Project Grant 2302302

The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York (Columbia University) was awarded a three-year, $365,898 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) to conduct collaborative research on sulfur oxide chemistry in aqueous aerosols. Specifically, the university will perform laboratory experiments and box model simulations to study sulfur compound formation within aerosols and characterize kinetics and chemical mechanisms for low- to high-oxidation state sulfur conversion pathways under varying conditions. This includes investigating sulfate formation via hydrogen peroxide, organic peroxides, and transition metal ion oxidation; competition between sulfate and organosulfur formation via sulfate radical pathways; and sulfur dioxide chemistry within multiphase droplets containing reactive metal-containing inclusions. Three graduate students will also receive training through this research. Findings could inform large-scale atmospheric chemistry models and potentially impact air quality and climate change studies. The project aims to address current gaps in chemical representations of sulfate aerosol formation in models, especially during haze episodes.