Articles | Volume 26, issue 16
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-12197-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-26-12197-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
28 Aug 2026
Research article |
| 28 Aug 2026
| 28 Aug 2026
Contrasting nighttime heterogeneous and daytime photochemical aging drive the optical evolution of black carbon
Yin Zhang
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago 60637, IL, United States
Yaling Zeng
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Baohua Cai
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Ke Yang
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Yu Yan
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Xin Yuan
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Tianlong Hu
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Chen Wang
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Tzung-May Fu
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Huizhong Shen
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Jianhuai Ye
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Measurement and Early Warning Technology for Urban Environmental Health Risks, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Guangdong Provincial Field Observation and Research Station for Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
Data sets
Dataset for Zhang2026_ACP [Dataset]. In Contrasting Nighttime Heterogeneous and Daytime Photochemical Aging Drive the Optical Evolution of Black Carbon Y. Zhang https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21973372
Short summary
Black carbon warms our climate, but its atmospheric changes remain unclear. We measured individual urban particles with advanced instruments to track this process. We found that black carbon ages through distinct chemical reactions at night versus sunlight-driven processes during the day. Both pathways coat the particles, significantly increasing their ability to absorb light. This helps accurately predict their warming effects.
Black carbon warms our climate, but its atmospheric changes remain unclear. We measured...
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