Chemistry

CHEMISTRY

Our main focus is to investigate the spatial evolution of the stable isotopes of carbon dioxide (¹²CO₂, ¹³CO₂ and C¹⁸OO) and water vapor (H₂¹⁶O, H₂¹⁸O). We plan to study whether the different fractionations between the heavy (¹³CO₂ and C¹⁸OO, H₂¹⁸O) and light isotopologues (¹²CO₂, H₂¹⁸O) provide a better quantification between soil, plant and atmospheric processes in the exchanges of water vapor and carbon dioxide under the presence of clouds.
In addition, we have the possibility to study the transformation of reactive species. More specifically, the chemical reactions associated with the NO_x-O₃-BVOC chain (NO_x: nitrogen oxide, O₃ ozone and BVOC biological volatile organic compounds) and the formation of secondary aerosol particles (SOC). These chemical mechanisms are incorporated into the two main modelling systems DALES and CLASS used in CloudRoots. These mechanisms offer the possibility to extend the study of the interactions in the land-atmosphere-cloud system to the formation of particles due to chemical transformations and how these transformations can influence the cloud microphysics and the subsequent cloud cycles.