Articles | Volume 20, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4889-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4889-2020
Research article
 | 
27 Apr 2020
Research article |  | 27 Apr 2020

Optical properties and molecular compositions of water-soluble and water-insoluble brown carbon (BrC) aerosols in northwest China

Jianjun Li, Qi Zhang, Gehui Wang, Jin Li, Can Wu, Lang Liu, Jiayuan Wang, Wenqing Jiang, Lijuan Li, Kin Fai Ho, and Junji Cao

Related authors

Effects of Anthropogenic Pollutants on Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation in the Atmosphere of Mt. Hua, China
Can Wu, Yubao Chen, Yuwei Sun, Huijun Zhang, Si Zhang, Cong Cao, Jianjun Li, and Gehui Wang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1668,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1668, 2025
Short summary
Influence of anthropogenic pollution on the molecular composition of organic aerosols over a forest site in the Qinling Mountains region of central China
Xin Zhang, Lijuan Li, Jianjun Li, Yue Lin, Yan Cheng, Rui Wang, Shuyan Xing, Chongshu Zhu, Junji Cao, and Yuemei Han
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-519,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-519, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Measurement report: Formation of tropospheric brown carbon in a lifting air mass
Can Wu, Xiaodi Liu, Ke Zhang, Si Zhang, Cong Cao, Jianjun Li, Rui Li, Fan Zhang, and Gehui Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9263–9275, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9263-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9263-2024, 2024
Short summary
Different physicochemical behaviors of nitrate and ammonium during transport: a case study on Mt. Hua, China
Can Wu, Cong Cao, Jianjun Li, Shaojun Lv, Jin Li, Xiaodi Liu, Si Zhang, Shijie Liu, Fan Zhang, Jingjing Meng, and Gehui Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 15621–15635, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15621-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15621-2022, 2022
Short summary
Distribution and stable carbon isotopic composition of dicarboxylic acids, ketocarboxylic acids and α-dicarbonyls in fresh and aged biomass burning aerosols
Minxia Shen, Kin Fai Ho, Wenting Dai, Suixin Liu, Ting Zhang, Qiyuan Wang, Jingjing Meng, Judith C. Chow, John G. Watson, Junji Cao, and Jianjun Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 7489–7504, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7489-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7489-2022, 2022
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Field Measurements | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
Molecular characterization of organic aerosols in urban and forested areas of Paris using high-resolution mass spectrometry
Diana L. Pereira, Chiara Giorio, Aline Gratien, Alexander Zherebker, Gael Noyalet, Servanne Chevaillier, Stéphanie Alage, Elie Almarj, Antonin Bergé, Thomas Bertin, Mathieu Cazaunau, Patrice Coll, Ludovico Di Antonio, Sergio Harb, Johannes Heuser, Cécile Gaimoz, Oscar Guillemant, Brigitte Language, Olivier Lauret, Camilo Macias, Franck Maisonneuve, Bénédicte Picquet-Varrault, Raquel Torres, Sylvain Triquet, Pascal Zapf, Lelia Hawkins, Drew Pronovost, Sydney Riley, Pierre-Marie Flaud, Emilie Perraudin, Pauline Pouyes, Eric Villenave, Alexandre Albinet, Olivier Favez, Robin Aujay-Plouzeau, Vincent Michoud, Christopher Cantrell, Manuela Cirtog, Claudia Di Biagio, Jean-François Doussin, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4885–4905, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4885-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4885-2025, 2025
Short summary
Measurement report: Wintertime aerosol characterization at an urban traffic site in Helsinki, Finland
Kimmo Teinilä, Sanna Saarikoski, Henna Lintusaari, Teemu Lepistö, Petteri Marjanen, Minna Aurela, Heidi Hellén, Toni Tykkä, Markus Lampimäki, Janne Lampilahti, Luis Barreira, Timo Mäkelä, Leena Kangas, Juha Hatakka, Sami Harni, Joel Kuula, Jarkko V. Niemi, Harri Portin, Jaakko Yli-Ojanperä, Ville Niemelä, Milja Jäppi, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Joonas Vanhanen, Liisa Pirjola, Hanna E. Manninen, Tuukka Petäjä, Topi Rönkkö, and Hilkka Timonen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4907–4928, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4907-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4907-2025, 2025
Short summary
Source apportionment and ecotoxicity of PM2.5 pollution events in a major Southern Hemisphere megacity: influence of a biofuel-impacted fleet and biomass burning
Guilherme Martins Pereira, Leonardo Yoshiaki Kamigauti, Rubens Fabio Pereira, Djacinto Monteiro dos Santos, Thayná da Silva Santos, José Vinicius Martins, Célia Alves, Cátia Gonçalves, Ismael Casotti Rienda, Nora Kováts, Thiago Nogueira, Luciana Rizzo, Paulo Artaxo, Regina Maura de Miranda, Marcia Akemi Yamasoe, Edmilson Dias de Freitas, Pérola de Castro Vasconcellos, and Maria de Fatima Andrade
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4587–4616, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4587-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4587-2025, 2025
Short summary
Marine organic aerosol at Mace Head: effects from phytoplankton and source region variability
Emmanuel Chevassus, Kirsten N. Fossum, Darius Ceburnis, Lu Lei, Chunshui Lin, Wei Xu, Colin O'Dowd, and Jurgita Ovadnevaite
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4107–4129, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4107-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4107-2025, 2025
Short summary
Measurement report: Sources and meteorology influencing highly time-resolved PM2.5 trace elements at three urban sites in the extremely polluted Indo-Gangetic Plain in India
Ashutosh K. Shukla, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Shamitaksha Talukdar, Vishnu Murari, Sreenivas Gaddamidi, Manousos-Ioannis Manousakas, Vipul Lalchandani, Kuldeep Dixit, Vinayak M. Ruge, Peeyush Khare, Mayank Kumar, Vikram Singh, Neeraj Rastogi, Suresh Tiwari, Atul K. Srivastava, Dilip Ganguly, Kaspar Rudolf Daellenbach, and André S. H. Prévôt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3765–3784, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3765-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3765-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Andreae, M. O. and Gelencser, 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. 
Chang, J. L. and Thompson, J. E.: Characterization of colored products formed during irradiation of aqueous solutions containing H2O2 and phenolic compounds, Atmos. Environ., 44, 541–551, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.10.042, 2010. 
Chen, Y. and Bond, T. C.: Light absorption by organic carbon from wood combustion, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 1773–1787, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-1773-2010, 2010. 
Chen, Y., Ge, X., Chen, H., Xie, X., Chen, Y., Wang, J., Ye, Z., Bao, M., Zhang, Y., and Chen, M.: Seasonal light absorption properties of water-soluble brown carbon in atmospheric fine particles in Nanjing, China, Atmos. Environ., 187, 230–240, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.06.002, 2018. 
Cheng, Y., He, K. B., Zheng, M., Duan, F. K., Du, Z. Y., Ma, Y. L., Tan, J. H., Yang, F. M., Liu, J. M., Zhang, X. L., Weber, R. J., Bergin, M. H., and Russell, A. G.: Mass absorption efficiency of elemental carbon and water-soluble organic carbon in Beijing, China, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 11497–11510, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-11497-2011, 2011. 
Download
Short summary
We examined light absorption properties and molecular composition of water-soluble (WS) and water-insoluble (WI) BrC in PM2.5 collected from northwest China. We found that photochemical formation contributes significantly to light absorption of WI-BrC in summer, whereas aqueous-phase reactions play an important role in secondary WS-BrC formation in winter. BrC was estimated to account for 1.36 % and 3.74 %, respectively, of total down-welling solar radiation in the UV range in summer and winter.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint