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Acidity-driven gas-particle partitioning of nitrate regulates its transport to Arctic through the industrial era

Author

Listed:
  • Yoshinori Iizuka

    (Hokkaido University)

  • Mai Matsumoto

    (Hokkaido University)

  • Kaoru Kawakami

    (Hokkaido University)

  • Mahiro Sasage

    (Hokkaido University)

  • Sakiko Ishino

    (Kanazawa University)

  • Shohei Hattori

    (Nanjing University
    Nanjing University)

  • Ryu Uemura

    (Nagoya University)

  • Hitoshi Matsui

    (Nagoya University)

  • Koji Fujita

    (Nagoya University)

  • Naga Oshima

    (Meteorological Research Institute)

  • Andrea Spolaor

    (National Research Council of Italy (ISP-CNR))

  • Anders Svensson

    (Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen)

  • Bo Møllesøe Vinther

    (Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen)

  • Hiroshi Ohno

    (Kitami Institute of Technology)

  • Osamu Seki

    (Hokkaido University)

  • Sumito Matoba

    (Hokkaido University)

Abstract

Anthropogenic NOx emissions have altered the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle since the Industrial Revolution, yet Arctic ice core nitrate (NO3−) records are inconsistent with post-1970s NOx emission reductions. Here we show a NO3− deposition history covering 1800–2020 using an ice core from the southeastern Greenland dome with high snow accumulation. The ice core NO3− concentrations are particularly disconnected from NOx source regions during the peak pollution period and post-1990s. A global chemical transport model reproduced these discordances between total NO3− and NOx emissions by altering gaseous HNO3 and particulate NO3− (p-NO3−) ratios and subsequently NO3− lifetime. This result and correlations with acidity parameters recorded in the ice core, suggest that acidity-driven gas-particle partitioning of NO3− regulates its transport to Arctic regions alongside changes in NOx emissions. In the future, despite NOx reductions, the increase in proportion of p-NO3− with longer atmospheric lifetime becomes crucial to control the Arctic NO3− burden.

Suggested Citation

  • Yoshinori Iizuka & Mai Matsumoto & Kaoru Kawakami & Mahiro Sasage & Sakiko Ishino & Shohei Hattori & Ryu Uemura & Hitoshi Matsui & Koji Fujita & Naga Oshima & Andrea Spolaor & Anders Svensson & Bo Møl, 2025. "Acidity-driven gas-particle partitioning of nitrate regulates its transport to Arctic through the industrial era," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59208-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59208-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pete D. Akers & Joël Savarino & Nicolas Caillon & Aymeric P. M. Servettaz & Emmanuel Meur & Olivier Magand & Jean Martins & Cécile Agosta & Peter Crockford & Kanon Kobayashi & Shohei Hattori & Mark Cu, 2022. "Sunlight-driven nitrate loss records Antarctic surface mass balance," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Sabine Eckhardt & Ignacio Pisso & Nikolaos Evangeliou & Christine Groot Zwaaftink & Andreas Plach & Joseph R. McConnell & Michael Sigl & Meri Ruppel & Christian Zdanowicz & Saehee Lim & Nathan Chellma, 2023. "Revised historical Northern Hemisphere black carbon emissions based on inverse modeling of ice core records," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. Cheng Gong & Hanqin Tian & Hong Liao & Naiqing Pan & Shufen Pan & Akihiko Ito & Atul K. Jain & Sian Kou-Giesbrecht & Fortunat Joos & Qing Sun & Hao Shi & Nicolas Vuichard & Qing Zhu & Changhui Peng & , 2024. "Global net climate effects of anthropogenic reactive nitrogen," Nature, Nature, vol. 632(8025), pages 557-563, August.
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