Atmospheric System Research

Aerosol Lifecycle Research

The strategic focus of the Aerosol Lifecycle research is observation-based process science; examining the properties and evolution of atmospheric aerosols. Observations derive from both long-term ARM measurements and short-term field campaigns (referred to in ARM as Intensive Observation Periods or IOPs), and much insight is gained also from laboratory investigations.

Process-based science centers on two identified strategic process-science foci: aerosol nucleation and growth and aerosol aging and mixing state. We are the lead laboratory responsible for the design and construction of Aerosol Observing Systems (AOSs) to carry out long-term aerosol measurements within the ARM Program.

Observation Focus

The Aerosol Group at BNL continues to have a leadership role in the design, planning, and organization of field studies and ARM Intensive Observation Periods (IOPs). As to specific campaigns: last summer we led the Aerosol Life Cycle IOP conducted at BNL, we are leading the MAGIC campaign, we have submitted a proposal for a campaign on biomass burning (see below), and we have a leadership role in the GOAMAZON field campaigns approved for 2014 and extension pending for 2015.

One of our goals is to participate in the development of the next generation of instruments through collaborations with universities and with private industry. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) is being sought to promote industrial collaboration and IOPs offer the chance to field more state-of-art instrumentation.

To promote an observation-based focus for aerosol research, our strategy is to include observations from other agencies (e.g. NASA, NOAA) while maintaining strong ARM focus. New approaches to data analysis are being developed towards process-level understanding and determination of the key factors that control aerosol mass loading, size distribution, chemical composition, and radiative and cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) properties.

Process Science Focus

Aerosol Nucleation and Growth Processes

Uncertainty in the representation of atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) and growth in models can lead to large uncertainty in the assessment of aerosol indirect effects on climate. The enhanced formation of secondary organic aerosols remains a puzzle and interactions between biogenic and anthropogenic emissions need to be much better quantified and understood. Given its core capabilities and strengths, the BNL Aerosol Group is a world leader in this focus area and will strive to strengthen this position.

Key questions to be addressed under this focus are: What controls the occurrence and rate of NPF and growth, and what are the affects of NPF and growth on the impact of aerosols on climate?

Aerosol Aging and Mixing State

This important focus aims at understanding how the various processes that control aerosol lifecycle interact and contribute to climate. Emphasis is on quantifying the evolution of aerosol optical and cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) properties. In this context, growth by secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation is perhaps the single most important puzzle in aerosol life cycle and the one most difficult to represent/quantify in models.

Aerosol Group Selected Recent Publications

G. Allen, H. Coe, A. Clarke, C. Bretherton, R. Wood, S. J. Abel, P. Barrett, P. Brown, R. George, S. Freitag, C. McNaughton, S. Howell, L. Shank, V. Kapustin, V. Brekhovskikh, L. Kleinman, Y.-N. Lee, S. Springston, T. Toniazzo, R. Krejci, J. Fochesatto, G. Shaw, P. Krecl, B. Brooks, G. McMeeking, K. N. Bower, P. I. Williams, J. Crosier, I. Crawford, P. Connolly, J. D. Allan, D. Covert, A. R. Bandy, L. M. Russell, J. Trembath, M. Bart, J. B. McQuaid, J. Wang, and D. Chand, South East Pacific atmospheric composition and variability sampled along 20° S during VOCALS-Rex Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 5237-5262, 2011

Bon, D. M., M.Ulbrich, I., de Gouw, J. A., Warneke, C., Kuster, W. C., Alexander, M. L., Baker, A., Beyersdorf, A. J., Blake, D., Fall, R., Jimenez, J. L., Herndon, S. C., Huey, L. G., Knighton, W. B., Ortega, J., Springston, S., and Vargas, O. Measurements of volatile organic compounds at a suburban ground site (T1) in Mexico City during the MILAGRO 2006 campaign: Measurement comparison, emission ratios, and source attribution. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 11, 2399–2421, doi:10.5194/acp-11-2399-2011 (2011). [BNL-95059-2011-JA]

de Leeuw, G., E. L Andreas, M. D. Anguelova, C. W. Fairall, E. R. Lewis, C. O'Dowd, M. Schulz, & S. E. Schwartz, “Production flux of sea-spray aerosol,” Rev. Geophys., 49, RG2001, 2011. doi:10.1029/2010RG000349

Jiang, J., Chen, M., Kuang, C., Attoui, M., and McMurry, P. H. Electrical Mobility Spectrometer Using a Diethylene Glycol Condensation Particle Counter for Measurement of Aerosol Size Distributions Down to 1 nm. Aerosol Sci. Technol. 45, 510–521 (2011). [BNL-94767-2011-JA]

Jiang, J., Zhao, J., Chen, M., Eisele, F. L., Scheckman, J., Williams, B. J., Kuang, C., and McMurry, P. H. First Measurements of Neutral Atmospheric Cluster and 1–2 nm Particle Number Size Distributions During Nucleation Events. Aerosol Sci. Technol. 45, ii–v (2011). [BNL-94768-2011-JA

Kleinman, L. I., P. H. Daum, Y.-N. Lee, E. R. Lewis, A. J. Sedlacek III, G. I. Senum, S. R. Springston, J. Wang, J. Hubbe, J. Jayne, Q. Mi, S.S. Yum, and G. Allen (2012) Aerosol concentration and size distribution measured below, in, and above cloud from the DOE G-1 during VOCALS-REx , Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 11, 207-223, doi:10.5194/acp-12-207-2012.