Auflistung nach Autor:in "Alfarra, M. Rami"

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Cloud forming potential of secondary organic aerosol under near atmospheric conditions
(Wiley, 2008) Duplissy, Jonathan; Gysel, Martin; Alfarra, M. Rami; Dommen, Josef; Metzger, Axel; Prévôt, André S.H.; Weingartner, Ernest; Laaksonen, Ari; Raatikainen, Tomi; Good, Nicholas; Turner, S. Fiona; McFiggans, Gordon; Baltensperger, Urs
Cloud droplets form by nucleation on atmospheric aerosol particles. Populations of such particles invariably contain organic material, a major source of which is thought to be condensation of photo‐oxidation products of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). We demonstrate that smog chamber studies of the formation of such biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed during photo‐oxidation must be conducted at near atmospheric concentrations to yield atmospherically representative particle composition, hygroscopicity and cloud‐forming potential. Under these conditions, the hygroscopicity measured at 95% relative humidity can be used reliably to predict the CCN activity of the SOA particles by assuming droplet surface tension of pure water. We also show that the supersaturation required to activate a given size of particle decreases with age.
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
Hygroscopicity of the submicrometer aerosol at the high-alpine site Jungfraujoch, 3580 m a.s.l., Switzerland
(Copernicus, 30.09.2008) Sjögren, Staffan; Gysel, Martin; Weingartner, Ernest; Alfarra, M. Rami; Duplissy, Jonathan; Cozic, Julie; Crosier, Jonathan; Coe, Hugh; Baltensperger, Urs
Data from measurements of hygroscopic growth of submicrometer aerosol with a hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA) during four campaigns at the high alpine research station Jungfraujoch, Switzerland, are presented. The campaigns took place during the years 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2005, each lasting approximately one month. Hygroscopic growth factors (GF, i.e. the relative change in particle diameter from dry diameter, D0, to diameter measured at higher relative humidity, RH) are presented for three distinct air mass types, namely for: 1) free tropospheric winter conditions, 2) planetary boundary layer influenced air masses (during a summer period) and 3) Saharan dust events (SDE). The GF values at 85% RH (D0=100 nm) were 1.40±0.11 and 1.29±0.08 for the first two situations while for SDE a bimodal GF distribution was often found. No phase changes were observed when the RH was varied between 10–90%, and the continuous water uptake could be well described with a single-parameter empirical model. The frequency distributions of the average hygroscopic growth factors and the width of the retrieved growth factor distributions (indicating whether the aerosol is internally or externally mixed) are presented, which can be used for modeling purposes. Measurements of size resolved chemical composition were performed with an aerosol mass spectrometer in parallel to the GF measurements. This made it possible to estimate the apparent ensemble mean GF of the organics (GForg) using inverse ZSR (Zdanovskii-Stokes-Robinson) modeling. GForg was found to be ~1.20 at aw=0.85, which is at the upper end of previous laboratory and field data though still in agreement with the highly aged and oxidized nature of the Jungfraujoch aerosol.
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
Laboratory observation of oligomers in the aerosol from isoprene/NOₓ photooxidation
(Wiley, 2006) Dommen, Josef; Metzger, Axel; Duplissy, Jonathan; Kalberer, Markus; Alfarra, M. Rami; Gascho, Astrid; Weingartner, Ernest; Prévôt, André S.H.; Verheggen, Bart; Baltensperger, Urs
Compounds assigned to be oxidation products of isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) have recently been observed in ambient aerosols, suggesting that isoprene might play an important role in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation due to its large global source strength. SOA yields from photooxidation of isoprene and NOₓ in a chamber agree fairly well with previous data. Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry showed the formation of high molecular weight compounds over the course of 15-hour experiments. Concurrently, the volatility of the SOA decreased markedly as observed by a tandem differential mobility analyzer. The volume fraction remaining of SOA at 150°C increased steadily from 5 to 25% during the same experiments. These observations are attributed to oligomerization reactions occurring in the aerosol phase. Under dry conditions a lower volatility was observed.
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
Relating hygroscopicity and composition of organic aerosol particulate matter
(Copernicus, 10.02.2011) Duplissy, Jonathan; DeCarlo, Peter F.; Dommen, Josef; Alfarra, M. Rami; Metzger, Axel; Barmpadimos, Iakovos; Prevot, Andre S.H.; Weingartner, Ernest; Tritscher, Torsten; Gysel, Martin; Aiken, Allison C.; Jimenez, Jose L; Canagaratna, Manjula R.; Worsnop, Douglas R.; Collins, Don R.; Tomlinson, Jason; Baltensperger, Urs
A hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA) was used to measure the water uptake (hygroscopicity) of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed during the chemical and photochemical oxidation of several organic precursors in a smog chamber. Electron ionization mass spectra of the non-refractory submicron aerosol were simultaneously determined with an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), and correlations between the two different signals were investigated. SOA hygroscopicity was found to strongly correlate with the relative abundance of the ion signal m/z 44 expressed as a fraction of total organic signal (f44). m/z 44 is due mostly to the ion fragment CO2+ for all types of SOA systems studied, and has been previously shown to strongly correlate with organic O/C for ambient and chamber OA. The analysis was also performed on ambient OA from two field experiments at the remote site Jungfraujoch, and the megacity Mexico City, where similar results were found. A simple empirical linear relation between the hygroscopicity of OA at subsaturated RH, as given by the hygroscopic growth factor (GF) or "ϰorg" parameter, and f44 was determined and is given by ϰorg = 2.2 × f44 − 0.13. This approximation can be further verified and refined as the database for AMS and HTDMA measurements is constantly being expanded around the world. The use of this approximation could introduce an important simplification in the parameterization of hygroscopicity of OA in atmospheric models, since f44 is correlated with the photochemical age of an air mass.
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
Secondary organic aerosols from anthropogenic and biogenic precursors
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2005) Baltensperger, Urs; Kalberer, Markus; Dommen, Josef; Paulsen, Dwane; Alfarra, M. Rami; Coe, Hugh; Fisseha, Rebeka; Gascho, Astrid; Gysel, Martin; Nyeki, Stephan; Sax, Mirjam; Steinbacher, Martin; Prévôt, André S.H.; Sjögren, Staffan; Weingartner, Ernest; Zenobi, Renato
Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from the photooxidation of an anthropogenic (1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) and a biogenic (α-pinene) precursor was investigated at the new PSI smog chamber. The chemistry of the gas phase was followed by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, while the aerosol chemistry was investigated with aerosol mass spectrometry, ion chromatography, laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry, and infrared spectroscopy, along with volatility and hygroscopicity studies. Evidence for oligomer formation for SOA from both precursors was given by an increasing abundance of compounds with a high molecular weight (up to 1000 Da) and by an increasing thermal stability with increasing aging time. The results were compared to data obtained from ambient aerosol samples, revealing a number of similar features.
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
The influence of small aerosol particles on the properties of water and ice clouds
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 09.08.2008) Choularton, Thomas W.; Bower, Keith N.; Weingartner, Ernest; Crawford, Ian; Coe, Hugh; Gallagher, Martin W.; Flynn, Michael; Crosier, Jonathan; Connolly, Paul; Targino, Admir Créso; Alfarra, M. Rami; Baltensperger, Urs; Sjögren, Staffan; Verheggen, Bart; Cozic, Julie; Gysel, Martin
In this paper, results are presented of the influence of small organic- and soot-containing particles on the formation of water and ice clouds. There is strong evidence that these particles have grown from nano particle seeds produced by the combustion of oil products. Two series of field experiments are selected to represent the observations made. The first is the CLoud-Aerosol Characterisation Experiment (CLACE) series of experiments performed at a high Alpine site (Jungfraujoch), where cloud was in contact with the ground and the measuring station. Both water and ice clouds were examined at different times of the year. The second series of experiments is the CLOud Processing of regional Air Pollution advecting over land and sea (CLOPAP) series, where ageing pollution aerosol from UK cities was observed, from an airborne platform, to interact with warm stratocumulus cloud in a cloud-capped atmospheric boundary layer. Combining the results it is shown that aged pollution aerosol consists of an internal mixture of organics, sulfate, nitrate and ammonium, the organic component is dominated by highly oxidized secondary material. The relative contributions and absolute loadings of the components vary with location and season. However, these aerosols act as Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) and much of the organic material, along with the other species, is incorporated into cloud droplets. In ice and mixed phase cloud, it is observed that very sharp transitions (extending over just a few metres) are present between highly glaciated regions and regions consisting of supercooled water. This is a unique finding; however, aircraft observations in cumulus suggest that this kind of structure may be found in these cloud types too. It is suggested that this sharp transition is caused by ice nucleation initiated by oxidised organic aerosol coated with sulfate in more polluted regions of cloud, sometimes enhanced by secondary ice particle production in these regions.
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
Using aerosol light absorption measurements for the quantitative determination of wood burning and traffic emission contributions to particulate matter
(American Chemical Society, 02.04.2008) Sandradewi, Jisca; Prévôt, André S. H.; Szidat, Sönke; Perron, Nolwenn; Alfarra, M. Rami; Lanz, Valentin A.; Weingartner, Ernest; Baltensperger, Urs
A source apportionment study was performed for particulate matter in the small village of Roveredo, Switzerland, where more than 70% of the households use wood burning for heating purposes. A two-lane trans-Alpine highway passes through the village and contributes to the total aerosol burden in the area. The village is located in a steep Alpine valley characterized by strong and persistent temperature inversions during winter, especially from December to February. During two winter and one early spring campaigns, a seven-wavelength aethalometer, high volume (HIVOL) samplers, an Aerodyne quadrupole aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), an optical particle counter (OPC), and a Sunset Laboratory OCEC analyzer were deployed to study the contribution of wood burning and traffic aerosols to particulate matter. A linear regression model of the carbonaceous particulate mass in the submicrometer size range CM(PM1) as a function of aerosol light absorption properties measured by the aethalometer is introduced to estimate the particulate mass from wood burning and traffic (PMwb, PMtraffic). This model was calibrated with analyses from the 14C method using HIVOL filter measurements. These results indicate that light absorption exponents of 1.1 for traffic and 1.8–1.9 for wood burning calculated from the light absorption at 470 and 950 nanometers should be used to obtain agreement of the two methods regarding the relative wood burning and traffic emission contributions to CM(PM1) and also to black carbon. The resulting PMwb and PMtraffic values explain 86% of the variance of the CM(PM1) and contribute, on average, 88 and 12% to CM(PM1), respectively. The black carbon is estimated to be 51% due to wood burning and 49% due to traffic emissions. The average organic carbon/total carbon (OC/TC) values were estimated to be 0.52 for traffic and 0.88 for wood burning particulate emissions.
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
Volatility measurements of photochemically and nebulizer-generated organic aerosol particles
(Elsevier, 2006) Paulsen, Dwane; Weingartner, Ernest; Alfarra, M. Rami; Baltensperger, Urs
01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift