William H. Brune
RESEARCH SPECIALTIES:
Atmospheric/Air Chemistry:
Brune studies atmospheric chemistry that removes volatile chemicals lofted into the air by both humans and nature. The chemical that does this removal is a simple molecule called hydroxyl (OH), which is water (H2O) missing one hydrogen. It reacts rapidly with almost everything and is called the atmosphere’s cleanser. In some cases, its cleansing is good, such as the removing the greenhouse pollutant methane. In some cases, the cleansing leads to the pollutants ozone and aerosol particles, which are bad for human health and climate.
Brune and his group invented instruments to measure atmospheric OH, OH reactivity (the inverse of the OH lifetime), rapid aerosol particle formation started by OH reactions, and the ozone production rate. They perform field measurements, laboratory experiments, modeling studies, model uncertainty analysis. This research focuses on improving the understanding of atmospheric chemistry and hydroxyl’s role in it.
Clouds and Cloud Physics:
Brune studies lightning and weak electrical discharges associated with thunderstorms. He and his group use their unique instrument to measure weak discharges, called corona, on treetops under thunderstorms. They launch their own small balloon-borne packages carrying ultraviolet sensors to measure the weak electrical discharges in thunderstorms. They discovered that lightning and these weak discharges make enormous amounts of OH. This research brings together the disciplines of atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric electricity, and forest ecology.
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Currently, weak atmospheric electrical discharges, their role in lightning initiation, and the atmospheric chemistry they unleash. Novel new instruments for examining atmospheric electrical discharges, atmospheric composition, and chemistry. Atmospheric chemistry from Earth's surface to the stratosphere. Atmospheric aerosol particle formation and aging. Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis for atmospheric chemistry models and measurements.
TEACHING INTERESTS:
Fundamentals of atmospheric science, atmospheric chemistry, phenomena of the middle atmosphere, cloud chemistry and physics, thermodynamics, micrometeorology, instruments.
Selected Publications:
Brune, W. H., McFarland, P. J., Bruning, E., Waugh, S., MacGorman, D., Miller, D. O., Jenkins, J. M., Ren, X., Mao, J. and Peischl, J., 2021, Extreme oxidant amounts produced by lightning in storm clouds, Science, 372(6543), pp. 711-+, 10.1029/2021JD034557.
Jenkins, J. M., Brune, W. H. and Miller, D. O., 2021, Electrical Discharges Produce Prodigious Amounts of Hydroxyl and Hydroperoxyl Radicals, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 126(9), 10.1029/2021JD034557.
Jenkins, J. M., Olson, G. A., McFarland, P. J., Miller, D. O., Brune, W. H., 2022, Prodigious Amounts of Hydrogen Oxides Generated by Corona Discharges on Tree Leaves, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 127, Article Number: e2022JD036761, 10.1029/2022JD036761.
Brune, W.H., Jenkins, J.M., 2024, Is the Reaction Rate Coefficient for OH Water Dependent?, JACS AU, 4, 12, 4921-4926, 10.1021/jacsau.4c00905.
Brune, W.H., Nguyen, T.B., Wennberg, P.O., Crounse, J.D., Miller, D.O., 2024, Comparison of Isoprene Chemical Mechanisms with Chamber and Field Observations, ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 8, 11,2256-2269, 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.4c00196.
Price, P., Bottorff, B., Jenkins, J., Brune, W.H., Stevens, P.S., 2025, Re-assessing hydroxyl radical chemistry in the atmosphere: Instrument interferences may explain previous measurement discrepancies, Nature Comm. Earth Environ., 6, 1, 325, 10.1038/s43247-025-02308-y.
Brune, W.H., X. Ren, L. Zhang, J. Mao, D.O. Miller, B.E. Anderson, D.R. Blake, R.C. Cohen, G.S. Diskin, S.R. Hall, T.F. Hanisco, L.G. Huey, B.A. Nault, J. Peischel, I. Pollack, T.B. Ryerson, T. Shingler, A. Sorooshian, K. Ullmann, A. Wisthaler, P.J. Woolridge, 2018: Atmospheric oxidation in the presence of clouds during the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) study, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 18, 14493-14510, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14493-2018.
Feiner, P.A., W.H. Brune, D.O. Miller, L. Zhang, R.C. Cohen, P.S. Romer, A.H. Goldstein, F.N. Keutsch, K.M. Skog, P.O. Wennberg, T.B. Nguyen, A.P. Teng, J. DeGouw, A. Koss, R.J. Wild, S.S. Brown, A. Guenther, E. Edgerton, K. Baumann, and J.L. Fry, 2016: Testing Atmospheric Oxidation in an Alabama Forest. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 73 (12):4699-4710.
Brune, WH, BC Baier, J Thomas, X. Ren, R.C. Cohen, S.E. Pusede, E.C. Browne, A.H. Goldstein, D.R. Gentner, F.N. Keutsch, J.A. Thornton, S. Harrold, F.D. Lopez-Hilfiker, and P.O. Wennberg, 2016: Ozone production chemistry in the presence of urban plumes. Faraday Discussions, 189:169-189.
Kang, E., M.J. Root, D.W. Toohey, W.H. Brune, 2007: Introducing the concept of Potential Aerosol Mass (PAM), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 5727–5744.
Di Carlo, P; W.H. Brune, M. Martinez, H. Harder, R. Lesher, X.R. Ren, T. Thornberry, M.A. Carroll, V. Young, P.B. Shepson, D. Riemer, E. Apel, C. Campbell, 2004: Missing OH reactivity in a forest: Evidence for unknown reactive biogenic VOCs, Science, 304, 722-725.