Individual particles that on a mass basis consist dominantly of the components ammonium sulfate, oxygenated organic material, and water are a common class of submicron particles found in today's atmosphere. Here we use (1) the organic-to-sulfate (org:sulf) mass ratio of the overall particle and (2) the oxygen-to-carbon (O:C) elemental ratio of the organic component as input variables in parameterisations that predict the critical relative humidity of several different types of particle phase transitions. Specifically these variables were used to predict the critical relative humidity of liquid-liquid phase separation (SRH), efflorescence (ERH), and deliquescence (DRH). Experiments were conducted by optical microscopy for 11 different oxygenated organic-ammonium sulfate systems covering the range 0.1< org:sulf <12.8 and 0.29 < O:C < 1.33. These new data, in conjunction with other data already available in the literature, were used to develop the parameterisations SRH(org:sulf, O:C), ERH(org:sulf, O:C), and DRH(org:sulf, O:C). The parameterisations correctly predicted SRH within 15% RH for 88% of the measurements, ERH within 5% for 84% of the measurements, and DRH within 5% for 94% of the measurements. The applicability of the derived parameterisations beyond the training data set was tested against observations for organic-sulfate particles produced in an environmental chamber. The organic component consisted of secondary organic material produced by the oxidation of isoprene, α-pinene, and β-caryophyllene. The predictions of the parameterisations were also tested against data from the Southern Great Plains, Oklahoma, USA. The observed ERH and DRH values for both the chamber and field data agreed within 5% RH with the values predicted by the parameterisations using the measured org:sulf and O:C ratios as the input variables

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...

We present estimates of regional methane (CH4) emissions from oil and natural gas operations in the Barnett Shale, Texas, using airborne atmospheric measurements. Using a mass balance approach on eight different flight days in March and October 2013, the total CH4 emissions for the region are estimated to be 76 ± 13 × 10(3) kg hr(-1) (equivalent to 0.66 ± 0.11 Tg CH4 yr(-1); 95% confidence interval (CI)). We estimate that 60 ± 11 × 10(3) kg CH4 hr(-1) (95% CI) are emitted by natural gas and oil operations, including production, processing, and distribution in the urban areas of Dallas and Fort Worth. This estimate agrees with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimate for nationwide CH4 emissions from the natural gas sector when scaled by natural gas production, but it is higher than emissions reported by the EDGAR inventory or by industry to EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. This study is the first to show consistency between mass balance results on so many different days and in two different seasons, enabling better quantification of the related uncertainty. The Barnett is one of the largest production basins in the United States, with 8% of total U.S. natural gas production, and thus, our results represent a crucial step toward determining the greenhouse gas footprint of U.S. onshore natural gas production.

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