Probing Mechanisms of New Particle Formation and Growth: A Combined Experimental, Theoretical and Modeling Approach

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A series of laboratory and modeling studies will be conducted to study the process of new particle formation and growth (NPFG) in the atmosphere. This research will benefit society through improved air quality and climate modeling.Laboratory studies will focus on the reactions of methanesulfonic (MSA) acid with amines in the presence of water, a mechanism that has been shown to form new particles very efficiently. Once particles form, their growth is limited despite the presence of excess water vapor and either MSA or amine, suggesting that the growth of the seed nuclei in air requires the uptake of other organic species. Organic compounds with different structures and functional groups that are representative of atmospheric species have been carefully selected for the experiments.The project objectives are: (1) to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms and kinetics of NPFG from the reactions of gas phase acids, amines, water vapor, and a suite of representative atmospheric organic compounds; and (2) to develop a parameterization of these processes that accurately describes NPFG in complex mixtures that is appropriate for use in atmospheric models. The NPFG parameterization developed through this project will be incorporated into a regional air quality model and used to assess the impacts of new particle formation on a regional scale.