two instruments in 11% of the data. Both instruments produced higher CH 2O concentrations than the model in more than 90% of this data set, with a median measured-modeled [CH2O] difference of 0.13 or 0.18 ppbv (depending on the instrument), or about a factor of 2. Such large differences cannot be accounted for by varying model input parameters within their respective uncertainty ranges. After examining the possible reasons for the model-measurement discrepancy, we conclude that there are probably one or more additional unknown sources of CF2O in the North Atlantic troposphere.

AB - Formaldehyde (CH2O) measurements from two independent instruments are compared with photochemical box model calculations. The measurements were made on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration P-3 aircraft as part of the 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment (NARE 97). The data set considered here consists of air masses sampled between 0 and 8 km over the North Atlantic Ocean which do not show recent influence from emissions or transport. These air masses therefore should be in photochemical steady state with respect to CH2O when constrained by the other P-3 measurements, and methane oxidation was expected to be the predominant source of CH 2O in these air masses. For this data set both instruments measured identical CH2O concentrations to within 40 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) on average over the 0-800 pptv range, although differences larger than the combined 2σ total uncertainty estimates were observed between the two instruments in 11% of the data. Both instruments produced higher CH 2O concentrations than the model in more than 90% of this data set, with a median measured-modeled [CH2O] difference of 0.13 or 0.18 ppbv (depending on the instrument), or about a factor of 2. Such large differences cannot be accounted for by varying model input parameters within their respective uncertainty ranges. After examining the possible reasons for the model-measurement discrepancy, we conclude that there are probably one or more additional unknown sources of CF2O in the North Atlantic troposphere.

KW - Aircraft measurements

KW - Formaldehyde

KW - North atlantic troposphere

KW - Photochemical modeling

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U2 - 10.1029/2001JD000896

DO - 10.1029/2001JD000896

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:32044438886

SN - 2169-8953

VL - 107

JO - Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences

JF - Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences

IS - 13

ER -

Comparisons of box model calculations and measurements of formaldehyde from the 1997 North Atlantic Regional Experiment

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Keywords

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