Critical assessment of the current state of scientific knowledge, terminology, and research needs concerning the role of organic aerosols in the atmosphere, climate, and global change

[摘要] In spite of impressive advances in recent years, our present understandingof organic aerosol (OA) composition, physical and chemical properties,sources and transformation characteristics is still rather limited, andtheir environmental effects remain highly uncertain. This paper discussesand prioritizes issues related to organic aerosols and their effects onatmospheric processes and climate, providing a basis for future activitiesin the field. Four main topical areas are addressed: i) sources of OA; ii)formation transformation and removal of OA; iii) physical, chemical andmixing state of OA; iv) atmospheric modelling of OA. Key questions andresearch priorities regarding these four areas are synthesized in thispaper, and outstanding issues for future research are presented for eachtopical area. In addition, an effort is made to formulate a basic set ofconsistent and universally applicable terms and definitions for coherentdescription of atmospheric OA across different scales and disciplines.

[学科分类] 大气科学