Abstract. The chemical transport model PMCAMx was extended to investigate the effects
of partitioning and photochemical aging of biomass burning emissions on
organic aerosol (OA) concentrations. A source-resolved version of the model,
PMCAMx-SR, was developed in which biomass burning emissions and their
oxidation products are represented separately from the other OA components.
The volatility distribution and chemical aging of biomass burning OA (BBOA)
were simulated based on recent laboratory measurements. PMCAMx-SR was applied
to Europe during an early summer period (1–29 May 2008) and a winter period
(25 February–22 March 2009). During the early summer, the contribution of biomass burning (both primary
and secondary species) to total OA levels over continental Europe was
estimated to be approximately 16 %. During winter the contribution was
nearly 47 %, due to both extensive residential wood combustion but also
wildfires in Portugal and Spain. The intermediate volatility compounds
(IVOCs) with effective saturation concentration values of 105 and
106 µg m−3 are predicted to contribute around one third of
the BBOA during the summer and 15 % during the winter by forming secondary
OA (SOA). The uncertain emissions of these compounds and their SOA formation
potential require additional attention. Evaluation of PMCAMx-SR predictions
against aerosol mass spectrometer measurements in several sites around
Europe suggests reasonably good performance for OA (fractional bias less
than 35 % and fractional error less than 50 %). The performance was
weaker during the winter suggesting uncertainties in residential heating
emissions and the simulation of the resulting BBOA in this season.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.