| NSF Org: |
AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | December 12, 2019 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 19, 2021 |
| Award Number: | 2002695 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Sylvia Edgerton
sedgerto@nsf.gov (703)292-8522 AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | January 1, 2020 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $160,904.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $210,904.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2021 = $50,000.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1109 GEDDES AVE STE 3300 ANN ARBOR MI US 48109-1015 (734)763-6438 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
MI US 48109-1274 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Atmospheric Chemistry |
| Primary Program Source: |
01002122DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
This project will investigate the role of chlorine (Cl) in atmospheric chemical processes in the wintertime Arctic. A measurement campaign will be conducted at Oliktok Point Alaska, a field site that is operated by the U.S. Department of Energy?s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (DOE ARM) and is located in the vicinity of the north slope of Alaska oilfields. Atmospheric Cl emitted from wintertime saline snowpacks can react with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from the oil fields to form secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The importance of this process will be evaluated and the results may have application to other coastal, snow-covered, polluted locations around the world.
This research will test the hypothesis that chlorine chemistry occurring in the vicinity of wintertime oil fields with saline snowpacks can result in the oxidation of VOCs emitted from oil field activities and the formation of oxidized VOCs (OVOCs) and SOA. The field deployment includes online mass spectrometry measurements of atmospheric VOCs, OVOCs, and SOA, and field-based oxidation flow reactor (OFR) experiments to investigate in situ Cl oxidation of VOCs and the resulting production of OVOCs and SOA. These measurements will provide detailed datasets of molecular composition transformations initiated by Cl oxidation in the polluted wintertime environment.
This project was supported under the NSF Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) program because the U.S. Department of Energy has announced that the Oliktok Point field site will be closing in 2021, with the removal of complementary atmospheric measurements starting in the fall of 2020. There are no plans to reopen this site; thus, there is an urgent need to conduct the research at this site before it is closed.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Atmospheric chlorine atom (Cl) chemistry influences reactive nitrogen partitioning, volatile organic compound (VOC) oxidation, and production of ozone. Photolysis of nitryl chloride and molecular chlorine in polluted coastal metropolitan areas and environments with saline snowpacks can generate enhanced levels of Cl atoms that can compete with the hydroxyl radical (OH) for daytime VOC oxidation. However, ambient measurements of the contributions of Cl chemistry to the oxidation of VOCs and subsequent production of oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) are extremely limited. To investigate the influence of Cl chemistry on ambient VOC oxidation and OVOC/SOA formation, we conducted a field campaign at Oliktok Point, AK, which is located within the snow-covered North Slope of Alaska oil fields. Measurements took place from February ? March 2020 and included state-of-the-art mass spectrometry measurements of atmospheric VOCs, OVOCs, and SOA. Measurements were also coupled to an oxidation flow reactor experiments to investigate in situ Cl oxidation of VOCs and resulting production of OVOCs and SOA. This campaign also provided the first measurements of the molecular composition of non-methane VOCs within an Arctic oil field. The field measurements resulted in an extensive dataset, for which initial quality control and processing where conducted. In addition, quantum chemical modeling of the reaction of Cl with toluene is being conducted, motivated by initial field results. Continued analysis and interpretation of the field campaign data, coupled with laboratory and modeling experiments, will provide new insights into the Cl oxidation of ambient VOCs and subsequent OVOC and SOA formation, as well as coupled Cl-snowpack chemistry in a polluted environment. The knowledge gained will yield new fundamental atmospheric chemistry knowledge, pertinent to air quality, particularly in other saline snow-covered, polluted locations around the world, including across the Arctic, where fossil fuel extraction and shipping are increasing.
Last Modified: 04/30/2022
Modified by: Kerri A Pratt
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