Increasing Contributions of Temperature-Dependent Oxygenated Organic Aerosol to Summertime Particulate Matter in New York City

As part of the summer 2022 NYC-METS (New York City metropolitan Measurements of Emissions and TransformationS) campaign and the ASCENT (Atmospheric Science and Chemistry mEasurement NeTwork) observational network, speciated particulate matter was measured in real time in Manhattan and Queens, NY, with additional gas-phase measurements. Largely due to observed reductions in inorganic sulfate aerosol components over the 21st century, summertime aerosol composition in NYC has become predominantly organic (80–83%). Organic aerosol source apportionment via positive matrix factorization showed that this is dominated by secondary production as oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) source factors comprised 73–76% of OA. Primary factors, including cooking-related organic aerosol (COA) and hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) comprised minor fractions of OA, only 13–15% and 10–11%, respectively. The two sites presented considerable spatiotemporal variations in OA source factor concentrations despite similar average PM_2.5 concentrations. The less- and more-oxidized OOA factors exhibited clear temperature dependences at both sites with increased concentrations and greater degrees of oxidation at higher temperatures, including during a heatwave. With strong temperature sensitivity and minimal changes in summertime concentrations since 2001, secondary OA poses a particular challenge for air quality policy in NYC that will very likely be exacerbated by continued climate change and extreme heat events.