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research article

The acidity of atmospheric particles and clouds

Pye, Havala O. T.
•
Nenes, Athanasios  
•
Alexander, Becky
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April 24, 2020
Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics

Acidity, defined as pH, is a central component of aqueous chemistry. In the atmosphere, the acidity of condensed phases (aerosol particles, cloud water, and fog droplets) governs the phase partitioning of semivolatile gases such as HNO3, NH3, HCl, and organic acids and bases as well as chemical reaction rates. It has implications for the atmospheric lifetime of pollutants, deposition, and human health. Despite its fundamental role in atmospheric processes, only recently has this field seen a growth in the number of studies on particle acidity. Even with this growth, many fine-particle pH estimates must be based on thermodynamic model calculations since no operational techniques exist for direct measurements. Current information indicates acidic fine particles are ubiquitous, but observationally constrained pH estimates are limited in spatial and temporal coverage. Clouds and fogs are also generally acidic, but to a lesser degree than particles, and have a range of pH that is quite sensitive to anthropogenic emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, as well as ambient ammonia. Historical measurements indicate that cloud and fog droplet pH has changed in recent decades in response to controls on anthropogenic emissions, while the limited trend data for aerosol particles indicate acidity may be relatively constant due to the semivolatile nature of the key acids and bases and buffering in particles. This paper reviews and synthesizes the current state of knowledge on the acidity of atmospheric condensed phases, specifically particles and cloud droplets. It includes recommendations for estimating acidity and pH, standard nomenclature, a synthesis of current pH estimates based on observations, and new model calculations on the local and global scale.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.5194/acp-20-4809-2020
Web of Science ID

WOS:000529372200003

Author(s)
Pye, Havala O. T.
Nenes, Athanasios  
Alexander, Becky
Ault, Andrew P.
Barth, Mary C.
Clegg, Simon L.
Collett, Jeffrey L., Jr.
Fahey, Kathleen M.
Hennigan, Christopher J.
Herrmann, Hartmut
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Date Issued

2020-04-24

Publisher

Copernicus Publications

Published in
Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics
Volume

20

Issue

8

Start page

4809

End page

4888

Subjects

Environmental Sciences

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Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences

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Environmental Sciences & Ecology

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Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences

•

secondary organic aerosol

•

san-joaquin-valley

•

liquid phase-separation

•

marine boundary-layer

•

sea-salt aerosol

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isoprene-derived organosulfates

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hygroscopicity model framework

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particulate matter pm2.5

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mineral dust particles

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pittsburgh air-quality

Note

This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
LAPI  
Available on Infoscience
May 14, 2020
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/168752
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