Secondary Aerosol: Precursors and Formation Mechanisms. Technical Report on Grant
This project focused on studying trace gases that participate in chemical reactions that form atmospheric aerosols. Ammonium sulfate is a major constituent of these tiny particles, and one important pathway to sulfate formation is oxidation of dissolved sulfur dioxide by hydrogen peroxide in cloud, fog and rainwater. Sulfate aerosols influence the number and size of cloud droplets, and since these factors determine cloud radiative properties, sulfate aerosols also influence climate. Peroxide measurements, in conjunction with those of other gaseous species, can used to distinguish the contribution of in-cloud reaction to new sulfate aerosol formation from gas-phase nucleation reactions. This will lead to more reliable global climate models. We constructed and tested a new 4-channel fluorescence detector for airborne detection of peroxides. We integrated the instrument on the G-1 in January, 2006 and took a test flight in anticipation of the MAX-Mex field program, where we planned to fly under pressurized conditions for the first time. We participated in the 2006 Megacity Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) - Megacity Aerosol EXperiment Mexico City (MAX-Mex) field measurement campaign. Peroxide instrumentation was deployed on the DOE G-1 research aircraft based in Veracruz, and at the surface site at Tecamac University.
- Research Organization:
- SUNY Research Foundation on behalf of College at Old Westbury
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-05ER63994
- OSTI ID:
- 951897
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/63994- Final Report
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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