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The Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) field study was conducted during May-June 2016. The effort was jointly sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Research of South Korea and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. KORUS-AQ offered an unprecedented, multi-perspective view of air quality conditions in South Korea by employing observations from three aircraft, an extensive ground-based network, and three ships along with an array of air quality forecast models. Information gathered during the study is contributing to an improved understanding of the factors controlling air quality in South Korea. The study also provided a valuable test bed for future air quality-observing strategies involving geostationary satellite instruments being launched by both countries to examine air quality throughout the day over Asia and North America. This article presents details on the KORUS-AQ observational assets, study execution, data products, and air quality conditions observed during the study. High-level findings from companion papers in this special issue are also summarized and discussed in relation to the factors controlling fine particle and ozone pollution, current emissions and source apportionment, and expectations for the role of satellite observations in the future. Resulting policy recommendations and advice regarding plans going forward are summarized. These results provide an important update to early feedback previously provided in a Rapid Science Synthesis Report produced for South Korean policy makers in 2017 and form the basis for the Final Science Synthesis Report delivered in 2020.

In support of future satellite missions that aim to address the current shortcomings in measuring air quality from space, NASA's Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality (DISCOVER-AQ) field campaign was designed to enable exploration of relationships between column measurements of trace species relevant to air quality at high spatial and temporal resolution. In the DISCOVER-AQ data set, a modest correlation (r 2 = 0.45) between ozone (O3) and formaldehyde (CH2O) column densities was observed. Further analysis revealed regional variability in the O3-CH2O relationship, with Maryland having a strong relationship when data were viewed temporally and Houston having a strong relationship when data were viewed spatially. These differences in regional behavior are attributed to differences in volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. In Maryland, biogenic VOCs were responsible for ~28% of CH2O formation within the boundary layer column, causing CH2O to, in general, increase monotonically throughout the day. In Houston, persistent anthropogenic emissions dominated the local hydrocarbon environment, and no discernable diurnal trend in CH2O was observed. Box model simulations suggested that ambient CH2O mixing ratios have a weak diurnal trend (±20% throughout the day) due to photochemical effects, and that larger diurnal trends are associated with changes in hydrocarbon precursors. Finally, mathematical relationships were developed from first principles and were able to replicate the different behaviors seen in Maryland and Houston. While studies would be necessary to validate these results and determine the regional applicability of the O3-CH2O relationship, the results presented here provide compelling insight into the ability of future satellite missions to aid in monitoring near-surface air quality.

The air quality in the outflow from Fort Worth, TX was studied in June 2011 at a location surrounded by oil and gas development in the Barnett Shale. The objectives of this study were to understand the major sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and organic aerosols and explore the potential influence each VOC source had on ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation. Measurements of VOCs were apportioned between six factors using Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF): Natural Gas (25 ± 2%; ±99% CL); Fugitive Emissions (15 ± 2%); Internal Combustion Engines (15 ± 2%); Biogenic Emissions (7 ± 1%); Industrial Emissions/Oxidation 1(8 ± 1%); and Oxidation 2 (18 ± 2%). Reactivity calculations suggest the Biogenic and Oxidation 2 factors were the most likely VOC sources to influence local ozone. However, enough OH reactivity was calculated for factors related to the oil and gas development that they could incrementally increase O3. Three organic aerosol (OA) types were identified with PMF applied to high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometry measurements: hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA; 11% of mass) and two classes of oxidized OA (semi- and less-volatile OOA, SV and LV; 45% and 44%, respectively). The HOA correlated with the Internal Combustion Engine VOC factor indicating that a large fraction of the HOA was emitted by gasoline and diesel motors. The SV-OOA correlated with the oxidized VOC factors during most of the study, whereas a correlation between LV-OOA and the oxidized VOC factors was only observed during part of the study. It is hypothesized that SV-OOA and the oxidized VOC factors correlated reasonably well because these factors likely were separated by at most only a few oxidation generations on the oxidation pathway of organic compounds.

Author(s): Peter M. Edwards [1, 2, 8]; Steven S. Brown (corresponding author) [1]; James M. Roberts [1]; Ravan Ahmadov [1, 2]; Robert M. Banta [1]; Joost A. deGouw [1, 2]; [...]

Submicron aerosol was measured to the southwest of Houston, Texas during winter and summer 2014 to investigate its seasonal variability. Data from a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) indicated that organic aerosol (OA) was the largest component of non-refractory submicron particulate matter (NR-PM1) (on average, 46 ± 13% and 55 ± 18% of the NR-PM1 mass loading in winter and summer, respectively). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis of the OA mass spectra demonstrated that two classes of oxygenated OA (less and more-oxidized OOA, LO and MO) together dominated OA mass in summer (77%) and accounted for 42% of OA mass in winter. The fraction of LO-OOA (out of total OOA) is higher in summer (69%) than in winter (44%). Secondary aerosols (sulfate + nitrate + ammonium + OOA) accounted for ~ 76% and 89% of NR-PM1 mass in winter and summer, respectively, indicating NR-PM1 mass was driven mostly by secondary aerosol formation regardless of the season. The mass loadings and diurnal patterns of these secondary aerosols show a clear winter/summer contrast. Organic nitrate (ON) concentrations were estimated using the NOx+ ratio method, with an average contribution of ~ 15% and 37% to OA during winter and summer campaign, respectively. The estimated ON in summer strongly correlated with LO-OOA (r = 0.73) and was enhanced at nighttime. The relative importance of aqueous-phase chemistry and photochemistry in processing OOA was investigated by examining the relationship of aerosol liquid water content (LWC) and the sum of ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (Ox = O3 + NO2) with LO-OOA and MO-OOA. The processing mechanism of LO-OOA apparently depended on relative humidity (RH). In periods of RH < 80%, aqueous-phase chemistry likely played an important role in the formation of wintertime LO-OOA, whereas photochemistry promoted the formation of summertime LO-OOA. For periods of high RH > 80%, these effects were opposite that of low RH periods. Both photochemistry and aqueous-phase processing appear to facilitate MO-OOA formation except during periods of high LWC, which is likely a result of wet removal during periods of light rain. The nighttime increases of MO-OOA during winter and summer were 0.013 and 0.01 μg MO-OOA per μg of LWC, respectively. The increase of LO-OOA was larger than that for MO-OOA, with increase rates of 0.033 and 0.055 μg LO-OOA per μg of LWC at night during winter and summer, respectively. On average, the mass concentration of LO-OOA in summer was elevated by nearly 1.2 μg m-3 for a ~ 20 μg change in LWC, which is accompanied by a 40 ppb change in Ox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas-phase biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are oxidized in the troposphere to produce secondary pollutants such as ozone (O3), organic nitrates (RONO2), and secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The nitrate radical (NO3) is especially reactive towards isoprene and monoterpenes such as α-pinene. A zero-dimensional model has been used to investigate differences in oxidation and SOA production from these two BVOCs, especially with respect to hydroxyl radical (OH) and NO3, above and below a forest canopy in rural Michigan using local data and data from a monitoring site in Detroit. In all modeled scenarios, NO3 concentrations are relatively small (0.5-3 pptv); however, daytime concentrations below the canopy are two-to-three times larger than those above. In the rural scenario, NO3 contributes up to 20% of daytime oxidation of α-pinene below the canopy, and this contribution increases to around 40% in the polluted cases. Oxidation of isoprene is almost entirely dominated by reaction with OH, as expected. The most significant first-generation RONO2 formation mechanism varies significantly between scenarios and by canopy location. Nonetheless, in every scenario, daytime production of first-generation RONO2 through NO3 + α-pinene is more significant below the canopy than above. While SOA mass loadings are moderate (2 μg m-3 or less), total SOA production is consistently enhanced below the canopy, due to the combined effects of elevated isoprene and reduced NO concentrations. Furthermore, below the canopy, the total amount of RONO2 SOA produced through NO3 oxidation of α-pinene during the daytime (10:00-18:00), while small in absolute terms, is more than twice as large as the amount produced above the canopy during that time period in every scenario. In the rural ambient case, a minimum of 74% of α-pinene RONO2 SOA is formed solely from initial oxidation by NO3. The relative abundances of HO2 and NO are shown to substantially impact both total SOA production and RONO2 SOA composition. The results presented emphasize the need for more detailed studies regarding the influence of NO3 throughout forest canopies in different environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) field study was conducted during May-June 2016. The effort was jointly sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Research of South Korea and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. KORUS-AQ offered an unprecedented, multi-perspective view of air quality conditions in South Korea by employing observations from three aircraft, an extensive ground-based network, and three ships along with an array of air quality forecast models. Information gathered during the study is contributing to an improved understanding of the factors controlling air quality in South Korea. The study also provided a valuable test bed for future air quality-observing strategies involving geostationary satellite instruments being launched by both countries to examine air quality throughout the day over Asia and North America. This article presents details on the KORUS-AQ observational assets, study execution, data products, and air quality conditions observed during the study. High-level findings from companion papers in this special issue are also summarized and discussed in relation to the factors controlling fine particle and ozone pollution, current emissions and source apportionment, and expectations for the role of satellite observations in the future. Resulting policy recommendations and advice regarding plans going forward are summarized. These results provide an important update to early feedback previously provided in a Rapid Science Synthesis Report produced for South Korean policy makers in 2017 and form the basis for the Final Science Synthesis Report delivered in 2020.