Themed collection Atmospheric chemistry

We engage in research motivated by climate change and the impacts of pollution on air, water, and human health. The scientific community need to improve communication and knowledge exchange across disciplines to address pressing research questions holistically.

PFAS are detected in particulate matter around the world.

Global warming profoundly affects not only mountainous and polar environments, but also the global and regional cycling of pollutants.

EC-containing airborne particles have diverse oxidative potentials dependent on their physical and chemical properties, which can be also changed by atmospheric aging processes.

This review summarizes in detail the current knowledge in the chemical compositions, formation mechanisms, and physicochemical properties of secondary organic aerosols formed from monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Atmospheric sea-salt and halogen cycles play important roles in atmospheric science and chemistry including cloud processes and oxidation capacity in the Antarctic troposphere.

Aerosol mass spectrometer has been widely deployed in Asia for real-time characterization of aerosol chemistry, and has significantly improved our understanding of the sources, properties, and formation processes of aerosols in a complex environment.

The review article summarizes the wide variety of atmospheric chemistry phenomena that occur indoors.

A review of the current understanding of oxidants and their precursors in indoor environments.

We report on the development of a modelling consortium for chemistry in indoor environments that connects models over a range of spatial and temporal scales, from molecular to room scales and from sub-nanosecond to days, respectively.

Ozone (O₃), a main component in photochemical smog, is a secondary pollutant formed through complex photochemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Isocyanic acid (HNCO) has recently been identified in ambient air at potentially concerning concentrations for human health. Since its first atmospheric detection, significant progress has been made in understanding its sources and sinks.

When the unsaturated CIs at the CC-terminal vinyl electrophilic center react with the OC–OH moiety (TFA), a new adduct, TFAAAH, is formed, and it can act as a potential source of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs).

Cleaning products emit a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including some which are hazardous or can undergo chemical transformations to generate harmful secondary pollutants.

Monte Carlo simulations of long-term indoor organic surface film growth were done. Film composition was resolved by volatility, particle deposition or gas absorption formation mechanisms, and indoor source process.

We establish laboratory-photochemical ageing in the 1800 m³ environmental chamber “PHOTO-LAC” to study the atmospheric processing of dense wildfire plumes.

This study describes laboratory experiments on the reaction HOCl with chloride-containing aerosol and aerosol containing selected organic compounds with and without chloride.

Wildfire activity is increasing in the continental U.S. and can be linked to climate change effects and nutrient emissions, with potential effects on downwind ecosystems.

The effect of humidity on organic hydroperoxide (ROOH) removal from air to real indoor surface films was investigated. A novel flow reactor for studying uptake kinetics of indoor pollutants on indoor materials is introduced.

Online gas- and particle-phase measurements in a commercial kitchen reveal exposure risks and outdoor air impacts during cooking and cleaning.

High levels of reactive chemicals may be emitted to the indoor air during household surface cleaning, leading to poorer air quality and potential health hazards.

The effect of adding a plug-in air freshener into 60 houses was hard to detect due to pre-existing VOCs from other sources; in homes with low ventilation rates however small increases in monoterpenes were seen, consistent with emission rates.

The spatial and temporal patterns in the concentrations of D4, D5 and D6 in the atmosphere measured with passive samplers along a European and a Canadian transect are largely consistent with the current understanding of their atmospheric fate.

A robust and quantitative instrument that measures total gas-phase reactive nitrogen (tN_r) has been developed for indoor air quality surveys. It can focus on NO_x, HONO, and NH₃ levels indoors, from the complete tN_r budget, on timescales of 5–20 min.

This work highlights how the pH of the atmospheric aqueous phase can influence the degradation of carboxylic acids during nitrate-mediated photooxidation.

Results of this study indicate the contribution of regional as well local sources towards long range atmospheric transport (LRAT) of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to the colder areas of Pakistan, where these act as a secondary source of POPs.

New measurements show that cooking aerosol released indoors can partition as it dilutes through a home and to the outdoor atmosphere, impacting both indoor and outdoor air quality.

Chlorinated cleaning products containing hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypochlorite ion (OCl⁻) act as sources of toxic chloramines (NH₂Cl, NHCl₂, NCl₃) and atmospheric oxidant precursors (i.e. Cl₂) which impact air quality.

The atmospheric fate of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) has attracted much attention in recent decades due to the role of the atmosphere in global transport of these persistent chemicals.

The uptake of WSOC_g from biomass burning into ALW results in compounds that remain in the particle phase upon drying.

As nitrogen-containing organic carbon of atmospheric relevance, the water uptake of two phenolic compounds, o-aminophenol and p-aminophenol, is investigated under sub- and supersaturated conditions through the lens of aerosol-cloud interactions.

We suggest a re-evaluation of two reaction rate constants to be able to better model iodine emission from the ozonolysis of iodide in the presence of chloride.

Measurements of the kinetics of accretion reactions involving organic compounds typical of those present in atmospheric aerosol particles demonstrate the potential importance of peroxyhemiacetal and ester formation in a single organic phase and in phase-separated organic/aqueous mixtures containing a sulfuric acid catalyst.

The comprehensive reaction mechanism of Fe^III–citrate multiphase photochemistry and formation of unexplored colloidal reaction products that contribute to terrestrial light-absorbing materials.

This work highlights how the pH of the atmospheric aqueous phase can influence the reactivities of phenolic compounds and brown carbon formation/evolution during nitrate-mediated photooxidation.

We studied the mechanisms of cooking oil decomposition that lead to emission of aldehydes, an important group of air pollutants, from food cooking.

Cleaning surfaces with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) bleach can lead to high levels of gaseous chlorine (Cl₂) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl); these have high oxidative capacities and are linked to respiratory issues.

Large fluoropolymer manufacturing plants are major sources of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the environment; we measured legacy and emerging PFAS in air to provide insights into near-source PFAS profiles.

The residents are likely to experience harmful thirdhand exposure due to the indoor partitioning of flavoring agents added to the e-cigarettes and hookah tobacco.

India is a country with more than 67% of its population (947 million) residing in rural areas and 33% in urban areas (472 million) as of 2020.

Submicron soot particles (<1.0 μm in aerodynamic diameter) are responsible for global warming and health burdens worldwide.

Ozone chemistry taking place on indoor surfaces is predicted to increase inhalation exposure of reactive oxygen species in indoor aerosols.

In this study, we report the heterogeneous chemistry of ozone with urban road dust and anti-icer. We present a novel pathway for chlorine activation during ozone uptake by anti-icer and discuss its potential air quality impacts in cold-climate urban regions.

The removal of volatile content enhances the ice nucleation of soot particles by increasing the particle porosity and surface wettability.

The conversion of coal fly ash to zeolites is a sustainable solution for its utilization. One important issue is to clarify the effect of coal fly ash composition on the carbon sequestration potential of the derived zeolites.

The degradation of acephate by OH radicals in the environment.

The effect on population exposure of falling nickel concentrations in air in the Swansea Valley over the last 50 years is assessed.

A marine test-bed diesel engine was used to study how international fuel sulfur content (FSC) regulations and wet scrubbing can affect physical properties of submicron exhaust particles.

Deposition of atmospheric pollutants enhances soluble reactive nitrogen by 1.7 and 0.9 TgN per year in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, respectively, leading to an increase in primary production.

Monte Carlo simulations suggest that organic aerosol repartitioning during transport indoors is often kinetically limited due to a low bulk diffusivity, but liquid and some semisolid particles can achieve equilibrium repartitioning during indoor particle lifetimes.

We study the uptake of atmospheric mercury by vegetation in a chemical transport model and available observations. Due to the importance of this sink in the global mercury cycle, perturbations to forested areas can elevate mercury risks.

Observations of reactive uptake of ozone to commercial azo dyes used in consumer products suggest multi-phase ozonolysis of azo dyes in the indoor environment.

Spatially resolved atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations from an urban area in the Southern Hemisphere are reported for the first time.

Fog processing of atmospheric aerosol enhances the solubility and the dissolution kinetics of particle-bound metal ions.

We use a causal discovery algorithm based on a temporal convolution network (TCN) to discover the drivers of surface ozone variability over Antarctica.

The SeaSCAPE campaign replicated the marine atmosphere in the laboratory to investigate the links between biological activity in the ocean and the properties of primary sea spray aerosols, volatile organic compounds, and secondary marine aerosols.

This study identifies the emission source areas for the atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) detected in Ulsan, South Korea.

This paper concludes that mass absorption cross-section (MAC) values in London, UK have changed over time. It provides possible explanations and highlights implications for the interpretation of long-term trends.

The aqueous phase oxidation of ammonia and alkyl amines by OH is pH-dependent and can impact their atmospheric lifetime.

Fugitive emissions of mercury from unknown point and/or nonpoint sources are underestimated in current inventories.

Comparison of diurnally-average NO_x pre- and during phase-I lockdown in two Indian cities. This work highlights that ambient levels post-lockdown were a complex interaction between emissions, meteorology, and chemistry.

Gaseous iodomethane (CH₃I) once emitted in the atmosphere will interact very little with sea salt aerosol particles. However, a low amount of CH₃I is irreversibly adsorbed at the particle surface.

Acrolein is released by several sources into indoor air. As it impacts human health, an easy-to-handle, fast and robust method with low detection limits is needed.

Smelting is one of the main sources of rare earth elements (REEs) in large scale smelting regions that have been neglected before.

Changes in the composition and absorptivity of primary brown carbon aerosol generated from smoldering pine were measured during exposure to hydroxyl radical in a photo-reaction chamber.

The formation, abundance and sources of secondary organic aerosol markers and other related polar organic species were investigated at two Eastern Mediterranean sites.

A large group of trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Ti, V, Zn) was measured for the first time in 226 air samples collected at the coastal monitoring station in Gdynia (northern Poland), in the period from January 12th to August 30th, 2019.

Hygroscopic particulate matter constituents promote uptake of aerosol water, depending on relative humidity, which can constrain qualities such as organic aerosol phase state and inorganic aerosol deliquescence and efflorescence.

Light-absorbing brown carbon aerosols can have a marine origin over the coastal oceans and are likely associated with the sea salt component emitted from the ocean surface – significantly contributes to aerosol radiative forcing.

Guaiacol photodegradation rate constants in solution, liquid-like regions in ice (frozen solutions), and at the air–ice interface (vapor-deposited to snow).