The 2005 Study of Organic Aerosols at Riverside (SOAR-1): instrumental intercomparisons and fine particle composition

Multiple state-of-the-art instruments sampled ambient aerosol in Riverside, California during the 2005 Study of Organic Aerosols at Riverside (SOAR) to investigate the chemical composition and potential sources of fine particles (PMf ) in the inland region of Southern California. In this paper, we briefly summarize the spatial, meteorological and gas-phase conditions during SOAR-1 (15 July–15 August), provide detailed intercomparisons of high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-AMS) measurements against complementary measurements, and report the average composition of PMf including the composition of the organic fraction measured by the HR-AMS. Daily meteorology and gas-phase species concentrations were highly consistent, displaying clear diurnal cycles and weekday/weekend contrast. HR-AMS measurements of non-refractory submicron (NRPM1 ) mass are consistent and highly correlated with those from a filter dynamics measurement system tapered-element oscillating microbalance (TEOM), while the correlation between HR-AMS and heated TEOM measurements is lower due to loss of high volatility species including ammonium nitrate from the heated TEOM. Speciated HR-AMS measurements are also consistent with complementary measurements as well as with measurements from a collocated compact AMS while HR-AMS OC is similar to standard semicontinuous Sunset measurements within the combined uncertainties of both instruments. A correction intended to account for the loss of semi-volatile OC from the Sunset, however, yields measurements ∼30 % higher than either HRAMS or standard Sunset measurements. On average, organic aerosol (OA) was the single largest component of PMf . OA