the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
| 23 Jan 2026
Influence of Tropospheric Temperature on the Formation and Aging of Secondary Organic Aerosol from Biogenic Vapor Mixtures
Abstract. Atmospheric temperature and composition variations significantly influence secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and aging, and thus fine particulate matter levels and properties relevant for climate, air quality, and human health. However, the temperature dependence of SOA formation and aging from mixed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) remains insufficiently understood. Therefore, we investigated SOA formation from the oxidation of isoprene and α-pinene mixtures covering the range of tropospheric temperatures (213–313 K). We further examine the aging of the resulting SOA by gradually warming to mimic their atmospheric transport and diurnal aging processes. Notably, at 213 K, isoprene most strongly suppresses α-pinene dimer (C18–20) formation, with isoprene-α-pinene cross dimers appearing 3.5 times more frequently than at 273 K, while the suppression is not temperature-sensitive above 273 K. Upon subsequent warming, particles formed at different temperature ranges undergo distinct aging processes including aerosol evaporation and water uptake. Surprisingly, particles formed at higher temperatures are more oxidized yet more volatile than those formed at lower temperatures and subsequently warmed. Chemical transport modeling accounting for temperature-depended simultaneous oxidation of isoprene and α-pinene predicts higher SOA levels across Europe, aligning more closely with observations. These findings highlight the need to consider both temperature and the interaction of biogenic VOCs to accurately describe SOA formation, aging, and global burden.
Competing interests: At least one of the (co-)authors is a member of the editorial board of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.
Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this paper. While Copernicus Publications makes every effort to include appropriate place names, the final responsibility lies with the authors. Views expressed in the text are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.-
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.
- Preprint
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Interactive discussion
Status: closed
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RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2026-270', Anonymous Referee #1, 19 Feb 2026
The comment was uploaded in the form of a supplement: https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-270/egusphere-2026-270-RC1-supplement.pdf
- AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Linyu Gao, 24 Apr 2026
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RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2026-270', Anonymous Referee #2, 05 Mar 2026
This manuscript presents a study investigation of the temperature dependence of secondary organic aerosol formation and aging from mixtures of isoprene and α-pinene at different temperatures. The authors use AIDA chamber experiments, detailed molecular composition, and implement the results in a chemical transport model. The study addresses an important question: how tropospheric temperature influences SOA formation pathways and particle aging, particularly in systems involving multiple biogenic precursors. Most laboratory studies are conducted near room temperature, so the systematic exploration of temperatures spanning much of the troposphere is actually very good and very important.
Overall, the manuscript is very good, well written and very interesting for the scientific community. The combination of chamber measurements, molecular characterization, and modelling is a particular strength.
Overall, I believe the manuscript is suitable for publication in ACP.
Minor comments
The manuscript states that the PMCAMx simulations cover 5 June – 8 July 2012 during the PEGASOS campaign. However, Figure 7 appears to refer to measurements during June–July 2019, which is inconsistent with the PEGASOS campaign timeline. I belive that the right time is 2012.
The chamber experiments are conducted at relatively high precursor concentrations (tens of ppb VOC and several hundred ppb O3). That is very typical for chamber studies, however those conditions can change radical chemistry, oligomer formation and SOA yields. It would be nice to see a deeper discussion on how these conditions differ from typical atmosphere.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-270-RC2 - AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Linyu Gao, 24 Apr 2026
Interactive discussion
Status: closed
-
RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2026-270', Anonymous Referee #1, 19 Feb 2026
The comment was uploaded in the form of a supplement: https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2026/egusphere-2026-270/egusphere-2026-270-RC1-supplement.pdf
- AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Linyu Gao, 24 Apr 2026
-
RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2026-270', Anonymous Referee #2, 05 Mar 2026
This manuscript presents a study investigation of the temperature dependence of secondary organic aerosol formation and aging from mixtures of isoprene and α-pinene at different temperatures. The authors use AIDA chamber experiments, detailed molecular composition, and implement the results in a chemical transport model. The study addresses an important question: how tropospheric temperature influences SOA formation pathways and particle aging, particularly in systems involving multiple biogenic precursors. Most laboratory studies are conducted near room temperature, so the systematic exploration of temperatures spanning much of the troposphere is actually very good and very important.
Overall, the manuscript is very good, well written and very interesting for the scientific community. The combination of chamber measurements, molecular characterization, and modelling is a particular strength.
Overall, I believe the manuscript is suitable for publication in ACP.
Minor comments
The manuscript states that the PMCAMx simulations cover 5 June – 8 July 2012 during the PEGASOS campaign. However, Figure 7 appears to refer to measurements during June–July 2019, which is inconsistent with the PEGASOS campaign timeline. I belive that the right time is 2012.
The chamber experiments are conducted at relatively high precursor concentrations (tens of ppb VOC and several hundred ppb O3). That is very typical for chamber studies, however those conditions can change radical chemistry, oligomer formation and SOA yields. It would be nice to see a deeper discussion on how these conditions differ from typical atmosphere.
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-270-RC2 - AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Linyu Gao, 24 Apr 2026
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Stella E. I. Manavi
Claudia Mohr
Junwei Song
Thomas Leisner
Spyros N. Pandis
The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.
- Preprint
(1640 KB) - Metadata XML
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Supplement
(2316 KB) - BibTeX
- EndNote
- Final revised paper