Work

A simplified description of the evolution of organic aerosol composition in the atmosphere

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: Organic aerosol (OA) in the atmosphere consists of a multitude of organic species which are either directly emitted or the products of a variety of chemical reactions. This complexity challenges our ability to explicitly characterize the chemical composition of these particles. We find that the bulk composition of OA from a variety of environments (laboratory and field) occupies a narrow range in the space of a Van Krevelen diagram (H:C versus O:C), characterized by a slope of ∼−1. The data show that atmospheric aging, involving processes such as volatilization, oxidation, mixing of air masses or condensation of further products, is consistent with movement along this line, producing a more oxidized aerosol. This finding has implications for our understanding of the evolution of atmospheric OA and representation of these processes in models.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1029/2010gl042737

Authors: C. L. Heald, J. H. Kroll, J. L. Jimenez, K. S. Docherty, P. F. DeCarlo, A. C. Aiken, Q. Chen, S. T. Martin, D. K. Farmer, P. Artaxo

Institutions: Colorado State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado System, Paul Scherrer Institute, ETH Zurich, Harvard University, Universidade de São Paulo

Language: English

Topic: Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols

Subfield: Atmospheric Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

OpenAlex ID: W1634791384

FWCI: 19.43

Cites: 53

Cited by: 553

Related to: 9