Fog Chemistry and Air Pollution in the U.S. Gulf Coast Region

Abstract

Aerosols in the atmosphere play a critical role in determining the fate of atmospheric pollutants and also influence global climate change. Fog is a lower atmospheric, near-surface cloud and plays a role in determining local weather patterns. In this respect fog-processing of organic chemicals is important to understand. Relatively little is known about the organic composition of fog in many parts of the world and approximately 50% of material in fog has not been characterized. Atmospheric transformations in a foggy environment are driven by heterogeneous reactions in thin water films (< 10μm), which have been largely unexplored. Our laboratory has been engaged in a six year field and laboratory project understanding the chemistry of fog in the Gulf Coast region between Houston and Baton Rouge. This seminar will summarize our recent work in this field.