Articles | Volume 23, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9765-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9765-2023
Opinion
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04 Sep 2023
Opinion | Highlight paper |  | 04 Sep 2023

Opinion: Atmospheric multiphase chemistry – past, present, and future

Jonathan P. D. Abbatt and A. R. Ravishankara

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Cited articles

Abbatt, J. and Wang, C.: The atmospheric chemistry of indoor environments, Environ. Sci. Proc. Imp., 22, 25–48, https://doi.org/10.1039/c9em00386j, 2020. 
Abbatt, J., George, C., Melamed, M., Monks, P., Pandis, S., and Rudich, Y.: New Directions: Fundamentals of atmospheric chemistry: Keeping a three-legged stool balanced, Atmos. Environ., 84, 390–391, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.10.025, 2014. 
Abbatt, J. P. D.: Interactions of atmospheric trace gases with ice surfaces: Adsorption and reaction, Chem. Rev., 103, 4783–4800, https://doi.org/10.1021/cr0206418, 2003. 
Abbatt, J. P. D., Lee, A. K. Y., and Thornton, J. A.: Quantifying trace gas uptake to tropospheric aerosol: recent advances and remaining challenges, Chem. Soc. Rev., 41, 6555–6581, https://doi.org/10.1039/c2cs35052a, 2012. 
Al-Abadleh, H. and Nizkorodov, S.: Open questions on transition metals driving secondary thermal processes in atmospheric aerosols, Commun. Chem., 4, 176, https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-021-00616-w, 2021. 
Executive editor
The role of chemical reactions within the atmospheric multiphase system, i.e. aerosol particles and cloud droplets surrounded by a gas phase, has been recognized for several decades to affect the atmospheric composition. In this article, significant advancements in measurement techniques during the past 20 years are briefly described that led to the identification of thousands of organic compounds and molecular-scale processes within the atmospheric multiphase system. Similarly, the complexity of multiphase chemistry models has been increasing to include in detail the underlying chemical processes and phase transfers between gas, aqueous, and organic phases. The authors propose how complementary techniques, such as machine learning and molecular dynamics, can be used to constrain the resulting model complexity. They also identify chemical parameters to be further constrained in lab and field studies. Overall, the article highlights the need and future directions of increasingly interdisciplinary efforts to characterize the atmospheric multiphase chemistry system and its impacts on climate-chemistry interactions, atmospheric oxidation capacity and human health.
Short summary
With important climate and air quality impacts, atmospheric multiphase chemistry involves gas interactions with aerosol particles and cloud droplets. We summarize the status of the field and discuss potential directions for future growth. We highlight the importance of a molecular-level understanding of the chemistry, along with atmospheric field studies and modeling, and emphasize the necessity for atmospheric multiphase chemists to interact widely with scientists from neighboring disciplines.
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