Oxidized organic molecules in the tropical free troposphere over Amazonia

Qiaozhi Zha, Diego Aliaga, Radovan Krejci, Victoria A. Sinclair, Cheng Wu, Giancarlo Ciarelli, Wiebke Scholz, Liine Heikkinen, Eva Partoll, Yvette Gramlich, Wei Huang, Markus Leiminger, Joonas Enroth, Otso Peräkylä, Runlong Cai, Xuemeng Chen, Alkuin Maximilian Koenig, Fernando Velarde, Isabel Moreno, Tuukka PetäjäPaulo Artaxo, Paolo Laj, Armin Hansel, Samara Carbone, Markku Kulmala, Marcos Andrade, Douglas Worsnop, Claudia Mohr, Federico Bianchi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

New particle formation (NPF) in the tropical free troposphere (FT) is a globally important source of cloud condensation nuclei, affecting cloud properties and climate. Oxidized organic molecules (OOMs) produced from biogenic volatile organic compounds are believed to contribute to aerosol formation in the tropical FT, but without direct chemical observations. We performed in situ molecular-level OOMs measurements at the Bolivian station Chacaltaya at 5240 m above sea level, on the western edge of Amazonia. For the first time, we demonstrate the presence of OOMs, mainly with 4-5 carbon atoms, in both gas-phase and particle-phase (in terms of mass contribution) measurements in tropical FT air from Amazonia. These observations, combined with air mass history analyses, indicate that the observed OOMs are linked to isoprene emitted from the rainforests hundreds of kilometers away. Based on particle-phase measurements, we find that these compounds can contribute to NPF, at least the growth of newly formed nanoparticles, in the tropical FT on a continental scale. Thus, our study is a fundamental and significant step in understanding the aerosol formation process in the tropical FT.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbernwad138
JournalNational Science Review
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of China Science Publishing & Media Ltd.

Keywords

  • Amazon
  • free troposphere
  • oxidized organic molecules
  • tropical aerosol formation

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