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Organic carbon (OC) is a highly diverse class of compounds that represents a small but critical fraction of the atmosphere’s chemical composition. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), when combined with nitrogen oxides (NOx), can produce tropospheric ozone (O3), a regulated air pollutant. OC also represents a large and growing fraction of aerosol mass, either through direct emissions from sources like fossil combustion and biomass burning, or through secondary chemistry by the oxidation and subsequent reduction of vapor pressure of VOCs leading to condensational growth. Clouds droplets and precipitation can contain additional OC due to the dissolution of soluble organic gases to the aqueous phase. OC has abundantly been found in aqueous samples of clouds, fog, and precipitation, exposing these compounds to unique aqueous chemical reactions and wet deposition. However, the concentrations and controlling factors of atmospheric aqueous organic carbon remain highly unconstrained. Cloud water measurements at Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York have revealed an increasing trend of Total Organic Carbon (TOC), with annual median concentrations doubling in 14 years, possibly signaling a growing trend in atmospheric OC. However, the causes and potential consequences of this trend remain unclear. Another question that has yet to be explored is if this trend in OC extends beyond WFM. To answer this question, this work explores the trends of WFM cloud water and 4 additional long-term cloud water and wet deposition datasets that have measured TOC or dissolved OC (DOC) throughout the Northeast US. These sites include Mt Washington, NH, Hubbard Brook NH, Thompson Farm NH, and Sleepers River Vermont. This work will also discuss potential hypotheses driving this increasing trend including increased biomass burning influence and increased biogenic emissions in the region. 

Becoming a proficient reader is a critical skill that supports future learning. Toward the end of the primary grades, reading becomes increasingly automatized, and children begin to transition from learning-to-read to reading-to-learn. Yet, the design of beginning reader books may be suboptimal for novice readers. Colorful illustrations that contain irrelevant information (i.e., seductive details) presented in close proximity to the text may increase attentional competition between these sources of information; thus, hampering decoding and reading comprehension. Study 1 examines this hypothesis by experimentally manipulating components of the book design (e.g., presence/absence of seductive details) and investigating its effect on attention and reading performance in first grade students. In Study 2, we conduct an analysis in which we identify common design features in books for beginning readers and examine the prevalence of design features that were fmmd to tax attention in Study 1 and in prior research. Collectively this work identifies an important opportunity in which instructional materials can be optimized to better support children as they learn-to-read.