Integrating Observational Constraints and Modeling of Atmospheric Reactive Organic Carbon

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This project is designed to improve the modeling of reactive organic carbon in the atmosphere. Reactive organic carbon species play a central role in controlling the overall composition of the troposphere. The oxidation of organic carbon ultimately leads to the formation of organic aerosol, ozone, and carbon dioxide, and is therefore of critical importance to understanding the formation of air pollution and the causes of climate change. This research is designed to improve the understanding of the role of reactive organic carbon in tropospheric chemistry, and to provide significant improvements to the GEOS-Chem model, leading to more accurate information for policy decisions regarding air quality and climate. The two overarching goals for this project are to assess the key contributors to reactive organic carbon (ROC) mass and reactivity in both observations and models, and to improve model descriptions of ROC and test these against observations. This project will synthesize past and on-going field measurements to explore new concepts and as a means of testing model schemes.The revised research plan includes the following tasks: (1) Observationally characterize and contrast the ROC mass concentrations and OH reactivity observed during two recent field campaigns in the United States; (2) Improve a global model description of ROC processing, with a focus on photochemical loss of organic aerosol; (3) Improve a global model description of ROC chemistry, with a focus on monoterpene oxidation chemistry; (4) Assess the characteristics of OH and NO3 reactivity as represented by a global model; and (5) Use Zeppelin measurements to test the model representation of ROC and OH reactivity over Europe.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.