relevance of O/C as a tracer for aqueous multiphase chemistry
Eleanor M. Waxman (Author), Katja Džepina (Author), Barbara Ervens (Author), Julia Lee-Taylor (Author), Bernard Aumont (Author), Jose L. Jimenez (Author), Sasha Madronich (Author), Rainer Volkamer (Author)

Abstract

The role of aqueous multiphase chemistry in the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) remains difficult to quantify. We investigate it here by testing the rapid formation of moderate oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) SOA during a case study in Mexico City. A novel laboratory-based glyoxal-SOA mechanism is applied to the field data, and explains why less gas-phase glyoxal mass is observed than predicted. Furthermore, we compare an explicit gas-phase chemical mechanism for SOA formation from semi- and intermediate-volatility organic compounds (S/IVOCs) with empirical parameterizations of S/IVOC aging. The mechanism representing our current understanding of chemical kinetics of S/IVOC oxidation combined with traditional SOA sources and mixing of background SOA underestimates the observed O/C by a factor of two at noon. Inclusion of glyoxal-SOA with O/C of 1.5 brings O/C predictions within measurement uncertainty, suggesting that field observations can be reconciled on reasonable time scales using laboratory-based empirical relationships for aqueous chemistry.

Keywords

secondary organic aerosol;glyoxal;aqueous multiphase chemistry;oxygen-to-carbon ratio;single scattering albedo;

Data

Language: English
Year of publishing:
Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization: UNG - University of Nova Gorica
UDC: 54
COBISS: 59044867 Link will open in a new window
ISSN: 0094-8276
Views: 1310
Downloads: 0
Average score: 0 (0 votes)
Metadata: JSON JSON-RDF JSON-LD TURTLE N-TRIPLES XML RDFA MICRODATA DC-XML DC-RDF RDF

Other data

URN: URN:SI:UNG
Pages: str. 978-982
Volume: ǂVol. ǂ40
Issue: ǂiss. ǂ5
Chronology: 2013
DOI: 10.1002/grl.50203
ID: 12757737