EAPSI:EAPSI: Investigation of the Reactions of Human Originated Pollutants with Gas-Phase Pine Forest Emissions in Seoul, Korea and Consequences for Atmospheric Particle Formation

Link Michael, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

Reactions of human originated pollutants with gas-phase emissions from plants have been found to enhance the production of climate-relevant atmospheric particles in environments with urban/rural interfaces in the United States. This mechanism of atmospheric particle formation is also expected to be important to the Korean peninsula which experiences local sources of pollution, but also frequent influences of pollution transported across the Yellow Sea from China. The extent of particle formation from human originated gas-phase sulfur will be assessed for an urban/rural interface in Seoul, South Korea through comparisons of results from laboratory studies of plant emission reactions and ambient measurements from Taehwa Research Forest. The Taehwa Research Forest emits an abundance of gas-phase compounds and frequently experiences local and long-range transported sources of pollution. Collaboration with Dr. Taehyoung Lee, a noted expert in measurement of atmospheric particles, at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies will provide access to a unique suite of instrumentation to perform experiments and ambient measurements which will help place the role human originated pollutants have, with respect to particle formation, into a global context. This research is expected to improve the fundamental understanding of how atmospheric particles form which is necessary to understand and predict climate-relevant processes. Additionally, understanding what processes control the formation of atmospheric particles in Seoul is necessary to mitigate air quality to standards established by the Special Act on Metropolitan Air Quality Improvement which currently sets air quality standards for the city of Seoul. Reactions of anthropogenic emissions (NOx, SO2) with biogenic volatile organic compounds have been found to enhance the production of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) through the formation of organosulfate compounds in environments with urban/rural interfaces in the United States. The extent of organosulfate formation from anthropogenic sulfur will be assessed for an urban/rural interface in Seoul, South Korea through comparisons of results from laboratory studies of monoterpene oxidation with ambient measurements from Taehwa Research Forest. The Taehwa Research Forest is a site with dominant monoterpene emissions that frequently experiences local sources of pollution, but also episodic pollution transported across the Yellow Sea from eastern China. Laboratory experiments of monoterpene oxidation in the presence of SO2 will be performed to measure and speciate organosulfates as well as quantify their enhancement of SOA. Speciated organosulfates observed in the lab will be compared to organosulfates measured at Taehwa Research Forest to determine the ambient relevance of organosulfate SOA enhancement. Collaboration with Dr. Taehyoung Lee, a noted expert in measurement of atmospheric particles, at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies will provide access to a unique suite of instrumentation to perform experiments and ambient measurements. The results of this study will describe the contribution of organosulfates to organic aerosol in an area dominated by monoterpene emissions and perturbed by anthropogenic emissions and are relevant for other areas with similar urban-rural interfaces. The results of this study are expected to help inform air quality legislation such as the ?Special Act on Metropolitan Air Quality Improvement? by accessing the extent to which biogenic emissions contribute to SOA formation in the metropolitan area of Seoul. This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the National Research Foundation of Korea.