Organic Trace Gases

About

Our research group investigates the emissions, chemical transformation, and impacts of organic trace gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Volatile organic trace gases, hereby VOCs, are emitted from biogenic and anthropogenic sources that vary seasonally, spatially, and annually. These emissions undergo photochemical reactions that lead to gaseous and condensable products, which impact local air quality and lead to the production of secondary organic aerosols influencing the Earth’s climate. Our goal is to identify and quantify the impact and fate of such emission sources on air quality and climate by performing airborne, mobile, and stationary measurements in urban and remote locations around the world using state-of-the-art techniques focused on mass spectrometry.

Research Topics

We cover a wide range of research topics outlined below including field and laboratory measurements using state-of-the-art instrumentation coupled to world-renown platforms and infrastructure.

Organic Trace Gases

Our group's work and research deals with various aspects and encompasses the use of different instruments and measurement platforms.

COVID-19 Air Quality Data Collection

Our working group has also investigated the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on air quality in cities – see our online database, which was developed by our group in collaboration with two other government agencies, NOAA in the United States and KNMI in the Netherlands.

MEMBERS

Banner photo: © Forschungszentrum Jülich / G. Gkatzelis

Last Modified: 20.05.2025