CAREER: Kinetics Studies and Ground Based Atmospheric Observations of Tropospheric Aerosol Nucleation

这项研究的目的是更好地了解对流层低层气溶胶的形成过程。将在实验室研究氨和有机物存在下硫酸对气溶胶的成核作用。研究了含氧有机物对成核的影响。气态硫酸和有机物的成核率将作为有机官能团、碳链长度、相对湿度和温度的函数来确定。将对大气成核是否在没有硫酸的情况下发生的问题进行调查。还将对俄亥俄州肯特郡的气溶胶尺寸分布和硫酸进行长期、同步的现场测量。测得的成核率，以及关于有机物如何影响成核的信息，将对试图预测区域和全球尺度上的气溶胶和云的丰度的全球模型有用。教育计划包括四项活动：(1)为15所俄亥俄州大学的学生开发大气化学研究模块(测量与大气相关的有机化合物的溶解度)，(2)指导科学界未被充分代表的群体、第一代大学生和女性，(3)在大学预科课程中为高中生教授大气化学，以及(4)更新“世界化学”，这是一门面向包括小学和中学教育专业在内的非理科专业本科生的化学课程。

The goal of this research is a better understanding of aerosol formation processes in the lower troposphere. Laboratory studies of aerosol nucleation by sulfuric acid in the presence of ammonia and organics will be carried out. The effect of oxygenated organics on nucleation will be investigated. Nucleation rates of gaseous sulfuric acid and organics will be determined as a function of organic functional group, carbon chain length, relative humidity, and temperature. The question of whether atmospheric nucleation takes place in the absence of sulfuric acid will be investigated. Long-term, simultaneous in-situ measurements of aerosol size distributions and sulfuric acid at Kent, OH will also be performed. The measured nucleation rates, as well as the information on how organics affect nucleation, will be useful for global models that attempt to predict aerosol and cloud abundances on regional and global scales. The education plan consists of four activities: (1) Development of an atmospheric chemistry research module (to measure solubility of atmospherically relevant organic compounds) for students at 15 Ohio universities, (2) Mentoring of underrepresented groups in science, first generation college students, and women, (3) Teaching atmospheric chemistry for high school students in Upward Bound Pre-College programs, and (4) Updating "Chemistry in the World," an undergraduate chemistry course for non-science majors including elementary and middle school education majors.