A simplified description of the evolution of organic aerosol composition in the atmosphere
Abstract
Organic aerosol (OA) in the atmosphere consists of a multitude of organic species which are either directly emitted or the products of a variety of chemical reactions. This complexity challenges our ability to explicitly characterize the chemical composition of these particles. We find that the bulk composition of OA from a variety of environments (laboratory and field) occupies a narrow range in the space of a Van Krevelen diagram (H:C versus O:C), characterized by a slope of ∼-1. The data show that atmospheric aging, involving processes such as volatilization, oxidation, mixing of air masses or condensation of further products, is consistent with movement along this line, producing a more oxidized aerosol. This finding has implications for our understanding of the evolution of atmospheric OA and representation of these processes in models.
- Publication:
-
Geophysical Research Letters
- Pub Date:
- April 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1029/2010GL042737
- Bibcode:
- 2010GeoRL..37.8803H
- Keywords:
-
- Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345;
- 4801;
- 4906);
- Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Troposphere: composition and chemistry;
- Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Evolution of the atmosphere (1610;
- 8125)