Speaker: Prof. Jesse Kroll, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, MIT. Abstract: Organic aerosols (OAs) constitute a large, often dominant fraction of the total tropospheric particulate burden, and as such have important implications for visibility, human health and climate on Earth. However, state-of-the-art models do not predict OA loadings or properties with any accuracy, indicating large gaps in our understanding of the chemistry underlying OA formation and evolution. Here we present experiments aimed at probing the multi-generational oxidative processing ("aging") of OAs. These reactions are likely to be important in the atmosphere, but are rarely accessed in the laboratory or included in models. Results are presented within the context of a new framework for describing the chemistry of atmospheric organic species, using average carbon oxidation state as a metric for describing the degree of photochemical aging.

Part of the MIT Earth System Initiative Young Faculty Seminar Series. THE ESI YOUNG FACULTY SEMINARS is a series of occasional talks by our young faculty affiliates. The goal is to foster cross-departmental community and new collaborative research relationships by having them present their very latest work to colleagues in other departments.

Reception to follow at 5pm.