MODELING THE ROLE OF NITROGEN-OXIDES, HYDROCARBONS AND CARBON-MONOXIDE IN THE GLOBAL FORMATION OF TROPOSPHERIC OXIDANTS

A new zonally averaged two-dimensional chemical and transport model of the lower atmosphere has been used to study the budgets of photochemical oxidants on a global scale in the troposphere. The sensitivities of these budgets to controls on the emissions of NO(x), CO and hydrocarbons from a variety of sources have also been considered. The species studied include O3, PAN, H2O2 and organic peroxides, as well as the global budget of the hydroxyl radical. The results show the relative impacts of emissions from natural and from man-made sources. Overall, some 75% of the turnover of tropospheric ozone results from in situ chemical production, with only 25% having its origins in the stratosphere. The respective fractions for chemical loss and dry deposition are similar. Of the ozone formed in situ, approximately one-third is formed from natural emissions, and two-thirds from man-made emissions. Over half of this man-made contribution is due to industrial society, with much of the rest being caused by biomass burning and methane emitted from paddy fields. Although reducing emissions of NO(x) is the most effective way of controlling tropospheric O3, this also increases the inventories of peroxides and the rate of increase in the concentration of methane, due to a reduction in the inventory of the OH radical. It is, therefore, necessary to control the emissions of a wide range of species in order to reduce the budget of all photochemical oxidants without adversely perturbing the budget of CH4.