Organic Carbon and Light Absorption Analysis of Los Angeles Aerosols through an Online Sampling System

Brown carbon is a comprehensive term for organic compounds with wavelength dependent light absorption. Common sources of brown carbon include fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning and aqueous reactions in cloud and fog water. Nitrophenols have been proposed as one source of brown carbon in the Los Angeles area. In this work, we are interested in the relative strengths of each of these sources within Los Angeles. We have implemented a continuous online system of collection and analysis within our lab. The system consists of a particle into liquid sampler (PILS), a liquid waveguide capillary cell (LWCC) and a total organic carbon analyzer (TOC). Online analysis of organic carbon content and UV-Vis absorption has allowed us to study the ratio of the two as an intrinsic property of the aerosol particles, called the 'absorption coefficient.' Using a rearrangement of Beer's Law, we have analyzed the relationship: ɛ = A / C (where ɛ is the absorption coefficient, A is the light absorption of the sample and C is the concentration of organic carbon in the sample). Using our continuous online system, we have collected absorption spectra and total organic carbon measurements over several weeks and in varying environmental conditions. Our work has shown that different weather conditions, along with fog or cloud formation, can affect the absorption coefficient of the brown carbon compounds in the air.