0000000000303541
AUTHOR
Uwe Kuhn
Uptake of gaseous formaldehyde by soil surfaces: a combination of adsorption/desorption equilibrium and chemical reactions
Abstract. Gaseous formaldehyde (HCHO) is an important precursor of OH radicals and a key intermediate molecule in the oxidation of atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Budget analyses reveal large discrepancies between modeled and observed HCHO concentrations in the atmosphere. Here, we investigate the interactions of gaseous HCHO with soil surfaces through coated-wall flow tube experiments applying atmospherically relevant HCHO concentrations of ~ 10 to 40 ppbv. For the determination of uptake coefficients (γ), we provide a Matlab code to account for the diffusion correction under laminar flow conditions. Under dry conditions (relative humidity = 0 %), an initial γ of (1.1 ± 0.05…
Physicochemical uptake and release of volatile organic compounds by soil in coated-wall flow tube experiments with ambient air
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play a key role in atmospheric chemistry. Emission and deposition on soil have been suggested as important sources and sinks of atmospheric trace gases. The exchange characteristics and heterogeneous chemistry of VOCs on soil, however, are not well understood. We used a newly designed differential coated-wall flow tube system to investigate the long-term variability of bidirectional air–soil exchange of 13 VOCs under ambient air conditions of an urban background site in Beijing. Sterilized soil was investigated to address physicochemical processes and heterogeneous/multiphase reactions independently from biological activity. Most VOCs revealed net depositio…
Daytime formation of nitrous acid at a coastal remote site in Cyprus indicating a common ground source of atmospheric HONO and NO
Abstract. Characterization of daytime sources of nitrous acid (HONO) is crucial to understand atmospheric oxidation and radical cycling in the planetary boundary layer. HONO and numerous other atmospheric trace constituents were measured on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus during the CYPHEX campaign (CYPHEX = CYprus PHotochemical EXperiment) in summer 2014. Average volume mixing ratios of HONO were 35 pptv (±25 pptv) with a HONO/NOx ratio of 0.33, which was considerably higher than reported for most other rural and urban regions. Diel profiles of HONO showed peak values in the late morning (60±28 pptv around 09:00 local time), and persistently high mixing ratios during daytime (45±18 pptv…
High-Resolution Fluorescence Spectra of Airborne Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosols: Comparisons to Primary Biological Aerosol Particles and Implications for Single-Particle Measurements.
Aqueous extracts of biogenic secondary organic aerosols (BSOAs) have been found to exhibit fluorescence that may interfere with the laser/light-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs). In this study, we quantified the interference of BSOAs to PBAPs by directly measuring airborne BSOA particles, rather than aqueous extracts. BSOAs were generated by the reaction of d-limonene (LIM) or α-pinene (PIN) and ozone (O3) with or without ammonia in a chamber under controlled conditions. With an excitation wavelength of 355 nm, BSOAs exhibited peak emissions at 464–475 nm, while fungal spores exhibited peak emissions at 460–483 nm; the fluorescence intensit…
Molecular dynamics simulation of the surface tension of aqueous sodium chloride: from dilute to highly supersaturated solutions and molten salt
Sodium chloride (NaCl) is one of the key components of atmospheric aerosols. The surface tension of aqueous NaCl solution (σNaCl,sol) and its concentration dependence are essential to determine the equilibrium water vapor pressure of aqueous NaCl droplets. Supersaturated NaCl solution droplets are observed in laboratory experiments and under atmospheric conditions, but the experimental data for σNaCl,sol are mostly limited up to subsaturated solutions. In this study, the surface tension of aqueous NaCl is investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the pressure tensor method from dilute to highly supersaturated solutions. We show that the linear approximation of concentration de…