Bouncier Particles at Night: Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosol Chemistry and Sulfate Drive Diel Variations in the Aerosol Phase in a Mixed Forest

TitleBouncier Particles at Night: Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosol Chemistry and Sulfate Drive Diel Variations in the Aerosol Phase in a Mixed Forest
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2019
AuthorsSlade JH, Ault AP, Bui AT, Ditto JC, Lei Z, Bondy AL, Olson NE, Cook RD, Desrochers SJ, Harvey RM, Erickson MH, Wallace HW, Alvarez SL, Flynn JH, Boor BE, Petrucci GA, Gentner DR, Griffin RJ, Shepson PB
JournalEnvironmental Science & Technology
Volume53
Issue9
Pagination4977 - 4987
Date PublishedJul-05-2019
ISSN0013-936X
Abstract

Aerosol phase state is critical for quantifying aerosol effects on climate and air quality. However, significant challenges remain in our ability to predict and quantify phase state during its evolution in the atmosphere. Herein, we demonstrate that aerosol phase (liquid, semisolid, solid) exhibits a diel cycle in a mixed forest environment, oscillating between a viscous, semisolid phase state at night and liquid phase state with phase separation during the day. The viscous nighttime particles existed despite higher relative humidity and were independently confirmed by bounce factor measurements and atomic force microscopy. High-resolution mass spectrometry shows the more viscous phase state at night is impacted by the formation of terpene-derived and higher molecular weight secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and smaller inorganic sulfate mass fractions. Larger daytime particulate sulfate mass fractions, as well as a predominance of lower molecular weight isoprene-derived SOA, lead to the liquid state of the daytime particles and phase separation after greater uptake of liquid water, despite the lower daytime relative humidity. The observed diel cycle of aerosol phase should provoke rethinking of the SOA atmospheric lifecycle, as it suggests diurnal variability in gas–particle partitioning and mixing time scales, which influence aerosol multiphase chemistry, lifetime, and climate impacts.

URLhttps://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.8b07319https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.est.8b07319
DOI10.1021/acs.est.8b07319
Short TitleEnviron. Sci. Technol.
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