Deriving brown carbon from multiwavelength absorption measurements: method
and application to AERONET and Aethalometer observations

Wang, Xuan; Heald, Colette L.; Sedlacek, Arthur J.; de Sá, Suzane S.; Martin, Scot T.; Alexander, M. Lizabeth; Watson, Thomas B.; Aiken, Allison C.; Springston, Stephen R.; Artaxo, Paulo

doi:10.5194/acp-16-12733-2016

Articles | Volume 16, issue 19

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12733-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12733-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 16, issue 19

Research article

|

13 Oct 2016

Research article |

| 13 Oct 2016

Deriving brown carbon from multiwavelength absorption measurements: method and application to AERONET and Aethalometer observations

Xuan Wang, Colette L. Heald, Arthur J. Sedlacek, Suzane S. de Sá, Scot T. Martin, M. Lizabeth Alexander, Thomas B. Watson, Allison C. Aiken, Stephen R. Springston, and Paulo Artaxo

Viewed

Total article views: 6,767 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)

HTML	PDF	XML	Total	BibTeX	EndNote
3,949	2,556	262	6,767	150	218

HTML: 3,949
PDF: 2,556
XML: 262
Total: 6,767
BibTeX: 150
EndNote: 218

Views and downloads (calculated since 29 Mar 2016)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Mar 2016	164	73	2	239
Apr 2016	122	62	1	185
May 2016	48	17	0	65
Jun 2016	27	11	1	39
Jul 2016	21	5	0	26
Aug 2016	25	10	1	36
Sep 2016	26	13	1	40
Oct 2016	158	82	5	245
Nov 2016	41	18	6	65
Dec 2016	16	7	0	23
Jan 2017	22	12	1	35
Feb 2017	14	8	0	22
Mar 2017	33	20	3	56
Apr 2017	50	26	1	77
May 2017	32	32	3	67
Jun 2017	35	25	2	62
Jul 2017	22	27	0	49
Aug 2017	24	49	0	73
Sep 2017	23	30	1	54
Oct 2017	29	22	0	51
Nov 2017	24	20	0	44
Dec 2017	18	11	1	30
Jan 2018	18	20	2	40
Feb 2018	28	25	3	56
Mar 2018	36	26	3	65
Apr 2018	23	22	9	54
May 2018	27	36	1	64
Jun 2018	18	30	1	49
Jul 2018	11	21	0	32
Aug 2018	18	15	7	40
Sep 2018	25	26	7	58
Oct 2018	20	20	4	44
Nov 2018	24	19	5	48
Dec 2018	17	21	0	38
Jan 2019	10	7	0	17
Feb 2019	14	12	0	26
Mar 2019	15	10	5	30
Apr 2019	15	12	0	27
May 2019	15	22	3	40
Jun 2019	19	19	1	39
Jul 2019	14	17	2	33
Aug 2019	16	43	0	59
Sep 2019	9	12	3	24
Oct 2019	17	14	5	36
Nov 2019	12	13	7	32
Dec 2019	15	26	4	45
Jan 2020	12	16	3	31
Feb 2020	17	16	2	35
Mar 2020	10	11	1	22
Apr 2020	13	14	7	34
May 2020	20	12	1	33
Jun 2020	19	21	3	43
Jul 2020	30	26	7	63
Aug 2020	22	18	5	45
Sep 2020	18	16	2	36
Oct 2020	16	13	1	30
Nov 2020	15	12	8	35
Dec 2020	15	11	2	28
Jan 2021	26	10	3	39
Feb 2021	17	19	6	42
Mar 2021	22	24	4	50
Apr 2021	29	33	8	70
May 2021	19	18	7	44
Jun 2021	20	9	0	29
Jul 2021	27	15	0	42
Aug 2021	14	17	0	31
Sep 2021	29	18	0	47
Oct 2021	32	35	0	67
Nov 2021	39	58	5	102
Dec 2021	31	21	1	53
Jan 2022	32	20	2	54
Feb 2022	28	20	1	49
Mar 2022	27	32	1	60
Apr 2022	16	22	1	39
May 2022	26	17	4	47
Jun 2022	25	9	1	35
Jul 2022	17	17	0	34
Aug 2022	25	23	1	49
Sep 2022	23	28	0	51
Oct 2022	19	25	2	46
Nov 2022	28	25	3	56
Dec 2022	23	16	1	40
Jan 2023	36	26	5	67
Feb 2023	33	18	0	51
Mar 2023	43	27	5	75
Apr 2023	19	20	0	39
May 2023	40	22	0	62
Jun 2023	55	8	1	64
Jul 2023	57	20	1	78
Aug 2023	45	26	4	75
Sep 2023	67	22	2	91
Oct 2023	55	19	2	76
Nov 2023	49	12	0	61
Dec 2023	68	19	1	88
Jan 2024	56	14	1	71
Feb 2024	55	24	2	81
Mar 2024	66	27	2	95
Apr 2024	62	20	4	86
May 2024	41	36	3	80
Jun 2024	56	16	2	74
Jul 2024	23	11	4	38
Aug 2024	51	23	4	78
Sep 2024	22	11	0	33
Oct 2024	40	22	4	66
Nov 2024	36	13	2	51
Dec 2024	64	17	2	83
Jan 2025	67	14	3	84
Feb 2025	80	15	5	100
Mar 2025	27	22	1	50
Apr 2025	40	23	3	66
May 2025	43	21	0	64
Jun 2025	73	14	2	89
Jul 2025	61	30	1	92
Aug 2025	72	43	0	115
Sep 2025	78	38	2	118
Oct 2025	38	58	0	96
Nov 2025	20	20	0	40

Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 29 Mar 2016)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Mar 2016	164	73	2	239
Apr 2016	122	62	1	185
May 2016	48	17	0	65
Jun 2016	27	11	1	39
Jul 2016	21	5	0	26
Aug 2016	25	10	1	36
Sep 2016	26	13	1	40
Oct 2016	158	82	5	245
Nov 2016	41	18	6	65
Dec 2016	16	7	0	23
Jan 2017	22	12	1	35
Feb 2017	14	8	0	22
Mar 2017	33	20	3	56
Apr 2017	50	26	1	77
May 2017	32	32	3	67
Jun 2017	35	25	2	62
Jul 2017	22	27	0	49
Aug 2017	24	49	0	73
Sep 2017	23	30	1	54
Oct 2017	29	22	0	51
Nov 2017	24	20	0	44
Dec 2017	18	11	1	30
Jan 2018	18	20	2	40
Feb 2018	28	25	3	56
Mar 2018	36	26	3	65
Apr 2018	23	22	9	54
May 2018	27	36	1	64
Jun 2018	18	30	1	49
Jul 2018	11	21	0	32
Aug 2018	18	15	7	40
Sep 2018	25	26	7	58
Oct 2018	20	20	4	44
Nov 2018	24	19	5	48
Dec 2018	17	21	0	38
Jan 2019	10	7	0	17
Feb 2019	14	12	0	26
Mar 2019	15	10	5	30
Apr 2019	15	12	0	27
May 2019	15	22	3	40
Jun 2019	19	19	1	39
Jul 2019	14	17	2	33
Aug 2019	16	43	0	59
Sep 2019	9	12	3	24
Oct 2019	17	14	5	36
Nov 2019	12	13	7	32
Dec 2019	15	26	4	45
Jan 2020	12	16	3	31
Feb 2020	17	16	2	35
Mar 2020	10	11	1	22
Apr 2020	13	14	7	34
May 2020	20	12	1	33
Jun 2020	19	21	3	43
Jul 2020	30	26	7	63
Aug 2020	22	18	5	45
Sep 2020	18	16	2	36
Oct 2020	16	13	1	30
Nov 2020	15	12	8	35
Dec 2020	15	11	2	28
Jan 2021	26	10	3	39
Feb 2021	17	19	6	42
Mar 2021	22	24	4	50
Apr 2021	29	33	8	70
May 2021	19	18	7	44
Jun 2021	20	9	0	29
Jul 2021	27	15	0	42
Aug 2021	14	17	0	31
Sep 2021	29	18	0	47
Oct 2021	32	35	0	67
Nov 2021	39	58	5	102
Dec 2021	31	21	1	53
Jan 2022	32	20	2	54
Feb 2022	28	20	1	49
Mar 2022	27	32	1	60
Apr 2022	16	22	1	39
May 2022	26	17	4	47
Jun 2022	25	9	1	35
Jul 2022	17	17	0	34
Aug 2022	25	23	1	49
Sep 2022	23	28	0	51
Oct 2022	19	25	2	46
Nov 2022	28	25	3	56
Dec 2022	23	16	1	40
Jan 2023	36	26	5	67
Feb 2023	33	18	0	51
Mar 2023	43	27	5	75
Apr 2023	19	20	0	39
May 2023	40	22	0	62
Jun 2023	55	8	1	64
Jul 2023	57	20	1	78
Aug 2023	45	26	4	75
Sep 2023	67	22	2	91
Oct 2023	55	19	2	76
Nov 2023	49	12	0	61
Dec 2023	68	19	1	88
Jan 2024	56	14	1	71
Feb 2024	55	24	2	81
Mar 2024	66	27	2	95
Apr 2024	62	20	4	86
May 2024	41	36	3	80
Jun 2024	56	16	2	74
Jul 2024	23	11	4	38
Aug 2024	51	23	4	78
Sep 2024	22	11	0	33
Oct 2024	40	22	4	66
Nov 2024	36	13	2	51
Dec 2024	64	17	2	83
Jan 2025	67	14	3	84
Feb 2025	80	15	5	100
Mar 2025	27	22	1	50
Apr 2025	40	23	3	66
May 2025	43	21	0	64
Jun 2025	73	14	2	89
Jul 2025	61	30	1	92
Aug 2025	72	43	0	115
Sep 2025	78	38	2	118
Oct 2025	38	58	0	96
Nov 2025	20	20	0	40

Latest update: 15 Nov 2025

Short summary

We describe a new approach to estimate the absorption of brown carbon (BrC) from multiple-wavelength absorption measurements. By applying this method to column and surface observations globally, we find that BrC contributes up to 40 % of the absorption measured at 440 nm. The analysis of two surface sites also suggests that BrC absorptivity decreases with photochemical aging in biomass burning plumes, but not in typical urban conditions.