Global sulfate production plays a key role in aerosol radiative forcing; more than half of this production occurs in clouds. We found that sulfur dioxide oxidation catalyzed by natural transition metal ions is the dominant in-cloud oxidation pathway. The pathway was observed to occur primarily on coarse mineral dust, so the sulfate produced will have a short lifetime and little direct or indirect climatic effect. Taking this into account will lead to large changes in estimates of the magnitude and spatial distribution of aerosol forcing. Therefore, this oxidation pathway-which is currently included in only one of the 12 major global climate models-will have a significant impact on assessments of current and future climate.
An hourly quantification of inorganic water-soluble PM 10 ions and corresponding trace gases was performed using the Monitor for AeRosols and Gases in ambient Air (MARGA) at the TROPOS research site in Melpitz, Germany. The data availability amounts to over 80% for the five-
Abstract. In-cloud production of sulfate modifies aerosol size distribution, with important implications for the magnitude of indirect and direct aerosol cooling and the impact of SO 2 emissions on the environment. We investigate which sulfate sources dominate the in-cloud addition of sulfate to different particle classes as an air parcel passes through an orographic cloud. Sulfate aerosol, SO 2 and H 2 SO 4 were collected upwind, in-cloud and downwind of an orographic cloud for three cloud measurement events during the Hill Cap Cloud Thuringia campaign in autumn 2010 (HCCT-2010). Combined SEM and NanoSIMS analysis of single particles allowed the δ 34 S of particulate sulfate to be resolved for particle size and type.The most important in-cloud SO 2 oxidation pathway at HCCT-2010 was aqueous oxidation catalysed by transition metal ions (TMI catalysis), which was shown with single particle isotope analyses to occur primarily in cloud droplets nucleated on coarse mineral dust. In contrast, direct uptake of H 2 SO 4 (g) and ultrafine particulate were the most important sources modifying fine mineral dust, increasing its hygroscopicity and facilitating activation. Sulfate addition to "mixed" particles (secondary organic and inorganic aerosol) and coated soot was dominated by in-cloud aqueous SO 2 oxidation by H 2 O 2 and direct uptake of H 2 SO 4 (g) and ultrafine particle sulfate, depending on particle size mode and time of day. These results provide new insight into in-cloud sulfate production mechanisms, and show the importance of single particle measurements and models to accurately assess the environmental effects of cloud processing.
Arsenic-binding proteins are of toxicological importance since enzymatic activities can be blocked by arsenic interactions. In the present work, a novel methodology based on size exclusion chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (SEC-ESI-MS) was developed with special emphasis to preserve the intact proteins and their arsenic bindings. The eluent composition of 25 mMTris/HCl, pH 7.5, with the addition of 100-mM NaCl optimized for SEC with UV detection provided the highest SEC separation efficiency, but was not compatible with the ESI-MS because of the non-volatility of the buffer substance and of the salt additive. In order to find the best compromise between chromatographic separation and ionization of the arsenic-binding proteins, buffer type and concentration, pH value, portion of organic solvent in the SEC eluent as well as the flow rate were varied. In the optimized procedure five different arsenic-binding peptides and proteins (glutathione, oxytocin, aprotinin, alpha-lactalbumin, thioredoxin) covering a molar mass range of 0.3-14 kDa could be analyzed using 75% 10-mM ammonium formate, pH 5.0/25% acetonitrile (v : v) as eluent and a turbo ion spray source operated at 300 degrees C and 5.5 kV. A complete differentiation of all peptides and proteins involved in the arsenic-binding studies as well as of their arsenic-bound forms has become feasible by means of the extracted ion chromatograms (XIC) of the mass spectrometric detection. The new method offered the possibility to estimate equilibrium constants for the reaction of phenylarsine oxide with different thiol-containing biomolecules by means of the XIC peak areas of reactants and products. Limits of detection in the range of 2-10 microM were obtained by SEC-ESI-MS for the individual proteins.
This study examines the hygroscopicity of newly formed particles (diameters range 25–45 nm) during two atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) events in the German mid-level mountains during the Hill Cap Cloud Thuringia 2010 (HCCT-2010) field experiment. At the end of the NPF event involving clear particle growth, we measured an unusually high soluble particle fraction of 58.5% at 45 nm particle size. The particle growth rate contributed through sulfuric acid condensation only accounts for around 6.5% of the observed growth rate. Estimations showed that sulfuric acid condensation explained, however, only around 10% of that soluble particle fraction. Therefore, the formation of additional water-soluble matter appears imperative to explain the missing soluble fraction. Although direct evidence is missing, we consider water-soluble organics as candidates for this mechanism. For the case with clear growth process, the particle growth rate was determined by two alternative methods based on tracking the mode diameter of the nucleation mode. The mean particle growth rate obtained from the inter-site data comparison using Lagrangian consideration is 3.8 (± 2.6) nm h−1. During the same period, the growth rate calculated based on one site data is 5.0 nm h−1 using log-normal distribution function method. In light of the fact that considerable uncertainties could be involved in both methods, we consider both estimated growth rates consistent
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.