Articles | Volume 22, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4827-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4827-2022
Research article
 | 
12 Apr 2022
Research article |  | 12 Apr 2022

The optical properties and in-situ observational evidence for the formation of brown carbon in clouds

Ziyong Guo, Yuxiang Yang, Xiaodong Hu, Xiaocong Peng, Yuzhen Fu, Wei Sun, Guohua Zhang, Duohong Chen, Xinhui Bi, Xinming Wang, and Ping'an Peng

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Cited articles

Berto, S., De Laurentiis, E., Tota, T., Chiavazza, E., Daniele, P. G., Minella, M., Isaia, M., Brigante, M., and Vione, D.: Properties of the humic-like material arising from the photo-transformation of L-tyrosine, Sci. Total Environ., 545–546, 434–444, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.12.047, 2016. 
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Short summary
We show that in-cloud aqueous processing facilitates the formation of brown carbon (BrC), based on the simultaneous measurements of the light-absorption properties of the cloud residuals, cloud interstitial, and cloud-free particles. While extensive laboratory evidence indicated the formation of BrC in aqueous phase, our study represents the first attempt to show the possibility in real clouds, which would have potential implications in the atmospheric evolution and radiation forcing of BrC.
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