Modelling Organic Aerosol in Europe: Improved CAMx and Contribution of Anthropogenic and Biogenic Sources

Chemical transport model (CTM) simulation of organic aerosol (OA) is always challenged by numerous sources and complicated formation processes of secondary organic aerosol. In this study, we conducted a source-specific, whole-year (2011) simulation of organic aerosol in Europe using the air quality model CAMx v6.3 with volatility basis set (VBS) scheme after implementing new findings from experimental studies. The VBS module was parameterized based on the latest data for gasoline and diesel vehicles and wood combustion from the smog-chamber experiments. The model performance was evaluated using OA measurements from the ACSM (Aerodyne Chemical Speciation Monitor) and AMS (Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer) network and contributions from 6 different anthropogenic (gasoline and diesel vehicles with old or new technologies, biomass burning, and other sources (OP)) and biogenic sources were estimated. The modified VBS scheme improved the model performance on OA simulation during the whole period by reducing the bias between model and measurements by up to 52%. The OA concentrations were dominated by biomass burning in winter, while biogenic emissions were the main sources in summer. The contribution of road traffic was relatively lower compared to studies in the USA. The contribution of new gasoline and diesel vehicles (after Euro IV emission standards or equipped with diesel particle filters) to the total OA was negligible. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.