Overview of the Alaskan Layered Pollution and Chemical Analysis (ALPACA) Field Experiment.

The Alaskan Layered Pollution And Chemical Analysis (ALPACA) field experiment was a collaborative study designed to improve understanding of pollution sources and chemical processes during winter (cold climate and low-photochemical activity), to investigate indoor pollution, and to study dispersion of pollution as affected by frequent temperature inversions. A number of the research goals were motivated by questions raised by residents of Fairbanks, Alaska, where the study was held. This paper describes the measurement strategies and the conditions encountered during the January and February 2022 field experiment, and reports early examples of how the measurements addressed research goals, particularly those of interest to the residents.

Key results from the salt lake regional smoke, ozone, and aerosol study (SAMOZA).

The Northern Wasatch Front area is one of ~ 50 metropolitan regions in the U.S. that do not meet the 2015 O standard.

Investigation of Ozone Formation Chemistry during the Salt Lake Regional Smoke, Ozone, and Aerosol Study (SAMOZA).

Salt Lake City (SLC), UT, is an urban area where ozone (O) concentrations frequently exceed health standards. This study uses an observationally constrained photochemical box model to investigate the drivers of O production during the Salt Lake Regional Smoke, Ozone, and Aerosol Study (SAMOZA), which took place from August to September 2022 in SLC. During SAMOZA, a suite of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), oxides of nitrogen (NO), and other parameters were measured at the Utah Technical Center, a high-NO site in the urban core.

Persistent Influence of Wildfire Emissions in the Western United States and Characteristics of Aged Biomass Burning Organic Aerosols under Clean Air Conditions.

Wildfire-influenced air masses under regional background conditions were characterized at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory (∼2800 m a.s.

Atmospheric biogenic volatile organic compounds in the Alaskan Arctic tundra: constraints from measurements at Toolik Field Station.

The Arctic is a climatically sensitive region that has experienced warming at almost 3 times the global average rate in recent decades, leading to an increase in Arctic greenness and a greater abundance of plants that emit biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). These changes in atmospheric emissions are expected to significantly modify the overall oxidative chemistry of the region and lead to changes in VOC composition and abundance, with implications for atmospheric processes. Nonetheless, observations needed to constrain our current understanding of these issues in this critical environment are sparse.

Observations of volatile organic and sulfur compounds in ambient air and health risk assessment near a paper mill in rural Idaho, U. S. A.

The Lewis-Clark Valley is a rural area that includes the cities of Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington and the surrounding areas. The largest industry in the Lewis-Clark Valley is a pulp paper mill located in Lewiston which emits particulate matter and odorous sulfur air pollutants. This study analyzed the Lewis-Clark Valley air composition and seasonal, temporal and spatial variations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from 2017 to 2018 to determine potential health risks of the paper mill emissions to the surrounding community.

Biogenic volatile organic compound ambient mixing ratios and emission rates in the Alaskan Arctic tundra.

Rapid Arctic warming, a lengthening growing season, and the increasing abundance of biogenic volatile-organic-compound-emitting shrubs are all anticipated to increase atmospheric biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in the Arctic atmosphere, with implications for atmospheric oxidation processes and climate feedbacks. Quantifying these changes requires an accurate understanding of the underlying processes driving BVOC emissions in the Arctic. While boreal ecosystems have been widely studied, little attention has been paid to Arctic tundra environments.