Field measurements of hydrogen sulphide oxidation

The rate of production of SO 2 from H 2S was measured in a series of experiments in a broad, ground-level plume from geothermal vents in New Zealand. The mean rate constant for the reaction was 3.5 ± 1.3 × 10 −3 min −1 which produced a mean lifetime for H 2S oxidation of 500 ± 240 min. It is likely that the major oxidant of H 2S in the atmosphere is the OH radical, but it is also necessary to consider additional unknown mechanisms to fully explain the results.