Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics www.atmos-chem-phys.net 1680-7316 1680-7324 3 2 2003 10.5194/acp-3-417-2003 http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/3/417/2003/ http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/3/417/2003/acp-3-417-2003.html http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/3/417/2003/acp-3-417-2003.pdf 417 436 2003-04-03 Atmospheric measurements of gas-phase HNO₃ and SO₂ using chemical ionization mass spectrometry during the MINATROC field campaign 2000 on Monte Cimone M. Hanke B. Umann J. Uecker F. Arnold H. Bunz Atmospheric Physics Division, Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg, Germany Atmospheric Aerosol Research Department, Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany The EU-project MINATROC (MINeral dust And TROpospheric Chemistry) aims at enabling an estimation of the influence of mineral dust, a major, but to date largely ignored component of tropospheric aerosol, on tropospheric oxidant cycles. Within the scope of this project continuous atmospheric measurements of gas-phase HNO₃ and SO₂ were conducted in June and July 2000 at the CNR WMO station, situated on Monte Cimone (MTC) (44°11' N --10°42' E, 2165 m asl), Italy. African air transporting dust is occasionally advected over the Mediterranean Sea to the site, thus mineral aerosol emitted from Africa will encounter polluted air masses and provide ideal conditions to study their interactions. HNO₃ and SO₂ were measured with an improved CIMS (chemical ionization mass spectrometry) system for ground-based measurements that was developed and built at MPI-K Heidelberg. Since HNO_3  is a very sticky compound special care was paid for the air-sampling and background-measurement system. Complete data sets could be obtained before, during and after major dust intrusions. For the first time these measurements might provide a strong observational indication of efficient uptake of gas-phase HNO₃ by atmospheric mineral-dust aerosol particles.