Aircraft Measurement of Isoprene-derived Organic Aerosol during the Southeast Nexus (SENEX) Campaign Using an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

Isoprene is an important precursor for secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation due to its large global emissions and high reactivity. Recent studies have found that isoprene SOA formation via the uptake of isoprene epoxydiol (IEPOX) under low NO_x conditions appears to be largely affected by anthropogenic emissions and are not well understood. Here we investigate the effects of anthropogenic emissions on isoprene SOA formation through airborne measurements above the southeastern US, which is an ideal location for this study since this area is characterized by high emissions of both anthropogenic and isoprene sources. An Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) was deployed aboard the NOAA WP-3D aircraft during the Southeast Nexus (SENEX) field campaign to characterize the non-refractory chemical composition of submicron aerosol. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis was performed on the organic aerosol (OA) mass spectra to identify patterns of organic components and various OA factors were resolved. Low-volatility Oxygenated Organic Aerosol (LV-OOA) constituted a major fraction of OA. Isoprene-derived OA was also identified in certain flights and correlated well with sulfate. This result is consistent with our recent finding from ground-based measurements in Centreville during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) field campaign that isoprene-derived OA is directly modulated by the abundance of sulfate. The vertical distribution of isoprene-derived OA will be discussed along with the timescale of the effect of sulfate on isoprene OA formation.