Research Projects

Carbonaceous compounds can constitute the largest fraction of fine particulate matter (PM) in many regions, but their composition is usually the least understood. Better understanding and characterization of carbonaceous aerosols through improved measurements are needed in order to identify their emission sources and impacts on health, visibility, and climate. The proposed research will include measurements of organic mass (OM) concentration by Aerosol Mass Spectroscopy (AMS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), as well as x ray Fluorescence (XRF) for elemental tracers. Since emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) can produce organic PM by forming secondary organic aerosol (SOA), simultaneous measurements of VOC and organic PM will be performed to investigate the discrepancies between emission inventories and atmospheric measurements. These techniques allow not only quantitative characterization of the organic composition of fine aerosol, but also identification of source categories and quantitative source contributions through the use of elemental tracers and positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis. This research is expected to provide useful new measurements and statistical analysis for developing air quality attainment strategies in California and for understanding the pathways leading to SOA that may also be of importance in climate change. The better characterization of organic carbon (OC) will also improve our ability to identify organic functional groups in particles that reduce air quality and harm health.