Articles | Volume 18, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8293-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8293-2018
Research article
 | 
14 Jun 2018
Research article |  | 14 Jun 2018

Sources and characteristics of summertime organic aerosol in the Colorado Front Range: perspective from measurements and WRF-Chem modeling

Roya Bahreini, Ravan Ahmadov, Stu A. McKeen, Kennedy T. Vu, Justin H. Dingle, Eric C. Apel, Donald R. Blake, Nicola Blake, Teresa L. Campos, Chris Cantrell, Frank Flocke, Alan Fried, Jessica B. Gilman, Alan J. Hills, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Greg Huey, Lisa Kaser, Brian M. Lerner, Roy L. Mauldin, Simone Meinardi, Denise D. Montzka, Dirk Richter, Jason R. Schroeder, Meghan Stell, David Tanner, James Walega, Peter Weibring, and Andrew Weinheimer

Related authors

An evaluation of global organic aerosol schemes using airborne observations
Sidhant J. Pai, Colette L. Heald, Jeffrey R. Pierce, Salvatore C. Farina, Eloise A. Marais, Jose L. Jimenez, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Benjamin A. Nault, Ann M. Middlebrook, Hugh Coe, John E. Shilling, Roya Bahreini, Justin H. Dingle, and Kennedy Vu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 2637–2665, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2637-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2637-2020, 2020
Short summary
Modeling the diurnal variability of agricultural ammonia in Bakersfield, California, during the CalNex campaign
Chantelle R. Lonsdale, Jennifer D. Hegarty, Karen E. Cady-Pereira, Matthew J. Alvarado, Daven K. Henze, Matthew D. Turner, Shannon L. Capps, John B. Nowak, J. Andy Neuman, Ann M. Middlebrook, Roya Bahreini, Jennifer G. Murphy, Milos Z. Markovic, Trevor C. VandenBoer, Lynn M. Russell, and Amy Jo Scarino
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 2721–2739, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2721-2017,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2721-2017, 2017
Short summary
Impacts of the Denver Cyclone on regional air quality and aerosol formation in the Colorado Front Range during FRAPPÉ 2014
Kennedy T. Vu, Justin H. Dingle, Roya Bahreini, Patrick J. Reddy, Eric C. Apel, Teresa L. Campos, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Alan Fried, Scott C. Herndon, Alan J. Hills, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Greg Huey, Lisa Kaser, Denise D. Montzka, John B. Nowak, Sally E. Pusede, Dirk Richter, Joseph R. Roscioli, Glen W. Sachse, Stephen Shertz, Meghan Stell, David Tanner, Geoffrey S. Tyndall, James Walega, Peter Weibring, Andrew J. Weinheimer, Gabriele Pfister, and Frank Flocke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 12039–12058, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12039-2016,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12039-2016, 2016
Short summary
Aerosol optical extinction during the Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Éxperiment (FRAPPÉ) 2014 summertime field campaign, Colorado, USA
Justin H. Dingle, Kennedy Vu, Roya Bahreini, Eric C. Apel, Teresa L. Campos, Frank Flocke, Alan Fried, Scott Herndon, Alan J. Hills, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Greg Huey, Lisa Kaser, Denise D. Montzka, John B. Nowak, Mike Reeves, Dirk Richter, Joseph R. Roscioli, Stephen Shertz, Meghan Stell, David Tanner, Geoff Tyndall, James Walega, Petter Weibring, and Andrew Weinheimer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 11207–11217, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11207-2016,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11207-2016, 2016
Short summary
Biogenic VOC oxidation and organic aerosol formation in an urban nocturnal boundary layer: aircraft vertical profiles in Houston, TX
S. S. Brown, W. P. Dubé, R. Bahreini, A. M. Middlebrook, C. A. Brock, C. Warneke, J. A. de Gouw, R. A. Washenfelder, E. Atlas, J. Peischl, T. B. Ryerson, J. S. Holloway, J. P. Schwarz, R. Spackman, M. Trainer, D. D. Parrish, F. C. Fehshenfeld, and A. R. Ravishankara
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 11317–11337, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11317-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11317-2013, 2013

Related subject area

Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Field Measurements | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
High-resolution analyses of concentrations and sizes of refractory black carbon particles deposited in northwestern Greenland over the past 350 years – Part 2: Seasonal and temporal trends in refractory black carbon originated from fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning
Kumiko Goto-Azuma, Yoshimi Ogawa-Tsukagawa, Kaori Fukuda, Koji Fujita, Motohiro Hirabayashi, Remi Dallmayr, Jun Ogata, Nobuhiro Moteki, Tatsuhiro Mori, Sho Ohata, Yutaka Kondo, Makoto Koike, Sumito Matoba, Moe Kadota, Akane Tsushima, Naoko Nagatsuka, and Teruo Aoki
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 657–683, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-657-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-657-2025, 2025
Short summary
Significant role of biomass burning in heavy haze formation in Nanjing, a megacity in China: molecular-level insights from intensive PM2.5 sampling on winter hazy days
Mingjie Kang, Mengying Bao, Wenhuai Song, Aduburexiati Abulimiti, Changliu Wu, Fang Cao, Sönke Szidat, and Yanlin Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 73–91, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-73-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-73-2025, 2025
Short summary
Widespread trace bromine and iodine in remote tropospheric non-sea-salt aerosols
Gregory P. Schill, Karl D. Froyd, Daniel M. Murphy, Christina J. Williamson, Charles A. Brock, Tomás Sherwen, Mat J. Evans, Eric A. Ray, Eric C. Apel, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Alan J. Hills, Jeff Peischl, Thomas B. Ryerson, Chelsea R. Thompson, Ilann Bourgeois, Donald R. Blake, Joshua P. DiGangi, and Glenn S. Diskin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 45–71, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-45-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-45-2025, 2025
Short summary
Formation and chemical evolution of secondary organic aerosol in two different environments: a dual-chamber study
Andreas Aktypis, Dontavious J. Sippial, Christina N. Vasilakopoulou, Angeliki Matrali, Christos Kaltsonoudis, Andrea Simonati, Marco Paglione, Matteo Rinaldi, Stefano Decesari, and Spyros N. Pandis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13769–13791, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13769-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13769-2024, 2024
Short summary
Technical note: Quantified organic aerosol subsaturated hygroscopicity by a simple optical scatter monitor system through field measurements
Jie Zhang, Tianyu Zhu, Alexandra Catena, Yaowei Li, Margaret J. Schwab, Pengfei Liu, Akua Asa-Awuku, and James Schwab
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13445–13456, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13445-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13445-2024, 2024
Short summary

Cited articles

Abeleira, A., Pollack, I. B., Sive, B., Zhou, Y., Fischer, E. V., and Farmer, D. K.: Source characterization of volatile organic compounds in the Colorado Northern Front Range Metropolitan Area during spring and summer 2015, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 122, 3595–3613, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016jd026227, 2017.
Adgate, J. L., Goldstein, B. D., and McKenzie, L. M.: Potential Public Health Hazards, Exposures and Health Effects from Unconventional Natural Gas Development, Environ. Sci. Technol., 48, 8307–8320, https://doi.org/10.1021/es404621d, 2014.
Ahmadov, R., McKeen, S. A., Robinson, A. L., Bahreini, R., Middlebrook, A. M., de Gouw, J. A., Meagher, J., Hsie, E.-Y., Edgerton, E., Shaw, S., and Trainer, M.: A volatility basis set model for summertime secondary organic aerosols over the eastern United States in 2006, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 117, D06301, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD016831, 2012.
Download
Short summary
We measured organic aerosol (OA) and relevant trace gases during FRAPPÉ in the Colorado Front Range, with the goal of characterizing summertime OA formation. Our results indicate a significant production of secondary OA (SOA) in this region. About 2 μg m−3 of OA was present at background CO levels, suggesting contribution of non-combustion sources to SOA. Contribution of oil- and gas-related activities to anthropogenic SOA was modeled to be ~38 %. Biogenic SOA contributed to >40 % of OA.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint