Regional variations in sulfate and nitrate on annual, seasonal, and synoptic time scales

Ambient data from Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) monitors are analyzed to evaluate the spatial structure of SO4 and NO3 aerosols in the mid-Atlantic region. Sub-weekly, seasonal, and annual data values are compared between the IMPROVE Washington, DC, site and three rural sites. Synoptic perturbations are compared between sites to quantify similarities in short-term temporal perturbations of SO4 and NO3. Based on these comparisons between the rural and urban IMPROVE monitors, the spatial structure of SO4 shows broad regional homogeneity that is recognizable from both the long-term average values and the short-term variations. NO3 data on a seasonal and annual basis show much larger spatial gradients between the urban Washington monitor and the three rural monitors than do SO4 data. Short-term NO3 perturbations at the three rural monitors also differ significantly from those at the Washington site. These dissimilarities in NO3 levels between the rural and urban IMPROVE monitors on both short-term and longer-term time scales indicate little homogeneity of NO3 aerosols in the mid-Atlantic region considered here. The volatility of NO3 aerosols and the removal rate of HNO3 via dry deposition could contribute to the spatial variability differences shown here between SO4 and NO3.