Impacts of summertime photochemical aging on the physicochemical properties of aerosols in a Paris suburban forest region
Abstract
Organic Aerosols (OA), which significantly affect the climate system and human health, often contain a substantial fraction of atmospherically processed species known as Oxygenated Organic Aerosol (OOA). However, the formation pathways and evolution of OOA remain poorly understood. To address this need, an experiment was conducted in a suburban forest in the Paris region to systematically study the evolution of OOA and their optical properties. Our results show that the photochemical processes drove significant increases in total submicron particle mass concentrations in the forest site, primarily via the production of OOA derived from both biogenic and anthropogenic emissions. Air mass origin critically influenced Particulate Matter (PM) pollution levels and photochemical activity: under elevated pollution and intense solar radiation during continental air mass-dominated periods, rapid formation of More-Oxidized OOA (MO-OOA) occurred. This MO-OOA dominated Brown Carbon (BrC) contributions, enhancing short-wavelength light absorption by 35 % on average after a relative ~24-hour photochemical aging process. Conversely, periods dominated by clean maritime air masses featured humid, low‑radiation conditions that yielded reduced pollution levels and an increased proportion of nitrogen‑enriched, Less‑Oxidized OOA (LO‑OOA). Suppressed photochemical activity during the clean maritime period limited MO-OOA production, resulting in a lower overall oxidation state of OA. These findings underscore the dual role of photochemistry in shaping aerosol optical properties and climate impacts, highlighting the necessity of accounting for air mass dynamics and oxidation pathways in suburban forest regions.
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BibTeX
@article{yu2026impacts,
title = {{Impacts of summertime photochemical aging on the physicochemical properties of aerosols in a Paris suburban forest region}},
author = {Chenjie Yu and Paola Formenti and Joel de Brito and Astrid Bauville and Antonin Bergé and Hichem Bouzidi and Mathieu Cazaunau and Manuela Cirtog and Claudia Di Biagio and Ludovico Di Antonio and Cécile Gaimoz and Franck Maisonneuve and Pascal Zapf and Tobias Seubert and Simone Andersen and Patrick Dewald and Gunther Türk and John Crowley and Alexandre Kukui and Chaoyang Xue and Cyrielle Denjean and Olivier Garrouste and Jean-Claude Etienne and Huihui Wu and James Allan and Dantong Liu and Yangzhou Wu and Christopher Cantrell and Vincent Michoud},
journal = {Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.5194/acp-26-5313-2026},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05149112v2},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Impacts of summertime photochemical aging on the physicochemical properties of aerosols in a Paris suburban forest region
AU - Chenjie Yu
AU - Paola Formenti
AU - Joel de Brito
AU - Astrid Bauville
AU - Antonin Bergé
AU - Hichem Bouzidi
AU - Mathieu Cazaunau
AU - Manuela Cirtog
AU - Claudia Di Biagio
AU - Ludovico Di Antonio
AU - Cécile Gaimoz
AU - Franck Maisonneuve
AU - Pascal Zapf
AU - Tobias Seubert
AU - Simone Andersen
AU - Patrick Dewald
AU - Gunther Türk
AU - John Crowley
AU - Alexandre Kukui
AU - Chaoyang Xue
AU - Cyrielle Denjean
AU - Olivier Garrouste
AU - Jean-Claude Etienne
AU - Huihui Wu
AU - James Allan
AU - Dantong Liu
AU - Yangzhou Wu
AU - Christopher Cantrell
AU - Vincent Michoud
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/19
JO - Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
DO - 10.5194/acp-26-5313-2026
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05149112v2
AB - Organic Aerosols (OA), which significantly affect the climate system and human health, often contain a substantial fraction of atmospherically processed species known as Oxygenated Organic Aerosol (OOA). However, the formation pathways and evolution of OOA remain poorly understood. To address this need, an experiment was conducted in a suburban forest in the Paris region to systematically study the evolution of OOA and their optical properties. Our results show that the photochemical processes drove significant increases in total submicron particle mass concentrations in the forest site, primarily via the production of OOA derived from both biogenic and anthropogenic emissions. Air mass origin critically influenced Particulate Matter (PM) pollution levels and photochemical activity: under elevated pollution and intense solar radiation during continental air mass-dominated periods, rapid formation of More-Oxidized OOA (MO-OOA) occurred. This MO-OOA dominated Brown Carbon (BrC) contributions, enhancing short-wavelength light absorption by 35 % on average after a relative ~24-hour photochemical aging process. Conversely, periods dominated by clean maritime air masses featured humid, low‑radiation conditions that yielded reduced pollution levels and an increased proportion of nitrogen‑enriched, Less‑Oxidized OOA (LO‑OOA). Suppressed photochemical activity during the clean maritime period limited MO-OOA production, resulting in a lower overall oxidation state of OA. These findings underscore the dual role of photochemistry in shaping aerosol optical properties and climate impacts, highlighting the necessity of accounting for air mass dynamics and oxidation pathways in suburban forest regions.
SN - 1680-7316
SN - 1680-7324
ER -