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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 108, NO. D23, 8639, doi:10.1029/2002JD003256, 2003

Water-soluble dicarboxylic acids in the tropospheric aerosols collected over east Asia and western North Pacific by ACE-Asia C-130 aircraft

K. Kawamura

Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan


N. Umemoto

Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan


M. Mochida

Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan


T. Bertram

School of Oceanography and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA


S. Howell

School of Oceanography and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA


B. J. Huebert

School of Oceanography and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA


Abstract

Tropospheric aerosols were collected during C-130 aircraft campaign over the east Asia/Pacific region in April to May 2001 and were analyzed for low molecular weight dicarboxylic acids. Homologous series of C2–C5 dicarboxylic acids were detected, for the first time, in the polluted troposphere in the Asian region using aircraft. Oxalic acid (C2) was found to be the most abundant species followed by malonic (C3) or succinic (C4) acid. Total concentrations of C2–C5 diacids (44–870 ng m−3, average 310 ng m−3) are similar to those reported in urban Tokyo near the ground level. Concentrations of oxalic acid showed a positive correlation (r2 = 0.70) with total organic carbon (TOC), although other diacids showed weaker positive correlation. These results suggest that water-soluble dicarboxylic acids and TOC were emitted from similar sources on the ground in the Asian continent and/or produced by the photochemical oxidation of anthropogenic organic compounds in the atmosphere. The diacid-carbons were found to comprise 0.2–3.3% (average 1.8%) of TOC. Water-soluble dicarboxylic acids may play an important role in controlling the chemical and physical properties of organic aerosols in the polluted troposphere over the east Asia and the western Pacific.

Received 30 November 2002; accepted 30 April 2003; published 1 October 2003.

Index Terms: 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801); 0345 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Pollution—urban and regional (0305); 0365 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Troposphere—composition and chemistry; 0368 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Troposphere—constituent transport and chemistry; 9355 Information Related to Geographic Region: Pacific Ocean.

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Citation: Kawamura, K., N. Umemoto, M. Mochida, T. Bertram, S. Howell, and B. J. Huebert (2003), Water-soluble dicarboxylic acids in the tropospheric aerosols collected over east Asia and western North Pacific by ACE-Asia C-130 aircraft, J. Geophys. Res., 108(D23), 8639, doi:10.1029/2002JD003256.