Oxygenated Organic Molecules over the Boundary Layer Aloft in Beijing

Oxygenated organic molecules (OOMs) originate from both direct emissions and secondary formation via the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from biogenic and anthropogenic sources. OOMs are suggested to play a crucial role in the nucleation and growth of newly formed particles, which in turn influence climate, health and air quality. However, OOMs and the associated nucleation and growth of aerosols in the boundary layer aloft are not considered in atmospheric chemistry models owing to limited observation data. Here, by using unique measurements on the top of a 528 m building tower in Beijing, we show that a variety of OOMs existed, dominated by C<sub>6-7</sub> and C<sub>5</sub> compounds, which probably arose from multigeneration oxidation of aromatic compounds and isoprene, respectively. Consequently, five possible formation pathways of OOMs were identified using a machine learning approach combined with their diurnal patterns. Further analysis suggested that OOMs, together with sulfuric acid and ammonia, are highly involved in the formation of nanoparticles. Our results complement the current mechanism of ammonia-sulfuric acid nucleation in the boundary layer aloft of anthropogenically influenced regions, highlighting the important role of OOMs in the nucleation and growth of aerosol. We suggest that OOMs should be considered in atmospheric chemistry models for better prediction accuracy.

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Publication Details

Journal
Environmental Science & Technology
Published
2025-06-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c01020
Primary Topic
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Oxygenated Organic Molecules over the Boundary Layer Aloft in Beijing

Markku Kulmala, Jun Liu, Qiaozhi Zha, Biwu Chu et al.
Environmental Science & Technology
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
article

Oxygenated Organic Molecules over the Boundary Layer Aloft in Beijing

Markku Kulmala, Jun Liu, Qiaozhi Zha, Biwu Chu, Douglas R. Worsnop, Lei Yao, Yonghong Wang, Qingxin Ma, Zhiheng Liao, Shuying Li, Yuan Liu, Pengkun Ma, Jiannong Quan, Hong He, Nianci Yao, Yongjing Ma
article en

Abstract

Oxygenated organic molecules (OOMs) originate from both direct emissions and secondary formation via the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from biogenic and anthropogenic sources. OOMs are suggested to play a crucial role in the nucleation and growth of newly formed particles, which in turn influence climate, health and air quality. However, OOMs and the associated nucleation and growth of aerosols in the boundary layer aloft are not considered in atmospheric chemistry models owing to limited observation data. Here, by using unique measurements on the top of a 528 m building tower in Beijing, we show that a variety of OOMs existed, dominated by C<sub>6-7</sub> and C<sub>5</sub> compounds, which probably arose from multigeneration oxidation of aromatic compounds and isoprene, respectively. Consequently, five possible formation pathways of OOMs were identified using a machine learning approach combined with their diurnal patterns. Further analysis suggested that OOMs, together with sulfuric acid and ammonia, are highly involved in the formation of nanoparticles. Our results complement the current mechanism of ammonia-sulfuric acid nucleation in the boundary layer aloft of anthropogenically influenced regions, highlighting the important role of OOMs in the nucleation and growth of aerosol. We suggest that OOMs should be considered in atmospheric chemistry models for better prediction accuracy.

Environmental Science & TechnologyVol. 59(27)
University of Helsinki (FI), China Meteorological Administration (CN), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Fudan University (CN), Aerodyne Research (US), Institute of Urban Environment (CN), Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (CN), Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Atmospheric Physics (CZ), National Institute of Meteorology (TN), Institute of Atmospheric Physics (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Beijing Advanced Sciences and Innovation Center (CN), Beijing University of Chemical Technology (CN), Nanjing University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 82%
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
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