Ulrich Pöschl

ABSTRACT Primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) can contribute significantly to the coarse particle burden in many environments, may thus influence climate and precipitation systems as cloud nuclei, and can spread disease to humans, animals, and plants. Measurements of PBAP in natural environments taken at high time- and size- resolution are, however, sparse and so large uncertainties remain in the role that biological particles play in the Earth system. In this study two commercial real-time fluorescence particle sensors and a Sporewatch single-stage particle impactor were operated continuously from 2 August to 2 September 2010 at a rural sampling location in Killarney National Park in south western Ireland. A cascade impactor was operated periodically to collect size-resolved particles during exemplary periods. Here we report the first ambient comparison of the waveband integrated bioaerosol sensor (WIBS-4) with the ultraviolet aerodynamic particle sizer (UV-APS) and also compare these real-time fluorescence techniques with results of fluorescence and optical microscopy of impacted samples. Both real-time instruments showed qualitatively similar behaviour, with increased fluorescent bioparticle concentrations at night when relative humidity was highest and temperature was lowest. The fluorescent particle number from the FL3 channel of the WIBS-4 and from the UV-APS were strongly correlated and dominated by a 3 μm mode in the particle size distribution. The WIBS FL2 channel exhibited particle modes at approx. 1 and 3 μm, and each were correlated with the concentration of fungal spores commonly observed in air samples collected at the site (ascospores, basidiospores, Ganoderma spp.). The WIBS FL1 channel exhibited variable multi-modal distributions turning into a broad featureless single mode after averaging and exhibited poor correlation with fungal spore concentrations, which may be due to the detection of bacterial and non-biological fluorescent particles. Cladosporium spp., which are among the most abundant fungal spores in many terrestrial environments, were not correlated with any of the real-time fluorescence channels, suggesting that the real-time fluorescence instruments are insensitive to PBAP classes with dark, highly absorptive cell walls. Fluorescence microscopy images of cascade impactor plates showed large numbers of coarse mode particles consistent with the morphology and weak fluorescence expected of sea salt. Some of these particles were attached to biological cells, suggesting that a marine source influenced the PBAP observed at the site and that the ocean may be an important contributor to PBAP loadings in coastal environments.

Phase transitions of nanoparticles are of fundamental importance in atmospheric sciences, but current understanding is insufficient to explain observations at the nano-scale. In particular, discrepancies exist between observations and model predictions of deliquescence and efflorescence transitions and the hygroscopic growth of salt nanoparticles. Here we show that these discrepancies can be resolved by consideration of particle size effects with consistent thermodynamic data. We present a new method for the determination of water and solute activities and interfacial energies in highly supersaturated aqueous solution droplets (Differential Köhler Analysis). Our analysis reveals that particle size can strongly alter the characteristic concentration of phase separation in mixed systems, resembling the influence of temperature. Owing to similar effects, atmospheric secondary organic aerosol particles at room temperature are expected to be always liquid at diameters below ~20 nm. We th...

Raman microspectroscopy has been applied to follow structural changes in spark discharge (GfG) soot and light-duty diesel vehicle (LDV) soot upon oxidation and gasification by nitrogen oxides and oxygen in a diesel exhaust aftertreatment model system at 523 and 573 K. Raman spectra have been recorded before and during the oxidation process, and spectral parameters have been determined by curve fitting with five bands (G, D1-D4). For GfG soot, a steep initial decrease of the relative intensity of the D3 band suggested rapid preferential oxidation of a highly reactive amorphous carbon fraction, while a less steep but also substantial decrease of band widths (in particular, the D1 band) indicated a slower overall increase of chemical homogeneity and structural order in the partially oxidized material. The spectroscopic changes are in agreementwith a strong decrease of chemical reactivity at increasing mass conversion of GfG soot. In contrast, the spectral parameters and reactivity of partially oxidized LDV soot remained largely unchanged throughout the oxidation process. Overall, the spectroscopic and kinetic findings suggest that Raman spectroscopic parameters provide information about the relative abundance and structural order of graphitelike and amorphous carbon and can be used as proxies for the chemical reactivity of soot undergoing oxidation and gasification. Thus, Raman spectroscopy promisesto become an efficient tool forfurther investigation and optimization of diesel exhaust aftertreatment in continuously regenerating traps and particle filters.

ABSTRACT Hydroxyl radicals (OH) are a key species in atmospheric photochemistry. In the lower atmosphere, up to ~30% of the primary OH radical production is attributed to the photolysis of nitrous acid (HONO), and field observations suggest a large missing source of HONO. The dominant sources of N(III) in soil, however, are biological nitrification and denitrification processes, which produce nitrite ions from ammonium (by nitrifying microbes) as well as from nitrate (by denitrifying microbes). We show that soil nitrite can release HONO and explain the reported strength and diurnal variation of the missing source. We also show that the soil-atmosphere exchange of N(III), though not considered in the N cycle, might result in significant amount of reactive nitrogen emission (comparable to soil NO emissions). Fertilized soils with low pH appear to be particularly strong sources of HONO and OH. Thus, agricultural activities and land-use changes may strongly influence the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. Because of the widespread occurrence of nitrite-producing microbes and increasing N and acid deposition, the release of HONO from soil may also be important in natural environments, including forests and boreal regions. In view of the potentially large impact on atmospheric chemistry and global environmental change, we recommend further studies of HONO release from soil nitrite and related processes in the biogeochemical cycling of N in both agricultural and natural environments. Reference: Su, H., Cheng, Y., et al., Soil Nitrite as a Source of Atmospheric HONO and OH Radicals, Science, 333, 1616-1618, 10.1126/science.1207687, 2011. Su, H., et al., The Exchange of Soil Nitrite and Atmospheric HONO: A Missing Process in the Nitrogen Cycle and Atmospheric Chemistry, NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security, Springer Netherlands, 93-99, 2013.

ABSTRACT The dominant component of atmospheric, organic aerosol is that derived from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), so-called secondary organic aerosol (SOA). SOA consists of a multitude of organic compounds, only a small fraction of which has historically been identified. Formation and evolution of SOA is a complex process involving coupled chemical reaction and mass transport in the gas and particle phases. Current SOA models do not embody the full spectrum of reaction and transport processes, nor do they identify the dominant rate-limiting steps in SOA formation. Based on molecular identification of SOA oxidation products, we show here that the chemical evolution of SOA from a variety of VOC precursors adheres to characteristic "molecular corridors" with a tight inverse correlation between volatility and molar mass. The slope of these corridors corresponds to the increase in molar mass required to decrease volatility by one order of magnitude (-dM/dlogC(0)). It varies in the range of 10-30 g mol(-1), depending on the molecular size of the SOA precursor and the O:C ratio of the reaction products. Sequential and parallel reaction pathways of oxidation and dimerization or oligomerization progressing along these corridors pass through characteristic regimes of reaction-, diffusion-, or accommodation-limited multiphase chemical kinetics that can be classified according to reaction location, degree of saturation, and extent of heterogeneity of gas and particle phases. The molecular corridors and kinetic regimes help to constrain and describe the properties of the products, pathways, and rates of SOA evolution, thereby facilitating the further development of aerosol models for air quality and climate.

of cloud droplets, and thus influences the evolution of the cloud and formation of precipitation. Characterizing the CCN activation process by parcel model studies with detailed cloud microphysics and dynamics provides useful information for parameterizing the activation process in meso-scale and global-scale models. During the CAREBEIJING 2006 campaign in Beijing and the PRIDE-PRD2006 campaign in Guangzhou, fast condensational growth of

The gas-phase reaction of SO3 with H2O and the heterogeneous reaction of SO3 with H2O-H2SO4 surfaces have been studied in a fast flow reactor coupled to a chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS) for species detection. The gas-phase reaction was studied ...

Three monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and three polyclonal antibodies (pAb) have been characterized and compared with respect to their cross-reactivities and affinities for 3-nitrotyrosine, eight aromatic compounds with similar chemical structures, a peptide containing a single nitrotyrosine residue, and fourteen nitrated protein standards (bovine serum albumin, BSA) containing different numbers of nitrotyrosine residues per protein molecule (0.2 to 16.8). In indirect competitive immunoassays, mAb Alexis 39B6 exhibited the highest affinity for free 3-nitrotyrosine (10(6) L mol(-1)), while the pAb Oxis 24312 from sheep exhibited the highest affinities for nitrated proteins (up to 10(8) L mol(-1)). The apparent affinities determined in the indirect competitive assays were inversely correlated with the limits of detection (LOD) determined in one-sided immunoassays. With the sheep pAb minimum LOD on the order of 10 pmol L(-1) were achieved for highly nitrated proteins, corresponding to effective LOD on the order of 100 pmol L(-1) for nitrotyrosine residues. In the one-sided assays, however, the LOD for nitrated proteins increased proportionally with increasing background concentrations of native proteins in the investigated samples. Sandwich immunoassays combining pAb and mAb for selective enrichment and detection of nitrated proteins allowed to eliminate this native protein matrix effect and to achieve LOD on the order of 300 pmol L(-1) for highly nitrated proteins independent of native protein background concentrations.

Partially oxidized derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known to be important environmental pollutants. For the identification of these substances in complex mixtures, e.g. atmospheric aerosol samples, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (LC/APCI-MS) has been found to be a suitable analytical technique. In this study 31 derivatives of mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with up to five condensed aromatic rings carrying different functional groups (carboxyl, dicarboxylic anhydride, lactone, hydroxyl, and carbonyl) were characterized by LC/APCI-MS. Each substance was measured in positive and negative ion detection mode at four different fragmentor voltages (90 to 190 V). For the first time, the results show that characteristic and well-interpretable fragmentation patterns can be obtained for these classes of compounds by in-source collision-induced dissociation in a single quadrupole LC/APCI-MS system. For each class of compounds typical spectral features and optimum measurement conditions are reported, and fragmentation pathways are proposed. The study demonstrates the applicability of LC/APCI-MS for the determination of most of the investigated compounds at trace levels, and it provides a database for the identification of unknown partially oxidized aromatic hydrocarbons. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Recently, it has been proposed that organic aerosol particles in the atmosphere can exist in an amorphous semi-solid or solid (i.e. glassy) state. In this perspective, we analyse and discuss the formation and properties of amorphous semi-solids and glasses from organic liquids. Based on a systematic survey of a wide range of organic compounds, we present estimates for the glass forming properties of atmospheric secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In particular we investigate the dependence of the glass transition temperature T(g) upon various molecular properties such as the compounds' melting temperature, their molar mass, and their atomic oxygen-to-carbon ratios (O:C ratios). Also the effects of mixing different compounds and the effects of hygroscopic water uptake depending on ambient relative humidity are investigated. In addition to the effects of temperature, we suggest that molar mass and water content are much more important than the O:C ratio for characterizing whether an organic aerosol particle is in a liquid, semi-solid, or glassy state. Moreover, we show how the viscosity in liquid, semi-solid and glassy states affect the diffusivity of those molecules constituting the organic matrix as well as that of guest molecules such as water or oxidants, and we discuss the implications for atmospheric multi-phase processes. Finally, we assess the current state of knowledge and the level of scientific understanding, and we propose avenues for future studies to resolve existing uncertainties.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles are formed in the atmosphere from condensable oxidation products of anthropogenic and biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). On a global scale, biogenic VOCs account for about 90% of VOC emissions and of SOA formation (90 billion kilograms of carbon per year). SOA particles can scatter radiation and act as cloud condensation or ice nuclei, and thereby influence the Earth's radiation balance and climate. They consist of a myriad of different compounds with varying physicochemical properties, and little information is available on the phase state of SOA particles. Gas-particle partitioning models usually assume that SOA particles are liquid, but here we present experimental evidence that they can be solid under ambient conditions. We investigated biogenic SOA particles formed from oxidation products of VOCs in plant chamber experiments and in boreal forests within a few hours after atmospheric nucleation events. On the basis of observed particle bouncing in an aerosol impactor and of electron microscopy we conclude that biogenic SOA particles can adopt an amorphous solid-most probably glassy-state. This amorphous solid state should provoke a rethinking of SOA processes because it may influence the partitioning of semi-volatile compounds, reduce the rate of heterogeneous chemical reactions, affect the particles' ability to accommodate water and act as cloud condensation or ice nuclei, and change the atmospheric lifetime of the particles. Thus, the results of this study challenge traditional views of the kinetics and thermodynamics of SOA formation and transformation in the atmosphere and their implications for air quality and climate.