The atmospheric transport of fixed nitrogen (N) is a critical component of the global N cycle. It has been shown that organic N is an important contributor to atmospheric N, but its sources and composition are largely unknown. In an effort to better understand the sources of organic nitrogen we analyzed aerosol and precipitation samples collected in Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Teton National Park, fresh smoke collected from the burning of various biomass fuels, and cloud water collected during the agricultural waste burning season that occurs in the eastern plains of China. The samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS), complemented by a range of other measurements. High resolution mass spectrometry allowed unambiguous determination of the elemental formula of the detected species. LC/MS analysis indicates that nitro-compounds are the most abundant N-containing organic species found in the aerosol and precipitation samples collected in the national parks. Compounds with reduced nitrogen were abundant in fresh biomass burning samples.

Organic nitrogen speciation in aerosols, precipitation, and cloudwater

244th National Meeting (2012)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.