Abstract
Molecular tracers in secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) can provide information on origin of SOA, as well as regional scale processes involved in their
formation. In this study 9 carboxylic acids, 11 organosulfates (OSs) and 2 nitrooxy organosulfates (NOSs) were determined in daily aerosol particle filter samples from Vavihill measurement station in southern Sweden during June and July 2012. Several of the observed compounds are photo-oxidation products from biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Highest average mass concentrations were observed for carboxylic acids derived from fatty acids and monoterpenes (12. 3 ± 15. 6 and 13. 8 ± 11. 6 ng m−3, respectively). The FLEXPART
model was used to link nine specific surface types to single measured
compounds. It was found that the surface category sea and ocean
was
dominating the air mass exposure (56 %) but contributed to low mass
concentration of observed chemical compounds. A principal component (PC)
analysis identified four components, where the one with highest explanatory
power (49 %) displayed clear impact of coniferous forest on measured mass
concentration of a majority of the compounds. The three remaining PCs were
more difficult to interpret, although azelaic, suberic, and pimelic acid were
closely related to each other but not to any clear surface category. Hence,
future studies should aim to deduce the biogenic sources and surface category
of these compounds. This study bridges micro-level chemical speciation to air
mass surface exposure at the macro level.
Citation
ID:
252978
Ref Key:
martinsson2017atmosphericexploring