The lifetimes and potential change in planetary albedo owing to the oxidation of thin surfactant organic films extracted from atmospheric aerosol by hydroxyl (OH) radicals at the air–water interface of particles
Rosalie H. Shepherd,Martin D. King,Andrew D. Ward,Edward J. Stuckey,Rebecca J. L. Welbourn,Neil Brough,Adam Milsom,Christian Pfrang,and Thomas Arnold
Rosalie H. Shepherd
Centre of Climate, Ocean and Atmosphere, Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science Campus, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0FA, UK
Thin film formation at the air–water interface from material extracted from atmospheric aerosol was demonstrated, supporting the core–shell morphology. Film thicknesses were approximately 10 Å and 17 Å for urban and remote extracts, respectively. Exposure to gas-phase OH radicals showed fast reactions and short lifetimes of around 1 h. The effect on the Earth's radiative balance indicated that removing half of the film could significantly increase the top-of-atmosphere albedo for urban films.
Thin film formation at the air–water interface from material extracted from atmospheric aerosol...