Stockholm university
Department of Environmental Science

SUESS Seminar - Cora J. Young

Seminar

Date: Thursday 2 October 2025

Time: 14.00 – 15.00

Location: Högbomsalen, Geohuset

Improving our understanding of the diverse atmospheric impacts of chlorinated and fluorinated molecules

Welcome to the 10th Stockholm University Environmental Science Seminar (SUESS) of the year.

Cora J. Young from York University, Canada, will speak about:

Improving our understanding of the diverse atmospheric impacts of chlorinated and fluorinated molecules

Chlorinated and fluorinated molecules in the atmosphere comprise a large and diverse group that can have wide-ranging environmental impacts, including impacting air quality and acting as contaminants or greenhouse gases. The role of the chlorine atom as an atmospheric oxidant has been extensively studied in marine atmospheres over the past two decades. However, questions remain regarding its role in continental air quality, as well as its impact on air quality relative to the dominant hydroxyl radical. I will discuss a combination of modelling and measurement efforts to address these uncertainties.  With thousands of chlorinated and fluorinated compounds potentially released to the atmosphere, it is impossible to measure each individually. I will describe our new approaches to measuring total gaseous chlorine and fluorine, which allow identification of the “unknown unknowns”. Ambient measurements indicate that most “missing” gaseous chlorine and fluorine is organic. For organofluorine chemicals there are potential climate consequences, while both have implications for contaminant abundance and transport. Notably, atmospheric organofluorine molecules can act as a source of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs). New approaches to measuring and understanding the concentrations, sources, and fate of atmospheric PFCAs will be described.

Host: Sneha Aggarwal

Zoom link: https://stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/66206406448

 

Last updated: September 30, 2025

Source: Department of Environmental Science

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