Organic aerosol formation in cloud droplets and aqueous particles
Abstract
Current parameterizations of secondary organic aerosol formation (SOA) include the condensation and subsequent absorption of low-volatility organic species formed upon oxidation of various volatile precursors. Models that use these approaches usually underpredict the amount of newly formed SOA mass. One reason for this discrepancy might be additional chemical/physical processes and precursors that contribute to SOA mass. Recently it has been suggested by both model and laboratory studies that the oxidation of water-soluble species, e.g. glyoxal and related compounds, in an aqueous phase might contribute considerably to SOA mass. Whereas SOA formation in dilute cloud droplets has been included in a state-of-the-art multiphase chemistry model, uptake and chemical processes that occur in wet aerosol particles that are comprised of highly concentrated ionic solutions had not yet been evaluated. We will present model results from an updated version of our previously applied multiphase cloud-chemistry model focusing on the SOA formation from glyoxal. The aim of the study is the comparison of the SOA formation efficiencies in cloud droplets vs aqueous particles based on most recent laboratory studies. We will discuss the differences in chemical/physical processes that occur in these different reaction media and show the extent to which these aqueous phase processes might help to explain the gap between predicted and observed SOA masses.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008AGUFM.A23D..04E
- Keywords:
-
- 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345;
- 4801;
- 4906);
- 0317 Chemical kinetic and photochemical properties;
- 0320 Cloud physics and chemistry