NVCL - Finding Missing Links Associated with Aerosol-cloud Interactions: Aqueous and Cloud-phase Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation

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Finding Missing Links Associated with Aerosol-cloud Interactions: Aqueous and Cloud-phase Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation

This early career project aims to advance the fundamental understanding of secondary organic aerosols

secondary organic aerosol (SOA)

Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOAs) are air pollutants emitted from natural and man-made sources. They are produced through a complex interaction of sunlight, volatile organic compounds from trees, plants, cars or industrial emissions, and other airborne chemicals.

Source: EPA Environmental Protection Agency Source

(SOA) that are formed within aqueous aerosols and cloud droplets. SOAs are produced from the oxidation

oxidation

A chemical reaction that takes place when a substance comes into contact with oxygen or another oxidizing substance. One example of oxidation is rusting of iron when the iron interacts with oxygen and water. In climate science, oxidation is important because it is one of the processes that leads to the formation of greenhouse gases.

Source: NIH Source

of volatile or semi-volatile organic compounds, and they account for a significant amount of atmospheric airborne particles. This research will provide a comprehensive description of coupling between cloud-aerosol interactions and chemistry.

Keywords	cloud-aerosol interactions
TYPE	Early Career

Principal Investigator (PI)

Manish Shrivastava

Lead Institution

Near the surface over the Amazon rainforest, aqueous and cloud chemistry causes formation of isoprene epoxydiol SOA (IEPOX-SOA). But in the upper troposphere at 10-14 km altitudes, this chemistry is shut off due to lack of liquid water and highly viscous SOA. In-plant biochemistry and/or surface chemistry causes the release of methyltetrol gases. Cloud updrafts then transport the gases to the upper troposphere where they condense to form IEPOX-SOA particles at low-temperatures. This uniquely explains the IEPOX-SOA mass loadings observed by aircraft over the Amazon rainforest in the upper troposphere. These key land-atmosphere-cloud interactions are not included in current atmospheric models. (Image credit: Nathan Johnson, PNNL)

For more information

Manish Shrivastava
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory