Global Impact of Lightning‐Produced Oxidants
Jingqiu Mao, Tianlang Zhao, Christoph A. Keller, Xuan Wang, Patrick J. McFarland, Jena M. Jenkins, W. H. Brune
Abstract
Abstract Lightning plays a major role in tropospheric oxidation, and its role on modulating tropospheric chemistry was thought to be emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO x ). Recent field and laboratory measurements demonstrate that lightning generates extremely large amounts of oxidants, including hydrogen oxides (HO x ) and O 3 . Here, we implement these lightning‐produced oxidants in a global chemical transport model to examine its global impact on tropospheric composition. We find that lightning‐produced oxidants can increase global mass weighted OH by 0.3%–10% and affect CO, O 3 , and reactive nitrogen substantially, depending on the emission strength of oxidants from lightning. Our work highlights the importance and uncertainties of lightning‐produced oxidants, as well as the need for rethinking the role of lightning in tropospheric oxidation chemistry.