Atmospheric Evolution of Brown Carbon from Wildfires in North America.

Atmospheric brown carbon (BrC) from wildfires is a key component of light-absorbing carbon that significantly contributes to global radiative forcing, but its atmospheric evolution and lifetime remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigate BrC evolution by synthesizing data from one laboratory campaign and four aircraft campaigns spanning diverse spatial scales across North America. To estimate initial conditions for evaluating plume evolution, we develop a method to parametrize the emission ratios of BrC and other species using commonly measured inert tracers, acetonitrile and hydrogen cyanide.

Development of a Multichannel Organics In situ enviRonmental Analyzer (MOIRA) for mobile measurements of volatile organic compounds.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have diverse functionality, emission sources, and environmental fates. Speciated measurements of their spatiotemporal variability are thus key to understanding their impacts on air quality, health, and climate. Networks of passive samplers can be used to map VOC concentrations, or in situ instruments can be deployed on mobile platforms.