CAREER: Spectroscopic Measurements of Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) Precursor Gases through Laboratory and Aircraft Studies

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Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) forms in the atmosphere through chemical reactions of gaseous compounds and comprises a large fraction of the organic aerosol. Observed SOA amounts are one to two orders of magnitude larger than predicted by atmospheric models, leading to the fundamental questions: What are the sources and chemical identities of SOA precursors and how do they form SOA? These questions will be addressed through field studies with instrumentation developed by the principal investigator (PI) and laboratory experiments in simulation chambers. An Airborne Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometer (AMAX-DOAS) will be built and used to measure column data for glyoxal (CHOCHO) and other gases, and to constrain their horizontal and vertical distributions in the boundary layer and the free troposphere. An LED-based Cavity Enhanced DOAS (LED-CE-DOAS) will be developed for the sensitive and selective measurement of trace gases. This instrument will be used to measure CHOCHO in laboratory experiments to explore its sources and photochemically-enhanced sink reactions, and to study SOA formation from relevant precursor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (e.g., isoprene, acetylene, aromatic VOCs).The project's educational component will consist of enhancing the college readiness of students underrepresented in math and science-based careers. Two fluent Spanish speakers, the PI, and the director of the Science Program at Boulder High School will team up to support students underrepresented in science prior to college, when critical skills needed to succeed in graduate studies - or the lack thereof - can still be identified and corrected. Working relationships with K-12 teachers will also be established. The materials developed will be catalogued in the Digital Library for Earth Science Education (DLESE) and submitted for peer review to the DLESE Community Review System.