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Secondary organic aerosol yields from cloud‐processing of isoprene oxidation products
Author(s) -
Ervens Barbara,
Carlton Annmarie G.,
Turpin Barbara J.,
Altieri Katye E.,
Kreidenweis Sonia M.,
Feingold Graham
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2007gl031828
Subject(s) - isoprene , aerosol , aqueous solution , drop (telecommunication) , environmental chemistry , total organic carbon , environmental science , chemistry , organic chemistry , telecommunications , computer science , copolymer , polymer
While there is a growing understanding from laboratory studies of aqueous phase chemical processes that lead to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation in cloud droplets ( SOA drop ), the contribution of aqueous phase chemistry to atmospheric SOA burden is yet unknown. Using a parcel model including a multiphase chemical mechanism, we show that SOA drop carbon yields ( Y c ) from isoprene (1) depend strongly on the initial volatile organic carbon (VOC)/NO x ratio resulting in 42% > Y c > 0.4% over the atmospherically‐relevant range of 0.25 < VOC/NO x < 100; (2) increase with increasing cloud‐contact time; (3) are less affected by cloud liquid water content, pH, and droplet number. (4) The uncertainty associated with gas/particle‐partitioning of semivolatile organics introduces a relative error of −50% ≤ Δ Y c < +100 %. The reported yields can be applied to air quality and climate models as is done with SOA formed on/in concentrated aerosol particles ( SOA aer ).