Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Peer-reviewed

Unveiling the underestimated direct emissions of nitrous acid (HONO)

Qian Zhang, Pengfei Liu, Yan Wang, C. George, Tianshu Chen, Shuyi Ma, Yangang Ren, Yujing Mu, Min Song, Hartmut Herrmann, Abdelwahid Mellouki, Jianmin Chen, Yang Yue, Xiaoxi Zhao, Shuguang Wang, Yang Zeng

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2023

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Summary

Gaseous nitrous acid (HONO) is a critical source of hydroxyl radicals (OH) in the troposphere. While both direct and secondary sources contribute to atmospheric HONO, direct emissions have traditionally been considered minor contributors. In this study, we developed δ<sup>15</sup>N and δ<sup>18</sup>O isotopic fingerprints to identify six direct HONO emission sources and conducted a 1-y case study on the isotopic composition of atmospheric HONO at rural and urban sites. Interestingly, we identified that livestock farming is a previously overlooked direct source of HONO and determined its HONO to ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) emission ratio. Additionally, our results revealed that spatial and temporal variations in atmospheric HONO isotopic composition can be partially attributed to direct emiss

Source type
Peer-reviewed study
DOI
10.1073/pnas.2302048120
Catalogue ID
SNmoht1xk5-8u8cka
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