Formation of reactive nitrogen oxides from urban grime photochemistry

Abstract

Impervious surfaces are ubiquitous in urban environments and constitute a substrate onto which atmospheric constituents can deposit and undergo photochemical and oxidative processing, giving rise to “urban grime” films. HNO₃ and N₂O₅ are important sinks for NO_x in the lower atmosphere and may be deposited onto these films, forming nitrate through surface hydrolysis. Although such deposition has been considered as a net loss of NO_x from the atmosphere, there is increasing evidence that surface-associated nitrate undergoes further reaction. Here, we examine the gas phase products of the photochemistry of real, field-collected urban grime using incoherent broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (IBBCEAS). Gas phase nitrogen oxides are emitted upon illumination of grime samples and their production increases with ambient relative humidity (RH) up to 35 % after which the production becomes independent of RH. These results are discussed in the context of water uptake onto and evaporation from grime films.