The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Tom Pugh

Thomas Pugh

Senior lecturer

Tom Pugh

Influence of boundary layer dynamics and isoprene chemistry on the organic aerosol budget in a tropical forest

Author

  • R. H.H. Janssen
  • J. Vilà-Guerau De Arellano
  • J. L. Jimenez
  • L. N. Ganzeveld
  • N. H. Robinson
  • J. D. Allan
  • H. Coe
  • T. A.M. Pugh

Summary, in English

We study the organic aerosol (OA) budget in a tropical forest by analyzing a case that is representative for the OP3 campaign at Borneo. A model is designed that combines the essential dynamical and chemical processes that drive the diurnal evolution of reactants in the atmospheric boundary layer (BL). In this way, the model simultaneously represents the effects and interactions of various dynamical and chemical factors on the OA budget. The model is able to reproduce the observed diurnal dynamics of the BL, including the evolution of most chemical species involved in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. A budget analysis of the contributions of the dynamic and chemical processes reveals the significance of the entrainment process in the diurnal evolution of SOA. Further, we perform a series of sensitivity analyses to determine the effect of meteorological forcings and isoprene chemical pathways on the OA budget. Subsidence and advection of cool air have opposing effects on the OA concentration, although both suppress BL growth. Recycling of the OH radical in the oxidation of isoprene may affect the amount of SOA that is formed, but must be understood better before its impact can be definitely determined. SOA formation from isoprene is calculated for both the low- and high-NOx pathway, with the latter dominating the isoprene peroxy radical chemistry. Finally, we study the significance of SOA formation through the reactive uptake of isoprene epoxydiols on acidic sulfate aerosol. Despite the incorporation of these new pathways, the OA concentration is systematically underestimated by about a factor of 2.

Publishing year

2013-08-27

Language

English

Pages

9351-9366

Publication/Series

Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres

Volume

118

Issue

16

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Topic

  • Environmental Sciences

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2156-2202