Emission factor ratios, SOA mass yields, and the impact of vehicular emissions on SOA formation | CU Experts

Abstract. The underprediction of ambient secondary organic aerosol (SOA) levels by atmospheric models in urban areas is well established, yet the cause of this underprediction remains elusive. Likewise, the relative contribution of emissions from gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles to the formation of SOA is generally unresolved. Here we address these two issues using data from the 2010 CalNex experiment carried out in the Los Angeles basin (Ryerson et al., 2013). We use gas-phase organic mass (GPOM) and CO emission factors in conjunction with measured enhancements in oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) relative to CO to investigate the relative importance of gasoline vs. diesel emissions to organic aerosol formation. Two possible conclusions emerge from the analysis to yield consistency with the ambient data: (1) vehicular emissions are not a dominant source of anthropogenic fossil SOA in the Los Angeles basin, or (2) ambient SOA mass yields are substantially higher than those derived from laboratory chamber studies.

Ensberg JJ; Hayes PL; Jimenez JL; Gilman JB; Kuster WC; de Gouw JA; Holloway JS; Seinfeld JH

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