Articles | Volume 23, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14437-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14437-2023
Research article
 | 
22 Nov 2023
Research article |  | 22 Nov 2023

pH dependence of brown-carbon optical properties in cloud water

Christopher J. Hennigan, Michael McKee, Vikram Pratap, Bryanna Boegner, Jasper Reno, Lucia Garcia, Madison McLaren, and Sara M. Lance

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This study characterized the optical properties of light-absorbing organic compounds, called brown carbon (BrC), in atmospheric cloud water samples. In all samples, light absorption by BrC increased linearly with increasing pH. There was variability in the sensitivity of the absorptionpH relationship, depending on the degree of influence from fire emissions. Overall, these results show that the climate forcing of BrC is quite strongly affected by its pH-dependent absorption.
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