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Creators/Authors contains: "Pratt, Kerri_A"

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  1. Abstract We investigated how various sources contributed to observations of over 40 trace gas and particulate species in a typical Fairbanks residential neighborhood during the Alaskan Layered Pollution and Chemical Analysis campaign in January–February 2022. Aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) accounted for ∼50% of measured VOCs (molar ratio), while methanol and ethanol accounted for ∼34%. The total wintertime VOC burden and contribution from aromatics were much higher than other US urban areas. Based on diel cycles and positive matrix factorization (PMF) analyses, we find traffic was the largest source of NO, CO, black carbon, and aromatic VOCs. Formic and acetic acid, hydroxyacetone, furanoids, and other VOCs were primarily attributed to residential wood combustion (RWC). Formaldehyde was one of several VOCs featuring significant contributions from multiple sources: RWC (∼35%), aging (∼30%), traffic (∼21%), and heating oil combustion (HO, ∼14%). PMF solutions assigned primary fine particulate matter to RWC (10%–30%), traffic (25%–40%), and HO (30%–60%), the latter likely reflecting high sulfur emissions from older furnaces and fast secondary chemistry. Despite cold and dark conditions, secondary processes impacted many trace gas and particle species' budget by ±10%–20% and more in some cases. Transport of O3‐rich regional air into Fairbanks contributed to aging, specifically NO3radical formation. This work highlights a long‐term trend observed in Fairbanks: increasing traffic and decreasing RWC relative contributions as total pollution decreases. Fairbanks exports a relatively fresh pollutant mixture to the regional arctic, the fate of which warrants future study. 
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  2. Abstract The Alaskan Layered Pollution and Chemical Analysis (ALPACA) field campaign included deployment of a suite of atmospheric measurements in January–February 2022 with the goal of better understanding atmospheric processes and pollution under cold and dark conditions in Fairbanks, Alaska. We report on measurements of particle composition, particle size, ice nucleating particle (INP) composition, and INP size during an ice fog period (29 January–3 February). During this period, coarse particulate matter (PM10) concentrations increased by 150% in association with a decrease in air temperature, a stronger temperature inversion, and relatively stagnant conditions. Results also show a 18%–78% decrease in INPs during the ice fog period, indicating that particles had activated into the ice fog via nucleation. Peroxide and heat treatments performed on INPs indicated that, on average, the largest contributions to the INP population were heat‐labile (potentially biological, 63%), organic (31%), then inorganic (likely dust, 6%). Measurements of levoglucosan and bulk and single‐particle composition corroborate the presence of dust and aerosols from combustion sources. Heat‐labile and organic INPs decreased during the peak period of the ice fog, indicating those were preferentially activated, while inorganic INPs increased, suggesting they remained as interstitial INPs. In general, INP concentrations were unexpectedly high in Fairbanks compared to other locations in the Arctic during winter. The fact that these INPs likely facilitated ice fog formation in Fairbanks has implications for other high latitude locations subject to the hazards associated with ice fog. 
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