Organic Reactive Species

Dr. Jonathan Williams

“We aim to understand the atmospheric chemistry of volatile organic compounds.”

Our group specializes in the measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. We use highly sensitive mass spectrometers to identify and quantify hundreds of VOC species that are emitted from various sources and then oxidized in the air. We operate our instruments at remote ground sites (Amazon Tall Tower Observatory, (ATTO), in enclosed mesocosms (BIOSPHERE), on ships (AQABA), and from aircraft such as the High-Altitude Long Range (HALO) research aircraft. Recently, we have also used our instruments to investigate the indoor air chemistry of VOCs, in particular those emitted directly by humans through their breath and skin.

Overview article "Organic Trace Gases in the Atmosphere" (pdf)