Observational constraints on the chemistry of isoprene nitrates over the Eastern United States

An 8% yield of isoprene nitrates degrades agreement with the observations somewhat, but concentrations are still within 50% of observations and thus cannot be ruled out by this study. Our results indicate that complete recycling of NOx from the reactions of isoprene nitrates and slow rates of isoprene nitrate deposition are incompatible with the observations. We find that ∼50% of the isoprene nitrate production in the model occurs via reactions of isoprene (or its oxidation products) with the NO₃ radical, but note that the isoprene nitrate yield from this pathway is highly uncertain.

Using recent estimates of rapid reaction rates with ozone, 20-24% of isoprene nitrates are lost via this pathway, implying that ozonolysis is an important loss process for isoprene nitrates. Isoprene nitrates are shown to have a major impact on the nitrogen oxide (NOx = NO + NO₂) budget in the summertime U.S. continental boundary layer, consuming 15-19% of the emitted NOx, of which 4-6% is recycled back to NOx and the remainder is exported as isoprene nitrates (2-3%) or deposited (8-10%).

Our constraints on reaction rates, branching ratios, and deposition rates need to be confirmed through further laboratory and field measurements. The model systematically underestimates free tropospheric concentrations of organic nitrates, indicating a need for future investigation of the processes controlling the observed distribution.