International Research Fellowship Program: Chamber Studies and Field Analysis of Organic Aerosol with High Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometry Statistical Techniques

国际研究奖学金计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行9到24个月的研究。该计划的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，并利用国外独特或互补的设施、专业知识和实验条件。该奖项将支持彼得·F·德卡洛博士与瑞士保罗·谢勒研究所的乌尔斯·巴尔滕斯佩格博士合作的为期24个月的研究奖学金。大气中的气溶胶已被证明对气候、能见度和人类健康有不利影响。目前，气溶胶的直接和间接影响是我们理解气候系统的最大不确定性来源。由于有机气溶胶中化合物的复杂性，环境气溶胶中的有机成分可能占气溶胶质量的很大一部分，但由于有机气溶胶中化合物的复杂性，其特征很差。有机气溶胶由一次排放和二次形成的化合物组成，这些化合物凝结成颗粒相。对有机气溶胶的了解有限在很大程度上是因为我们以高时间分辨率测量这些颗粒的大小和化学成分的能力有限。包括气溶胶质谱仪在内的气溶胶仪器的最新进展使我们能够更详细地观察这些气溶胶的性质。尤其是高分辨率飞行时间气溶胶质谱仪，代表着我们在测量环境气溶胶颗粒的尺寸分辨化学方面向前迈出的重要一步。该仪器将用于研究瑞士的环境大气颗粒物，以及在瑞士保罗谢雷尔研究所(PSI)最先进的环境舱中产生的颗粒物，这是该小组先前在PSI开展的工作的基础。对周围环境气溶胶的测量使我们能够被动地观察有机气溶胶及其在大气中经历的过程。相比之下，环境小室允许科学家在受控实验中积极模拟大气，以深入了解粒子的化学、形成和生长。将先进的气溶胶仪器与环境观测和室内实验相结合，将增加我们对有机气溶胶及其在大气中经历的过程的了解。这将有助于更好地量化气溶胶对气候、健康和能见度的影响。

0701013DeCarloThe International Research Fellowship Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct nine to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.This award will support a twenty-four-month research fellowship by Dr. Peter F. DeCarlo to work with Dr. Urs Baltensperger at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Switzerland.Aerosols in the atmosphere have been shown to have adverse effects on climate, visibility, and human health. Currently, the direct and indirect effects of aerosols represent the largest source of uncertainty in our understanding of the climate system. The organic component of ambient aerosol, which can make up a significant fraction of the aerosol mass, is poorly characterized due to the complexity of the compounds in organic aerosol. Organic aerosol is comprised of both primary emissions and secondary formation of compounds that condense to the particle phase. Much of the limited understanding of organic aerosol is due to our limited ability to measure the size and chemistry of these particles with high time resolution. Recent advances in aerosol instrumentation including aerosol mass spectrometers allow for a more detailed look at these aerosol properties. One instrument in particular, the High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass spectrometer, represents a significant step forward in our ability to measure the size resolved chemistry of ambient aerosol particles. This instrument will be used to study ambient atmospheric particles in Switzerland and particles generated in a state-of-the-art environmental chamber at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in Switzerland, building on previous work undertaken by the group at PSI. Measurements of ambient aerosols allow us to passively observe organic aerosols and the processes they undergo in the atmosphere. In contrast environmental chambers allow scientists to actively simulate the atmosphere in controlled experiments to gain insight into particle chemistry, formation, and growth. Combining advanced aerosol instrumentation with ambient observations and chamber experiments will increase our understanding of organic aerosols and the processes that they undergo in the atmosphere. This will allow for better quantification of the effects of aerosols on climate, health, and visibility.