Collaborative Research: Greater New York (NY) Oxidant, Trace gas, Halogen, and Aerosol Airborne Mission (GOTHAAM)

纽约市（NYC）地区是美国除加利福尼亚州以外臭氧（O3）污染水平最高的地区，对2000多万人产生了不利影响。在这次合作的实地活动中，来自9个机构的14名研究人员打算使用美国国家科学基金会的C-130研究飞机，装载最先进的仪器，研究纽约市大地区的空气质量。在夏季，当气团受到附近森林、海洋表面和人类活动排放的影响时，气体和颗粒将被收集起来。这一新信息将有助于加深对臭氧和颗粒物（PM）污染形成的了解。通过分享和传播结果，该地区和其他类似大城市的空气质量机构可以采取行动减轻有害污染。本文建议采用四方面的科学方法来研究产生O3和PM的过程，重点关注挥发性有机化合物（VOC）的形成、二次有机气溶胶（SOA）的演变、氧化剂浓度和夜间化学。特别令人感兴趣的是挥发性化学产品（VCPs）的排放，这些产品最近受到关注，因为它们可能是城市环境中挥发性有机化合物的主要来源，在城市环境中它们有助于气溶胶的形成。飞机降落和在海洋和指定机场错过的方法的组合，分别设计为提供测量物种的垂直剖面，其中许多是表面排放的，寿命很短。天气和化学预测模型将为飞行计划提供信息。结果将直接与2015年2月至3月在美国东北部进行的冬季运动期间研究小组的一个子集收集的结果进行比较。在夏季，VOCs的生物输入量增加，光化学活性增加。观测结果将与区域和化学模型相结合，以提高对沿海特大城市O3和SOA形成的理解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The New York City (NYC) region has the highest level of ozone (O3) pollution in the United States outside of California, adversely affecting more than 20 million people. In this collaborative field campaign, 14 investigators from 9 institutions intend to study air quality in the greater NYC region using NSF’s C-130 research aircraft loaded with state-of-the-art instrumentation. Gases and particles will be collected during summer when air masses are influenced by emissions from nearby forests, ocean surfaces, and human activities. This new information will help increase understanding of formation of O3 and particulate matter (PM) pollution. By sharing and disseminating results, air quality agencies in the region and other similar mega cities can take action to mitigate harmful pollution.A 4-pronged scientific approach is suggested to study processes that produce O3 and PM, and that focus on volatile organic compound (VOC) speciation, secondary organic aerosol (SOA) evolution, oxidant concentrations, and nighttime chemistry. Of particular interest is the emission of volatile chemical products (VCPs) that have received recent attention as potentially dominant sources of VOCs in urban environments where they contribute to aerosol formation. A combination of aircraft descents and missed approaches over the ocean and at designated airports, respectively, are designed to provide vertical profiles of measured species, many of which are surface-emitted and have short lifetimes. Weather and chemistry forecasting models will inform flight plans. Results will be directly comparable to those gathered by a subset of the research team during the WINTER campaign that took place over the NE US in February-March 2015. Of significant difference will be the higher biological input of VOCs and increased photochemical activity during summer. Observations will be combined with regional and chemical modeling to improve understanding of O3 and SOA formation in a coastal mega city.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.