SCENTS 2022 Science Questions

This study will help set the groundwork for key science questions that will be addressed during AEROMMA. Specifically, we will begin the important work to evaluate organics emissions and chemistry of understudied volatile chemical product (VCP) emissions. The main science questions this work will address include:

1. What is the composition of gas- and aerosol phase organics in the urban atmosphere, including aromatics, alkanes, terpenes, cycloalkanes, oxygenated VOCs (including water-soluble organics such as alcohols, esters, glycols, and glycol ethers), and organic aerosol?
2. How do understudied oxygenated VOCs from VCPs and their oxidation products affect atmospheric oxidant budgets, and how well do models represent oxygenated VOC chemistry, including heterogeneous reactions?
3. What is the formation rate of ozone and particulate matter in urban outflow, and to what extent do non-traditional sources (e.g., VCPs and cooking) affect the amount of ozone and aerosols formed?