Articles | Volume 22, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14971-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14971-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
24 Nov 2022
Research article |
| 24 Nov 2022
| 24 Nov 2022
Chromophores and chemical composition of brown carbon characterized at an urban kerbside by excitation–emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry
Feng Jiang
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Institute of Applied Geosciences, Working Group for Environmental
Mineralogy and Environmental System Analysis, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Junwei Song
Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Institute of Applied Geosciences, Working Group for Environmental
Mineralogy and Environmental System Analysis, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Jonas Bauer
Institute of Applied Geosciences, Working Group for Environmental
Mineralogy and Environmental System Analysis, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Linyu Gao
Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Institute of Applied Geosciences, Working Group for Environmental
Mineralogy and Environmental System Analysis, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Magdalena Vallon
Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Reiner Gebhardt
Institute of Geography and Geoecology, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, Reinhard-Baumeister-Platz 1, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Thomas Leisner
Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Institute of Environmental Physics, Heidelberg University, 69120
Heidelberg, Germany
Stefan Norra
Institute of Applied Geosciences, Working Group for Environmental
Mineralogy and Environmental System Analysis, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Institute of Environmental Sciences and Geography, Chair of Soil
Science and Geoecology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24/25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Related authors
Feng Jiang, Harald Saathoff, Uzoamaka Ezenobi, Junwei Song, Hengheng Zhang, Linyu Gao, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1917–1930, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1917-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1917-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The chemical composition of brown carbon in the particle and gas phase was determined by mass spectrometry. BrC in the gas phase was mainly controlled by secondary formation and particle-to-gas partitioning. BrC in the particle phase was mainly from secondary formation. This work helps to get a better understanding of diurnal variations and the sources of brown carbon aerosol at a rural location in central Europe.
Junwei Song, Harald Saathoff, Feng Jiang, Linyu Gao, Hengheng Zhang, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6699–6717, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6699-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6699-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents concurrent online measurements of organic gas and particles (VOCs and OA) at a forested site in summer. Both VOCs and OA were largely contributed by oxygenated organic compounds. Semi-volatile oxygenated OA and organic nitrate formed from monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes contributed significantly to nighttime particle growth. The results help us to understand the causes of nighttime particle growth regularly observed in summer in central European rural forested environments.
Feng Jiang, Kyla Siemens, Claudia Linke, Yanxia Li, Yiwei Gong, Thomas Leisner, Alexander Laskin, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2639–2649, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2639-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2639-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated the optical properties, chemical composition, and formation mechanisms of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and brown carbon (BrC) from the oxidation of indole with and without NO2 in the Aerosol Interaction and Dynamics in the Atmosphere (AIDA) simulation chamber. This work is one of the very few to link the optical properties and chemical composition of indole SOA with and without NO2 by simulation chamber experiments.
Wei Huang, Cheng Wu, Linyu Gao, Yvette Gramlich, Sophie L. Haslett, Joel Thornton, Felipe D. Lopez-Hilfiker, Ben H. Lee, Junwei Song, Harald Saathoff, Xiaoli Shen, Ramakrishna Ramisetty, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Dilip Ganguly, Feng Jiang, Magdalena Vallon, Siegfried Schobesberger, Taina Yli-Juuti, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2607–2624, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2607-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2607-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present distinct molecular composition and volatility of oxygenated organic aerosol particles in different rural, urban, and mountain environments. We do a comprehensive investigation of the relationship between the chemical composition and volatility of oxygenated organic aerosol particles across different systems and environments. This study provides implications for volatility descriptions of oxygenated organic aerosol particles in different model frameworks.
Yiwei Gong, Feng Jiang, Yanxia Li, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 167–184, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-167-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-167-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the role of the important atmospheric reactive intermediates in the formation of dimers and aerosol in monoterpene ozonolysis at different temperatures. Through conducting a series of chamber experiments and utilizing chemical kinetic and aerosol dynamic models, the SOA formation processes are better described, especially for colder regions. The results can be used to improve the chemical mechanism modeling of monoterpenes and SOA parameterization in transport models.
Linyu Gao, Junwei Song, Claudia Mohr, Wei Huang, Magdalena Vallon, Feng Jiang, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 6001–6020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6001-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6001-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We study secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from β-caryophyllene (BCP) ozonolysis with and without nitrogen oxides over 213–313 K in the simulation chamber. The yields and the rate constants were determined at 243–313 K. Chemical compositions varied at different temperatures, indicating a strong impact on the BCP ozonolysis pathways. This work helps to better understand the SOA from BCP ozonolysis for conditions representative of the real atmosphere from the boundary layer to the upper troposphere.
Magdalena Vallon, Linyu Gao, Feng Jiang, Bianca Krumm, Jens Nadolny, Junwei Song, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 1795–1810, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1795-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1795-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A LED-based light source has been constructed for the AIDA simulation chamber at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. It allows aerosol formation and ageing studies under atmospherically relevant illumination intensities and spectral characteristics at temperatures from –90 °C to 30 °C with the possibility of changing the photon flux and irradiation spectrum at any point. The first results of photolysis experiments with 2,3-pentanedione, iron oxalate and a brown carbon component are shown.
Alexander Julian Böhmländer, Larissa Lacher, Kristina Höhler, David Brus, Konstantinos-Matthaios Doulgeris, Jessica Girdwood, Thomas Leisner, and Ottmar Möhler
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-87, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-87, 2025
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
Clouds play a key role in weather and climate. Pure liquid water droplets are liquid until about -35 °C without the presence of a small subset of aerosols, ice-nucleating particles (INPs). These INPs lead to primary ice formation and therefore impact the phase of clouds. The dataset described herein provides INP concentration measurements at two altitudes. Connecting this data to synoptic conditions and ambient data might provide a better understanding of INPs in Finnish Lapland.
Feng Jiang, Harald Saathoff, Uzoamaka Ezenobi, Junwei Song, Hengheng Zhang, Linyu Gao, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1917–1930, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1917-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1917-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The chemical composition of brown carbon in the particle and gas phase was determined by mass spectrometry. BrC in the gas phase was mainly controlled by secondary formation and particle-to-gas partitioning. BrC in the particle phase was mainly from secondary formation. This work helps to get a better understanding of diurnal variations and the sources of brown carbon aerosol at a rural location in central Europe.
Farhan R. Nursanto, Douglas A. Day, Roy Meinen, Rupert Holzinger, Harald Saathoff, Jinglan Fu, Jan Mulder, Ulrike Dusek, and Juliane L. Fry
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-191, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-191, 2025
Preprint under review for AMT
Short summary
Short summary
It is of increasing importance to monitor nitrate pollution that can harm ecosystems. However, commonly used aerosol monitoring equipment cannot distinguish inorganic from organic forms of nitrate, which may have different consequences for the environment. We describe a method to differentiate types of nitrates that can be applied to ambient monitoring to improve understanding of its formation and impact.
Junwei Song, Georgios I. Gkatzelis, Ralf Tillmann, Nicolas Brüggemann, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13199–13217, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13199-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13199-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) and organic aerosol (OA) particles were measured online in a stressed spruce-dominated forest. OA was mainly attributed to the monoterpene oxidation products. The mixing ratios of BVOCs were higher than the values previously measured in other temperate forests. The results demonstrate that BVOCs are influenced not only by meteorology and biogenic emissions but also by local anthropogenic emissions and subsequent chemical transformation processes.
Xiaoli Shen, David M. Bell, Hugh Coe, Naruki Hiranuma, Fabian Mahrt, Nicholas A. Marsden, Claudia Mohr, Daniel M. Murphy, Harald Saathoff, Johannes Schneider, Jacqueline Wilson, Maria A. Zawadowicz, Alla Zelenyuk, Paul J. DeMott, Ottmar Möhler, and Daniel J. Cziczo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10869–10891, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10869-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10869-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Single-particle mass spectrometry (SPMS) is commonly used to measure the chemical composition and mixing state of aerosol particles. Intercomparison of SPMS instruments was conducted. All instruments reported similar size ranges and common spectral features. The instrument-specific detection efficiency was found to be more dependent on particle size than type. All differentiated secondary organic aerosol, soot, and soil dust but had difficulties differentiating among minerals and dusts.
Hengheng Zhang, Wei Huang, Xiaoli Shen, Ramakrishna Ramisetty, Junwei Song, Olga Kiseleva, Christopher Claus Holst, Basit Khan, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10617–10637, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10617-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10617-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study unravels how stagnant winter conditions elevate aerosol levels in Stuttgart. Cloud cover at night plays a pivotal role, impacting morning air quality. Validating a key model, our findings aid accurate air quality predictions, crucial for effective pollution mitigation in urban areas.
Alexander Julian Böhmländer, Larissa Lacher, David Brus, Konstantinos-Matthaios Doulgeris, Zoé Brasseur, Matthew Boyer, Joel Kuula, Thomas Leisner, and Ottmar Möhler
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-120, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-120, 2024
Preprint under review for AMT
Short summary
Short summary
Clouds and aerosol are important for weather and climate. Typically, pure water cloud droplets stay liquid until around -35 °C, unless they come into contact with ice-nucleating particles (INPs). INPs are a rare subset of aerosol particles. Using uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), it is possible to collect aerosol particles and analyse them on their ice-nucleating ability. This study describes the test and validation of a sampling setup that can be used to collect aerosol particles onto a filter.
Junwei Song, Harald Saathoff, Feng Jiang, Linyu Gao, Hengheng Zhang, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6699–6717, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6699-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6699-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents concurrent online measurements of organic gas and particles (VOCs and OA) at a forested site in summer. Both VOCs and OA were largely contributed by oxygenated organic compounds. Semi-volatile oxygenated OA and organic nitrate formed from monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes contributed significantly to nighttime particle growth. The results help us to understand the causes of nighttime particle growth regularly observed in summer in central European rural forested environments.
Hengheng Zhang, Christian Rolf, Ralf Tillmann, Christian Wesolek, Frank Gunther Wienhold, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Aerosol Research, 2, 135–151, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-135-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-135-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study employs advanced tools, including scanning lidar, balloons, and UAVs, to explore aerosol particles in the atmosphere. The scanning lidar offers distinctive near-ground-level insights, enriching our comprehension of aerosol distribution from ground level to the free troposphere. This research provides valuable data for comparing remote sensing and in situ aerosol measurements, advancing our understanding of aerosol impacts on radiative transfer, clouds, and air quality.
Johanna S. Seidel, Alexei A. Kiselev, Alice Keinert, Frank Stratmann, Thomas Leisner, and Susan Hartmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5247–5263, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5247-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5247-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Clouds often contain several thousand times more ice crystals than aerosol particles catalyzing ice formation. This phenomenon, commonly known as ice multiplication, is often explained by secondary ice formation due to the collisions between falling ice particles and droplets. In this study, we mimic this riming process. Contrary to earlier experiments, we found no efficient ice multiplication, which fundamentally questions the importance of the rime-splintering mechanism.
Feng Jiang, Kyla Siemens, Claudia Linke, Yanxia Li, Yiwei Gong, Thomas Leisner, Alexander Laskin, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2639–2649, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2639-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2639-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated the optical properties, chemical composition, and formation mechanisms of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and brown carbon (BrC) from the oxidation of indole with and without NO2 in the Aerosol Interaction and Dynamics in the Atmosphere (AIDA) simulation chamber. This work is one of the very few to link the optical properties and chemical composition of indole SOA with and without NO2 by simulation chamber experiments.
Wei Huang, Cheng Wu, Linyu Gao, Yvette Gramlich, Sophie L. Haslett, Joel Thornton, Felipe D. Lopez-Hilfiker, Ben H. Lee, Junwei Song, Harald Saathoff, Xiaoli Shen, Ramakrishna Ramisetty, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Dilip Ganguly, Feng Jiang, Magdalena Vallon, Siegfried Schobesberger, Taina Yli-Juuti, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2607–2624, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2607-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2607-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present distinct molecular composition and volatility of oxygenated organic aerosol particles in different rural, urban, and mountain environments. We do a comprehensive investigation of the relationship between the chemical composition and volatility of oxygenated organic aerosol particles across different systems and environments. This study provides implications for volatility descriptions of oxygenated organic aerosol particles in different model frameworks.
Yiwei Gong, Feng Jiang, Yanxia Li, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 167–184, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-167-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-167-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the role of the important atmospheric reactive intermediates in the formation of dimers and aerosol in monoterpene ozonolysis at different temperatures. Through conducting a series of chamber experiments and utilizing chemical kinetic and aerosol dynamic models, the SOA formation processes are better described, especially for colder regions. The results can be used to improve the chemical mechanism modeling of monoterpenes and SOA parameterization in transport models.
Mohit Singh, Stephanie Helen Jones, Alexei Kiselev, Denis Duft, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5205–5215, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5205-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5205-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We introduce a novel method for simultaneous measurement of the viscosity and surface tension of metastable liquids. Our approach is based on the phase analysis of excited shape oscillations in levitated droplets. It is applicable to a wide range of atmospheric conditions and can monitor changes in real time. The technique holds great promise for investigating the effect of atmospheric processing on the viscosity and surface tension of solution droplets in equilibrium with water vapour.
Robert Wagner, Alexander D. James, Victoria L. Frankland, Ottmar Möhler, Benjamin J. Murray, John M. C. Plane, Harald Saathoff, Ralf Weigel, and Martin Schnaiter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6789–6811, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6789-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6789-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) play an important role in the depletion of stratospheric ozone. They can consist of different chemical species, including crystalline nitric acid hydrates. We found that mineral dust or meteoric ablation material can efficiently catalyse the formation of a specific phase of nitric acid dihydrate crystals. We determined predominant particle shapes and infrared optical properties of these crystals, which are important inputs for remote sensing detection of PSCs.
Kara D. Lamb, Jerry Y. Harrington, Benjamin W. Clouser, Elisabeth J. Moyer, Laszlo Sarkozy, Volker Ebert, Ottmar Möhler, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6043–6064, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6043-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6043-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates how ice grows directly from vapor in cirrus clouds by comparing observations of populations of ice crystals growing in a cloud chamber against models developed in the context of single-crystal laboratory studies. We demonstrate that previous discrepancies between different experimental measurements do not necessarily point to different physical interpretations but are rather due to assumptions that were made in terms of how experiments were modeled in previous studies.
Fritz Waitz, Martin Schnaiter, Thomas Leisner, and Emma Järvinen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 7087–7103, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7087-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7087-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Riming, i.e., the accretion of small droplets on the surface of ice particles via collision, is one of the major uncertainties in model prediction of mixed-phase clouds. We discuss the occurrence (up to 50% of particles) and aging of rimed ice particles and show correlations of the occurrence and the degree of riming with ambient meteorological parameters using data gathered by the Particle Habit Imaging and Polar Scattering (PHIPS) probe during three airborne in situ field campaigns.
Linyu Gao, Junwei Song, Claudia Mohr, Wei Huang, Magdalena Vallon, Feng Jiang, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 6001–6020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6001-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6001-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We study secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from β-caryophyllene (BCP) ozonolysis with and without nitrogen oxides over 213–313 K in the simulation chamber. The yields and the rate constants were determined at 243–313 K. Chemical compositions varied at different temperatures, indicating a strong impact on the BCP ozonolysis pathways. This work helps to better understand the SOA from BCP ozonolysis for conditions representative of the real atmosphere from the boundary layer to the upper troposphere.
Magdalena Vallon, Linyu Gao, Feng Jiang, Bianca Krumm, Jens Nadolny, Junwei Song, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 1795–1810, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1795-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1795-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A LED-based light source has been constructed for the AIDA simulation chamber at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. It allows aerosol formation and ageing studies under atmospherically relevant illumination intensities and spectral characteristics at temperatures from –90 °C to 30 °C with the possibility of changing the photon flux and irradiation spectrum at any point. The first results of photolysis experiments with 2,3-pentanedione, iron oxalate and a brown carbon component are shown.
Lucía Caudillo, Birte Rörup, Martin Heinritzi, Guillaume Marie, Mario Simon, Andrea C. Wagner, Tatjana Müller, Manuel Granzin, Antonio Amorim, Farnoush Ataei, Rima Baalbaki, Barbara Bertozzi, Zoé Brasseur, Randall Chiu, Biwu Chu, Lubna Dada, Jonathan Duplissy, Henning Finkenzeller, Loïc Gonzalez Carracedo, Xu-Cheng He, Victoria Hofbauer, Weimeng Kong, Houssni Lamkaddam, Chuan P. Lee, Brandon Lopez, Naser G. A. Mahfouz, Vladimir Makhmutov, Hanna E. Manninen, Ruby Marten, Dario Massabò, Roy L. Mauldin, Bernhard Mentler, Ugo Molteni, Antti Onnela, Joschka Pfeifer, Maxim Philippov, Ana A. Piedehierro, Meredith Schervish, Wiebke Scholz, Benjamin Schulze, Jiali Shen, Dominik Stolzenburg, Yuri Stozhkov, Mihnea Surdu, Christian Tauber, Yee Jun Tham, Ping Tian, António Tomé, Steffen Vogt, Mingyi Wang, Dongyu S. Wang, Stefan K. Weber, André Welti, Wang Yonghong, Wu Yusheng, Marcel Zauner-Wieczorek, Urs Baltensperger, Imad El Haddad, Richard C. Flagan, Armin Hansel, Kristina Höhler, Jasper Kirkby, Markku Kulmala, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Ottmar Möhler, Harald Saathoff, Rainer Volkamer, Paul M. Winkler, Neil M. Donahue, Andreas Kürten, and Joachim Curtius
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17099–17114, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17099-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17099-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We performed experiments in the CLOUD chamber at CERN at low temperatures to simulate new particle formation in the upper free troposphere (at −30 ºC and −50 ºC). We measured the particle and gas phase and found that most of the compounds present in the gas phase are detected as well in the particle phase. The major compounds in the particles are C8–10 and C18–20. Specifically, we showed that C5 and C15 compounds are detected in a mixed system with isoprene and α-pinene at −30 ºC, 20 % RH.
Larissa Lacher, Hans-Christian Clemen, Xiaoli Shen, Stephan Mertes, Martin Gysel-Beer, Alireza Moallemi, Martin Steinbacher, Stephan Henne, Harald Saathoff, Ottmar Möhler, Kristina Höhler, Thea Schiebel, Daniel Weber, Jann Schrod, Johannes Schneider, and Zamin A. Kanji
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16925–16953, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16925-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16925-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate ice-nucleating particle properties at Jungfraujoch during the 2017 joint INUIT/CLACE field campaign, to improve the knowledge about those rare particles in a cloud-relevant environment. By quantifying ice-nucleating particles in parallel to single-particle mass spectrometry measurements, we find that mineral dust and aged sea spray particles are potential candidates for ice-nucleating particles. Our findings are supported by ice residual analysis and source region modeling.
Ulrich Platt, Thomas Wagner, Jonas Kuhn, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6867–6883, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6867-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6867-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Absorption spectroscopy of scattered sunlight is extremely useful for the analysis of atmospheric trace gas distributions. A central parameter for the achievable sensitivity of spectroscopic instruments is the light throughput, which can be enhanced in a number of ways. We present new ideas and considerations of how instruments could be optimized. Particular emphasis is on arrays of massively parallel instruments. Such arrays can reduce the size and weight of instruments by orders of magnitude.
Julia Schneider, Kristina Höhler, Robert Wagner, Harald Saathoff, Martin Schnaiter, Tobias Schorr, Isabelle Steinke, Stefan Benz, Manuel Baumgartner, Christian Rolf, Martina Krämer, Thomas Leisner, and Ottmar Möhler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14403–14425, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14403-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14403-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Homogeneous freezing is a relevant mechanism for the formation of cirrus clouds in the upper troposphere. Based on an extensive set of homogeneous freezing experiments at the AIDA chamber with aqueous sulfuric acid aerosol, we provide a new fit line for homogeneous freezing onset conditions of sulfuric acid aerosol focusing on cirrus temperatures. In the atmosphere, homogeneous freezing thresholds have important implications on the cirrus cloud occurrence and related cloud radiative effects.
Naruki Hiranuma, Brent W. Auvermann, Franco Belosi, Jack Bush, Kimberly M. Cory, Dimitrios G. Georgakopoulos, Kristina Höhler, Yidi Hou, Larissa Lacher, Harald Saathoff, Gianni Santachiara, Xiaoli Shen, Isabelle Steinke, Romy Ullrich, Nsikanabasi S. Umo, Hemanth S. K. Vepuri, Franziska Vogel, and Ottmar Möhler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14215–14234, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14215-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14215-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present laboratory and field studies showing that an open-lot livestock facility is a substantial source of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles (INPs). The ambient concentration of INPs from livestock facilities in Texas is very high. It is up to several thousand INPs per liter below –20 °C and may impact regional aerosol–cloud interactions. About 50% of feedlot INPs were supermicron in diameter. No notable amount of known ice-nucleating microorganisms was found in our feedlot samples.
Alexei A. Kiselev, Alice Keinert, Tilia Gaedeke, Thomas Leisner, Christoph Sutter, Elena Petrishcheva, and Rainer Abart
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 11801–11814, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11801-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11801-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Alkali feldspar is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust and is often present in mineral dust aerosols that are responsible for the formation of rain and snow in clouds. However, the cloud droplets containing pure potassium-rich feldspar would not freeze unless cooled down to a very low temperature. Here we show that partly replacing potassium with sodium would induce fracturing of feldspar, exposing a crystalline surface that could initiate freezing at higher temperature.
Hengheng Zhang, Frank Wagner, Harald Saathoff, Heike Vogel, Gholam Ali Hoshyaripour, Vanessa Bachmann, Jochen Förstner, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2021-193, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2021-193, 2021
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
The evolution and the properties of Saharan dust plume were characterized by LIDARs, a sun photometer, and a regional transport model. Comparison between LIDAR measurements, sun photometer and ICON-ART predictions shows a good agreement for dust arrival time, dust layer height, and dust structure but also that the model overestimates the backscatter coefficients by a factor of (2.2 ± 0.16) and underestimate aerosol optical depth by a factor of (1.5 ± 0.11).
Barbara Bertozzi, Robert Wagner, Junwei Song, Kristina Höhler, Joschka Pfeifer, Harald Saathoff, Thomas Leisner, and Ottmar Möhler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10779–10798, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10779-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10779-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Internally mixed particles composed of sulfate and organics are among the most abundant aerosol types. Their ice nucleation (IN) ability influences the formation of cirrus and, thus, the climate. We show that the presence of a thin organic coating suppresses the heterogeneous IN ability of crystalline ammonium sulfate particles. However, the IN ability of the same particle can substantially change if subjected to atmospheric processing, mainly due to differences in the resulting morphology.
Fritz Waitz, Martin Schnaiter, Thomas Leisner, and Emma Järvinen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 3049–3070, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3049-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3049-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A major challenge in the observations of mixed-phase clouds remains the phase discrimination and sizing of cloud droplets and ice crystals, especially for particles with diameters smaller than 0.1 mm. Here, we present a new method to derive the phase and size of single cloud particles using their angular-light-scattering information. Comparisons with other in situ instruments in three case studies show good agreement.
Julia Schneider, Kristina Höhler, Paavo Heikkilä, Jorma Keskinen, Barbara Bertozzi, Pia Bogert, Tobias Schorr, Nsikanabasi Silas Umo, Franziska Vogel, Zoé Brasseur, Yusheng Wu, Simo Hakala, Jonathan Duplissy, Dmitri Moisseev, Markku Kulmala, Michael P. Adams, Benjamin J. Murray, Kimmo Korhonen, Liqing Hao, Erik S. Thomson, Dimitri Castarède, Thomas Leisner, Tuukka Petäjä, and Ottmar Möhler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 3899–3918, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3899-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3899-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
By triggering the formation of ice crystals, ice-nucleating particles (INP) strongly influence cloud formation. Continuous, long-term measurements are needed to characterize the atmospheric INP variability. Here, a first long-term time series of INP spectra measured in the boreal forest for more than 1 year is presented, showing a clear seasonal cycle. It is shown that the seasonal dependency of INP concentrations and prevalent INP types is driven by the abundance of biogenic aerosol.
Robert Wagner, Baptiste Testa, Michael Höpfner, Alexei Kiselev, Ottmar Möhler, Harald Saathoff, Jörn Ungermann, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 1977–1991, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-1977-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-1977-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
During the Asian summer monsoon period, air pollutants are transported from layers near the ground to high altitudes of 13 to 18 km in the atmosphere. Infrared measurements have shown that particles composed of solid ammonium nitrate are a major part of these pollutants. To enable the quantitative analysis of the infrared spectra, we have determined for the first time accurate optical constants of ammonium nitrate for the low-temperature conditions of the upper atmosphere.
Michael Krayer, Agathe Chouippe, Markus Uhlmann, Jan Dušek, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 561–575, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-561-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-561-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We address the phenomenon of ice enhancement in the vicinity of warm hydrometeors using highly accurate flow simulation techniques. It is found that the transiently supersaturated zones induced by the hydrometeor's wake are by far larger than what has been previously estimated. The ice enhancement is quantified on the micro- and macroscale, and its relevance is discussed. The results provided may contribute to a (currently unavailable) parametrization of the phenomenon.
Alexei Korolev and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11767–11797, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11767-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11767-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Secondary ice production (SIP) plays a key role in the formation of ice particles in tropospheric clouds. This work presents a critical review of the laboratory studies related to secondary ice production. It aims to identify gaps in our knowledge of SIP as well as to stimulate further laboratory studies focused on obtaining a quantitative description of efficiencies for each SIP mechanism.
Isabelle Steinke, Naruki Hiranuma, Roger Funk, Kristina Höhler, Nadine Tüllmann, Nsikanabasi Silas Umo, Peter G. Weidler, Ottmar Möhler, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11387–11397, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11387-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11387-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we highlight the potential impact of particles from certain terrestrial sources on the formation of ice crystals in clouds. In particular, we focus on biogenic particles consisting of various organic compounds, which makes it very difficult to predict the ice nucleation properties of complex ambient particles. We find that these ambient particles are often more ice active than individual components.
Benjamin W. Clouser, Kara D. Lamb, Laszlo C. Sarkozy, Jan Habig, Volker Ebert, Harald Saathoff, Ottmar Möhler, and Elisabeth J. Moyer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 1089–1103, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1089-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1089-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Previous measurements of water vapor in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UT/LS) have shown unexpectedly high concentrations of water vapor in ice clouds, which may be due to an incomplete understanding of the structure of ice and the behavior of ice growth in this part of the atmosphere. Water vapor measurements during the 2013 IsoCloud campaign at the AIDA cloud chamber show no evidence of this
anomalous supersaturationin conditions similar to the real atmosphere.
Xiaoli Shen, Heike Vogel, Bernhard Vogel, Wei Huang, Claudia Mohr, Ramakrishna Ramisetty, Thomas Leisner, André S. H. Prévôt, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 13189–13208, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13189-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13189-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides good insight into the chemical nature and complex origin of aerosols by combining comprehensive field observations and transport modelling. We suggest that factors related to topography, metrological conditions, local emissions, in situ formation and growth, regional transport, and the interaction of biogenic and anthropogenic compounds need to be considered for a comprehensive understanding of aerosol processes.
Tasha Aylett, James S. A. Brooke, Alexander D. James, Mario Nachbar, Denis Duft, Thomas Leisner, and John M. C. Plane
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 12767–12777, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12767-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12767-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Interplanetary dust particles entering the Earth's atmosphere often melt and evaporate, injecting metals such as iron and magnesium into the atmosphere between 80 and 105 km. These metals become oxidized and then coagulate into small particles a few nanometres is size, known as meteoric smoke. In this study, iron oxide smoke particles were created in the laboratory, and their composition and optical properties were determined in order to understand satellite measurements.
Wei Huang, Harald Saathoff, Xiaoli Shen, Ramakrishna Ramisetty, Thomas Leisner, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 11687–11700, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-11687-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-11687-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the molecular composition and volatility of oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) particles in summer and winter in Stuttgart, Germany. OOA in summer is more influenced by biogenic emissions, while in winter biomass burning emissions are an important source. OOA in winter is also less volatile. Potential reasons are discussed in our paper. Our study shows the important contributions of nonfossil OA from biogenic and biomass burning even in an urban area with high traffic emissions.
Martin Schnaiter, Claudia Linke, Inas Ibrahim, Alexei Kiselev, Fritz Waitz, Thomas Leisner, Stefan Norra, and Till Rehm
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 10829–10844, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-10829-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-10829-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
When combustion particles are deposited to the ground, they darken Earth's snow and ice surfaces by even tiny quantities. This darkening reduces the back reflection of sunlight and induces an additional climate warming. Particles from fresh snow samples were investigated according to their light absorption strength. Enhanced absorption was found in the snow that cannot fully be attributed to combustion particles. Dust and biogenic matter are likely the cause of this additional snow darkening.
Nsikanabasi Silas Umo, Robert Wagner, Romy Ullrich, Alexei Kiselev, Harald Saathoff, Peter G. Weidler, Daniel J. Cziczo, Thomas Leisner, and Ottmar Möhler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 8783–8800, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8783-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8783-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Annually, over 600 Tg of coal fly ash (CFA) is produced; a significant proportion of this amount is injected into the atmosphere, which could significantly contribute to heterogeneous ice formation in clouds. This study presents an improved understanding of CFA particles' behaviour in forming ice in clouds, especially when exposed to lower temperatures before being re-circulated in the upper troposphere or entrained into the lower troposphere.
Zamin A. Kanji, Ryan C. Sullivan, Monika Niemand, Paul J. DeMott, Anthony J. Prenni, Cédric Chou, Harald Saathoff, and Ottmar Möhler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 5091–5110, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5091-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5091-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The ice nucleation ability of two natural desert dusts coated with a proxy of secondary organic aerosol is presented for temperatures and relative humidity conditions relevant for mixed-phase clouds. We find that at the tested conditions, there is no effect on the ice nucleation ability of the particles due to the organic coating. Furthermore, the two dust samples do not show variability within measurement uncertainty. Particle size and surface area may play a role in any difference observed.
Xiaoli Shen, Harald Saathoff, Wei Huang, Claudia Mohr, Ramakrishna Ramisetty, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 2219–2240, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2219-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2219-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Based on single-particle mass spectra from field measurements in the upper Rhine valley, we identified characteristic particle classes and estimated their mass contributions without the need of a reference instrument in the field. Our study provides a good example for quantitative interpretation of single-particle data. Together with the complimentary results from bulk measurements, we have shown how a better understanding of the mixing state of ambient aerosol particles can be achieved.
Mario Nachbar, Henrike Wilms, Denis Duft, Tasha Aylett, Kensei Kitajima, Takuya Majima, John M. C. Plane, Markus Rapp, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 4311–4322, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4311-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4311-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Polar mesospheric clouds (PMC) are water ice clouds forming on nanoparticles in the polar summer mesopause. We investigate the impact of solar radiation on PMC formation in the laboratory. We show that Mie theory calculations combined with an equilibrium temperature model presented in this work predict the warming of the particles very well. Using this model we demonstrate that the impact of solar radiation on ice particle formation is significantly lower than previously assumed.
Denis Duft, Mario Nachbar, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 2871–2879, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-2871-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-2871-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
How ice particles form in polar mesospheric clouds is still a challenging question. We measured the water adsorption and onset conditions for ice growth on meteoric smoke analogue particles in the laboratory. We find that the particles activate by growth of amorphous ice and at much warmer conditions than previously assumed, affirming meteoric smoke as likely seeds in mesospheric ice clouds. We propose an ice-activation model and show that the particle charge does not play a significant role.
Emma Järvinen, Olivier Jourdan, David Neubauer, Bin Yao, Chao Liu, Meinrat O. Andreae, Ulrike Lohmann, Manfred Wendisch, Greg M. McFarquhar, Thomas Leisner, and Martin Schnaiter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15767–15781, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15767-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15767-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Using light diffraction it is possible to detect microscopic features within ice particles that have not yet been fully characterized. Here, this technique was applied in airborne measurements, where it was found that majority of atmospheric ice particles have features that significantly change the way ice particles interact with solar light. The microscopic features make ice-containing clouds more reflective than previously thought, which could have consequences for predicting our climate.
Ramakrishna Ramisetty, Ahmed Abdelmonem, Xiaoli Shen, Harald Saathoff, Thomas Leisner, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 4345–4360, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4345-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4345-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we coupled a laser ablation aerosol time-of-flight (LAAPTOF) single-particle mass spectrometer, originally equipped with an excimer laser, to a femtosecond laser. The objective was to assess the influence of the higher laser power density of the femtosecond laser on ablation–ionization of atmospheric particles, ion signal, and ultimately quantitative abilities of the single-particle mass spectrometer.
Xiaoli Shen, Ramakrishna Ramisetty, Claudia Mohr, Wei Huang, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 2325–2343, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-2325-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-2325-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents performance data and reference spectra from the commercially available single-particle mass spectrometer LAAPTOF. The main characteristics of the instrument, like its detection efficiency, are given for a wide particle size range. Furthermore, reference mass spectra for 32 well-defined different particle types relevant for atmospheric aerosol compounds are presented. It is shown that these reference mass spectra are very useful in analysis of atmospheric aerosol particles.
Mario Nachbar, Denis Duft, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 3419–3431, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3419-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3419-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The crystallization process of amorphous ice below 160 K forms nano-crystalline ice. We report high-quality vapor pressure measurements over ice crystallized from amorphous ice below 160 K. We show that the vapor pressure is increased by more than 100 % compared to bulk crystalline ice and that amorphous ice always forms first, followed by the crystallization of nano-crystalline ice. Our findings are relevant for cold ice clouds in the atmospheres of planets, e.g., Earth and Mars.
Wei Huang, Harald Saathoff, Aki Pajunoja, Xiaoli Shen, Karl-Heinz Naumann, Robert Wagner, Annele Virtanen, Thomas Leisner, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 2883–2898, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-2883-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-2883-2018, 2018
Sylvia C. Sullivan, Corinna Hoose, Alexei Kiselev, Thomas Leisner, and Athanasios Nenes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 1593–1610, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-1593-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-1593-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Ice multiplication (IM) processes can have a profound impact on cloud and precipitation development but are poorly understood. Here we study whether a lower limit of ice nuclei exists to initiate IM. The lower limit is found to be extremely low (0.01 per liter or less). A counterintuitive but profound conclusion thus emerges: IM requires cloud formation around a thermodynamic
sweet spotand is sensitive to fluctuations in cloud condensation nuclei concentration alone.
Martin Schnaiter, Emma Järvinen, Ahmed Abdelmonem, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 341–357, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-341-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-341-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
PHIPS-HALO is a novel aircraft instrument for cloud research. It combines microscopic imaging of single cloud particles with the measurement of their spacial light scattering properties. The knowledge of how atmospheric ice particles in clouds scatter visible light is important for improving future climate models.
Claudia Linke, Inas Ibrahim, Nina Schleicher, Regina Hitzenberger, Meinrat O. Andreae, Thomas Leisner, and Martin Schnaiter
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 5331–5346, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5331-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5331-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Various carbonaceous materials are present in the atmosphere. Besides gaseous organic compounds, carbonaceous particles like soot are emitted into the air from traffic sources, residential wood combustion, or wildfires. Variable chemical compositions of such materials, which often result from incomplete combustion processes, show differences in the absorption behavior at visible wavelengths. Our instrument is able to measure the absorption at three visible wavelengths.
Andreas Peckhaus, Alexei Kiselev, Thibault Hiron, Martin Ebert, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 11477–11496, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11477-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11477-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The precipitation in midlatitude clouds proceeds predominantly via nucleation of ice in the supercooled droplets containing foreign inclusions, like feldspar mineral dust, that have been recently identified as one of the most active ice nucleating agents in the atmosphere. We have built an apparatus to observe the freezing of feldspar immersed in up to 1500 identical droplets simultaneously. With this setup we investigated four feldspar samples and show that it can induce freezing at −5 °C.
Ahmed Abdelmonem, Emma Järvinen, Denis Duft, Edwin Hirst, Steffen Vogt, Thomas Leisner, and Martin Schnaiter
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 3131–3144, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-3131-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-3131-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The properties of ice crystals present in mixed-phase and ice clouds influence the radiation properties, precipitation occurrence and lifetime of these clouds. It is necessary to investigate the optical and microphysical properties of cloud particles particularly in situ, and to get correlation between these properties. To this end we have developed PHIPS-HALO to measure the optical properties and the corresponding microphysical parameters of individual cloud particles simultaneously.
Karoliina Ignatius, Thomas B. Kristensen, Emma Järvinen, Leonid Nichman, Claudia Fuchs, Hamish Gordon, Paul Herenz, Christopher R. Hoyle, Jonathan Duplissy, Sarvesh Garimella, Antonio Dias, Carla Frege, Niko Höppel, Jasmin Tröstl, Robert Wagner, Chao Yan, Antonio Amorim, Urs Baltensperger, Joachim Curtius, Neil M. Donahue, Martin W. Gallagher, Jasper Kirkby, Markku Kulmala, Ottmar Möhler, Harald Saathoff, Martin Schnaiter, Antonio Tomé, Annele Virtanen, Douglas Worsnop, and Frank Stratmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 6495–6509, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-6495-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-6495-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Viscous solid or semi-solid secondary organic aerosol (SOA) may influence cloud properties through ice nucleation in the atmosphere. Here, we observed heterogeneous ice nucleation of viscous α-pinene SOA at temperatures between −39 °C and −37.2 °C with ice saturation ratios significantly below the homogeneous freezing limit. Global modelling suggests that viscous biogenic SOA are present in regions where cirrus formation takes place and could contribute to the global ice nuclei budget.
Emma Järvinen, Karoliina Ignatius, Leonid Nichman, Thomas B. Kristensen, Claudia Fuchs, Christopher R. Hoyle, Niko Höppel, Joel C. Corbin, Jill Craven, Jonathan Duplissy, Sebastian Ehrhart, Imad El Haddad, Carla Frege, Hamish Gordon, Tuija Jokinen, Peter Kallinger, Jasper Kirkby, Alexei Kiselev, Karl-Heinz Naumann, Tuukka Petäjä, Tamara Pinterich, Andre S. H. Prevot, Harald Saathoff, Thea Schiebel, Kamalika Sengupta, Mario Simon, Jay G. Slowik, Jasmin Tröstl, Annele Virtanen, Paul Vochezer, Steffen Vogt, Andrea C. Wagner, Robert Wagner, Christina Williamson, Paul M. Winkler, Chao Yan, Urs Baltensperger, Neil M. Donahue, Rick C. Flagan, Martin Gallagher, Armin Hansel, Markku Kulmala, Frank Stratmann, Douglas R. Worsnop, Ottmar Möhler, Thomas Leisner, and Martin Schnaiter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 4423–4438, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4423-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4423-2016, 2016
Leonid Nichman, Claudia Fuchs, Emma Järvinen, Karoliina Ignatius, Niko Florian Höppel, Antonio Dias, Martin Heinritzi, Mario Simon, Jasmin Tröstl, Andrea Christine Wagner, Robert Wagner, Christina Williamson, Chao Yan, Paul James Connolly, James Robert Dorsey, Jonathan Duplissy, Sebastian Ehrhart, Carla Frege, Hamish Gordon, Christopher Robert Hoyle, Thomas Bjerring Kristensen, Gerhard Steiner, Neil McPherson Donahue, Richard Flagan, Martin William Gallagher, Jasper Kirkby, Ottmar Möhler, Harald Saathoff, Martin Schnaiter, Frank Stratmann, and António Tomé
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 3651–3664, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-3651-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-3651-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Processes in the atmosphere are often governed by the physical and chemical properties of small cloud particles. Ice, water, and mixed clouds, as well as viscous aerosols, were formed under controlled conditions at the CLOUD-CERN facility. The experimental results show a link between cloud particle properties and their unique optical fingerprints. The classification map presented here allows easier discrimination between various particles such as viscous organic aerosol, salt, ice, and liquid.
Robert Wagner, Alexei Kiselev, Ottmar Möhler, Harald Saathoff, and Isabelle Steinke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 2025–2042, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-2025-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-2025-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We have investigated the enhancement of the ice nucleation ability of well-known and abundant ice nucleating particles like dust grains due to pre-activation. Temporary exposure to a low temperature (228 K) provokes that pores and surface cracks of the particles are filled with ice, which makes them better nuclei for the growth of macroscopic ice crystals at high temperatures (245–260 K).
C. R. Hoyle, C. Fuchs, E. Järvinen, H. Saathoff, A. Dias, I. El Haddad, M. Gysel, S. C. Coburn, J. Tröstl, A.-K. Bernhammer, F. Bianchi, M. Breitenlechner, J. C. Corbin, J. Craven, N. M. Donahue, J. Duplissy, S. Ehrhart, C. Frege, H. Gordon, N. Höppel, M. Heinritzi, T. B. Kristensen, U. Molteni, L. Nichman, T. Pinterich, A. S. H. Prévôt, M. Simon, J. G. Slowik, G. Steiner, A. Tomé, A. L. Vogel, R. Volkamer, A. C. Wagner, R. Wagner, A. S. Wexler, C. Williamson, P. M. Winkler, C. Yan, A. Amorim, J. Dommen, J. Curtius, M. W. Gallagher, R. C. Flagan, A. Hansel, J. Kirkby, M. Kulmala, O. Möhler, F. Stratmann, D. R. Worsnop, and U. Baltensperger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 1693–1712, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1693-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1693-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
A significant portion of sulphate, an important constituent of atmospheric aerosols, is formed via the aqueous phase oxidation of sulphur dioxide by ozone. The rate of this reaction has previously only been measured over a relatively small temperature range. Here, we use the state of the art CLOUD chamber at CERN to perform the first measurements of this reaction rate in super-cooled droplets, confirming that the existing extrapolation of the reaction rate to sub-zero temperatures is accurate.
P. Vochezer, E. Järvinen, R. Wagner, P. Kupiszewski, T. Leisner, and M. Schnaiter
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 159–177, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-159-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-159-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
To study clouds constituting of liquid droplets as well as ice particles we used the latest versions of the Small Ice Detector which record high resolution scattering patterns of individual small cloud particles. In the case of a droplet its precise size is obtained and for ice particles its shape is deduced from the scattering pattern.We present results from artificial clouds at the AIDA cloud chamber and natural clouds probed at a mountain top station as well as from an aircraft in the arctic.
A. Abdelmonem, J. Lützenkirchen, and T. Leisner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 3519–3526, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-3519-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-3519-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This manuscript belongs and is important to the environmental and atmospheric science, particularly cloud formation and cloud seeding, and presents a setup to apply Second Harmonic Generation spectroscopy to heterogeneous freezing research. We describe the setup and provide first results on temperature-dependent structural changes of water on the surfaces of two relevant atmospheric aerosol substances (sapphire and mica as poor and good ice nucleators, respectively).
J. Diab, T. Streibel, F. Cavalli, S. C. Lee, H. Saathoff, A. Mamakos, J. C. Chow, L.-W. A. Chen, J. G. Watson, O. Sippula, and R. Zimmermann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 3337–3353, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-3337-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-3337-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This paper depicts several fields of application of a new analytical method, which expands the well-established EC/OC method, which enables one to measure the carbon content (organic and elemental) of particulate aerosols. It was coupled to photo-ionization mass spectrometry to get structural information of the evolving carbonaceous species. Application fields such as smoke chamber-, ambient - and wood combustion particles were addressed, covering exemplary primary and secondary aerosol sources.
J. Meyer, C. Rolf, C. Schiller, S. Rohs, N. Spelten, A. Afchine, M. Zöger, N. Sitnikov, T. D. Thornberry, A. W. Rollins, Z. Bozóki, D. Tátrai, V. Ebert, B. Kühnreich, P. Mackrodt, O. Möhler, H. Saathoff, K. H. Rosenlof, and M. Krämer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 8521–8538, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-8521-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-8521-2015, 2015
I. Steinke, C. Hoose, O. Möhler, P. Connolly, and T. Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 3703–3717, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3703-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3703-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Ice nucleation in clouds has a significant influence on the global radiative budget and the hydrological cycle. Several studies have investigated the ice formation in droplets and parameterizations have been developed in order to include immersion freezing in climate models. In contrast, there are fewer studies regarding the conversion of water vapor into ice (so-called deposition nucleation) which is the topic of this paper which investigates deposition nucleation by Arizona Test dust in detail
N. Hiranuma, S. Augustin-Bauditz, H. Bingemer, C. Budke, J. Curtius, A. Danielczok, K. Diehl, K. Dreischmeier, M. Ebert, F. Frank, N. Hoffmann, K. Kandler, A. Kiselev, T. Koop, T. Leisner, O. Möhler, B. Nillius, A. Peckhaus, D. Rose, S. Weinbruch, H. Wex, Y. Boose, P. J. DeMott, J. D. Hader, T. C. J. Hill, Z. A. Kanji, G. Kulkarni, E. J. T. Levin, C. S. McCluskey, M. Murakami, B. J. Murray, D. Niedermeier, M. D. Petters, D. O'Sullivan, A. Saito, G. P. Schill, T. Tajiri, M. A. Tolbert, A. Welti, T. F. Whale, T. P. Wright, and K. Yamashita
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 2489–2518, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-2489-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-2489-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Seventeen ice nucleation measurement techniques contributed to investigate the immersion freezing behavior of illite NX. All data showed a similar temperature trend, but the measured ice nucleation activity was on average smaller for the wet suspended samples and higher for the dry-dispersed aerosol samples at high temperatures. A continued investigation and collaboration is necessary to obtain further insights into consistency or diversity of ice nucleation measurements.
N. Hiranuma, M. Paukert, I. Steinke, K. Zhang, G. Kulkarni, C. Hoose, M. Schnaiter, H. Saathoff, and O. Möhler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 13145–13158, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-13145-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-13145-2014, 2014
Short summary
Short summary
A new heterogeneous ice nucleation parameterization is developed and implemented in cloud models. The results of our simulations suggest stronger influence of dust particles lifted to the upper troposphere on heterogeneous nucleation and more ice nucleation at temperature and humidity conditions relevant to both mixed-phase and cirrus clouds when compared to the existing parametrical frameworks.
D. W. Fahey, R.-S. Gao, O. Möhler, H. Saathoff, C. Schiller, V. Ebert, M. Krämer, T. Peter, N. Amarouche, L. M. Avallone, R. Bauer, Z. Bozóki, L. E. Christensen, S. M. Davis, G. Durry, C. Dyroff, R. L. Herman, S. Hunsmann, S. M. Khaykin, P. Mackrodt, J. Meyer, J. B. Smith, N. Spelten, R. F. Troy, H. Vömel, S. Wagner, and F. G. Wienhold
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 3177–3213, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-3177-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-3177-2014, 2014
N. Hoffmann, A. Kiselev, D. Rzesanke, D. Duft, and T. Leisner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 2373–2382, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-2373-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-2373-2013, 2013
H. Saathoff, S. Henin, K. Stelmaszczyk, M. Petrarca, R. Delagrange, Z. Hao, J. Lüder, O. Möhler, Y. Petit, P. Rohwetter, M. Schnaiter, J. Kasparian, T. Leisner, J.-P. Wolf, and L. Wöste
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 4593–4604, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-4593-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-4593-2013, 2013
J. Skrotzki, P. Connolly, M. Schnaiter, H. Saathoff, O. Möhler, R. Wagner, M. Niemand, V. Ebert, and T. Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 4451–4466, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-4451-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-4451-2013, 2013
M. Laborde, M. Schnaiter, C. Linke, H. Saathoff, K.-H. Naumann, O. Möhler, S. Berlenz, U. Wagner, J. W. Taylor, D. Liu, M. Flynn, J. D. Allan, H. Coe, K. Heimerl, F. Dahlkötter, B. Weinzierl, A. G. Wollny, M. Zanatta, J. Cozic, P. Laj, R. Hitzenberger, J. P. Schwarz, and M. Gysel
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 5, 3077–3097, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-5-3077-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-5-3077-2012, 2012
Related subject area
Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Field Measurements | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
The critical role of aqueous-phase processes in aromatic-derived nitrogen-containing organic aerosol formation in cities with different energy consumption patterns
Characterization of atmospheric water-soluble brown carbon in the Athabasca oil sands region, Canada
Sensitivity of aerosol and cloud properties to coupling strength of marine boundary layer clouds over the northwest Atlantic
Burning conditions and transportation pathways determine biomass-burning aerosol properties in the Ascension Island marine boundary layer
Observations of high-time-resolution and size-resolved aerosol chemical composition and microphysics in the central Arctic: implications for climate-relevant particle properties
Measurement report: Brown carbon aerosol in rural Germany – sources, chemistry, and diurnal variations
Multiple eco-regions contribute to the seasonal cycle of Antarctic aerosol size distributions
Seasonal investigation of ultrafine-particle organic composition in an eastern Amazonian rainforest
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
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
Widespread trace bromine and iodine in remote tropospheric non-sea-salt aerosols
Formation and chemical evolution of secondary organic aerosol in two different environments: a dual-chamber study
Non biogenic source is an important but overlooked contributor to aerosol isoprene-derived organosulfates during winter in northern China
Technical note: Quantified organic aerosol subsaturated hygroscopicity by a simple optical scatter monitor system through field measurements
Measurement report: Oxidation potential of water-soluble aerosol components in the south and north of Beijing
Enhanced daytime secondary aerosol formation driven by gas–particle partitioning in downwind urban plumes
Understanding the mechanism and importance of brown carbon bleaching across the visible spectrum in biomass burning plumes from the WE-CAN campaign
Influence of terrestrial and marine air mass on the constituents and intermixing of bioaerosols over a coastal atmosphere
A multi-site passive approach to studying the emissions and evolution of smoke from prescribed fires
The annual cycle and sources of relevant aerosol precursor vapors in the central Arctic during the MOSAiC expedition
Measurement Report: Vertically resolved Atmospheric Properties Observed over the Southern Great Plains with Uncrewed Aerial System – ArcticShark
Opinion: How will advances in aerosol science inform our understanding of the health impacts of outdoor particulate pollution?
Measurement report: Intra-annual variability of black carbon and brown carbon and their interrelation with meteorological conditions over Gangtok, Sikkim
Long-range transport of air pollutants increases the concentration of hazardous components of PM2.5 in northern South America
Molecular characterization of organic aerosols in urban and forested areas of Paris using high resolution mass spectrometry
Dominant influence of biomass combustion and cross-border transport on nitrogen-containing organic compound levels in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau
Measurement report: Wintertime aerosol characterization at an urban traffic site in Helsinki Finland
Impacts of elevated anthropogenic emissions on physicochemical characteristics of black-carbon-containing particles over the Tibetan Plateau
Online characterization of primary and secondary emissions of particulate matter and acidic molecules from a modern fleet of city buses
Atmospheric evolution of environmentally persistent free radicals in the rural North China Plain: effects on water solubility and PM2.5 oxidative potential
Two distinct ship emission profiles for organic-sulfate source apportionment of PM in sulfur emission control areas
Automated compound speciation, cluster analysis, and quantification of organic vapors and aerosols using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and mass spectrometry
Marine Organic Aerosols at Mace Head: Effects from Phytoplankton and Source Region Variability
Measurement report: Occurrence of aminiums in PM2.5 during winter in China – aminium outbreak during polluted episodes and potential constraints
Bridging gas and aerosol properties between the northeastern US and Bermuda: analysis of eight transit flights
The behaviour of charged particles (ions) during new particle formation events in urban Leipzig, Germany
Formation of Highly Absorptive Secondary Brown Carbon Through Nighttime Multiphase Chemistry of Biomass Burning Emissions
Exploring the sources of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols by integrating observational and modeling results: insights from Northeast China
Measurement report: Characteristics of airborne black-carbon-containing particles during the 2021 summer COVID-19 lockdown in a typical Yangtze River Delta city, China
Aerosol optical properties within the atmospheric boundary layer predicted from ground-based observations compared to Raman lidar retrievals during RITA-2021
Hygroscopic growth and activation changed submicron aerosol composition and properties in the North China Plain
Measurement report: Formation of tropospheric brown carbon in a lifting air mass
Vertical variability of aerosol properties and trace gases over a remote marine region: a case study over Bermuda
Source apportionment and ecotoxicity of particulate pollution events in a Major Southern Hemisphere Megacity: influence of biomass burning and a biofuel impacted fleet
Differences in aerosol and cloud properties along the central California coast when winds change from northerly to southerly
International airport emissions and their impact on local air quality: chemical speciation of ambient aerosols at Madrid–Barajas Airport during the AVIATOR campaign
The local ship speed reduction effect on black carbon emissions measured at a remote marine station
High-altitude aerosol chemical characterization and source identification: insights from the CALISHTO campaign
Measurement report: Impact of emission control measures on environmental persistent free radicals and reactive oxygen species – a short-term case study in Beijing
Characterizing water solubility of fresh and aged secondary organic aerosol in PM2.5 with the stable carbon isotope technique
Yi-Jia Ma, Yu Xu, Ting Yang, Lin Gui, Hong-Wei Xiao, Hao Xiao, and Hua-Yun Xiao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2763–2780, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2763-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2763-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The abundance, potential precursors, and main formation mechanisms of nitrogen-containing organic compounds (NOCs) in PM2.5 during winter were compared among cities with different energy consumption patterns. The aerosol NOC pollution during winter in China is closely associated with the intensity of precursor emissions and the aqueous-phase processes. Our results highlight the importance of emission reduction strategies in controlling aerosol NOCs pollution during winter in China.
Dane Blanchard, Mark Gordon, Duc Huy Dang, Paul Andrew Makar, and Julian Aherne
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2423–2442, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2423-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2423-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study offers the first known evaluation of water-soluble brown carbon aerosols in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR), Canada. Fluorescence spectroscopy analysis of aerosol samples from five regional sites (collected during the summer of 2021) identified oil sands operations as a measurable brown carbon source. Industrial aerosol emissions were unlikely to impact regional radiative forcing. These findings show that fluorescence spectroscopy can be used to monitor brown carbon in the AOSR.
Kira Zeider, Kayla McCauley, Sanja Dmitrovic, Leong Wai Siu, Yonghoon Choi, Ewan C. Crosbie, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Simon Kirschler, John B. Nowak, Michael A. Shook, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Christiane Voigt, Edward L. Winstead, Luke D. Ziemba, Paquita Zuidema, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2407–2422, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2407-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2407-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In situ aircraft data collected over the northwest Atlantic Ocean are utilized to compare aerosol conditions and turbulence between near-surface and below-cloud-base altitudes for different regimes of coupling strength between those two levels, along with how cloud microphysical properties vary across those regimes. Stronger coupling yields more homogenous aerosol structure vertically along with higher cloud drop concentrations and sea salt influence in clouds.
Amie Dobracki, Ernie R. Lewis, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Tyler Tatro, Maria A. Zawadowicz, and Paquita Zuidema
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2333–2363, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2333-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2333-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Biomass-burning aerosol is commonly present in the marine boundary layer over the southeast Atlantic Ocean between June and October. Our research indicates that burning conditions, aerosol transport pathways, and prolonged oxidation processes (heterogeneous and aqueous phases) determine the chemical, microphysical, and optical properties of the boundary layer aerosol. Notably, we find that the aerosol optical properties can be estimated from the chemical properties alone.
Benjamin Heutte, Nora Bergner, Hélène Angot, Jakob B. Pernov, Lubna Dada, Jessica A. Mirrielees, Ivo Beck, Andrea Baccarini, Matthew Boyer, Jessie M. Creamean, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Imad El Haddad, Markus M. Frey, Silvia Henning, Tiia Laurila, Vaios Moschos, Tuukka Petäjä, Kerri A. Pratt, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Matthew D. Shupe, Paul Zieger, Tuija Jokinen, and Julia Schmale
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2207–2241, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2207-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2207-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Limited aerosol measurements in the central Arctic hinder our understanding of aerosol–climate interactions in the region. Our year-long observations of aerosol physicochemical properties during the MOSAiC expedition reveal strong seasonal variations in aerosol chemical composition, where the short-term variability is heavily affected by storms in the Arctic. Local wind-generated particles are shown to be an important source of cloud seeds, especially in autumn.
Feng Jiang, Harald Saathoff, Uzoamaka Ezenobi, Junwei Song, Hengheng Zhang, Linyu Gao, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1917–1930, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1917-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1917-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The chemical composition of brown carbon in the particle and gas phase was determined by mass spectrometry. BrC in the gas phase was mainly controlled by secondary formation and particle-to-gas partitioning. BrC in the particle phase was mainly from secondary formation. This work helps to get a better understanding of diurnal variations and the sources of brown carbon aerosol at a rural location in central Europe.
James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Eija Asmi, Aki Virkkula, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Mikko Sipilä, Floortje Van Den Heuvel, Thomas Lachlan-Cope, Anna Jones, Markus Frey, Angelo Lupi, Jiyeon Park, Young Jun Yoon, Rolf Weller, Giselle L. Marincovich, Gabriela C. Mulena, Roy M. Harrison, and Manuel Dall'Osto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1145–1162, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1145-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1145-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our results emphasise how understanding the geographical variation in surface types across the Antarctic is key to understanding secondary aerosol sources.
Adam E. Thomas, Hayley S. Glicker, Alex B. Guenther, Roger Seco, Oscar Vega Bustillos, Julio Tota, Rodrigo A. F. Souza, and James N. Smith
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 959–977, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-959-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-959-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We present measurements of the organic composition of ultrafine particles collected from the eastern Amazon, an understudied region that is subjected to increasing human influence. We find that while isoprene chemistry is likely significant for ultrafine-particle growth throughout the year, compounds related to other sources, such as biological-spore emissions and biomass burning, exhibit striking seasonal differences, implying extensive variation in regional ultrafine-particle sources.
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
Short summary
Monthly ice core records spanning 350 years from Greenland show trends in refractory black carbon (rBC) concentrations and sizes. rBC levels have increased since the 1870s due to the inflow of anthropogenic rBC, with larger diameters than those from biomass burning (BB) rBC. High summer BB rBC peaks may reduce the ice sheet albedo, but BB rBC showed no increase until the early 2000s. These results are vital for validating aerosol and climate models.
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
Short summary
Reports on molecular-level knowledge of high-temporal-resolution particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) on hazy days are limited. We investigated various PM2.5 species and their sources. The results show biomass burning (BB) was the main source of organic carbon. Moreover, BB enhanced fungal spore emissions and secondary aerosol formation. The contribution of non-fossil sources increased with increasing haze pollution, suggesting BB may be an important driver of haze events in winter.
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
Short summary
Using single-particle mass spectrometry, we show that trace concentrations of bromine and iodine are ubiquitous in remote tropospheric aerosol and suggest that aerosols are an important part of the global reactive iodine budget. Comparisons to a global climate model with detailed iodine chemistry are favorable in the background atmosphere; however, the model cannot replicate our measurements near the ocean surface, in biomass burning plumes, and in the stratosphere.
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
Short summary
A dual-chamber system was deployed in two different environments (Po Valley, Italy, and Pertouli forest, Greece) to study the potential of ambient air directly injected into the chambers, to form secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In the Po Valley, the system reacts rapidly, forming large amounts of SOA, while in Pertouli the SOA formation chemistry appears to have been practically terminated before the beginning of most experiments, so there is little additional SOA formation potential left.
Ting Yang, Yu Xu, Yu-Chen Wang, Yi-Jia Ma, Hong-Wei Xiao, Hao Xiao, and Hua-Yun Xiao
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3823, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3823, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Previous measurement-model comparisons of atmospheric isoprene levels showed a significant unidentified source of isoprene in some northern Chinese cities during winter. Here, the first combination of large-scale observations and field combustion experiments provides novel insights into biomass burning emissions as a significant source of isoprene-derived organosulfates during winter in northern cities, China.
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
Short summary
This study shows the derived organic aerosol hygroscopicity under high-humidity conditions based on a simple optical scatter monitor system, including two nephelometric monitors (pDR-1500), when the aerosol chemical composition is already known.
Wei Yuan, Ru-Jin Huang, Chao Luo, Lu Yang, Wenjuan Cao, Jie Guo, and Huinan Yang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13219–13230, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13219-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13219-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We characterized water-soluble oxidative potential (OP) levels in wintertime PM2.5 in the south and north of Beijing. Our results show that the volume-normalized dithiothreitol (DTTv) in the north was comparable to that in the south, while the mass-normalized dithiothreitol (DTTm) in the north was almost twice that in the south. Traffic-related emissions and biomass burning were the main sources of DTTv in the south, and traffic-related emissions contributed the most to DTTv in the north.
Mingfu Cai, Chenshuo Ye, Bin Yuan, Shan Huang, E Zheng, Suxia Yang, Zelong Wang, Yi Lin, Tiange Li, Weiwei Hu, Wei Chen, Qicong Song, Wei Li, Yuwen Peng, Baoling Liang, Qibin Sun, Jun Zhao, Duohong Chen, Jiaren Sun, Zhiyong Yang, and Min Shao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13065–13079, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13065-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13065-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigated the daytime secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation in urban plumes. We observed a significant daytime SOA formation through gas–particle partitioning when the site was affected by urban plumes. A box model simulation indicated that urban pollutants (nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds) could enhance the oxidizing capacity, while the elevated volatile organic compounds were mainly responsible for promoting daytime SOA formation.
Yingjie Shen, Rudra P. Pokhrel, Amy P. Sullivan, Ezra J. T. Levin, Lauren A. Garofalo, Delphine K. Farmer, Wade Permar, Lu Hu, Darin W. Toohey, Teresa Campos, Emily V. Fischer, and Shane M. Murphy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12881–12901, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12881-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12881-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The magnitude and evolution of brown carbon (BrC) absorption remain unclear, with uncertainty in climate models. Data from the WE-CAN airborne experiment show that model parameterizations overestimate the mass absorption cross section (MAC) of BrC. Observed decreases in BrC absorption with chemical markers are due to decreasing organic aerosol (OA) mass rather than a decreasing BrC MAC, which is currently implemented in models. Water-soluble BrC contributes 23 % of total absorption at 660 nm.
Qun He, Zhaowen Wang, Houfeng Liu, Pengju Xu, Rongbao Duan, Caihong Xu, Jianmin Chen, and Min Wei
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12775–12792, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12775-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12775-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Coastal environments provide an ideal setting for investigating the intermixing of terrestrial and marine aerosols. Terrestrial air mass constituted a larger number of microbes from anthropogenic and soil emissions, whereas saprophytic and gut microbes were predominant in marine samples. Mixed air masses indicated a fusion of marine and terrestrial aerosols, characterized by alterations in the ratio of pathogenic and saprophytic microbes when compared to either terrestrial or marine samples.
Rime El Asmar, Zongrun Li, David J. Tanner, Yongtao Hu, Susan O'Neill, L. Gregory Huey, M. Talat Odman, and Rodney J. Weber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12749–12773, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12749-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12749-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Prescribed burning is an important method for managing ecosystems and preventing wildfires. However, smoke from prescribed fires can have a significant impact on air quality. Here, using a network of fixed sites and sampling throughout an extended prescribed burning period in 2 different years, we characterize emissions and evolutions of up to 8 h of PM2.5 mass, black carbon (BC), and brown carbon (BrC) in smoke from burning of forested lands in the southeastern USA.
Matthew Boyer, Diego Aliaga, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Silvia Bucci, Hélène Angot, Lubna Dada, Benjamin Heutte, Lisa Beck, Marina Duetsch, Andreas Stohl, Ivo Beck, Tiia Laurila, Nina Sarnela, Roseline C. Thakur, Branka Miljevic, Markku Kulmala, Tuukka Petäjä, Mikko Sipilä, Julia Schmale, and Tuija Jokinen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12595–12621, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12595-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12595-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We analyze the seasonal cycle and sources of gases that are relevant for the formation of aerosol particles in the central Arctic. Since theses gases can form new particles, they can influence Arctic climate. We show that the sources of these gases are associated with changes in the Arctic environment during the year, especially with respect to sea ice. Therefore, the concentration of these gases will likely change in the future as the Arctic continues to warm.
Fan Mei, Qi Zhang, Damao Zhang, Jerome Fast, Gourihar Kulkarni, Mikhail Pekour, Christopher Niedek, Susanne Glienke, Isarel Silber, Beat Schmid, Jason Tomlinson, Hardeep Mehta, Xena Mansoura, Zezhen Cheng, Gregory Vandergrift, Nurun Nahar Lata, Swarup China, and Zihua Zhu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3089, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3089, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study highlights the unique capability of the ArcticShark UAS in measuring vertically resolved atmospheric properties over the Southern Great Plains. Data from 32 research flights in 2023 reveal seasonal patterns and correlations with conventional measurements. The consistency and complementarity of in situ and remote sensing methods are highlighted. The study demonstrates the ArcticShark’s versatility in bridging data gaps and improving the understanding of vertical atmospheric structures.
Imad El Haddad, Danielle Vienneau, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Robin Modini, Jay G. Slowik, Abhishek Upadhyay, Petros N. Vasilakos, David Bell, Kees de Hoogh, and Andre S. H. Prevot
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11981–12011, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11981-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11981-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This opinion paper explores how advances in aerosol science inform our understanding of the health impacts of outdoor particulate pollution. We advocate for a shift in the way we target PM pollution, focusing on the most harmful anthropogenic emissions. We highlight key observations, modelling developments, and emission measurements needed to achieve this shift.
Pramod Kumar, Khushboo Sharma, Ankita Malu, Rajeev Rajak, Aparna Gupta, Bidyutjyoti Baruah, Shailesh Yadav, Thupstan Angchuk, Jayant Sharma, Rakesh Kumar Ranjan, Anil Kumar Misra, and Nishchal Wanjari
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11585–11601, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11585-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11585-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This work monitors and assesses air pollution, especially black and brown carbon, its controlling factor, and its effect on the environment of Sikkim Himalayan region. The huge urban sprawl in recent decades has led to regional human-induced air pollution in the region. Black carbon was highest in April 2021 and March 2022, exceeding the WHO limit. The monsoon season causes huge rainfall over the region, which reduces the pollutants by scavenging (rainout and washout).
Maria P. Velásquez-García, K. Santiago Hernández, James A. Vergara-Correa, Richard J. Pope, Miriam Gómez-Marín, and Angela M. Rendón
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11497–11520, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11497-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11497-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In the Aburrá Valley, northern South America, local emissions determine air quality conditions. However, we found that external sources, such as regional fires, Saharan dust, and volcanic emissions, increase particulate concentrations and worsen chemical composition by introducing elements like heavy metals. Dry winds and source variability contribute to seasonal influences on these events. This study assesses the air quality risks posed by such events, which can affect broad regions worldwide.
Diana L. Pereira, Chiara Giorio, Aline Gratien, Alexander Zherebker, Gael Noyalet, Servanne Chevaillier, Stéphanie Alage, Elie Almarj, Antonin Bergé, Thomas Bertin, Mathieu Cazaunau, Patrice Coll, Ludovico Di Antonio, Sergio Harb, Johannes Heuser, Cécile Gaimoz, Oscar Guillemant, Brigitte Language, Olivier Lauret, Camilo Macias, Franck Maisonneuve, Bénédicte Picquet-Varrault, Raquel Torres, Sylvain Triquet, Pascal Zapf, Lelia Hawkins, Drew Pronovost, Sydney Riley, Pierre-Marie Flaud, Emilie Perraudin, Pauline Pouyes, Eric Villenave, Alexandre Albinet, Olivier Favez, Robin Aujay-Plouzeau, Vincent Michoud, Christopher Cantrell, Manuela Cirtog, Claudia Di Biagio, Jean-François Doussin, and Paola Formenti
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3015, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3015, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In order to study aerosols in environments influenced by anthropogenic and biogenic emissions, we performed analysis of samples collected during ACROSS (Atmospheric Chemistry Of the Suburban Forest) campaign in the summer 2022 in the Paris greater area. After analysis of the chemical composition by means of total carbon determination and high resolution mass spectrometry, this work highlights the influence of anthropogenic inputs into the chemical composition of both urban and forested areas.
Meng Wang, Qiyuan Wang, Steven Sai Hang Ho, Jie Tian, Yong Zhang, Shun-cheng Lee, and Junji Cao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11175–11189, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11175-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11175-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We studied nitrogen-containing organic compounds (NOCs) in particulate matter <2.5 µm particles on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. We found that biomass burning and transboundary transport are the main sources of NOCs in the high-altitude area. Understanding these aerosol sources informs how they add to regional and potentially global climate changes. Our findings could help shape effective environmental policies to enhance air quality and address climate impacts in this sensitive region.
Kimmo Teinilä, Sanna Saarikoski, Henna Lintusaari, Teemu Lepistö, Petteri Marjanen, Minna Aurela, Heidi Hellén, Toni Tykkä, Markus Lampimäki, Janne Lampilahti, Luis Barreira, Timo Mäkelä, Leena Kangas, Juha Hatakka, Sami Harni, Joel Kuula, Jarkko V. Niemi, Harri Portin, Jaakko Yli-Ojanperä, Ville Niemelä, Milja Jäppi, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Joonas Vanhanen, Liisa Pirjola, Hanna E. Manninen, Tuukka Petäjä, Topi Rönkkö, and Hilkka Timonen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2235, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2235, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Physical and chemical properties of particulate matter and concentrations of trace gases were measured in a street canyon in Helsinki, Finland and an urban background site in January–February 2022 to investigate the effect of wintertime conditions on pollutants. State-of-the-art instruments, a mobile laboratory was used, and the measurement data was further analysed with modelling tools like positive matrix factorization (PMF) and pollution detection algorithm (PDA).
Jinbo Wang, Jiaping Wang, Yuxuan Zhang, Tengyu Liu, Xuguang Chi, Xin Huang, Dafeng Ge, Shiyi Lai, Caijun Zhu, Lei Wang, Qiaozhi Zha, Ximeng Qi, Wei Nie, Congbin Fu, and Aijun Ding
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11063–11080, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11063-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11063-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we found large spatial discrepancies in the physical and chemical properties of black carbon over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Elevated anthropogenic emissions from low-altitude regions can significantly change the mass concentration, mixing state and chemical composition of black-carbon-containing aerosol in the TP region, further altering its light absorption ability. Our study emphasizes the vulnerability of remote plateau regions to intense anthropogenic influences.
Liyuan Zhou, Qianyun Liu, Christian M. Salvador, Michael Le Breton, Mattias Hallquist, Jian Zhen Yu, Chak K. Chan, and Åsa M. Hallquist
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11045–11061, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11045-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11045-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our research on city bus emissions reveals that alternative fuels (compressed natural gas and biofuels) reduce fresh particle emissions compared to diesel. However, all fuels lead to secondary air pollution. Aiming at guiding better environmental policies, we studied 76 buses using advanced emission measurement techniques. This work sheds light on the complex effects of bus fuels on urban air quality, emphasizing the need for comprehensive evaluations of future transportation technologies.
Xu Yang, Fobang Liu, Shuqi Yang, Yuling Yang, Yanan Wang, Jingjing Li, Mingyu Zhao, Zhao Wang, Kai Wang, Chi He, and Haijie Tong
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11029–11043, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11029-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11029-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A study in the rural North China Plain showed environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) in atmospheric particulate matter (PM), with a notable water-soluble fraction likely from atmospheric oxidation during transport. Significant positive correlations between EPFRs and the water-soluble oxidative potential of PM2.5 were found, primarily attributable to the water-soluble fractions of EPFRs. These findings emphasize understanding EPFRs' atmospheric evolution for climate and health impacts.
Kirsten N. Fossum, Chunshui Lin, Niall O'Sullivan, Lu Lei, Stig Hellebust, Darius Ceburnis, Aqeel Afzal, Anja Tremper, David Green, Srishti Jain, Steigvilė Byčenkienė, Colin O'Dowd, John Wenger, and Jurgita Ovadnevaite
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10815–10831, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10815-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10815-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The chemical composition and sources of submicron aerosol in the Dublin Port area were investigated over a month-long campaign. Two distinct types of ship emissions were identified and characterised: sulfate-rich plumes from the use of heavy fuel oil with scrubbers and organic-rich plumes from the use of low-sulfur fuels. The latter were more frequent, emitting double the particle number and having a typical V / Ni ratio for ship emission.
Xiao He, Xuan Zheng, Shuwen Guo, Lewei Zeng, Ting Chen, Bohan Yang, Shupei Xiao, Qiongqiong Wang, Zhiyuan Li, Yan You, Shaojun Zhang, and Ye Wu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10655–10666, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10655-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10655-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study introduces an innovative method for identifying and quantifying complex organic vapors and aerosols. By combining advanced analytical techniques and new algorithms, we categorized thousands of compounds from heavy-duty diesel vehicles and ambient air and highlighted specific tracers for emission sources. The innovative approach enhances peak identification, reduces quantification uncertainties, and offers new insights for air quality management and atmospheric chemistry.
Emmanuel Chevassus, Kirsten N. Fossum, Darius Ceburnis, Lu Lei, Chunshui Lin, Wei Xu, Colin D. O’ Dowd, and Jurgita Ovadnevaite
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2890, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2890, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents the first source apportionment of OA at Mace Head via high-resolution mass spectrometry. Introducing transfer entropy as a novel method reveals that aged OA originate from open ocean ozonolysis and local peat burning oxidation. Methanesulphonic acid OA and primary marine OA both mirror phytoplankton activity as observed with their chemical makeup, with MSA-OA closely tied to coccolithophore blooms and PMOA linked to diatoms, chlorophytes, and cyanobacteria.
Yu Xu, Tang Liu, Yi-Jia Ma, Qi-Bin Sun, Hong-Wei Xiao, Hao Xiao, Hua-Yun Xiao, and Cong-Qiang Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10531–10542, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10531-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10531-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the characteristics of aminiums and ammonium in PM2.5 on clean and polluted winter days in 11 Chinese cities, highlighting the possibility of the competitive uptake of ammonia versus amines on acidic aerosols or the displacement of aminiums by ammonia under high-ammonia conditions. The overall results deepen the understanding of the spatiotemporal differences in aminium characteristics and formation in China.
Cassidy Soloff, Taiwo Ajayi, Yonghoon Choi, Ewan C. Crosbie, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Marta A. Fenn, Richard A. Ferrare, Francesca Gallo, Johnathan W. Hair, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Simon Kirschler, Richard H. Moore, Taylor J. Shingler, Michael A. Shook, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Christiane Voigt, Edward L. Winstead, Luke D. Ziemba, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10385–10408, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10385-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10385-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using aircraft measurements over the northwestern Atlantic between the US East Coast and Bermuda and trajectory modeling of continental outflow, we identify trace gas and particle properties that exhibit gradients with offshore distance and quantify these changes with high-resolution measurements of concentrations and particle chemistry, size, and scattering properties. This work furthers our understanding of the complex interactions between continental and marine environments.
Alex Rowell, James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Zongbo Shi, Avinash Kumar, Matti Rissanen, Miikka Dal Maso, Peter Mettke, Kay Weinhold, Maik Merkel, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10349–10361, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10349-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10349-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ions enhance the formation and growth rates of new particles, affecting the Earth's radiation budget. Despite these effects, there is little published data exploring the sources of ions in the urban environment and their role in new particle formation (NPF). Here we show that natural ion sources dominate in urban environments, while traffic is a secondary source. Ions contribute up to 12.7 % of the formation rate of particles, indicating that they are important for forming urban PM.
Ye Kuang, Biao Luo, Shan Huang, Junwen Liu, Weiwei Hu, Yuweng Peng, Duohong Chen, Dingli Yue, Wanyun Xu, Bin Yuan, and Min Shao
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2654, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2654, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This research reveals the potential importance of nighttime NO3 radical chemistry and aerosol water in the rapid formation of secondary brown carbon from biomass burning emissions. The findings enhance our understanding of nighttime biomass burning evolution and its implications for climate and regional air quality, especially regarding interactions with aerosol water and water-rich fogs and clouds.
Yuan Cheng, Xu-bing Cao, Sheng-qiang Zhu, Zhi-qing Zhang, Jiu-meng Liu, Hong-liang Zhang, Qiang Zhang, and Ke-bin He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9869–9883, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9869-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9869-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The agreement between observational and modeling results is essential for the development of efficient air pollution control strategies. Here we constrained the modeling results of carbonaceous aerosols by field observation in Northeast China, a historically overlooked but recently targeted region of national clean-air actions. Our study suggested that the simulation of agricultural fire emissions and secondary organic aerosols remains challenging.
Yuan Dai, Junfeng Wang, Houjun Wang, Shijie Cui, Yunjiang Zhang, Haiwei Li, Yun Wu, Ming Wang, Eleonora Aruffo, and Xinlei Ge
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9733–9748, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9733-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9733-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Short-term strict emission control can improve air quality, but its effectiveness needs assessment. During the 2021 summer COVID-19 lockdown in Yangzhou, we found that PM2.5 levels did not decrease despite reduced primary emissions. Aged black-carbon particles increased substantially due to higher O3 levels and transported pollutants. High humidity and low wind also played key roles. The results highlight the importance of a regionally balanced control strategy for future air quality management.
Xinya Liu, Diego Alves Gouveia, Bas Henzing, Arnoud Apituley, Arjan Hensen, Danielle van Dinther, Rujin Huang, and Ulrike Dusek
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9597–9614, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9597-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9597-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The vertical distribution of aerosol optical properties is important for their effect on climate. This is usually measured by lidar, which has limitations, most notably the assumption of a lidar ratio. Our study shows that routine surface-level aerosol measurements are able to predict this lidar ratio reasonably well within the lower layers of the atmosphere and thus provide a relatively simple and cost-effective method to improve lidar measurements.
Weiqi Xu, Ye Kuang, Wanyun Xu, Zhiqiang Zhang, Biao Luo, Xiaoyi Zhang, Jiangchuang Tao, Hongqin Qiao, Li Liu, and Yele Sun
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9387–9399, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9387-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9387-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We deployed an advanced aerosol–fog sampling system at a rural site in the North China Plain to investigate impacts of aerosol hygroscopic growth and activation on the physicochemical properties of submicron aerosols. Observed results highlighted remarkably different aqueous processing of primary and secondary submicron aerosol components under distinct ambient relative humidity (RH) conditions and that RH levels significantly impact aerosol sampling through the aerosol swelling effect.
Can Wu, Xiaodi Liu, Ke Zhang, Si Zhang, Cong Cao, Jianjun Li, Rui Li, Fan Zhang, and Gehui Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9263–9275, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9263-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9263-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Brown carbon (BrC) is prevalent in the troposphere and can efficiently absorb solar and terrestrial radiation. Our observations show that the enhanced light absorption of BrC relative to black carbon at the tropopause can be attributed to the formation of nitrogen-containing organic compounds through the aqueous-phase reactions of carbonyls with ammonium.
Taiwo Ajayi, Yonghoon Choi, Ewan C. Crosbie, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Marta A. Fenn, Richard A. Ferrare, Johnathan W. Hair, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Chris A. Hostetler, Simon Kirschler, Richard H. Moore, Taylor J. Shingler, Michael A. Shook, Cassidy Soloff, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Christiane Voigt, Edward L. Winstead, Luke D. Ziemba, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9197–9218, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9197-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9197-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses airborne data to examine vertical profiles of trace gases, aerosol particles, and meteorological variables over a remote marine area (Bermuda). Results show distinct differences based on both air mass source region (North America, Ocean, Caribbean/North Africa) and altitude for a given air mass type. This work highlights the sensitivity of remote marine areas to long-range transport and the importance of considering the vertical dependence of trace gas and aerosol properties.
Guilherme Martins Pereira, Leonardo Yoshiaki Kamigauti, Rubens Fabio Pereira, Djacinto Monteiro dos Santos, Thayná da Silva Santos, José Vinicius Martins, Célia Alves, Cátia Gonçalves, Ismael Casotti Rienda, Nora Kováts, Thiago Nogueira, Luciana Rizzo, Paulo Artaxo, Regina Maura de Miranda, Marcia Akemi Yamasoe, Edmilson Dias de Freitas, Pérola de Castro Vasconcellos, and Maria de Fatima Andrade
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2212, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2212, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The chemical composition of fine particulate matter was studied in the megacity of São Paulo (Brazil) during a polluted period. Vehicular-related sources were dominant; however, a high contribution of biomass burning was observed and correlated with sample ecotoxicity. Emerging biomass burning sources, such as forest fires and sugarcane bagasse-based power plants, highlight the need for additional control measures alongside stricter rules concerning vehicular emissions.
Kira Zeider, Grace Betito, Anthony Bucholtz, Peng Xian, Annette Walker, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9059–9083, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9059-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9059-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The predominant wind direction along the California coast (northerly) reverses several times during the summer (to southerly). The effects of these wind reversals on aerosol and cloud characteristics are not well understood. Using data from multiple datasets we found that southerly flow periods had enhanced signatures of anthropogenic emissions due to shipping and continental sources, and clouds had more but smaller droplets.
Saleh Alzahrani, Doğuşhan Kılıç, Michael Flynn, Paul I. Williams, and James Allan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9045–9058, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9045-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9045-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This paper investigates emissions from aviation activities at an international airport to evaluate their impact on local air quality. The study provides detailed insights into the chemical composition of aerosols and key pollutants in the airport environment. Source apportionment analysis using positive matrix factorisation (PMF) identified three significant sources: less oxidised oxygenated organic aerosol, alkane organic aerosol, and more oxidised oxygenated organic aerosol.
Mikko Heikkilä, Krista Luoma, Timo Mäkelä, and Tiia Grönholm
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8927–8941, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8927-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8927-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Black carbon (BC) concentration was measured from 211 ship exhaust gas plumes at a remote marine station. Emission factors of BC were calculated in grams per kilogram of fuel. Ships with an exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS) were found to have median BC emissions per fuel consumed 5 times lower than ships without an EGCS. However, this might be because of non-EGCS ships running at low engine loads rather than the EGCS itself. A local speed restriction would increase BC emissions of ships.
Olga Zografou, Maria Gini, Prodromos Fetfatzis, Konstantinos Granakis, Romanos Foskinis, Manousos Ioannis Manousakas, Fotios Tsopelas, Evangelia Diapouli, Eleni Dovrou, Christina N. Vasilakopoulou, Alexandros Papayannis, Spyros N. Pandis, Athanasios Nenes, and Konstantinos Eleftheriadis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8911–8926, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8911-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8911-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Characterization of PM1 and positive matrix factorization (PMF) source apportionment of organic and inorganic fractions were conducted at the high-altitude station (HAC)2. Cloud presence reduced PM1, affecting sulfate more than organics. Free-troposphere (FT) conditions showed more black carbon (eBC) than planetary boundary layer (PBL) conditions.
Yuanyuan Qin, Xinghua Zhang, Wei Huang, Juanjuan Qin, Xiaoyu Hu, Yuxuan Cao, Tianyi Zhao, Yang Zhang, Jihua Tan, Ziyin Zhang, Xinming Wang, and Zhenzhen Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8737–8750, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8737-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8737-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Environmental persistent free radicals (EPFRs) and reactive oxygen species (ROSs) play an active role in the atmosphere. Despite control measures having effectively reduced their emissions, reductions were less than in PM2.5. Emission control measures performed well in achieving Parade Blue, but reducing the impact of the atmosphere on human health remains challenging. Thus, there is a need to reassess emission control measures to better address the challenges posed by EPFRs and ROSs.
Fenghua Wei, Xing Peng, Liming Cao, Mengxue Tang, Ning Feng, Xiaofeng Huang, and Lingyan He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8507–8518, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8507-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8507-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The water solubility of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) is a crucial factor in determining their hygroscopicity and climatic impact. Stable carbon isotope and mass spectrometry techniques were combined to assess the water solubility of SOAs with different aging degrees in a coastal megacity in China. This work revealed a much higher water-soluble fraction of aged SOA compared to fresh SOA, indicating that the aging degree of SOA has considerable impacts on its water solubility.
Cited articles
Baduel, C., Voisin, D., and Jaffrezo, J. L.: Seasonal variations of
concentrations and optical properties of water soluble HULIS collected in
urban environments, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 4085–4095,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-4085-2010, 2010.
Brown, H., Liu, X., Pokhrel, R., Murphy, S., Lu, Z., Saleh, R., Mielonen,
T., Kokkola, H., Bergman, T., Myhre, G., Skeie, R. B., Watson-Paris, D.,
Stier, P., Johnson, B., Bellouin, N., Schulz, M., Vakkari, V., Beukes, J.
P., van Zyl, P. G., Liu, S., and Chand, D.: Biomass burning aerosols in most
climate models are too absorbing, Nat. Commun., 12, 277,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20482-9, 2021.
Chen, Q. C., Miyazaki, Y., Kawamura, K., Matsumoto, K., Coburn, S.,
Volkamer, R., Iwamoto, Y., Kagami, S., Deng, Y. G., Ogawa, S., Ramasamy, S.,
Kato, S., Ida, A., Kajii, Y., and Mochida, M.: Characterization of
Chromophoric Water-Soluble Organic Matter in Urban, Forest, and Marine
Aerosols by HR-ToF-AMS Analysis and Excitation Emission Matrix Spectroscopy,
Environ. Sci. Technol., 50, 10351–10360, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b01643, 2016.
Chen, Q. C., Mu, Z., Song, W. H., Wang, Y. Q., Yang, Z. H., Zhang, L. X.,
and Zhang, Y. L.: Size-Resolved Characterization of the Chromophores in
Atmospheric Particulate Matter From a Typical Coal-Burning City in China,
J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 124, 10546–10563,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019jd031149, 2019.
Chen, Q. C., Li, J. W., Hua, X. Y., Jiang, X. T., Mu, Z., Wang, M. M., Wang,
J., Shan, M., Yang, X. D., Fan, X. J., Song, J. Z., Wang, Y. Q., Guan, D.
J., and Du, L.: Identification of species and sources of atmospheric
chromophores by fluorescence excitation-emission matrix with parallel factor
analysis, Sci. Total Environ., 718, 137322,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137322, 2020.
Chen, Q. C., Hua, X. Y., Li, J. W., Chang, T., and Wang, Y. Q.: Diurnal
evolutions and sources of water-soluble chromophoric aerosols over Xi'an
during haze event, in Northwest China, Sci. Total Environ.,
786, 147412, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147412, 2021.
Cory, R. M. and McKnight, D. M.: Fluorescence spectroscopy reveals
ubiquitous presence of oxidized and reduced quinones in dissolved organic
matter, Environ. Sci. Technol., 39, 8142–8149, https://doi.org/10.1021/es0506962, 2005.
Crippa, M., Canonaco, F., Lanz, V. A., Aijala, M., Allan, J. D., Carbone,
S., Capes, G., Ceburnis, D., Dall'Osto, M., Day, D. A., DeCarlo, P. F., Ehn,
M., Eriksson, A., Freney, E., Hildebrandt Ruiz, L., Hillamo, R., Jimenez, J.
L., Junninen, H., Kiendler-Scharr, A., Kortelainen, A. M., Kulmala, M.,
Laaksonen, A., Mensah, A., Mohr, C., Nemitz, E., O'Dowd, C., Ovadnevaite,
J., Pandis, S. N., Petaja, T., Poulain, L., Saarikoski, S., Sellegri, K.,
Swietlicki, E., Tiitta, P., Worsnop, D. R., Baltensperger, U., and Prevot,
A. S. H.: Organic aerosol components derived from 25 AMS data sets across
Europe using a consistent ME-2 based source apportionment approach,
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 6159–6176, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-6159-2014,
2014.
Deng, J. J., Ma, H., Wang, X. F., Zhong, S. J., Zhang, Z. M., Zhu, J. L.,
Fan, Y. B., Hu, W., Wu, L. B., Li, X. D., Ren, L. J., Pavuluri, C. M., Pan,
X. L., Sun, Y. L., Wang, Z. F., Kawamura, K., and Fu, P. Q.: Measurement
report: Optical properties and sources of water-soluble brown carbon in
Tianjin, North China insights from organic molecular compositions,
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 6449–6470, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6449-2022,
2022.
Feng, Y., Ramanathan, V., and Kotamarthi, V. R.: Brown carbon: a significant
atmospheric absorber of solar radiation?, Atmos. Chem. Phys.,
13, 8607–8621, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-8607-2013, 2013.
Hagemann, R., Corsmeier, U., Kottmeier, C., Rinke, R., Wieser, A., and
Vogel, B.: Spatial variability of particle number concentrations and NOx in
the Karlsruhe (Germany) area obtained with the mobile laboratory
“AERO-TRAM”, Atmos. Environ., 94, 341–352,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.05.051, 2014.
He, Q. F., Tomaz, S., Li, C. L., Zhu, M., Meidan, D., Riva, M., Laskin, A.,
Brown, S. S., George, C., Wang, X. M., and Rudich, Y.: Optical Properties of
Secondary Organic Aerosol Produced by Nitrate Radical Oxidation of Biogenic
Volatile Organic Compounds, Environ. Sci. Technol., 55, 2878–2889,
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c06838, 2021.
Hecobian, A., Zhang, X., Zheng, M., Frank, N., Edgerton, E. S., and Weber,
R. J.: Water-Soluble Organic Aerosol material and the light-absorption
characteristics of aqueous extracts measured over the Southeastern United
States, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 5965–5977,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-5965-2010, 2010.
Hettiyadura, A. P. S., Garcia, V., Li, C., West, C. P., Tomlin, J., He, Q.,
Rudich, Y., and Laskin, A.: Chemical Composition and Molecular-Specific
Optical Properties of Atmospheric Brown Carbon Associated with Biomass
Burning, Environ. Sci. Technol., 55, 2511–2521, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c05883, 2021.
Huang, R.-J., Yang, L., Cao, J., Chen, Y., Chen, Q., Li, Y., Duan, J., Zhu,
C., Dai, W., Wang, K., Lin, C., Ni, H., Corbin, J. C., Wu, Y., Zhang, R.,
Tie, X., Hoffmann, T., O'Dowd, C., and Dusek, U.: Brown Carbon Aerosol in
Urban Xi'an, Northwest China: The Composition and Light Absorption
Properties, Environ. Sci. Technol., 52, 6825–6833, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b02386,
2018.
Huang, W., Saathoff, H., Shen, X. L., Ramisetty, R., Leisner, T., and Mohr,
C.: Seasonal characteristics of organic aerosol chemical composition and
volatility in Stuttgart, Germany, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19,
11687–11700, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-11687-2019, 2019.
Jacobson, M. Z.: Investigating cloud absorption effects: Global absorption
properties of black carbon, tar balls, and soil dust in clouds and aerosols,
J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 117, D06205, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011jd017218,
2012.
Jiang, H. H., Frie, A. L., Lavi, A., Chen, J. Y., Zhang, H. F., Bahreini,
R., and Lin, Y. H.: Brown Carbon Formation from Nighttime Chemistry of
Unsaturated Heterocyclic Volatile Organic Compounds, Environ. Sci.
Technol. Lett., 6, 184–190, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.9b00017, 2019.
Jiang, F., Song, J., Bauer, J., Gao, L., Vallon, M., Gebhardt, R., Leisner, T., and Saathoff, H.: Chromophores and chemical composition of brown carbon characterized at an urban kerbside by excitation-emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, KITopen [data set], https://doi.org/10.5445/IR/1000152116, 2022.
Kasthuriarachchi, N. Y., Rivellini, L. H., Adam, M. G., and Lee, A. K. Y.:
Light Absorbing Properties of Primary and Secondary Brown Carbon in a
Tropical Urban Environment, Environ. Sci. Technol., 54, 10808–10819,
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c02414, 2020.
Laskin, A., Laskin, J., and Nizkorodov, S. A.: Chemistry of Atmospheric
Brown Carbon, Chem. Rev., 115, 4335–4382, https://doi.org/10.1021/cr5006167, 2015.
Lee, H. J., Laskin, A., Laskin, J., and Nizkorodov, S. A.:
Excitation-Emission Spectra and Fluorescence Quantum Yields for Fresh and
Aged Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosols, Environ. Sci. Technol., 47,
5763–5770, https://doi.org/10.1021/es400644c, 2013.
Li, X., Wang, Y. J., Hu, M., Tan, T. Y., Li, M. R., Wu, Z. J., Chen, S. Y.,
and Tang, X. Y.: Characterizing chemical composition and light absorption of
nitroaromatic compounds in the winter of Beijing, Atmos. Environ.,
237, 117712, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.117712, 2020.
Lin, P., Aiona, P. K., Li, Y., Shiraiwa, M., Laskin, J., Nizkorodov, S. A.,
and Laskin, A.: Molecular Characterization of Brown Carbon in Biomass
Burning Aerosol Particles, Environ. Sci. Technol., 50, 11815–11824,
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b03024, 2016.
Lin, P., Fleming, L. T., Nizkorodov, S. A., Laskin, J., and Laskin, A.:
Comprehensive Molecular Characterization of Atmospheric Brown Carbon by High
Resolution Mass Spectrometry with Electrospray and Atmospheric Pressure
Photoionization, Anal. Chem., 90, 12493–12502,
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.8b02177, 2018.
Linke, C., Ibrahim, I., Schleicher, N., Hitzenberger, R., Andreae, M. O.,
Leisner, T., and Schnaiter, M.: A novel single-cavity three-wavelength
photoacoustic spectrometer for atmospheric aerosol research, Atmos.
Meas. Tech., 9, 5331–5346, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5331-2016, 2016.
Liu, D., Li, S., Hu, D., Kong, S., Cheng, Y., Wu, Y., Ding, S., Hu, K.,
Zheng, S., Yan, Q., Zheng, H., Zhao, D., Tian, P., Ye, J., Huang, M., and
Ding, D.: Evolution of Aerosol Optical Properties from Wood Smoke in Real
Atmosphere Influenced by Burning Phase and Solar Radiation, Environ. Sci.
Technol., 55, 5677–5688, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c07569, 2021.
Lopez-Hilfiker, F. D., Mohr, C., Ehn, M., Rubach, F., Kleist, E., Wildt, J.,
Mentel, T. F., Lutz, A., Hallquist, M., Worsnop, D., and Thornton, J. A.: A
novel method for online analysis of gas and particle composition:
description and evaluation of a Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols
(FIGAERO), Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 983–1001,
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-983-2014, 2014.
Lopez-Hilfiker, F. D., Iyer, S., Mohr, C., Lee, B. H., D'Ambro, E. L.,
Kurten, T., and Thornton, J. A.: Constraining the sensitivity of iodide
adduct chemical ionization mass spectrometry to multifunctional organic
molecules using the collision limit and thermodynamic stability of iodide
ion adducts, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 1505–1512,
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-1505-2016, 2016.
Matos, J. T. V., Freire, S., Duarte, R., and Duarte, A. C.: Natural organic
matter in urban aerosols: Comparison between water and alkaline soluble
components using excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy and
multiway data analysis, Atmos. Environ., 102, 1–10,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.11.042, 2015.
Mladenov, N., Alados-Arboledas, L., Olmo, F. J., Lyamani, H., Delgado, A.,
Molina, A., and Reche, I.: Applications of optical spectroscopy and stable
isotope analyses to organic aerosol source discrimination in an urban area,
Atmos. Environ., 45, 1960–1969, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.01.029,
2011.
Mohr, C., DeCarlo, P. F., Heringa, M. F., Chirico, R., Slowik, J. G.,
Richter, R., Reche, C., Alastuey, A., Querol, X., Seco, R., Penuelas, J.,
Jimenez, J. L., Crippa, M., Zimmermann, R., Baltensperger, U., and Prevot,
A. S. H.: Identification and quantification of organic aerosol from cooking
and other sources in Barcelona using aerosol mass spectrometer data,
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 1649–1665, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-1649-2012,
2012.
Mohr, C., Lopez-Hilfiker, F. D., Zotter, P., Prevot, A. S. H., Xu, L., Ng,
N. L., Herndon, S. C., Williams, L. R., Franklin, J. P., Zahniser, M. S.,
Worsnop, D. R., Knighton, W. B., Aiken, A. C., Gorkowski, K. J., Dubey, M.
K., Allan, J. D., and Thornton, J. A.: Contribution of Nitrated Phenols to
Wood Burning Brown Carbon Light Absorption in Detling, United Kingdom during
Winter Time, Environ. Sci. Technol., 47, 6316–6324, https://doi.org/10.1021/es400683v, 2013.
Moise, T., Flores, J. M., and Rudich, Y.: Optical Properties of Secondary
Organic Aerosols and Their Changes by Chemical Processes, Chem. Rev.,
115, 4400–4439, https://doi.org/10.1021/cr5005259, 2015.
Montoya-Aguilera, J., Horne, J. R., Hinks, M. L., Fleming, L. T., Perraud,
V., Lin, P., Laskin, A., Laskin, J., Dabdub, D., and Nizkorodov, S. A.:
Secondary organic aerosol from atmospheric photooxidation of indole,
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 11605–11621,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-11605-2017, 2017.
Moschos, V., Kumar, N. K., Daellenbach, K. R., Baltensperger, U., Prevot, A.
S. H., and El Haddad, I.: Source Apportionment of Brown Carbon Absorption by
Coupling Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy with Aerosol Mass Spectrometry,
Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett., 5, 302–308,
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.8b00118, 2018.
Moschos, V., Gysel-Beer, M., Modini, R. L., Corbin, J. C., Massabo, D.,
Costa, C., Danelli, S. G., Vlachou, A., Daellenbach, K. R., Szidat, S.,
Prati, P., Prevot, A. S. H., Baltensperger, U., and El Haddad, I.:
Source-specific light absorption by carbonaceous components in the complex
aerosol matrix from yearly filter-based measurements, Atmos. Chem.
Phys., 21, 12809–12833, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12809-2021, 2021.
Murphy, K. R., Stedmon, C. A., Graeber, D., and Bro, R.: Fluorescence
spectroscopy and multi-way techniques. PARAFAC, Anal. Method., 5,
6557–6566, https://doi.org/10.1039/c3ay41160e, 2013.
Nakayama, T., Sato, K., Matsumi, Y., Imamura, T., Yamazaki, A., and
Uchiyama, A.: Wavelength and NOx dependent complex refractive index of SOAs
generated from the photooxidation of toluene, Atmos. Chem.
Phys., 13, 531–545, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-531-2013, 2013.
Olson, M. R., Garcia, M. V., Robinson, M. A., Van Rooy, P., Dietenberger, M.
A., Bergin, M., and Schauer, J. J.: Investigation of black and brown carbon
multiple-wavelength-dependent light absorption from biomass and fossil fuel
combustion source emissions, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos.,
120, 6682–6697, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jd022970, 2015.
Palm, B. B., Peng, Q. Y., Fredrickson, C. D., Lee, B., Garofalo, L. A.,
Pothier, M. A., Kreidenweis, S. M., Farmer, D. K., Pokhrel, R. P., Shen, Y.
J., Murphy, S. M., Permar, W., Hu, L., Campos, T. L., Hall, S. R., Ullmann,
K., Zhang, X., Flocke, F., Fischer, E. V., and Thornton, J. A.:
Quantification of organic aerosol and brown carbon evolution in fresh
wildfire plumes, P. Natl. Acad. Sci.
USA, 117, 29469–29477, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2012218117, 2020.
Pucher, M., Wunsch, U., Weigelhofer, G., Murphy, K., Hein, T., and Graeber,
D.: staRdom: Versatile Software for Analyzing Spectroscopic Data of
Dissolved Organic Matter in R, Water, 11, 2366, https://doi.org/10.3390/w11112366, 2019.
Saleh, R.: From Measurements to Models: Toward Accurate Representation of
Brown Carbon in Climate Calculations, Curr. Pollut. Rep., 6, 90–104,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40726-020-00139-3, 2020.
Salvador, C. M. G., Tang, R. Z., Priestley, M., Li, L. J., Tsiligiannis, E.,
Le Breton, M., Zhu, W. F., Zeng, L. M., Wang, H., Yu, Y., Hu, M., Guo, S.,
and Hallquist, M.: Ambient nitro-aromatic compounds – biomass burning versus
secondary formation in rural China, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21,
1389–1406, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1389-2021, 2021.
Satish, R., Shamjad, P., Thamban, N., Tripathi, S., and Rastogi, N.:
Temporal Characteristics of Brown Carbon over the Central Indo-Gangetic
Plain, Environ. Sci. Technol., 51, 6765–6772, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b00734, 2017.
Sekimoto, K., Inomata, S., Tanimoto, H., Fushimi, A., Fujitani, Y., Sato,
K., and Yamada, H.: Characterization of nitromethane emission from
automotive exhaust, Atmos. Environ., 81, 523–531,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.09.031, 2013.
Shen, X., Vogel, H., Vogel, B., Huang, W., Mohr, C., Ramisetty, R., Leisner, T., Prévôt, A. S. H., and Saathoff, H.: Composition and origin of PM2.5 aerosol particles in the upper Rhine valley in summer, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 13189–13208, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13189-2019, 2019.
Shrivastava, M., Cappa, C. D., Fan, J. W., Goldstein, A. H., Guenther, A.
B., Jimenez, J. L., Kuang, C., Laskin, A., Martin, S. T., Ng, N. L., Petaja,
T., Pierce, J. R., Rasch, P. J., Roldin, P., Seinfeld, J. H., Shilling, J.,
Smith, J. N., Thornton, J. A., Volkamer, R., Wang, J., Worsnop, D. R.,
Zaveri, R. A., Zelenyuk, A., and Zhang, Q.: Recent advances in understanding
secondary organic aerosol: Implications for global climate forcing, Rev. Geophys., 55, 509–559, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016rg000540, 2017.
Siegel, K., Karlsson, L., Zieger, P., Baccarini, A., Schmale, J., Lawler,
M., Salter, M., Leck, C., Ekman, A. M. L., Riipinen, I., and Mohr, C.:
Insights into the molecular composition of semi-volatile aerosols in the
summertime central Arctic Ocean using FIGAERO-CIMS, Environ. Sci.
Atmos., 1, 161–175, https://doi.org/10.1039/d0ea00023j, 2021.
Song, J. W., Saathoff, H., Gao, L. Y., Gebhardt, R., Jiang, F., Vallon, M.,
Bauer, J., Norra, S., and Leisner, T.: Variations of PM2.5 sources in the
context of meteorology and seasonality at an urban street canyon in
Southwest Germany, Atmos. Environ., 282, 119147,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2022.119147, 2022.
Song, K., Guo, S., Wang, H., Yu, Y., Wang, H., Tang, R., Xia, S., Gong, Y., Wan, Z., Lv, D., Tan, R., Zhu, W., Shen, R., Li, X., Yu, X., Chen, S., Zeng, L., and Huang, X.: Measurement report: Online measurement of gas-phase nitrated phenols utilizing a CI-LToF-MS: primary sources and secondary formation, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 7917–7932, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7917-2021, 2021.
Stubbins, A., Lapierre, J. F., Berggren, M., Prairie, Y. T., Dittmar, T.,
and del Giorgio, P. A.: What's in an EEM? Molecular Signatures Associated
with Dissolved Organic Fluorescence in Boreal Canada, Environ. Sci.
Technol., 48, 10598–10606, https://doi.org/10.1021/es502086e, 2014.
Tang, J., Li, J., Su, T., Han, Y., Mo, Y. Z., Jiang, H. X., Cui, M., Jiang,
B., Chen, Y. J., Tang, J. H., Song, J. Z., Peng, P. A., and Zhang, G.:
Molecular compositions and optical properties of dissolved brown carbon in
biomass burning, coal combustion, and vehicle emission aerosols illuminated
by excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy and Fourier transform ion
cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry analysis, Atmos. Chem.
Phys., 20, 2513–2532, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2513-2020, 2020.
Teich, M., van Pinxteren, D., Wang, M., Kecorius, S., Wang, Z. B., Muller,
T., Mocnik, G., and Herrmann, H.: Contributions of nitrated aromatic
compounds to the light absorption of water-soluble and particulate brown
carbon in different atmospheric environments in Germany and China,
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 1653–1672, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1653-2017,
2017.
Ulbrich, I. M., Canagaratna, M. R., Zhang, Q., Worsnop, D. R., and Jimenez,
J. L.: Interpretation of organic components from Positive Matrix
Factorization of aerosol mass spectrometric data, Atmos. Chem.
Phys., 9, 2891–2918, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-2891-2009, 2009.
Wang, X., Heald, C. L., Liu, J. M., Weber, R. J., Campuzano-Jost, P.,
Jimenez, J. L., Schwarz, J. P., and Perring, A. E.: Exploring the
observational constraints on the simulation of brown carbon, Atmos.
Chem. Phys., 18, 635–653, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-635-2018, 2018.
Wu, G., Wan, X., Gao, S., Fu, P., Yin, Y., Li, G., Zhang, G., Kang, S., Ram,
K., and Cong, Z.: Humic-like substances (HULIS) in aerosols of central
Tibetan Plateau (Nam Co, 4730 m a.s.l.): Abundance, light absorption properties
and sources, Environ. Sci. Technol., 52, 7203–7211, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.8b01251, 2018.
Xiao, R., Takegawa, N., Zheng, M., Kondo, Y., Miyazaki, Y., Miyakawa, T.,
Hu, M., Shao, M., Zeng, L., Gong, Y., Lu, K., Deng, Z., Zhao, Y., and Zhang,
Y. H.: Characterization and source apportionment of submicron aerosol with
aerosol mass spectrometer during the PRIDE-PRD 2006 campaign, Atmos.
Chem. Phys., 11, 6911–6929, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-6911-2011, 2011.
Xie, M., Chen, X., Hays, M. D., Lewandowski, M., Offenberg, J., Kleindienst,
T. E., and Holder, A. L.: Light Absorption of Secondary Organic Aerosol:
Composition and Contribution of Nitroaromatic Compounds, Environ. Sci.
Technol., 51, 11607–11616, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b03263, 2017.
Xie, M. J., Zhao, Z. Z., Holder, A. L., Hays, M. D., Chen, X., Shen, G. F.,
Jetter, J. J., Champion, W. M., and Wang, Q. G.: Chemical composition,
structures, and light absorption of N-containing aromatic compounds emitted
from burning wood and charcoal in household cookstoves, Atmos.
Chem. Phys., 20, 14077–14090, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14077-2020, 2020.
Xu, J. Z., Hettiyadura, A. P. S., Liu, Y. M., Zhang, X. H., Kang, S. C., and
Laskin, A.: Regional Differences of Chemical Composition and Optical
Properties of Aerosols in the Tibetan Plateau, J. Geophys.
Res.-Atmos., 125, e2019JD031226, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019jd031226, 2020.
Yan, G. and Kim, G.: Speciation and Sources of Brown Carbon in
Precipitation at Seoul, Korea: Insights from Excitation-Emission Matrix
Spectroscopy and Carbon Isotopic Analysis, Environ. Sci. Technol., 51,
11580–11587, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b02892, 2017.
Yan, J., Wang, X., Gong, P., Wang, C., and Cong, Z.: Review of brown carbon
aerosols: Recent progress and perspectives, Sci. Total
Environ., 634, 1475–1485, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.083, 2018.
Yuan, B., Liggio, J., Wentzell, J., Li, S. M., Stark, H., Roberts, J. M.,
Gilman, J., Lerner, B., Warneke, C., Li, R., Leithead, A., Osthoff, H. D.,
Wild, R., Brown, S. S., and de Gouw, J. A.: Secondary formation of nitrated
phenols: insights from observations during the Uintah Basin Winter Ozone
Study (UBWOS) 2014, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 2139–2153,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-2139-2016, 2016.
Zeng, L., Dibb, J., Scheuer, E., Katich, J. M., Schwarz, J. P., Bourgeois, I., Peischl, J., Ryerson, T., Warneke, C., Perring, A. E., Diskin, G. S., DiGangi, J. P., Nowak, J. B., Moore, R. H., Wiggins, E. B., Pagonis, D., Guo, H., Campuzano-Jost, P., Jimenez, J. L., Xu, L., and Weber, R. J.: Characteristics and evolution of brown carbon in western United States wildfires, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 8009–8036, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8009-2022, 2022.
Zeng, L. H., Zhang, A. X., Wang, Y. H., Wagner, N. L., Katich, J. M.,
Schwarz, J. P., Schill, G. P., Brock, C., Froyd, K. D., Murphy, D. M.,
Williamson, C. J., Kupc, A., Scheuer, E., Dibb, J., and Weber, R. J.: Global
Measurements of Brown Carbon and Estimated Direct Radiative Effects,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL088747, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020gl088747, 2020.
Zikova, N. and Zdimal, V.: Precipitation scavenging of aerosol particles at
a rural site in the Czech Republic, Tellus B, 68, 27343, https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v68.27343, 2016.
Short summary
We studied brown carbon aerosol during typical summer and winter periods in downtown Karlsruhe in southwestern Germany. The chromophore and chemical composition of brown carbon was determined by excitation–emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The chromophore types and sources were substantially different in winter and summer. Humic-like chromophores of different degrees of oxidation dominated and were associated with molecules of different molecular weight and nitrogen content.
We studied brown carbon aerosol during typical summer and winter periods in downtown Karlsruhe...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint