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  4. Composition and hygroscopicity of the Los Angeles Aerosol: CalNex
 
research article

Composition and hygroscopicity of the Los Angeles Aerosol: CalNex

Hersey, S. P.
•
Craven, J. S.
•
Metcalf, A. R.
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2013
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

Aircraft-based measurements of aerosol composition, either bulk or single-particle, and both subsaturated and supersaturated hygroscopicity were made in the Los Angeles Basin and its outflows during May 2010 during the CalNex field study. Aerosol composition evolves from source-rich areas in the western Basin to downwind sites in the eastern Basin, evidenced by transition from an external to internal mixture, as well as enhancements in organic O: C ratio, the amount of organics and nitrate internally mixed on almost all particle types, and coating thickness on refractory black carbon (rBC). Transport into hot, dilute outflow regions leads to significant volatilization of semivolatile material, resulting in a unimodal aerosol comprising primarily oxygenated, low-volatility, water-soluble organics and sulfate. The fraction of particles with rBC or soot cores is between 27 and 51% based on data from a Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) and Aerosol Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (ATOFMS). Secondary organics appear to inhibit subsaturated water uptake in aged particles, while CCN activity is enhanced with photochemical age. A biomass-burning event resulted in suppression of subsaturated hygroscopicity but enhancement in CCN activity, suggesting that BB particles may be nonhygroscopic at subsaturated RH but are important sources of CCN. Aerosol aging and biomass burning can lead to discrepancies between subsaturated and supersaturated hygroscopicity that may be related to mixing state. In the cases of biomass burning aerosol and aged particles coated with secondary material, more than a single parameter representation of subsaturated hygroscopicity and CCN activity is needed. © 2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

  • Details
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Type
research article
DOI
10.1002/jgrd.50307
Author(s)
Hersey, S. P.
Craven, J. S.
Metcalf, A. R.
Lin, J.
Lathem, T.
Suski, K. J.
Cahill, J. F.
Duong, H. T.
Sorooshian, A.
Jonsson, H. H.
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Date Issued

2013

Publisher

Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Published in
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Volume

118

Start page

3016

End page

3036

Subjects

Aerosols

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Biomass

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Soot

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Thickness measurement

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Aerosol composition

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Aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometers

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Coating thickness

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Los Angeles Basin

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Secondary materials

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Semi-volatile materials

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Single parameter

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Water-soluble organics

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Atmospheric movements

•

aerosol composition

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aerosol property

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airborne survey

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biomass burning

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black carbon

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cloud condensation nucleus

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hygroscopicity

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outflow

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photochemistry

•

photometer

•

saturation

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volatilization

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California

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Los Angeles [California]

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United States

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

OTHER

EPFL units
LAPI  
Available on Infoscience
October 15, 2018
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/148963
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