Mixed atmospheric aerosols impact the environment. These can arise, for example, when air is blown into cities from rural areas. In the process, particles known as secondary organic aerosols (SOA) can become mixed together. A new study by the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver shows that looking inside atmospheric particles can provide information about their effects on the climate and human health, further details of which can be found in a press release issued by the research institute based in Villigen in the canton of Aargau
An article on this topic has now been published in the science journal “Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics”. It describes how two-phase particles can form when different types of SOA mix, which have different environmental impacts than single-phase ones. This insight could help to improve current models for predicting the climate and health impacts of SOA.
“Up until now, models have often assumed that when SOA types mix into the same particle, they have just one phase. But we found that’s not always the case, meaning current models might not correctly capture some of these effects”, comments Fabian Mahrt, a postdoctoral fellow at the Paul Scherrer Institute and the University of British Columbia, in the press release.
“If we assume this mixing of the plumes forms particles with a single phase, we might over-predict the total organic particulate mass in these areas, and so, the effects on those people’s health”, Mahrt explains further. He is the lead author of the study, which is being financed by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
