Nitrogen dominates global atmospheric organic aerosol absorption.
Yumin Li, Tzung-May Fu, Jian Zhen Yu, Aoxing Zhang, Xu Yu, Jianhuai Ye, Lei Zhu, Huizhong Shen, Chen Wang, Xin Yang, Shu Tao, Qi Chen, Ying Li, Lei Li, Huizheng Che, Colette L Heald
Author Information
Yumin Li: Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area Observation and Research Station of Guangdong Province, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. ORCID
Tzung-May Fu: Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area Observation and Research Station of Guangdong Province, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. ORCID
Jian Zhen Yu: Division of Environment and Sustainability, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China. ORCID
Aoxing Zhang: Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area Observation and Research Station of Guangdong Province, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. ORCID
Xu Yu: Division of Environment and Sustainability, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China. ORCID
Jianhuai Ye: Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area Observation and Research Station of Guangdong Province, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. ORCID
Lei Zhu: Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area Observation and Research Station of Guangdong Province, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. ORCID
Huizhong Shen: Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area Observation and Research Station of Guangdong Province, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. ORCID
Chen Wang: Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area Observation and Research Station of Guangdong Province, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. ORCID
Xin Yang: Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area Observation and Research Station of Guangdong Province, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. ORCID
Shu Tao: Coastal Atmosphere and Climate of the Greater Bay Area Observation and Research Station of Guangdong Province, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. ORCID
Qi Chen: State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, BIC-ESAT and IJRC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China. ORCID
Ying Li: Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China. ORCID
Lei Li: State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather and Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry of CMA, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China.
Huizheng Che: State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather and Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry of CMA, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China. ORCID
Colette L Heald: Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. ORCID
Atmospheric organic aerosols (OAs) influence Earth's climate by absorbing sunlight. However, the link between their evolving composition and their absorptive effects is unclear. We demonstrate that brown nitrogen (BrN), the absorptive nitrogenous component of OAs, dominates their global absorption. Using a global model, we quantified BrN abundance, tracked its optical evolution with chemical aging, and assessed its radiative absorption. BrN contributes 76% of OAs' surface light absorption over the US and 61% of their global absorptive optical depth. Moreover, the observed variability of OAs' absorptive capacity is primarily driven by the sources and aging of BrN. BrN represents 18% of the global absorptive direct radiative effect of carbonaceous aerosols, with biomass burning being the largest contributor. Our research establishes a nitrogen-centric framework for attributing the climate impacts of OAs.
