References

ACPD

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions

ACPD

1680-7375

Copernicus GmbH

Göttingen, Germany

10.5194/acpd-9-25323-2009

The hygroscopicity parameter (κ) of ambient organic aerosol at a field site subject to biogenic and anthropogenic influences: Relationship to degree of aerosol oxidation

Chang

R. Y.-W.

¹ Slowik

J. G.

¹ Shantz

N. C.

¹ ³ Vlasenko

¹ ³ Liggio

² Sjostedt

S. J.

¹ Leaitch

W. R.

² Abbatt

J. P. D.

Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, Downsview, Canada

now at: Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, Downsview, Canada

25 11 2009

9 6 25323 25360

This is an open-access article ditributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

This article is available from http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/25323/2009/acpd-9-25323-2009.html

The full text article is available as a PDF file from http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/9/25323/2009/acpd-9-25323-2009.pdf

Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations were measured at a rural site in Ontario, Canada during the spring of 2007. The CCN concentrations were compared to values predicted from the aerosol chemical composition and size distribution using κ-Köhler theory. The hygroscopicity of the organic component was characterised by two methods, both of which are based on the aerosol's degree of oxygenation as determined by the mass spectra measured with an Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer. The first approach uses a statistical technique, positive matrix factorization (PMF), to separate hygroscopic and non-hygroscopic factors while the second uses the O/C, which is an indication of the aerosol's degree of oxygenation. In both cases, the hygroscopicity parameter (κ) of the organic component is varied so that the predicted and measured CCN concentrations are internally consistent and in good agreement. By focussing on a small number of organic components defined by their composition, we can simplify the estimates needed to describe the aerosol's hygroscopicity. We find that κ of the oxygenated organic component from the PMF analysis is 0.20±0.03 while κ of the entire organic component can be parameterized as κorg=(0.30±0.05)×(O/C).

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