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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 110, D14208, doi:10.1029/2004JD005754, 2005

Cloud condensation nuclei activation of monoterpene and sesquiterpene secondary organic aerosol

Kara E. Huff Hartz

Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA


Thomas Rosenørn

Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark


Shaun R. Ferchak

Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA


Timothy M. Raymond

Department of Chemical Engineering, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA


Merete Bilde

Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark


Neil M. Donahue

Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA


Spyros N. Pandis

Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA


Abstract

The ability of biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) to contribute to the concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in the atmosphere is examined. Aerosol is generated by the ozonolysis reaction of monoterpenes (α-pinene, β-pinene, 3-carene, and limonene) and sesquiterpenes (β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, and α-cedrene) in a 10 m3 temperature-controlled Teflon smog chamber. In some cases, a self-seeding technique is used, which enables high particle concentrations with the desired diameters without compromising particle composition and purity. The monoterpene SOA is excellent CCN material, and it activates similarly (average activation diameter equals 48 ± 8 nm at 1% supersaturation for the species used in this work) to highly water-soluble organic species. Its effective solubility in water was estimated to be in the range of 0.07–0.40 g solute/g H2O. CCN measurements for sesquiterpene SOA (average activation diameter equals 120 ± 20 nm at 1% supersaturation for the species used in this work) show that it is less CCN active than monoterpene SOA. The initial terpene mixing ratio (between 3 and 100 ppb) does not affect the CCN activation for freshly generated SOA.

Received 30 December 2004; accepted 11 April 2005; published 27 July 2005.

Keywords: CCN; organic aerosol; cloud microphysics.

Index Terms: 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906); 0315 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Biosphere/atmosphere interactions (0426, 1610); 0320 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Cloud physics and chemistry; 0365 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Troposphere: composition and chemistry.

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Citation: Huff Hartz, K. E., T. Rosenørn, S. R. Ferchak, T. M. Raymond, M. Bilde, N. M. Donahue, and S. N. Pandis (2005), Cloud condensation nuclei activation of monoterpene and sesquiterpene secondary organic aerosol, J. Geophys. Res., 110, D14208, doi:10.1029/2004JD005754.