Journal article
Decreasing Aerosol Water Is Consistent with OC Trends in the Southeast U.S
Environmental science & technology, v 49(13), pp 7843-7850
07 Jul 2015
PMID: 26030084
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Water is a ubiquitous and abundant component of atmospheric aerosols. It influences light scattering, the hydrological cycle, atmospheric chemistry, and secondary particulate matter (PM) formation. Despite the critical importance of aerosol liquid water, mass concentrations are not well-known. Using speciated ion and meteorological data from the Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization network, we employ the thermodynamic model ISORROPIAv2.1 to estimate water mass concentrations and evaluate trends from 2001 to 2012 in urban and rural locations. The purpose of this study is to better understand the historical trends of aerosol liquid water in the southeast U.S. in the context of improved air quality and recently noted reductions in particulate organic carbon (OC). Aerosol water mass concentrations decrease by ∼79% from 2001 to 2012 in the region. Decreases are more prominent in rural than in urban areas. Fractional contribution of water to PM also decreases during the same time period, and this is consistent with recently noted improvements in visibility. These findings agree with the hypotheses that aerosol liquid water facilitates formation of biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and that biogenically derived SOA is modulated in the presence of anthropogenic perturbations.
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Details
- Title
- Decreasing Aerosol Water Is Consistent with OC Trends in the Southeast U.S
- Creators
- Thien Khoi V Nguyen - †Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, United StatesShannon L Capps - ‡Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United StatesAnnmarie G Carlton - †Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, United States
- Publication Details
- Environmental science & technology, v 49(13), pp 7843-7850
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society; Washington, DC
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000357840300043
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84936792054
- Other Identifier
- 991014878364304721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Engineering, Environmental
- Environmental Sciences