Simulating secondary organic aerosol from missing diesel-related intermediate-volatility organic compound emissions during the Clean Air for London (ClearfLo) campaign
Journal article, 2016
We present high-resolution (5km × 5km) atmospheric chemical transport model (ACTM) simulations of the impact of newly estimated traffic-related emissions on secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation over the UK for 2012. Our simulations include additional diesel-related intermediate-volatility organic compound (IVOC) emissions derived directly from comprehensive field measurements at an urban background site in London during the 2012 Clean Air for London (ClearfLo) campaign. Our IVOC emissions are added proportionally to VOC emissions, as opposed to proportionally to primary organic aerosol (POA) as has been done by previous ACTM studies seeking to simulate the effects of these missing emissions. Modelled concentrations are evaluated against hourly and daily measurements of organic aerosol (OA) components derived from aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements also made during the ClearfLo campaign at three sites in the London area. According to the model simulations, diesel-related IVOCs can explain on average ∼ 30% of the annual SOA in and around London. Furthermore, the 90th percentile of modelled daily SOA concentrations for the whole year is 3.8µgm−3, constituting a notable addition to total particulate matter. More measurements of these precursors (currently not included in official emissions inventories) is recommended. During the period of concurrent measurements, SOA concentrations at the Detling rural background location east of London were greater than at the central London location. The model shows that this was caused by an intense pollution plume with a strong gradient of imported SOA passing over the rural location. This demonstrates the value of modelling for supporting the interpretation of measurements taken at different sites or for short durations.
Author
Riinu Ots
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
University of Edinburgh
Dominique E. Young
University of Manchester
M. Vieno
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Lu Xu
Georgia Institute of Technology
Rachel E. Dunmore
University of York
James D. Allan
University of Manchester
Hugh Coe
University of Manchester
Leah R. Williams
Aerodyne Research, Inc.
S. C. Herndon
Aerodyne Research, Inc.
Nga L. Ng
Georgia Institute of Technology
Jacqueline F. Hamilton
University of York
Robert Bergström
SMHI
University of Gothenburg
Chiara Di Marco
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
E. Nemitz
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Ian A. Mackenzie
University of Edinburgh
Jeroen J. P. Kuenen
TNO Innovation for Life
David C. Green
King's College London
S. Reis
University of Exeter Medical School
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
M. R. Heal
University of Edinburgh
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
1680-7316 (ISSN) 1680-7324 (eISSN)
Vol. 16 10 6453-6473Driving Forces
Sustainable development
Areas of Advance
Transport
Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences
Environmental Sciences
Roots
Basic sciences
DOI
10.5194/acp-16-6453-2016