Average Cloud Droplet Size and Composition: Good Assumptions for Predicting Oxidants in the Atmospheric Aqueous Phase?

Chemical models that describe the atmospheric multiphase (gas/aqueous) system often include detailed kinetic and mechanistic schemes describing chemical reactions in both phases. The present study explores the importance of properties including the chemical composition of droplet populations, such as pH value and iron present in only a few droplets, as well as droplet size and their distribution. It is found that the assumption of evenly distributed iron in all cloud droplets leads to an underestimate by up to 1 order of magnitude of OH concentrations in the aqueous phase, whereas the predicted iron(II)/iron(total) ratio is overestimated by up to a factor of 2. While the sulfate mass formed in cloud droplets is not largely affected by any of the assumptions, the predicted secondary organic aerosol mass varies by an order of magnitude. This sensitivity study reveals that multiphase chemistry model studies should focus not only on chemical mechanism development but also on careful considerations of droplet properties to comprehensively describe the atmospheric multiphase chemical system.

The Acidity of Atmospheric Particles and Clouds

Acidity, defined as pH, is a central component of aqueous chemistry. In the atmosphere, the acidity of condensed phases (aerosol particles, cloud water, and fog droplets) governs the phase partitioning of semi-volatile gases such as HNO3, NH3, HCl, and organic acids and bases as well as chemical reaction rates. It has implications for the atmospheric lifetime of pollutants, deposition, and human health. Despite its fundamental role in atmospheric processes, only recently has this field seen a growth in the number of studies on particle acidity. Even with this growth, many fine particle pH estimates must be based on thermodynamic model calculations since no operational techniques exist for direct measurements. Current information indicates acidic fine particles are ubiquitous, but observationally-constrained pH estimates are limited in spatial and temporal coverage. Clouds and fogs are also generally acidic, but to a lesser degree than particles, and have a range of pH that is quite sensitive to anthropogenic emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, as well as ambient ammonia. Historical measurements indicate that cloud and fog droplet pH has changed in recent decades in response to controls on anthropogenic emissions, while the limited trend data for aerosol particles indicates acidity may be relatively constant due to the semi-volatile nature of the key acids and bases and buffering in particles. This paper reviews and synthesizes the current state of knowledge on the acidity of atmospheric condensed phases, specifically particles and cloud droplets. It includes recommendations for estimating acidity and pH, standard nomenclature, a synthesis of current pH estimates based on observations, and new model calculations on the local and global scale.