Aerosol pH is difficult to measure directly but can be calculated if the chemical composition is known with sufficient accuracy and precision to calculate the aerosol water content and the H+ concentration through ion balance. In practical terms, simultaneous measurements of at least one semi-volatile constitute, e.g. NH3 or HNO3, are required to provide a constraint on the calculation of pH. Long-term records of aerosol pH are scarce due to the limited monitoring of NH3 in conjunction with PM2.5. In this study, 10-year (2007–2016) records of pH of PM2.5 at six eastern Canadian sites were calculated using the E-AIM II model with the input of gaseous NH3, gaseous HNO3 and major water-soluble inorganic ions in PM2.5 provided by Canada's National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) Program.

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