Influence of vapor wall loss in laboratory chambers on yields of secondary organic aerosol

Abstract

Atmospheric secondary organic aerosol (SOA) has important impacts on climate and air quality, yet models continue to have difficulty in accurately simulating SOA concentrations. Nearly all SOA models are tied to observations of SOA formation in laboratory chamber experiments. Here, a comprehensive analysis of new experimental results demonstrates that the formation of SOA in laboratory chambers may be substantially suppressed due to losses of SOA-forming vapors to chamber walls, which leads to underestimates of SOA in air-quality and climate models, especially in urban areas where anthropogenic SOA precursors dominate. This analysis provides a time-dependent framework for the interpretation of laboratory chamber experiments that will allow for development of parameterized models of SOA formation that are appropriate for use in atmospheric models.

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