Collaborative Research: Wintertime INvestigation of Transport, Emissions, and Reactivity (WINTER)

该奖项将资助一架研究飞机的部署，以观察美国东北部的冬季污染。 虽然有一些研究在温暖的季节对大气化学进行了取样，但在凉爽的季节进行的研究相对较少，而且没有一项研究使用了科学界现在拥有的先进仪器。 这一点很重要，因为影响污染产生量和传播距离的过程在很大程度上取决于水蒸气和阳光，这两者在夏季和冬季有很大的不同。 该研究将研究这些过程在低温和低日照条件下的工作方式，并为数值模拟人员提供信息，以帮助改善预测，并为政策制定者提供指导，以最好地减少有害空气污染事件。冬季运输、排放和反应性调查（WINTER）项目将于2015年初进行。 其主要目标是提供必要的观测，以便更深入地了解控制冬季人为污染物空间分布的化学和物理过程。 研究人员认为，在受污染的中纬度地区进行的大部分观测都是在夏季，当时充足的阳光和水蒸气导致NOx和挥发性有机化合物（VOC）被OH快速氧化。 在冬季，OH浓度低得多，温度较低，预计不同的氧化途径将更加重要。这导致氮氧化物、挥发性有机化合物和二氧化硫等活性污染物的氧化速度较慢，从而延长了大气寿命，并因此使这些物质在更广泛的地理区域内迁移。 较冷的冬季温度也改变了半挥发性物质（如硝酸）的平衡气-粒分配，有利于颗粒的形成，并导致主要气溶胶组分的季节性变化。例如，研究表明，无机氮是冬季气溶胶的一个高得多的组成部分。 三个主要研究目标是：1）通过多相、夜间和光化学过程表征冬季排放的化学转化，2）评估二次气溶胶形成的主要机制，并量化冬季无机和有机气溶胶类型的地理分布，3）限制城市地区、发电厂和农业地区冬季主要污染物的排放清单，并描述其在北大西洋的出口。 除了上述更广泛的影响外，大量学生将参与实地活动和数据分析活动。 外联活动将包括媒体日，K-12学生的访问，以及通过社交媒体更新项目。

This award will fund the deployment of a research aircraft in a study to observe wintertime pollution in the Northeastern United States. While there have been a number of studies that have sampled atmospheric chemistry in the warm season, there have been relatively few studies in the cool season and none with the advanced instrumentation that the scientific community now possesses. This is important because the processes that affect how much pollution is created and how far it travels depends significantly on water vapor and sunlight, both of which are dramatically different in summer and winter. This study will examine how these processes work in cold temperatures and low sunlight and provide input to numerical modelers to help improve forecasts and provide guidance for policymakers on how to best reduce harmful air pollution events.The Wintertime Investigations of Transport, Emissions, and Reactivity (WINTER) project will take place in early 2015. The main goal is to provide observations needed to develop a deeper understanding of the chemical and physical processes which govern the spatial distribution of anthropogenic pollutants during winter. The researchers argue that a majority of observations in polluted mid-latitude regions have been in summer, when plentiful sunlight and water vapor lead to the rapid oxidation of NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by OH. In the winter months when OH concentrations are much lower and temperatures are colder, different oxidation pathways are expected to be more important. This leads to the slower oxidation of reactive pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, VOCs and sulfur dioxide, resulting in longer atmospheric lifetimes and therefore the transport of these species over wider geographic areas. The colder winter temperatures also change the equilibrium gas-particle partitioning of semi-volatile species (e.g. HNO3) favoring the formation of particles and resulting in seasonal changes in dominant aerosol components. For example, studies have shown that inorganic nitrogen is a much higher component of the aerosol in the winter. The three primary research objectives are: 1) Characterize the chemical transformations of wintertime emissions via multiphase, nocturnal, and photochemical processes, 2) Assess the dominant mechanisms of secondary aerosol formation and quantify the geographical distribution of inorganic and organic aerosol types during winter, and 3) Constrain wintertime emission inventories of key pollutants for urban areas, power plants, and agricultural areas, and characterize their export over the North Atlantic. In addition to the broader impacts stated above, a significant number of students would be involved in the field campaign and data analysis activities. Outreach activities will include a media day, visits by K-12 students, and project updates through social media.