scholarly journals A simplified parameterization of isoprene-epoxydiol-derived secondary organic aerosol (IEPOX-SOA) for global chemistry and climate models: a case study with GEOS-Chem v11-02-rc

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2983-3000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duseong S. Jo ◽  
Alma Hodzic ◽  
Louisa K. Emmons ◽  
Eloise A. Marais ◽  
Zhe Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Models ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Basis Set ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Computationally Efficient ◽  
So2 Emissions ◽  
Emission Changes

Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol derived from isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX-SOA) is thought to contribute the dominant fraction of total isoprene SOA, but the current volatility-based lumped SOA parameterizations are not appropriate to represent the reactive uptake of IEPOX onto acidified aerosols. A full explicit modeling of this chemistry is however computationally expensive owing to the many species and reactions tracked, which makes it difficult to include it in chemistry–climate models for long-term studies. Here we present three simplified parameterizations (version 1.0) for IEPOX-SOA simulation, based on an approximate analytical/fitting solution of the IEPOX-SOA yield and formation timescale. The yield and timescale can then be directly calculated using the global model fields of oxidants, NO, aerosol pH and other key properties, and dry deposition rates. The advantage of the proposed parameterizations is that they do not require the simulation of the intermediates while retaining the key physicochemical dependencies. We have implemented the new parameterizations into the GEOS-Chem v11-02-rc chemical transport model, which has two empirical treatments for isoprene SOA (the volatility-basis-set, VBS, approach and a fixed 3 % yield parameterization), and compared all of them to the case with detailed fully explicit chemistry. The best parameterization (PAR3) captures the global tropospheric burden of IEPOX-SOA and its spatiotemporal distribution (R2=0.94) vs. those simulated by the full chemistry, while being more computationally efficient (∼5 times faster), and accurately captures the response to changes in NOx and SO2 emissions. On the other hand, the constant 3 % yield that is now the default in GEOS-Chem deviates strongly (R2=0.66), as does the VBS (R2=0.47, 49 % underestimation), with neither parameterization capturing the response to emission changes. With the advent of new mass spectrometry instrumentation, many detailed SOA mechanisms are being developed, which will challenge global and especially climate models with their computational cost. The methods developed in this study can be applied to other SOA pathways, which can allow including accurate SOA simulations in climate and global modeling studies in the future.

scholarly journals A simplified parameterization of isoprene-epoxydiol-derived secondary organic aerosol (IEPOX-SOA) for global chemistry and climate models

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duseong S. Jo ◽  
Alma Hodzic ◽  
Louisa K. Emmons ◽  
Eloise A. Marais ◽  
Zhe Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Models ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Basis Set ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Computationally Efficient ◽  
So2 Emissions

Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol derived from isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX-SOA) is thought to contribute the dominant fraction of total isoprene SOA, but the current volatility-based lumped SOA parameterizations are not appropriate to represent the reactive uptake of IEPOX onto acidified aerosols. A full explicit modelling of this chemistry is however computationally expensive owing to the many species and reactions tracked, which makes it difficult to include it in chemistry climate models for long-term studies. Here we present three simplified parameterizations for IEPOX-SOA simulation, based on an approximate analytical/fitting solution of the IEPOX-SOA yield and formation timescale. The yield and timescale can then be directly calculated using the global model fields of oxidants, NO, aerosol pH and other key properties, and dry deposition rates. The advantage of the proposed parameterizations is that they do not require the simulation of the intermediates while retaining the key physico-chemical dependencies. We have implemented the new parameterizations into the GEOS-Chem v11-02-rc chemical transport model, which has two empirical treatments for isoprene SOA (the volatility basis set (VBS) approach and a fixed 3 % yield parameterization) and compared all of them to the case with detailed full chemistry. The best parameterization (PAR3) captures the global tropospheric burden of IEPOX-SOA and its spatio-temporal distribution (R2 = 0.93) vs. those simulated by the full chemistry, while being more computationally efficient (~ 5 times faster), and accurately captures the response to changes on NOx and SO2 emissions. On the other hand, the constant 3 % yield that is now default in GEOS-Chem deviates strongly (R2 = 0.65, 63 % underestimation), as does the VBS (R2 = 0.45, 78 % underestimation), with neither parameterization capturing the response to emission changes. With the advent of new mass spectrometry instrumentation, many detailed SOA mechanisms are being developed, which will challenge global and especially climate models with their computational cost. The methods developed in this study can be applied to other SOA pathways, which can allow including accurate SOA simulations in climate and global modeling studies in the future.

scholarly journals Improving the representation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the MOZART-4 global chemical transport model

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 4187-4232 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Mahmud ◽  
K. C. Barsanti
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Basis Set ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Annual Average ◽  
Modeling Studies ◽  
The Usa

Abstract. The secondary organic aerosol (SOA) module in the Model for Ozone and Related chemical Tracers, version 4 (MOZART-4) has been updated by replacing existing two-product (2p) parameters with those obtained from two-product volatility basis set (2p-VBS) fits, and by treating SOA formation from the following volatile organic compounds (VOCs): isoprene, propene and lumped alkenes. Strong seasonal and spatial variations in global SOA distributions were demonstrated, with significant differences in the predicted concentrations between the base-case and updated model versions. The base-case MOZART-4 predicted annual average SOA of 0.36 ± 0.50 μg m−3 in South America, 0.31 ± 0.38 μg m−3 in Indonesia, 0.09 ± 0.05 μg m−3 in the USA, and 0.12 ± 0.07 μg m−3 in Europe. Concentrations from the updated versions of the model showed a~marked increase in annual average SOA. Using the updated set of parameters alone (MZ4-v1) increased annual average SOA by ~8%, ~16%, ~56%, and ~108% from the base-case in South America, Indonesia, USA, and Europe, respectively. Treatment of additional parent VOCs (MZ4-v2) resulted in an even more dramatic increase of ~178–406% in annual average SOA for these regions over the base-case. The increases in predicted SOA concentrations further resulted in increases in corresponding SOA contributions to annual average total aerosol optical depth (AOD) by <1% for MZ4-v1 and ~1–6% for MZ4-v2. Estimated global SOA production was ~6.6 Tg yr−1 and ~19.1 Tg yr−1 with corresponding burdens of ~0.24 Tg and ~0.59 Tg using MZ4-v1 and MZ4-v2, respectively. The SOA budgets predicted in the current study fall well within reported ranges for similar modeling studies, 6.7 to 96 Tg yr−1, but are lower than recently reported observationally-constrained values, 50 to 380 Tg yr−1. With MZ4-v2, simulated SOA concentrations at the surface were also in reasonable agreement with comparable modeling studies and observations. Concentrations of estimated organic aerosol (OA) at the surface, however, showed under-prediction in Europe and over-prediction in the Amazonian regions and Malaysian Borneo during certain months of the year. Overall, the updated version of MOZART-4, MZ4-v2, showed consistently better skill in predicting SOA and OA levels and spatial distributions as compared with unmodified MOZART-4. The MZ4-v2 updates may be particularly important when MOZART-4 output is used to generate boundary conditions for regional air quality simulations that require more accurate representation of SOA concentrations and distributions.

scholarly journals Modelling of organic aerosols over Europe (2002–2007) using a volatility basis set (VBS) framework: application of different assumptions regarding the formation of secondary organic aerosol

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 8499-8527 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bergström ◽  
H. A. C. Denier van der Gon ◽  
A. S. H. Prévôt ◽  
K. E. Yttri ◽  
D. Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Basis Set ◽  
Emission Inventories ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Wood Combustion ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Model Studies ◽  
Primary Emissions

Abstract. A new organic aerosol module has been implemented into the EMEP chemical transport model. Four different volatility basis set (VBS) schemes have been tested in long-term simulations for Europe, covering the six years 2002–2007. Different assumptions regarding partitioning of primary organic aerosol and aging of primary semi-volatile and intermediate volatility organic carbon (S/IVOC) species and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) have been explored. Model results are compared to filter measurements, aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) data and source apportionment studies, as well as to other model studies. The present study indicates that many different sources contribute significantly to organic aerosol in Europe. Biogenic and anthropogenic SOA, residential wood combustion and vegetation fire emissions may all contribute more than 10% each over substantial parts of Europe. This study shows smaller contributions from biogenic SOA to organic aerosol in Europe than earlier work, but relatively greater anthropogenic SOA. Simple VBS based organic aerosol models can give reasonably good results for summer conditions but more observational studies are needed to constrain the VBS parameterisations and to help improve emission inventories. The volatility distribution of primary emissions is one important issue for further work. Emissions of volatile organic compounds from biogenic sources are also highly uncertain and need further validation. We can not reproduce winter levels of organic aerosol in Europe, and there are many indications that the present emission inventories substantially underestimate emissions from residential wood combustion in large parts of Europe.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the volatility basis-set approach for the simulation of organic aerosol formation in the Mexico City metropolitan area

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 525-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Tsimpidi ◽  
V. A. Karydis ◽  
M. Zavala ◽  
W. Lei ◽  
L. Molina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mexico City ◽  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Basis Set ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Starting Point

Abstract. New primary and secondary organic aerosol modules have been added to PMCAMx, a three dimensional chemical transport model (CTM), for use with the SAPRC99 chemistry mechanism based on recent smog chamber studies. The new modelling framework is based on the volatility basis-set approach: both primary and secondary organic components are assumed to be semivolatile and photochemically reactive and are distributed in logarithmically spaced volatility bins. This new framework with the use of the new volatility basis parameters for low-NOx and high-NOx conditions tends to predict 4–6 times higher anthropogenic SOA concentrations than those predicted with the older generation of models. The resulting PMCAMx-2008 was applied in Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) for approximately a week during April 2003 during a period of very low regional biomass burning impact. The emission inventory, which uses as a starting point the MCMA 2004 official inventory, is modified and the primary organic aerosol (POA) emissions are distributed by volatility based on dilution experiments. The predicted organic aerosol (OA) concentrations peak in the center of Mexico City, reaching values above 40 μg m−3. The model predictions are compared with the results of the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis of the Aerosol Mass Spectrometry (AMS) observations. The model reproduces both Hydrocarbon-like Organic Aerosol (HOA) and Oxygenated Organic Aerosol (OOA) concentrations and diurnal profiles. The small OA underprediction during the rush-hour periods and overprediction in the afternoon suggest potential improvements to the description of fresh primary organic emissions and the formation of the oxygenated organic aerosols, respectively, although they may also be due to errors in the simulation of dispersion and vertical mixing. However, the AMS OOA data are not specific enough to prove that the model reproduces the organic aerosol observations for the right reasons. Other combinations of contributions of primary and secondary organic aerosol production rates may lead to similar results. The model results strongly suggest that, during the simulated period, transport of OA from outside the city was a significant contributor to the observed OA levels. Future simulations should use a larger domain in order to test whether the regional OA can be predicted with current SOA parameterizations. Sensitivity tests indicate that the predicted OA concentration is especially sensitive to the volatility distribution of the emissions in the lower volatility bins.

scholarly journals Improving the representation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the MOZART-4 global chemical transport model

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 961-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Mahmud ◽  
K. Barsanti
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Basis Set ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Annual Average ◽  
Modeling Studies ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Mass Concentrations

Abstract. The secondary organic aerosol (SOA) module in the Model for Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 4 (MOZART-4) was updated by replacing existing two-product (2p) parameters with those obtained from two-product volatility basis set (2p-VBS) fits (MZ4-C1), and by treating SOA formation from the following additional volatile organic compounds (VOCs): isoprene, propene and lumped alkenes (MZ4-C2). Strong seasonal and spatial variations in global SOA distributions were demonstrated, with significant differences in the predicted concentrations between the base case and updated model simulations. Updates to the model resulted in significant increases in annual average SOA mass concentrations, particularly for the MZ4-C2 simulation in which the additional SOA precursor VOCs were treated. Annual average SOA concentrations predicted by the MZ4-C2 simulation were 1.00 ± 1.04 μg m−3 in South America, 1.57 ± 1.88 μg m−3 in Indonesia, 0.37 ± 0.27 μg m−3 in the USA, and 0.47 ± 0.29 μg m−3 in Europe with corresponding increases of 178, 406, 311 and 292% over the base-case simulation, respectively, primarily due to inclusion of isoprene. The increases in predicted SOA mass concentrations resulted in corresponding increases in SOA contributions to annual average total aerosol optical depth (AOD) by ~ 1–6%. Estimated global SOA production was 5.8, 6.6 and 19.1 Tg yr−1 with corresponding burdens of 0.22, 0.24 and 0.59 Tg for the base-case, MZ4-C1 and MZ4-C2 simulations, respectively. The predicted SOA budgets fell well within reported ranges for comparable modeling studies, 6.7 to 96 Tg yr−1, but were lower than recently reported observationally constrained values, 50 to 380 Tg yr−1. For MZ4-C2, simulated SOA concentrations at the surface also were in reasonable agreement with comparable modeling studies and observations. Total organic aerosol (OA) mass concentrations at the surface, however, were slightly over-predicted in Europe, Amazonian regions and Malaysian Borneo (Southeast Asia) during certain months of the year, and under-predicted in most sites in Asia; relative to those regions, the model performed better for sites in North America. Overall, with the inclusion of additional SOA precursors (MZ4-C2), namely isoprene, MOZART-4 showed consistently better skill (NMB (normalized mean bias) of −11 vs. −26%) in predicting total OA levels and spatial distributions of SOA as compared with unmodified MOZART-4. Treatment of SOA formation by these known precursors (isoprene, propene and lumped alkenes) may be particularly important when MOZART-4 output is used to generate boundary conditions for regional air quality simulations that require more accurate representation of SOA concentrations and distributions.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the volatility basis-set approach for the simulation of organic aerosol formation in the Mexico City metropolitan area

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 13693-13737 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Tsimpidi ◽  
V. A. Karydis ◽  
M. Zavala ◽  
W. Lei ◽  
L. Molina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mexico City ◽  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Basis Set ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Starting Point

Abstract. New primary and secondary organic aerosol modules have been added to PMCAMx, a three dimensional chemical transport model (CTM), for use with the SAPRC99 chemistry mechanism based on recent smog chamber studies. The new modeling framework is based on the volatility basis-set approach: both primary and secondary organic components are assumed to be semivolatile and photochemically reactive and are distributed in logarithmically spaced volatility bins. This new framework with the use of the new volatility basis parameters for low-NOx and high-NOx conditions tends to predict 4–6 times higher anthropogenic SOA concentrations than those predicted with older generation of models. The resulting PMCAMx-2008 was applied in Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) for approximately a week during April of 2003. The emission inventory, which uses as starting point the MCMA 2004 official inventory, is modified and the primary organic aerosol (POA) emissions are distributed by volatility based on dilution experiments. The predicted organic aerosol (OA) concentrations peak in the center of Mexico City reaching values above 40 μg m−3. The model predictions are compared with Aerosol Mass Spectrometry (AMS) observations and their Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis. The model reproduces both Hydrocarbon-like Organic Aerosol (HOA) and Oxygenated Organic Aerosol (OOA) concentrations and diurnal profiles. The small OA underprediction during the rush hour periods and overprediction in the afternoon suggest potential improvements to the description of fresh primary organic emissions and the formation of the oxygenated organic aerosols respectively, although they may also be due to errors in the simulation of dispersion and vertical mixing. However, the AMS OOA data are not specific enough to prove that the model reproduces the organic aerosol observations for the right reasons. Other combinations of contributions of primary, aged primary, and secondary organic aerosol production rates may lead to similar results. The model results suggest strongly that during the simulated period transport of OA from outside the city was a significant contributor to the observed OA levels. Future simulations should use a larger domain in order to test whether the regional OA can be predicted with current SOA parameterizations. Sensitivity tests indicate that the predicted OA concentration is especially sensitive to the volatility distribution of the emissions in the lower volatility bins.

scholarly journals Secondary organic aerosol in the global aerosol – chemistry transport model Oslo CTM2

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 9053-9092 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Hoyle ◽  
T. Berntsen ◽  
G. Myhre ◽  
I. S. A. Isaksen
Keyword(s):  
Ammonium Sulphate ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Sulphate Aerosol

Abstract. The global chemical transport model Oslo CTM2 has been extended to include the formation, transport and deposition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Precursor hydrocarbons which are oxidised to form condensible species include both biogenic species such as terpenes and isoprene, as well as species emitted predominantly by anthropogenic activities (toluene, m-xylene, methylbenzene and other aromatics). A model simulation for 2004 gives an annual global SOA production of approximately 55 Tg. Of this total, 2.5 Tg is found to consist of the oxidation products of anthropogenically emitted hydrocarbons, and about 15 Tg is formed by the oxidation products of isoprene. The global production of SOA is increased to about 76 Tg yr−1 by allowing semi-volatile species to condense on ammonium sulphate aerosol. This brings modelled organic aerosol values closer to those observed, however observations in Europe remain significantly underestimated, raising the possibility of an unaccounted for SOA source. Allowing SOA to form on ammonium sulphate aerosol increases the contribution of anthropogenic SOA from about 4.5% to almost 9% of the total production. The importance of NO3 as an oxidant of SOA precursors is found to vary regionally, causing up to 50%–60% of the total amount of SOA near the surface in polluted regions and less than 25% in more remote areas. This study underscores the need for SOA to be represented in a more realistic way in global aerosol models in order to better reproduce observations of organic aerosol burdens in industrialised and biomass burning regions.

scholarly journals Modeling organic aerosols in a megacity: comparison of simple and complex representations of the volatility basis set approach

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 30205-30277 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Shrivastava ◽  
J. Fast ◽  
R. Easter ◽  
W. I. Gustafson ◽  
R. A. Zaveri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Phase ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Organic Aerosols ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Basis Set ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation ◽  
The City

Abstract. The Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) is modified to include a volatility basis set (VBS) treatment of secondary organic aerosol formation. The VBS approach, coupled with SAPRC-99 gas-phase chemistry mechanism, is used to model gas-particle partitioning and multiple generations of gas-phase oxidation of organic vapors. In addition to the detailed 9-species VBS, a simplified mechanism using 2 volatility species (2-species VBS) is developed and tested for similarity to the 9-species VBS in terms of both mass and oxygen-to-carbon ratios of organic aerosols in the atmosphere. WRF-Chem results are evaluated against field measurements of organic aerosols collected during the MILAGRO 2006 campaign in the vicinity of Mexico City. The simplified 2-species mechanism reduces the computational cost by a factor of 2 as compared to 9-species VBS. Both ground site and aircraft measurements suggest that the 9-species and 2-species VBS predictions of total organic aerosol mass as well as individual organic aerosol components including primary, secondary, and biomass burning are comparable in magnitude. In addition, oxygen-to-carbon ratio predictions from both approaches agree within 25%, providing evidence that the 2-species VBS is well suited to represent the complex evolution of organic aerosols. Model sensitivity to amount of anthropogenic semi-volatile and intermediate volatility (S/IVOC) precursor emissions is also examined by doubling the default emissions. Both the emission cases significantly under-predict primary organic aerosols in the city center and along aircraft flight transects. Secondary organic aerosols are predicted reasonably well along flight tracks surrounding the city, but are consistently over-predicted downwind of the city. Also, oxygen-to-carbon ratio predictions are significantly improved compared to prior studies by adding 15% oxygen mass per generation of oxidation; however, all modeling cases still under-predict these ratios downwind as compared to measurements, suggesting a need to further improve chemistry parameterizations of secondary organic aerosol formation.

scholarly journals Characterization of a real-time tracer for isoprene epoxydiols-derived secondary organic aerosol (IEPOX-SOA) from aerosol mass spectrometer measurements

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (20) ◽  
pp. 11807-11833 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. W. Hu ◽  
P. Campuzano-Jost ◽  
B. B. Palm ◽  
D. A. Day ◽  
A. M. Ortega ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Secondary Organic Aerosol ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Chemical Transport Model ◽  
Aerosol Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Aerosol Mass ◽  
Multiple Field

Abstract. Substantial amounts of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) can be formed from isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX), which are oxidation products of isoprene mainly under low-NO conditions. Total IEPOX-SOA, which may include SOA formed from other parallel isoprene oxidation pathways, was quantified by applying positive matrix factorization (PMF) to aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements. The IEPOX-SOA fractions of organic aerosol (OA) in multiple field studies across several continents are summarized here and show consistent patterns with the concentration of gas-phase IEPOX simulated by the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. During the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS), 78 % of PMF-resolved IEPOX-SOA is accounted by the measured IEPOX-SOA molecular tracers (2-methyltetrols, C5-Triols, and IEPOX-derived organosulfate and its dimers), making it the highest level of molecular identification of an ambient SOA component to our knowledge. An enhanced signal at C5H6O+ (m/z 82) is found in PMF-resolved IEPOX-SOA spectra. To investigate the suitability of this ion as a tracer for IEPOX-SOA, we examine fC5H6O (fC5H6O= C5H6O+/OA) across multiple field, chamber, and source data sets. A background of ~ 1.7 ± 0.1 ‰ (‰ = parts per thousand) is observed in studies strongly influenced by urban, biomass-burning, and other anthropogenic primary organic aerosol (POA). Higher background values of 3.1 ± 0.6 ‰ are found in studies strongly influenced by monoterpene emissions. The average laboratory monoterpene SOA value (5.5 ± 2.0 ‰) is 4 times lower than the average for IEPOX-SOA (22 ± 7 ‰), which leaves some room to separate both contributions to OA. Locations strongly influenced by isoprene emissions under low-NO levels had higher fC5H6O (~ 6.5 ± 2.2 ‰ on average) than other sites, consistent with the expected IEPOX-SOA formation in those studies. fC5H6O in IEPOX-SOA is always elevated (12–40 ‰) but varies substantially between locations, which is shown to reflect large variations in its detailed molecular composition. The low fC5H6O (< 3 ‰) reported in non-IEPOX-derived isoprene-SOA from chamber studies indicates that this tracer ion is specifically enhanced from IEPOX-SOA, and is not a tracer for all SOA from isoprene. We introduce a graphical diagnostic to study the presence and aging of IEPOX-SOA as a triangle plot of fCO2 vs. fC5H6O. Finally, we develop a simplified method to estimate ambient IEPOX-SOA mass concentrations, which is shown to perform well compared to the full PMF method. The uncertainty of the tracer method is up to a factor of ~ 2, if the fC5H6O of the local IEPOX-SOA is not available. When only unit mass-resolution data are available, as with the aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM), all methods may perform less well because of increased interferences from other ions at m/z 82. This study clarifies the strengths and limitations of the different AMS methods for detection of IEPOX-SOA and will enable improved characterization of this OA component.

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