Nitrogen dioxide, tropospheric lifetime

The nitrate radical (NO3) is formed in the atmosphere primarily by the reaction of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with ozone (O3). At the outset of this project the potential importance of the role of NO3 as an oxidant in the troposphere had just been recognised. In order to assess the latter accurate physico-chemical models, describing the behaviour of NO3 in the troposphere, are needed. These require a detailed understanding of the elementary photochemical or chemical reactions and physical processes such as deposition or transport, which determine the tropospheric lifetime of NO3. 

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