Multicomponent new particle formation from sulfuric acid, ammonia, and biogenic vapors.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30547087.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aau5363 and PMC identifier 6291317.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
A major fraction of atmospheric aerosol particles, which affect both air quality and climate, form from gaseous precursors in the atmosphere. Highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs), formed by oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds, are known to participate in particle formation and growth. However, it is not well understood how they interact with atmospheric pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NO <sub><i>x</i></sub> ) and sulfur oxides (SO <sub><i>x</i></sub> ) from fossil fuel combustion, as well as ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) from livestock and fertilizers. Here, we show how NO <sub><i>x</i></sub> suppresses particle formation, while HOMs, sulfuric acid, and NH<sub>3</sub> have a synergistic enhancing effect on particle formation. We postulate a novel mechanism, involving HOMs, sulfuric acid, and ammonia, which is able to closely reproduce observations of particle formation and growth in daytime boreal forest and similar environments. The findings elucidate the complex interactions between biogenic and anthropogenic vapors in the atmospheric aerosol system.