Articles | Volume 26, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-5005-2026
© 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-26-5005-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
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16 Apr 2026
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 16 Apr 2026
| 16 Apr 2026
Widespread occurrence of large molecular methylsiloxanes in ambient aerosols
Centre for Isotope Research (CIO), Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen (ESRIG), University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, IMAU, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, the Netherlands
Beatriz Sayuri Oyama
Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Agne Masalaite
State Research Institute Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, 02300 Vilnius, Lithuania
Dipayan Paul
Centre for Isotope Research (CIO), Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen (ESRIG), University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
Haiyan Ni
Centre for Isotope Research (CIO), Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen (ESRIG), University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Key Laboratory of Aerosol Chemistry & Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
Hanne Noto
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, IMAU, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, the Netherlands
Dušan Materić
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, IMAU, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, the Netherlands
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Maria de Fátima Andrade
Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Ru-Jin Huang
State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Key Laboratory of Aerosol Chemistry & Physics, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
Ulrike Dusek
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Centre for Isotope Research (CIO), Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen (ESRIG), University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
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Wei Yuan, Ru-Jin Huang, Chao Luo, Lu Yang, Wenjuan Cao, Jie Guo, and Huinan Yang
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Xinya Liu, Diego Alves Gouveia, Bas Henzing, Arnoud Apituley, Arjan Hensen, Danielle van Dinther, Rujin Huang, and Ulrike Dusek
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Jing Duan, Ru-Jin Huang, Ying Wang, Wei Xu, Haobin Zhong, Chunshui Lin, Wei Huang, Yifang Gu, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Darius Ceburnis, and Colin O'Dowd
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-262, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-262, 2024
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Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15197–15207, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15197-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15197-2023, 2023
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Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10015–10034, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10015-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10015-2023, 2023
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Yifang Gu, Ru-Jin Huang, Jing Duan, Wei Xu, Chunshui Lin, Haobin Zhong, Ying Wang, Haiyan Ni, Quan Liu, Ruiguang Xu, Litao Wang, and Yong Jie Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5419–5433, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5419-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5419-2023, 2023
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Chunshui Lin, Ru-Jin Huang, Haobin Zhong, Jing Duan, Zixi Wang, Wei Huang, and Wei Xu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3595–3607, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3595-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3595-2023, 2023
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Huanhuan Zhang, Rui Li, Chengpeng Huang, Xiaofei Li, Shuwei Dong, Fu Wang, Tingting Li, Yizhu Chen, Guohua Zhang, Yan Ren, Qingcai Chen, Ru-jin Huang, Siyu Chen, Tao Xue, Xinming Wang, and Mingjin Tang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3543–3559, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3543-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3543-2023, 2023
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This work investigated the seasonal variation of aerosol Fe solubility for coarse and fine particles in Xi’an, a megacity in northwestern China severely affected by anthropogenic emission and desert dust aerosol. In addition, we discussed in depth what controlled aerosol Fe solubility at different seasons for coarse and fine particles.
David R. Worton, Sergi Moreno, Kieran O'Daly, and Rupert Holzinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1061–1072, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1061-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1061-2023, 2023
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Proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry is widely used in the environmental, health, and food and beverage sectors. As a result, there is a need for accurate and comparable measurements. In this work we have developed a 20-component gravimetrically prepared traceable primary reference material (gas standard in a high-pressure cylinder) to enable quantitative and comparable measurements. The accuracy of all components was better than 3 %–10 % with stabilities of better than 1–2 years.
Jing Duan, Ru-Jin Huang, Yifang Gu, Chunshui Lin, Haobin Zhong, Wei Xu, Quan Liu, Yan You, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Darius Ceburnis, Thorsten Hoffmann, and Colin O'Dowd
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10139–10153, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10139-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10139-2022, 2022
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Biomass-burning-influenced oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA-BB), formed from the photochemical oxidation and aging of biomass burning OA (BBOA), was resolved in urban Xi’an. The aqueous-phase processed oxygenated OA (aq-OOA) concentration was more dependent on secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) content and aerosol liquid water content (ALWC). The increased aq-OOA contribution during SIA-enhanced periods likely reflects OA evolution due to the addition of alcohol or peroxide groups
Roland Vernooij, Patrik Winiger, Martin Wooster, Tercia Strydom, Laurent Poulain, Ulrike Dusek, Mark Grosvenor, Gareth J. Roberts, Nick Schutgens, and Guido R. van der Werf
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4271–4294, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4271-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4271-2022, 2022
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Landscape fires are a substantial emitter of greenhouse gases and aerosols. Previous studies have indicated savanna emission factors to be highly variable. Improving fire emission estimates, and understanding future climate- and human-induced changes in fire regimes, requires in situ measurements. We present a drone-based method that enables the collection of a large amount of high-quality emission factor measurements that do not have the biases of aircraft or surface measurements.
Haobin Zhong, Ru-Jin Huang, Chunshui Lin, Wei Xu, Jing Duan, Yifang Gu, Wei Huang, Haiyan Ni, Chongshu Zhu, Yan You, Yunfei Wu, Renjian Zhang, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Darius Ceburnis, and Colin D. O'Dowd
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9513–9524, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9513-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9513-2022, 2022
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To investigate the physico-chemical properties of aerosol transported from major pollution regions in China, observations were conducted ~200 m above the ground at the junction location of the two key pollution areas. We found that the formation efficiency, oxidation state and production rate of secondary aerosol were different in the transport sectors from different pollution regions, and they were largely enhanced by the regional long-distance transport.
Roland Vernooij, Ulrike Dusek, Maria Elena Popa, Peng Yao, Anupam Shaikat, Chenxi Qiu, Patrik Winiger, Carina van der Veen, Thomas Callum Eames, Natasha Ribeiro, and Guido R. van der Werf
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2871–2890, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2871-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2871-2022, 2022
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Landscape fires are a major source of greenhouse gases and aerosols, particularly in sub-tropical savannas. Stable carbon isotopes in emissions can be used to trace the contribution of C3 plants (e.g. trees or shrubs) and C4 plants (e.g. savanna grasses) to greenhouse gases and aerosols if the process is well understood. This helps us to link individual vegetation types to emissions, identify biomass burning emissions in the atmosphere, and improve the reconstruction of historic fire regimes.
Rupert Holzinger, Oliver Eppers, Kouji Adachi, Heiko Bozem, Markus Hartmann, Andreas Herber, Makoto Koike, Dylan B. Millet, Nobuhiro Moteki, Sho Ohata, Frank Stratmann, and Atsushi Yoshida
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-95, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-95, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
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In spring 2018 the research aircraft Polar 5 conducted flights in the Arctic atmosphere. The flight operation was from Station Nord in Greenland, 1700 km north of the Arctic Circle (81°43'N, 17°47'W). Using a mass spectrometer we measured more than 100 organic compounds in the air. We found a clear signature of natural organic compounds that are transported from forests to the high Arctic. These compounds have the potential to change the cloud cover and energy budget of the Arctic region.
Yandong Tong, Veronika Pospisilova, Lu Qi, Jing Duan, Yifang Gu, Varun Kumar, Pragati Rai, Giulia Stefenelli, Liwei Wang, Ying Wang, Haobin Zhong, Urs Baltensperger, Junji Cao, Ru-Jin Huang, André S. H. Prévôt, and Jay G. Slowik
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 9859–9886, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9859-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9859-2021, 2021
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We investigate SOA sources and formation processes by a field deployment of the EESI-TOF-MS and L-TOF AMS in Beijing in late autumn and early winter. Our study shows that the sources and processes giving rise to haze events in Beijing are variable and seasonally dependent: (1) in the heating season, SOA formation is driven by oxidation of aromatics from solid fuel combustion; and (2) under high-NOx and RH conditions, aqueous-phase chemistry can be a major contributor to SOA formation.
Kai Wang, Ru-Jin Huang, Martin Brüggemann, Yun Zhang, Lu Yang, Haiyan Ni, Jie Guo, Meng Wang, Jiajun Han, Merete Bilde, Marianne Glasius, and Thorsten Hoffmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 9089–9104, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9089-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9089-2021, 2021
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Here we present the detailed molecular composition of the organic aerosol collected in three eastern Chinese cities from north to south, Changchun, Shanghai and Guangzhou, by applying LC–Orbitrap analysis. Accordingly, the aromaticity degree of chemical compounds decreases from north to south, while the oxidation degree increases from north to south, which can be explained by the different anthropogenic emissions and photochemical oxidation processes.
Wei Xu, Kirsten N. Fossum, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Chunshui Lin, Ru-Jin Huang, Colin O'Dowd, and Darius Ceburnis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 8655–8675, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8655-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8655-2021, 2021
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Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) are an important topic in atmospheric studies, especially for evaluating the climate impact of aerosol. Here in this study, CCN closure is studied by using chemical composition based on an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) and hygroscopicity growth measurements based on a humidified tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA) at the Mace Head atmospheric research station.
Mario Eduardo Gavidia-Calderón, Sergio Ibarra-Espinosa, Youngseob Kim, Yang Zhang, and Maria de Fatima Andrade
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 3251–3268, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-3251-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-3251-2021, 2021
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The MUNICH model was used to calculate pollutant concentrations inside the streets of São Paulo. The VEIN emission model provided the vehicular emissions and the coordinates of the streets. We used information from an air quality station to account for pollutant concentrations over the street rooftops. Results showed that when emissions are calibrated, MUNICH satisfied the performance criteria. MUNICH can be used to evaluate the impact of traffic-related air pollution on public health.
Chao Peng, Patricia N. Razafindrambinina, Kotiba A. Malek, Lanxiadi Chen, Weigang Wang, Ru-Jin Huang, Yuqing Zhang, Xiang Ding, Maofa Ge, Xinming Wang, Akua A. Asa-Awuku, and Mingjin Tang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 7135–7148, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7135-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7135-2021, 2021
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Organosulfates are important constituents in tropospheric aerosol particles, but their hygroscopic properties and cloud condensation nuclei activities are not well understood. In our work, three complementary techniques were employed to investigate the interactions of 11 organosulfates with water vapor under sub- and supersaturated conditions.
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Editorial statement
In recent years, there has been much interest in the extent and effects of synthetic chemicals on the environment. This work presents a novel technique used for the study of methylsiloxanes in atmospheric aerosol, a less well studied class of molecules used in lubricants, among other applications. The evidence presented shows they are present in the atmosphere at a surprisingly wide variety of scales.
In recent years, there has been much interest in the extent and effects of synthetic chemicals...
Short summary
We identify a previously unrecognized class of synthetic organic compounds, large molecular methylsiloxanes, in ambient aerosols across diverse environments in three countries. These compounds are present at substantial levels, primarily originating from traffic emissions related to engine lubrication. Their high abundance and significant daily human exposure suggest potential, yet still poorly understood, implications for both health and climate.
We identify a previously unrecognized class of synthetic organic compounds, large molecular...
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