Reactive nitrogen oxide fluxes to a mixed hardwood forest

• Measurements of NOx (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide) mixing ratios and fluxes (20 May – 1 September) and NOy mixing ratios and fluxes (9 August – 1 September) were made at a northern mixed hardwood forest located at the University of Michigan Biological Station in northern Michigan, USA (45.5 deg N, 84.7 deg W, elevation 238 m) in 2005. During the 15-week period of NOx measurements, the site received flow from two dominant flow regimes: the north-northwest (ozone 20 – 40 ppbv) and the south-southwest (ozone 40 – 100 ppbv) approximately 26% and 27% of the time, respectively. Typical ambient NOx and NOy levels ranged from 0.5 – 2.4 ppbv and 0.5 to 3 ppbv, respectively. NO and NOy fluxes were found to be strongly diurnal with mid-day maximum downward fluxes of 0.5 – 2 and 1 – 2 μmole per square meter per hour, respectively, and nighttime fluxes at or near zero. In contrast, NO2 fluxes were small and upward during the morning, small and downward during the afternoon, and at or near zero at night. NOx fluxes were found to be essentially zero throughout the day and night. If all of the NOy deposition in this study were in the form of nitric acid, it would increase the available nutrient nitrate input to the forest by 8% over measured wet nitrate deposition.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Meteorologi och atmosfärforskning (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)