Los Angeles summer midday particulate carbon: Primary and secondary aerosol

Journal Article · Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Environmental Science and Technology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es00022a017· OSTI ID:5179848

Turpin, B J; Huntzicker, J J ^[1]; Larson, S M; Cass, G R ^[2]

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1. Oregon Graduate Inst. of Science and Technology, Beaverton (United States)
2. California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena (United States)

Aerosol sampling during photochemically active times across the Los Angeles Basin has provided evidence of secondary formation of organic aerosol from gas-phase precursors at midday. Ambient organic carbon/elemental carbon ratios exceeded the estimated ratio of organic carbon/elemental carbon in primary source emissions on most sampling days at all sites. The concentration of secondary organic aerosol was calculated by using ambient data and estimates of the organic carbon/elemental carbon ratio in primary source emissions. Nonparametric sign correlations comparing calculated secondary organic carbon concentrations with tracers of both primary and secondary aerosols supported the method used to quantify secondary organic carbon. Secondary organic aerosol appears to have contributed roughly half of the organic aerosol in Pasadena during midday summer conditions.

• OSTI ID: 5179848
• Journal Information: Environmental Science and Technology; (United States), Vol. 25:10; ISSN 0013-936X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
LOS ANGELES
AIR QUALITY
SMOG
AEROSOL MONITORING
CARBON
EMISSION
PARTICULATES
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
CALIFORNIA
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
MONITORING
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
PARTICLES
URBAN AREAS
USA
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)