Mineral dust photochemistry induces nucleation events in the presence of SO2

Ice nucleation on mineral dust

Efficiency of the deposition mode ice nucleation on mineral dust particles O. Möhler, P. R. Field, P. Connolly, S. Benz, H. Saathoff, M. Schnaiter, R. Wagner, R. Cotton, M. Krämer, A. Mangold, and A. J. Heymsfield Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK-AAF), Germany Met Office, OBR (Observations Based Research), UK University of Manchester, School of Ea...

Ice nucleation of ammonia gas exposed montmorillonite mineral dust particles

The ice nucleation characteristics of montmorillonite mineral dust aerosols with and without exposure to ammonia gas were measured at different atmospheric temperatures and relative humidities with a continuous flow diffusion chamber. The montmorillonite particles were exposed to pure (100%) and diluted ammonia gas (25 ppm) at room temperature in a stainless steel chamber. There was no signific...

Mineral dust and NOx promote the conversion of SO2 to sulfate in heavy pollution days

Haze in China has been increasing in frequency of occurrence as well as the area of the affected region. Here, we report on a new mechanism of haze formation, in which coexistence with NOx can reduce the environmental capacity for SO2, leading to rapid conversion of SO2 to sulfate because NO2 and SO2 have a synergistic effect when they react on the surface of mineral dust. Monitoring data from ...

DRIFTS and Knudsen cell study of the heterogeneous reactivity of SO2 and NO2 on mineral dust

The heterogeneous oxidation of SO2 by NO2 on mineral dust was studied using Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and a Knudsen cell. This made it possible to characterise, kinetically, both the formation of sulfate and nitrate as surface products and the gas phase loss of the reactive species. The gas phase loss rate was determined to be first order in both SO2 a...

Wavelength Dependence of Nitrate Photochemistry on Mineral Dust Introduction Mineral dust aerosol in the atmosphere provide reactive surfaces for heterogeneous reactions of nitrogen oxides