Anthropogenic emissions and land use changes have modified atmospheric aerosol concentrations and size distributions over time. Understanding preindustrial conditions and changes in organic aerosol due to anthropogenic activities is important because these features (1) influence estimates of aerosol radiative forcing and (2) can confound estimates of the historical response of climate to increases in greenhouse gases. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA), formed in the atmosphere by oxidation of organic gases, represents a major fraction of global submicron‐sized atmospheric organic aerosol. Over the past decade, significant advances in understanding SOA properties and formation mechanisms have occurred through measurements, yet current climate models typically do not comprehensively include all important processes. This review summarizes some of the important developments during the past decade in understanding SOA formation. We highlight the importance of some processes that influence the growth of SOA particles to sizes relevant for clouds and radiative forcing, including formation of extremely low volatility organics in the gas phase, acid‐catalyzed multiphase chemistry of isoprene epoxydiols, particle‐phase oligomerization, and physical properties such as volatility and viscosity. Several SOA processes highlighted in this review are complex and interdependent and have nonlinear effects on the properties, formation, and evolution of SOA. Current global models neglect this complexity and nonlinearity and thus are less likely to accurately predict the climate forcing of SOA and project future climate sensitivity to greenhouse gases. Efforts are also needed to rank the most influential processes and nonlinear process‐related interactions, so that these processes can be accurately represented in atmospheric chemistry‐climate models.

Particles composed of secondary organic material (SOM) are abundant in the lower troposphere. The viscosity of these particles is a fundamental property that is presently poorly quantified yet required for accurate modeling of their formation, growth, evaporation, and environmental impacts. Using two unique techniques, namely a "bead-mobility" technique and a "poke-flow" technique, in conjunction with simulations of fluid flow, the viscosity of the water-soluble component of SOM produced by α-pinene ozonolysis is quantified for 20-to 50-μm particles at 293-295 K. The viscosity is comparable to that of honey at 90% relative humidity (RH), similar to that of peanut butter at 70% RH, and at least as viscous as bitumen at ≤30% RH, implying that the studied SOM ranges from liquid to semisolid or solid across the range of atmospheric RH. These data combined with simple calculations or previous modeling studies are used to show the following: (i) the growth of SOM by the exchange of organic molecules between gas and particle may be confined to the surface region of the particles for RH ≤ 30%; (ii) at ≤30% RH, the particle-mass concentrations of semivolatile and low-volatility organic compounds may be overpredicted by an order of magnitude if instantaneous equilibrium partitioning is assumed in the bulk of SOM particles; and (iii) the diffusivity of semireactive atmospheric oxidants such as ozone may decrease by two to five orders of magnitude for a drop in RH from 90% to 30%. These findings have possible consequences for predictions of air quality, visibility, and climate.aerosol | physical properties | secondary organic aerosol B iological sources (e.g., vegetation) and anthropogenic sources (e.g., transportation) emit copious quantities of volatile organic compounds, such as α-pinene and aromatic hydrocarbons, among others (1, 2). In the atmosphere, a complex series of chemical reactions oxidizes these volatile compounds to form semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) that condense to the particle phase (1, 2). This secondary organic material (SOM) constituting the particles is estimated to contribute typically 30-70% to the mass concentration of suspended submicron particles in most regions of the atmosphere (1). These particles can influence climate by scattering and absorbing solar radiation (direct climate effect) and by serving as nuclei for cloud formation (indirect climate effect), among other mechanisms (3). They can also influence air quality and health (4-6).Recently, molecular diffusion within SOM particles has become an area of intense scientific interest. Diffusion rates within particles can influence the mechanism and rates of growth of SOM particles (Fig. 1A) (7,8) and influence reactions of oxidants within the SOM particles (Fig. 1B) (9). As a result, quantitative modeling of the environmental impacts of SOM particles can depend on molecular diffusion within the particles (see, for example, Fig. 1C). Shiraiwa and Seinfeld (10) have shown that predictions of the mass concentration of SOM particles, a ke...

Speciated particle-phase organic nitrates (pONs) were quantified using online chemical ionization MS during June and July of 2013 in rural Alabama as part of the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study. A large fraction of pONs is highly functionalized, possessing between six and eight oxygen atoms within each carbon number group, and is not the common first generation alkyl nitrates previously reported. Using calibrations for isoprene hydroxynitrates and the measured molecular compositions, we estimate that pONs account for 3% and 8% of total submicrometer organic aerosol mass, on average, during the day and night, respectively. Each of the isoprene-and monoterpenes-derived groups exhibited a strong diel trend consistent with the emission patterns of likely biogenic hydrocarbon precursors. An observationally constrained diel box model can replicate the observed pON assuming that pONs (i) are produced in the gas phase and rapidly establish gasparticle equilibrium and (ii) have a short particle-phase lifetime (∼2-4 h). Such dynamic behavior has significant implications for the production and phase partitioning of pONs, organic aerosol mass, and reactive nitrogen speciation in a forested environment. O rganic nitrates (ONs; ON = RONO 2 + RO 2 NO 2 ) are an important reservoir, if not sink, of atmospheric nitrogen oxides (NO x = NO + NO 2 ). ONs formed from isoprene oxidation alone are responsible for the export of 8-30% of anthropogenic NO x out of the US continental boundary layer (1, 2). Regional NO x budgets and tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) production are, therefore, particularly sensitive to uncertainties in the yields and fates of ON (3-6). The yields implemented in modeling studies are determined from laboratory experiments, in which only a few of the first generation gaseous ONs or the total gas-phase ONs and particle-phase organic nitrates (pONs) have been quantified, whereas production of highly functionalized ONs capable of strongly partitioning to the particle phase have been inferred (7-11) or directly measured in the gas phase (12). Addition of a nitrate (-ONO 2 ) functional group to a hydrocarbon is estimated to lower the equilibrium saturation vapor pressure by 2.5-3 orders of magnitude (13). Thus, ON formation can enhance particle-phase partitioning of semivolatile species in regions with elevated levels of nitrogen oxides, contributing to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) growth (8). However, highly time-resolved measurements of speciated ON in the particle phase have been lacking.We use a recently developed high-resolution time-of-flight chemical ionization mass spectrometer (HRToF-CIMS) using iodide-adduct ionization (14) with a filter inlet for gases and aerosols (FIGAERO) (15) that allows alternating in situ measurements of the molecular SignificanceWe present online field observations of the speciated molecular composition of organic nitrates in ambient atmospheric particles utilizing recently developed high-resolution MS-based instrumentation. We find that never-before-identified low-volatility organi...

Abstract. The chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles, formed by the dark ozonolysis of α-pinene, was characterized by a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer. The experiments were conducted using a continuous-flow chamber, allowing the particle mass loading and chemical composition to be maintained for several days. The organic portion of the particle mass loading was varied from 0.5 to >140 µg/m 3 by adjusting the concentration of reacted α-pinene from 0.9 to 91.1 ppbv. The mass spectra of the organic material changed with loading. For loadings below 5 µg/m 3 the unit-mass-resolution m/z 44 (CO + 2 ) signal intensity exceeded that of m/z 43 (predominantly C 2 H 3 O + ), suggesting more oxygenated organic material at lower loadings. The composition varied more for lower loadings (0.5 to 15 µg/m 3 ) compared to higher loadings (15 to >140 µg/m 3 ). The high-resolution mass spectra showed that from >140 to 0.5 µg/m 3 the mass percentage of fragments containing carbon and oxygen (C x H y O + z ) monotonically increased from 48% to 54%. Correspondingly, the mass percentage of fragments representing C x H + y decreased from 52% to 46%, and the atomic oxygen-to-carbon ratio Correspondence to: S. T. Martin (scot martin@harvard.edu) increased from 0.29 to 0.45. The atomic ratios were accurately parameterized by a four-product basis set of decadal volatility (viz. 0.1, 1.0, 10, 100 µg/m 3 ) employing products having empirical formulas of C 1 H 1.32 O 0.48 , C 1 H 1.36 O 0.39 , C 1 H 1.57 O 0.24 , and C 1 H 1.76 O 0.14 . These findings suggest considerable caution is warranted in the extrapolation of laboratory results that were obtained under conditions of relatively high loading (i.e., >15 µg/m 3 ) to modeling applications relevant to the atmosphere, for which loadings of 0.1 to 20 µg/m 3 are typical. For the lowest loadings, the particle mass spectra resembled observations reported in the literature for some atmospheric particles.

Atmospheric brown carbon (BrC) is a significant contributor to light absorption and climate forcing. However, little is known about a fundamental relationship between the chemical composition of BrC and its optical properties. In this work, light-absorbing secondary organic aerosol (SOA) was generated in the PNNL chamber from toluene photo-oxidation in the presence of NOx (Tol-SOA). Molecular structures of BrC components were examined using nanospray desorption electrospray ionization (nano-DESI) and liquid chromatography (LC) combined with UV/Vis spectroscopy and electrospray ionization (ESI) high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The chemical composition of BrC chromophores and the light absorption properties of toluene SOA (Tol-SOA) depend strongly on the initial NOx concentration. Specifically, Tol-SOA generated under high-NOx conditions (defined here as initial NOx/toluene of 5/1) appears yellow and mass absorption coefficient of the bulk sample (MACbulk@365 nm = 0.78 m(2) g(-1)) is nearly 80 fold higher than that measured for the Tol-SOA sample generated under low-NOx conditions (NOx/toluene < 1/300). Fifteen compounds, most of which are nitrophenols, are identified as major BrC chromophores responsible for the enhanced light absorption of Tol-SOA material produced in the presence of NOx. The integrated absorbance of these fifteen chromophores accounts for 40-60% of the total light absorbance by Tol-SOA at wavelengths between 300 nm and 500 nm. The combination of tandem LC-UV/Vis-ESI/HRMS measurements provides an analytical platform for predictive understanding of light absorption properties by BrC and their relationship to the structure of individual chromophores. General trends in the UV/Vis absorption by plausible isomers of the BrC chromophores were evaluated using theoretical chemistry calculations. The molecular-level understanding of BrC chemistry is helpful for better understanding the evolution and behavior of light absorbing aerosols in the atmosphere.

A large fraction of submicron atmospheric aerosol particles contains both organic material and inorganic salts. As the relative humidity cycles in the atmosphere and the water content of the particles correspondingly changes, these mixed particles can undergo a range of phase transitions, possibly including liquid-liquid phase separation. If liquid-liquid phase separation occurs, the gasparticle partitioning of atmospheric semivolatile organic compounds, the scattering and absorption of solar radiation, and the reactive uptake of gas species on atmospheric particles may be affected, with important implications for climate predictions. The actual occurrence of liquid-liquid phase separation within individual atmospheric particles has been considered uncertain, in large part because of the absence of observations for realworld samples. Here, using optical and fluorescence microscopy, we present images that show the coexistence of two noncrystalline phases for real-world samples collected on multiple days in Atlanta, GA as well as for laboratory-generated samples under simulated atmospheric conditions. These results reveal that atmospheric particles can undergo liquid-liquid phase separations. To explore the implications of these findings, we carried out simulations of the Atlanta urban environment and found that liquid-liquid phase separation can result in increased concentrations of gas-phase NO 3 and N 2 O 5 due to decreased particle uptake of N 2 O 5 .chemistry | physical state | secondary organic aerosol | ambient aerosol | atmospheric chemistry I n the atmosphere, single particles containing both organic species and inorganic salts are abundant (1, 2). The number of different types of inorganic salts is relatively small, with ammonium sulfate considered to be one of the most important in particles less than 1 μm in diameter (3, 4). In contrast, the number of organic species in a single atmospheric particle is on the order of thousands, with only ∼10% of these species identified at the molecular level (5). As the relative humidity (RH) cycles in the atmosphere through high and low values, the water content of the particles increases and decreases as a hygroscopic response. In response to variable water content, the mixed particles can undergo a range of phase transitions including crystallization (i.e., efflorescence), dissolution (i.e., deliquescence), and liquidliquid phase separation (Fig. 1) (6-12).Results of laboratory measurements or calculations for particles or solutions containing ammonium sulfate mixed with one or a few specific organic molecules suggest, after extrapolation to atmospheric conditions, that liquid-liquid phase separations can occur in atmospheric particles (6, 10, 13-16). Atmospheric particles, however, are far more complex than the simple proxies used in these studies. A few studies have inferred that liquidliquid phase separation occurs in particles containing ammonium sulfate and secondary organic material (SOM) generated from the dark ozonolysis of α-pinene (17-20). In the present...

Wildfires emit significant amounts of pollutants that degrade air quality. Plumes from three wildfires in the western U.S. were measured from aircraft during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) and the Biomass Burning Observation Project (BBOP), both in summer 2013. This study reports an extensive set of emission factors (EFs) for over 80 gases and 5 components of submicron particulate matter (PM1) from these temperate wildfires. These include rarely, or never before, measured oxygenated volatile organic compounds and multifunctional organic nitrates. The observed EFs are compared with previous measurements of temperate wildfires, boreal forest fires, and temperate prescribed fires. The wildfires emitted high amounts of PM1 (with organic aerosol (OA) dominating the mass) with an average EF that is more than 2 times the EFs for prescribed fires. The measured EFs were used to estimate the annual wildfire emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, total nonmethane organic compounds, and PM1 from 11 western U.S. states. The estimated gas emissions are generally comparable with the 2011 National Emissions Inventory (NEI). However, our PM1 emission estimate (1530 ± 570 Gg yr−1) is over 3 times that of the NEI PM2.5 estimate and is also higher than the PM2.5 emitted from all other sources in these states in the NEI. This study indicates that the source of OA from biomass burning in the western states is significantly underestimated. In addition, our results indicate that prescribed burning may be an effective method to reduce fine particle emissions.

Abstract. This paper describes and evaluates a new framework for modeling kinetic gas-particle partitioning of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) that takes into account diffusion and chemical reaction within the particle phase. The framework uses a combination of (a) an analytical quasisteady-state treatment for the diffusion-reaction process within the particle phase for fast-reacting organic solutes, and (b) a two-film theory approach for slow-and nonreacting solutes. The framework is amenable for use in regional and global atmospheric models, although it currently awaits specification of the various gas-and particle-phase chemistries and the related physicochemical properties that are important for SOA formation. Here, the new framework is implemented in the computationally efficient Model for Simulating Aerosol Interactions and Chemistry (MOSAIC) to investigate the competitive growth dynamics of the Aitken and accumulation mode particles. Results show that the timescale of SOA partitioning and the associated size distribution dynamics depend on the complex interplay between organic solute volatility, particle-phase bulk diffusivity, and particlephase reactivity (as exemplified by a pseudo-first-order reaction rate constant), each of which can vary over several orders of magnitude. In general, the timescale of SOA partitioning increases with increase in volatility and decrease in bulk diffusivity and rate constant. At the same time, the shape of the aerosol size distribution displays appreciable narrowing with decrease in volatility and bulk diffusivity and increase in rate constant. A proper representation of these physicochemical processes and parameters is needed in the next generation models to reliably predict not only the total SOA mass, but also its composition-and number-diameter distributions, all of which together determine the overall optical and cloudnucleating properties.