Dataset for the publication: Brown carbon aerosol in rural Germany: sources, chemistry, and diurnal variations

Therefore, we studied the chemical composition, diurnal variation, and sources of BrC from 17th February to 16th March at a rural location in southwest Germany. In total, 178 potential BrC molecules (including 7 nitro aromatic compounds, NACs) were identified in the particle phase comprising on average 63 ± 32 ng m−3, and 31 potential BrC (including 4 NACs) molecules were identified in the gas phase contributing on average 6.2 ± 5.0 ng m−3 during the whole campaign.

The 178 potential BrC molecules only accounted for 2.3 ± 1.5 % of the total organic mass, but can explain 11 ± 11 % of the total BrC absorption at 370 nm, assuming an average mass absorption coefficient at 370 nm (MAC370) of 9.5 m2 g−1. A few BrC molecules dominated the total BrC absorption. In addition, diurnal variations show that gas phase BrC was higher at daytime and lower at night.