Articles | Volume 26, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-12231-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-12231-2026
Research article
 | 
31 Aug 2026
Research article |  | 31 Aug 2026

Resolving systematic errors in sulfate source apportionment: a field-validated kinetic isotope fractionation framework

Zhaobing Guo, Xuexue Bai, Qiwei Ai, Zizheng Xu, Shangshun Ma, Jiayu Gu, Pengxiang Qiu, and Qingjun Guo

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Cited articles

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Dao, X., Lin, Y.-C., Cao, F., Di, S.-Y., Hong, Y., Xing, G., Li, J., Fu, P., and Zhang, Y.-L.: Introduction to the National Aerosol Chemical Composition Monitoring Network of China: Objectives, current status, and outlook, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 100, ES337–ES351, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0325.1, 2019. 
Dasari, S. and Widory, D.: Retrospective isotopic analysis of summertime urban atmospheric sulfate in South Asia using improved source constraints, ACS ES&T Air, 1, 357–364, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestair.3c00060, 2024. 
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Short summary
We refined the traditional isotopic mathematical model, originally predicated on the assumption of exhaustive sulfur dioxide oxidation, to account for the incomplete oxidation processes observed in our field campaigns. By constraining this modified framework with in-situ isotopic data, we demonstrated that conventional models, which overlook this partial oxidation, tend to significantly underestimate sulfate source contributions during the summer.
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