Regional and intercontinental pollution signatures on modeled and measured PAN at northern mid-latitude mountain sites

Peroxy acetyl nitrate (PAN) is the most important reservoir species for nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the remote troposphere. Upon decomposition in remote regions, PAN promotes efficient ozone production. We evaluate monthly mean PAN abundances from global chemical transport model simulations (HTAP1) for 2001 with measurements from five northern mid-latitude mountain sites (four European and one North American). The multi-model mean generally captures the observed monthly mean PAN but individual models simulate a factor of ~ 4–8 range in monthly abundances. We quantify PAN source-receptor relationships at the measurement sites with sensitivity simulations that decrease regional anthropogenic emissions of PAN (and ozone) precursors by 20 % from North America (NA), Europe (EU), and East Asia (EA). The HTAP1 models attribute more of the observed PAN at Jungfraujoch (Switzerland) to emissions in NA and EA, and less to EU, than a prior trajectory-based estimate. The trajectory-based and modeling approaches agree that EU emissions play a role in the observed springtime PAN maximum at Jungfraujoch. The signal from anthropogenic emissions on PAN is strongest at Jungfraujoch and Mount Bachelor (Oregon, U.S.A.) during April. In this month, PAN source-receptor relationships correlate both with model differences in regional anthropogenic volatile organic compound (AVOC) emissions and with ozone source-receptor relationships. PAN observations at mountaintop sites can thus provide key information for evaluating models, including links between PAN and ozone production and source-receptor relationships. Establishing routine, long-term, mountaintop measurements is essential given the large observed interannual variability in PAN