An Overview of the Uintah Basin Winter Ozone Study Intensives: 2012, 2013, and 2014
Dr. James Roberts, PhD1, Peter M Edwards2, Steven S Brown3, Ravan Ahmadov4, Timothy S Bates5, Joost A de Gouw6, Jessica Gilman7, Martin Graus8, Dr. Detlev Helmig9, Abigail Koss10, Andrew O'Neil Langford11, Barry L Lefer12, Brian M Lerner13, Rui Li14, Shao-Meng Li15, John Liggio16, Stuart A McKeen17, Robert McLaren18, David D Parrish19, Patricia Quinn20, Christoph J Senff19, Jochen Stutz21, Chelsea R Thompson22, Jui Yi Tsai21, Patrick R Veres23, Rebecca A Washenfelder24, Carsten Warneke14, Robert J Wild25, Cora Young26 and Bin Yuan27, (1)NOAA ESRL, Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO, United States, (2)CIRES, Boulder, CO, United States, (3)NOAA, Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO, United States, (4)University of Colorado at Boulder, CIRES, Boulder, CO, United States, (5)University of Washington, CICOES, Seattle, United States, (6)University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Chemistry, Boulder, United States, (7)NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, United States, (8)Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder, CO, United States, (9)University of Colorado at Boulder, INSTAAR, Boulder, CO, United States, (10)University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States, (11)NOAA ESRL, Boulder, CO, United States, (12)NASA HQ, Washington DC, United States, (13)Aerodyne Research, Inc., Billerica, MA, United States, (14)NOAA Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States, (15)Environment and Climate Change Canada, Air Quality Research Division, Toronto, ON, Canada, (16)Air Quality Research Division, Toronto, ON, Canada, (17)NOAA ESRL/CSL and CU Boulder/CIRES, Boulder, CO, United States, (18)York University, Toronto, ON, Canada, (19)NOAA, Boulder, CO, United States, (20)NOAA PMEL, Seattle, United States, (21)University of California Los Angeles, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Los Angeles, CA, United States, (22)Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research, Boulder, United States, (23)NOAA Boulder, Boulder, United States, (24)NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO, United States, (25)Colorado University/NOAA/ESRL, Boulder, CO, United States, (26)York University, Department of Chemistry, Toronto, ON, Canada, (27)NOAA Boulder, Guangzhou, China
Abstract:
Ground level ozone frequently exceeds the National Ambient Air Quality Standard in the Uintah Basin in northeastern Utah during the winter season. The basin is home to some of the most intensive oil and gas production in the region, activities that have been accelerated by new technologies in that industry. High ozone episodes are coincident with the presence of snow and “cold pool” conditions during which a stable shallow boundary layer persists for periods of up to 10 days. Local emissions of NOx and VOCs build up within this layer, but the sources of radicals that initiate the photochemistry have been unclear since low photolysis rates and water vapor make the traditional channel, ozone photolysis, quite inefficient. Intensive studies over the past 3 winter seasons have shown that unconventional radical sources; primarily carbonyls, and to a lesser extent nitryl chloride and nitrous acid, are responsible for radical production in this environment. The role of snow cover is to restrict vertical mixing, enhance photolysis rates through increased albedo, and reduce ozone deposition. The uptake and production of photo-labile species on the snow surface were observed, but appear to have only minor influences on the ozone photochemistry.
