Articles | Volume 18, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-2653-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-2653-2018
Research article
 | 
23 Feb 2018
Research article |  | 23 Feb 2018

Size distribution and coating thickness of black carbon from the Canadian oil sands operations

Yuan Cheng, Shao-Meng Li, Mark Gordon, and Peter Liu

Related authors

Technical note: Towards a stronger observational support for haze pollution control by interpreting carbonaceous aerosol results derived from different measurement approaches
Yuan Cheng, Ying-jie Zhong, Zhi-qing Zhang, Xu-bing Cao, and Jiu-meng Liu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-537,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-537, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Exploring the sources of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols by integrating observational and modeling results: insights from Northeast China
Yuan Cheng, Xu-bing Cao, Sheng-qiang Zhu, Zhi-qing Zhang, Jiu-meng Liu, Hong-liang Zhang, Qiang Zhang, and Ke-bin He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9869–9883, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9869-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9869-2024, 2024
Short summary
Measurement report: Diurnal variations of brown carbon during two distinct seasons in a megacity in northeast China
Yuan Cheng, Xu-bing Cao, Jiu-meng Liu, Ying-jie Zhong, Qin-qin Yu, Qiang Zhang, and Ke-bin He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6241–6253, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6241-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6241-2023, 2023
Short summary
Comprehensive characterization of particulate intermediate-volatility and semi-volatile organic compounds (I/SVOCs) from heavy-duty diesel vehicles using two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry
Xiao He, Xuan Zheng, Shaojun Zhang, Xuan Wang, Ting Chen, Xiao Zhang, Guanghan Huang, Yihuan Cao, Liqiang He, Xubing Cao, Yuan Cheng, Shuxiao Wang, and Ye Wu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 13935–13947, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13935-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13935-2022, 2022
Short summary
Dramatic changes in Harbin aerosol during 2018–2020: the roles of open burning policy and secondary aerosol formation
Yuan Cheng, Qin-qin Yu, Jiu-meng Liu, Xu-bing Cao, Ying-jie Zhong, Zhen-yu Du, Lin-lin Liang, Guan-nan Geng, Wan-li Ma, Hong Qi, Qiang Zhang, and Ke-bin He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15199–15211, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15199-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15199-2021, 2021
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Field Measurements | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Measurement report: Aircraft observations of aerosol and microphysical quantities of stratocumulus in autumn over Guangxi Province, China – daylight variation, vertical distribution, and aerosol–cloud interactions
Sihan Liu, Honglei Wang, Delong Zhao, Wei Zhou, Yuanmou Du, Zhengguo Zhang, Peng Cheng, Tianliang Zhao, Yue Ke, Zihao Wu, and Mengyu Huang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4151–4165, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4151-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4151-2025, 2025
Short summary
Hygroscopic aerosols amplify longwave downward radiation in the Arctic
Denghui Ji, Mathias Palm, Matthias Buschmann, Kerstin Ebell, Marion Maturilli, Xiaoyu Sun, and Justus Notholt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3889–3904, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3889-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3889-2025, 2025
Short summary
Measurement report: Optical and structural properties of atmospheric water-soluble organic carbon in China – insights from multi-site spectroscopic measurements
Haibiao Chen, Caiqing Yan, Liubin Huang, Lin Du, Yang Yue, Xinfeng Wang, Qingcai Chen, Mingjie Xie, Junwen Liu, Fengwen Wang, Shuhong Fang, Qiaoyun Yang, Hongya Niu, Mei Zheng, Yan Wu, and Likun Xue
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3647–3667, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3647-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3647-2025, 2025
Short summary
Measurement report: The variation properties of aerosol hygroscopic growth related to chemical composition during new particle formation days in a coastal city of Southeast China
Lingjun Li, Mengren Li, Xiaolong Fan, Yuping Chen, Ziyi Lin, Anqi Hou, Siqing Zhang, Ronghua Zheng, and Jinsheng Chen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3669–3685, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3669-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3669-2025, 2025
Short summary
In situ vertical observations of the layered structure of air pollution in a continental high-latitude urban boundary layer during winter
Roman Pohorsky, Andrea Baccarini, Natalie Brett, Brice Barret, Slimane Bekki, Gianluca Pappaccogli, Elsa Dieudonné, Brice Temime-Roussel, Barbara D'Anna, Meeta Cesler-Maloney, Antonio Donateo, Stefano Decesari, Kathy S. Law, William R. Simpson, Javier Fochesatto, Steve R. Arnold, and Julia Schmale
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3687–3715, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3687-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3687-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Alberta Energy: Oil Sands Production Profile: 2004–2014, available at: https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/cd892173-c37f-4c68-bf5d-f79ef7d49e72/resource/ebd6b451-dfda-4218-b855-1416d94306fd/download/InitiativeOSPP.pdf (last access: 15 February 2018), 2016. 
Alberta Energy: Oil Sands Facts and Statistics, available at: http://www.energy.alberta.ca/OS/AOS/Pages/FAS.aspx (last access: 15 February 2018), 2017. 
Andreae, M. O. and Gelencsér, A.: Black carbon or brown carbon? The nature of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 3131–3148, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-6-3131-2006, 2006. 
Baumgardner, D., Kok, G., and Raga, G.: Warming of the Arctic lower stratosphere by light absorbing particles, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L06117, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GL018883, 2004. 
Bond, T. C. and Bergstrom, R. W.: Light absorption by carbonaceous particles: an investigative review, Aerosol Sci. Tech., 40, 27–67, 2006. 
Download
Short summary
An aircraft campaign was conducted over the Athabasca oil sands (OS) region to characterize refractory black carbon (rBC) particles as they were emitted from the sources and as they were transported downwind; rBC size distributions were consistent at different downwind distances from the source area whereas coating thicknesses on the rBC cores increased considerably as the OS plumes were transported downwind. These results provide insights into the evolution of BC aerosol in the real atmosphere.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint