Articles | Volume 21, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14815-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14815-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
06 Oct 2021
Research article |
| 06 Oct 2021
| 06 Oct 2021
Observations of supermicron-sized aerosols originating from biomass burning in southern Central Africa
Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana, Urbana, IL, USA
Greg M. McFarquhar
Cooperative Institute of Mesoscale Meteorological Studies,
University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
Robert M. Rauber
Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana, Urbana, IL, USA
Joseph R. O'Brien
Department of Atmospheric Science, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA
Siddhant Gupta
Cooperative Institute of Mesoscale Meteorological Studies,
University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer
Bay Area Environmental Research Institute/NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Mountain View, CA, USA
Department of Geophysics, Porter School of Environmental and Earth Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Amie N. Dobracki
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine and
Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
Arthur J. Sedlacek
Department of Environmental & Climate Sciences, Brookhaven
National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA
Sharon P. Burton
Science Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
Steven G. Howell
Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa,
Honolulu, HI, USA
Steffen Freitag
Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa,
Honolulu, HI, USA
Caroline Dang
Universities Space Research Association/NASA Ames Research Center,
Moffett Field, Mountain View, CA, USA
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Eva-Lou Edwards, Jeffrey S. Reid, Peng Xian, Sharon P. Burton, Anthony L. Cook, Ewan C. Crosbie, Marta A. Fenn, Richard A. Ferrare, Sean W. Freeman, John W. Hair, David B. Harper, Chris A. Hostetler, Claire E. Robinson, Amy Jo Scarino, Michael A. Shook, G. Alexander Sokolowsky, Susan C. van den Heever, Edward L. Winstead, Sarah Woods, Luke D. Ziemba, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12961–12983, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12961-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12961-2022, 2022
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Siddhant Gupta, Greg M. McFarquhar, Joseph R. O'Brien, Michael R. Poellot, David J. Delene, Ian Chang, Lan Gao, Feng Xu, and Jens Redemann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12923–12943, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12923-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12923-2022, 2022
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Zhipeng Qu, Alexei Korolev, Jason A. Milbrandt, Ivan Heckman, Yongjie Huang, Greg M. McFarquhar, Hugh Morrison, Mengistu Wolde, and Cuong Nguyen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12287–12310, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12287-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12287-2022, 2022
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Secondary ice production (SIP) is an important physical phenomenon that results in an increase in the cloud ice particle concentration and can have a significant impact on the evolution of clouds. Here, idealized simulations of a tropical convective system were conducted. Agreement between the simulations and observations highlights the impacts of SIP on the maintenance of tropical convection in nature and the importance of including the modelling of SIP in numerical weather prediction models.
Harshvardhan Harshvardhan, Richard Ferrare, Sharon Burton, Johnathan Hair, Chris Hostetler, David Harper, Anthony Cook, Marta Fenn, Amy Jo Scarino, Eduard Chemyakin, and Detlef Müller
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9859–9876, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9859-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9859-2022, 2022
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The evolution of aerosol in biomass burning smoke plumes that travel over marine clouds off the Atlantic coast of central Africa was studied using measurements made by a lidar deployed on a high-altitude aircraft. The main finding was that the physical properties of aerosol do not change appreciably once the plume has left land and travels over the ocean over a timescale of 1 to 2 d. Almost all particles in the plume are of radius less than 1 micrometer and spherical in shape.
Caroline Dang, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Haochi Che, Lu Zhang, Paola Formenti, Jonathan Taylor, Amie Dobracki, Sara Purdue, Pui-Shan Wong, Athanasios Nenes, Arthur Sedlacek III, Hugh Coe, Jens Redemann, Paquita Zuidema, Steven Howell, and James Haywood
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9389–9412, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9389-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9389-2022, 2022
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Transmission electron microscopy was used to analyze aged African smoke particles and how the smoke interacts with the marine atmosphere. We found that the volatility of organic aerosol increases with biomass burning plume age, that black carbon is often mixed with potassium salts and that the marine atmosphere can incorporate Na and Cl into smoke particles. Marine salts are more processed when mixed with smoke plumes, and there are interesting Cl-rich yet Na-absent marine particles.
Lu Zhang, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Haochi Che, Caroline Dang, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Ernie R. Lewis, Amie Dobracki, Jenny P. S. Wong, Paola Formenti, Steven G. Howell, and Athanasios Nenes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9199–9213, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9199-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9199-2022, 2022
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Widespread biomass burning (BB) events occur annually in Africa and contribute ~ 1 / 3 of global BB emissions, which contain a large family of light-absorbing organics, known as brown carbon (BrC), whose absorption of incident radiation is difficult to estimate, leading to large uncertainties in the global radiative forcing estimation. This study quantifies the BrC absorption of aged BB particles and highlights the potential presence of absorbing iron oxides in this climatically important region.
Haochi Che, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Lu Zhang, Caroline Dang, Paquita Zuidema, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Xiaoye Zhang, and Connor Flynn
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 8767–8785, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8767-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8767-2022, 2022
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A 17-month in situ study on Ascension Island found low single-scattering albedo and strong absorption enhancement of the marine boundary layer aerosols during biomass burnings on the African continent, along with apparent patterns of regular monthly variability. We further discuss the characteristics and drivers behind these changes and find that biomass burning conditions in Africa may be the main factor influencing the optical properties of marine boundary aerosols.
Dongwei Fu, Larry Di Girolamo, Robert M. Rauber, Greg M. McFarquhar, Stephen W. Nesbitt, Jesse Loveridge, Yulan Hong, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, Brian Cairns, Mikhail D. Alexandrov, Paul Lawson, Sarah Woods, Simone Tanelli, Sebastian Schmidt, Chris Hostetler, and Amy Jo Scarino
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 8259–8285, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8259-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8259-2022, 2022
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Satellite-retrieved cloud microphysics are widely used in climate research because of their central role in water and energy cycles. Here, we provide the first detailed investigation of retrieved cloud drop sizes from in situ and various satellite and airborne remote sensing techniques applied to real cumulus cloud fields. We conclude that the most widely used passive remote sensing method employed in climate research produces high biases of 6–8 µm (60 %–80 %) caused by 3-D radiative effects.
Meloë S. F. Kacenelenbogen, Qian Tan, Sharon P. Burton, Otto P. Hasekamp, Karl D. Froyd, Yohei Shinozuka, Andreas J. Beyersdorf, Luke Ziemba, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Jack E. Dibb, Taylor Shingler, Armin Sorooshian, Reed W. Espinosa, Vanderlei Martins, Jose L. Jimenez, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Joshua P. Schwarz, Matthew S. Johnson, Jens Redemann, and Gregory L. Schuster
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 3713–3742, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3713-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3713-2022, 2022
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The impact of aerosols on Earth's radiation budget and human health is important and strongly depends on their composition. One desire of our scientific community is to derive the composition of the aerosol from satellite sensors. However, satellites observe aerosol optical properties (and not aerosol composition) based on remote sensing instrumentation. This study assesses how much aerosol optical properties can tell us about aerosol composition.
Matthew S. Norgren, John Wood, K. Sebastian Schmidt, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, Snorre A. Stamnes, Luke D. Ziemba, Ewan C. Crosbie, Michael A. Shook, A. Scott Kittelman, Samuel E. LeBlanc, Stephen Broccardo, Steffen Freitag, and Jeffrey S. Reid
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 1373–1394, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1373-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1373-2022, 2022
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A new spectral instrument (SPN-S), with the ability to partition solar radiation into direct and diffuse components, is used in airborne settings to study the optical properties of aerosols and cirrus. It is a low-cost and mechanically simple system but has higher measurement uncertainty than existing standards. This challenge is overcome by utilizing the unique measurement capabilities to develop new retrieval techniques. Validation is done with data from two NASA airborne research campaigns.
Siddhant Gupta, Greg M. McFarquhar, Joseph R. O'Brien, Michael R. Poellot, David J. Delene, Rose M. Miller, and Jennifer D. Small Griswold
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2769–2793, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2769-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2769-2022, 2022
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This study evaluates the impact of biomass burning aerosols on precipitation in marine stratocumulus clouds using observations from the NASA ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) field campaign over the Southeast Atlantic. Instances of contact and separation between aerosol and cloud layers show polluted clouds have a lower precipitation rate and a lower precipitation susceptibility. This information will help improve cloud representation in Earth system models.
Yongjie Huang, Wei Wu, Greg M. McFarquhar, Ming Xue, Hugh Morrison, Jason Milbrandt, Alexei V. Korolev, Yachao Hu, Zhipeng Qu, Mengistu Wolde, Cuong Nguyen, Alfons Schwarzenboeck, and Ivan Heckman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2365–2384, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2365-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2365-2022, 2022
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Numerous small ice crystals in tropical convective storms are difficult to detect and could be potentially hazardous for commercial aircraft. Previous numerical simulations failed to reproduce this phenomenon and hypothesized that key microphysical processes are still lacking in current models to realistically simulate the phenomenon. This study uses numerical experiments to confirm the dominant role of secondary ice production in the formation of these large numbers of small ice crystals.
Matthew W. Christensen, Andrew Gettelman, Jan Cermak, Guy Dagan, Michael Diamond, Alyson Douglas, Graham Feingold, Franziska Glassmeier, Tom Goren, Daniel P. Grosvenor, Edward Gryspeerdt, Ralph Kahn, Zhanqing Li, Po-Lun Ma, Florent Malavelle, Isabel L. McCoy, Daniel T. McCoy, Greg McFarquhar, Johannes Mülmenstädt, Sandip Pal, Anna Possner, Adam Povey, Johannes Quaas, Daniel Rosenfeld, Anja Schmidt, Roland Schrödner, Armin Sorooshian, Philip Stier, Velle Toll, Duncan Watson-Parris, Robert Wood, Mingxi Yang, and Tianle Yuan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 641–674, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-641-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-641-2022, 2022
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Trace gases and aerosols (tiny airborne particles) are released from a variety of point sources around the globe. Examples include volcanoes, industrial chimneys, forest fires, and ship stacks. These sources provide opportunistic experiments with which to quantify the role of aerosols in modifying cloud properties. We review the current state of understanding on the influence of aerosol on climate built from the wide range of natural and anthropogenic laboratories investigated in recent decades.
Sabrina P. Cochrane, K. Sebastian Schmidt, Hong Chen, Peter Pilewskie, Scott Kittelman, Jens Redemann, Samuel LeBlanc, Kristina Pistone, Michal Segal Rozenhaimer, Meloë Kacenelenbogen, Yohei Shinozuka, Connor Flynn, Rich Ferrare, Sharon Burton, Chris Hostetler, Marc Mallet, and Paquita Zuidema
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 61–77, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-61-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-61-2022, 2022
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This work presents heating rates derived from aircraft observations from the 2016 and 2017 field campaigns of ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS). We separate the total heating rates into aerosol and gas (primarily water vapor) absorption and explore some of the co-variability of heating rate profiles and their primary drivers, leading to the development of a new concept: the heating rate efficiency (HRE; the heating rate per unit aerosol extinction).
Sarah J. Doherty, Pablo E. Saide, Paquita Zuidema, Yohei Shinozuka, Gonzalo A. Ferrada, Hamish Gordon, Marc Mallet, Kerry Meyer, David Painemal, Steven G. Howell, Steffen Freitag, Amie Dobracki, James R. Podolske, Sharon P. Burton, Richard A. Ferrare, Calvin Howes, Pierre Nabat, Gregory R. Carmichael, Arlindo da Silva, Kristina Pistone, Ian Chang, Lan Gao, Robert Wood, and Jens Redemann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 1–46, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1-2022, 2022
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Between July and October, biomass burning smoke is advected over the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, leading to climate forcing. Model calculations of forcing by this plume vary significantly in both magnitude and sign. This paper compares aerosol and cloud properties observed during three NASA ORACLES field campaigns to the same in four models. It quantifies modeled biases in properties key to aerosol direct radiative forcing and evaluates how these biases propagate to biases in forcing.
Amie Dobracki, Paquita Zuidema, Steve Howell, Pablo Saide, Steffen Freitag, Allison C. Aiken, Sharon P. Burton, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Jens Redemann, and Robert Wood
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-1081, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-1081, 2022
Preprint withdrawn
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The global maximum of shortwave-absorbing aerosol above cloud occurs above the southeast Atlantic, where the biomass-burning aerosol provides a distinct aerosol radiative warming of regional climate. The smoke aerosols are unusually highly absorbing of sunlight. This study seeks to understand the cause. We conclude the aerosol is already strongly absorbing at the fire emission source, but that chemical aging, through encouraging a net loss of organic aerosol, also contributes.
Steven G. Howell, Steffen Freitag, Amie Dobracki, Nikolai Smirnow, and Arthur J. Sedlacek III
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7381–7404, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7381-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7381-2021, 2021
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Small particles in the air have important effects on visibility, clouds, and human health. For the ORACLES project we got a new particle sizing instrument that is fast, works over the most important particle sizes, and avoids some of the issues that plague other optical particle sizers. Unfortunately it sees some particles much smaller than they really are, likely because they heat up and evaporate. We show a crude correction and speculate why these particles heat up much more than expected.
Ruhi S. Humphries, Melita D. Keywood, Sean Gribben, Ian M. McRobert, Jason P. Ward, Paul Selleck, Sally Taylor, James Harnwell, Connor Flynn, Gourihar R. Kulkarni, Gerald G. Mace, Alain Protat, Simon P. Alexander, and Greg McFarquhar
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12757–12782, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12757-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12757-2021, 2021
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The Southern Ocean region is one of the most pristine in the world and serves as an important proxy for the pre-industrial atmosphere. Improving our understanding of the natural processes in this region is likely to result in the largest reductions in the uncertainty of climate and earth system models. In this paper we present a statistical summary of the latitudinal gradient of aerosol and cloud condensation nuclei concentrations obtained from five voyages spanning the Southern Ocean.
Yang Wang, Guangjie Zheng, Michael P. Jensen, Daniel A. Knopf, Alexander Laskin, Alyssa A. Matthews, David Mechem, Fan Mei, Ryan Moffet, Arthur J. Sedlacek, John E. Shilling, Stephen Springston, Amy Sullivan, Jason Tomlinson, Daniel Veghte, Rodney Weber, Robert Wood, Maria A. Zawadowicz, and Jian Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 11079–11098, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11079-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11079-2021, 2021
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This paper reports the vertical profiles of trace gas and aerosol properties over the eastern North Atlantic, a region of persistent but diverse subtropical marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds. We examined the key processes that drive the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) population and how it varies with season and synoptic conditions. This study helps improve the model representation of the aerosol processes in the remote MBL, reducing the simulated aerosol indirect effects.
William G. K. McLean, Guangliang Fu, Sharon P. Burton, and Otto P. Hasekamp
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4755–4771, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4755-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4755-2021, 2021
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In this study, we present results from aerosol retrievals using both synthetic and real lidar datasets, including measurements from the ACEPOL (Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar) campaign, a combined initiative between NASA and SRON (the Netherlands Institute for Space Research). Aerosol microphysical retrievals were performed using the High Spectral Resolution Lidar-2 (HSRL-2) setup, alongside several others, with the ACEPOL retrievals also compared to polarimeter retrievals.
Meng Gao, Bryan A. Franz, Kirk Knobelspiesse, Peng-Wang Zhai, Vanderlei Martins, Sharon Burton, Brian Cairns, Richard Ferrare, Joel Gales, Otto Hasekamp, Yongxiang Hu, Amir Ibrahim, Brent McBride, Anin Puthukkudy, P. Jeremy Werdell, and Xiaoguang Xu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4083–4110, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4083-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4083-2021, 2021
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Multi-angle polarimetric measurements can retrieve accurate aerosol properties over complex atmosphere and ocean systems; however, most retrieval algorithms require high computational costs. We propose a deep neural network (NN) forward model to represent the radiative transfer simulation of coupled atmosphere and ocean systems and then conduct simultaneous aerosol and ocean color retrievals on AirHARP measurements. The computational acceleration is 103 times with CPU or 104 times with GPU.
Maria A. Zawadowicz, Kaitlyn Suski, Jiumeng Liu, Mikhail Pekour, Jerome Fast, Fan Mei, Arthur J. Sedlacek, Stephen Springston, Yang Wang, Rahul A. Zaveri, Robert Wood, Jian Wang, and John E. Shilling
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 7983–8002, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7983-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7983-2021, 2021
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This paper describes the results of a recent field campaign in the eastern North Atlantic, where two mass spectrometers were deployed aboard a research aircraft to measure the chemistry of aerosols and trace gases. Very clean conditions were found, dominated by local sulfate-rich acidic aerosol and very aged organics. Evidence of
long-range transport of aerosols from the continents was also identified.
Yongjie Huang, Wei Wu, Greg M. McFarquhar, Xuguang Wang, Hugh Morrison, Alexander Ryzhkov, Yachao Hu, Mengistu Wolde, Cuong Nguyen, Alfons Schwarzenboeck, Jason Milbrandt, Alexei V. Korolev, and Ivan Heckman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6919–6944, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6919-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6919-2021, 2021
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Numerous small ice crystals in the tropical convective storms are difficult to detect and could be potentially hazardous for commercial aircraft. This study evaluated the numerical models against the airborne observations and investigated the potential cloud processes that could lead to the production of these large numbers of small ice crystals. It is found that key microphysical processes are still lacking or misrepresented in current numerical models to realistically simulate the phenomenon.
Anna L. Hodshire, Emily Ramnarine, Ali Akherati, Matthew L. Alvarado, Delphine K. Farmer, Shantanu H. Jathar, Sonia M. Kreidenweis, Chantelle R. Lonsdale, Timothy B. Onasch, Stephen R. Springston, Jian Wang, Yang Wang, Lawrence I. Kleinman, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, and Jeffrey R. Pierce
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6839–6855, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6839-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6839-2021, 2021
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Biomass burning emits particles and vapors that can impact both health and climate. Here, we investigate the role of dilution in the evolution of aerosol size and composition in observed US wildfire smoke plumes. Centers of plumes dilute more slowly than edges. We see differences in concentrations and composition between the centers and edges both in the first measurement and in subsequent measurements. Our findings support the hypothesis that plume dilution influences smoke aging.
Andrew M. Dzambo, Tristan L'Ecuyer, Kenneth Sinclair, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, Siddhant Gupta, Greg McFarquhar, Joseph R. O'Brien, Brian Cairns, Andrzej P. Wasilewski, and Mikhail Alexandrov
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 5513–5532, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5513-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5513-2021, 2021
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This work highlights a new algorithm using data collected from the 2016–2018 NASA ORACLES field campaign. This algorithm synthesizes cloud and rain measurements to attain estimates of cloud and precipitation properties over the southeast Atlantic Ocean. Estimates produced by this algorithm compare well against in situ estimates. Increased rain fractions and rain rates are found in regions of atmospheric instability. This dataset can be used to explore aerosol–cloud–precipitation interactions.
Hong Chen, Sebastian Schmidt, Michael D. King, Galina Wind, Anthony Bucholtz, Elizabeth A. Reid, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, William L. Smith, Patrick C. Taylor, Seiji Kato, and Peter Pilewskie
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 2673–2697, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-2673-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-2673-2021, 2021
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In this paper, we accessed the shortwave irradiance derived from MODIS cloud optical properties by using aircraft measurements. We developed a data aggregation technique to parameterize spectral surface albedo by snow fraction in the Arctic. We found that undetected clouds have the most significant impact on the imagery-derived irradiance. This study suggests that passive imagery cloud detection could be improved through a multi-pixel approach that would make it more dependable in the Arctic.
Siddhant Gupta, Greg M. McFarquhar, Joseph R. O'Brien, David J. Delene, Michael R. Poellot, Amie Dobracki, James R. Podolske, Jens Redemann, Samuel E. LeBlanc, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, and Kristina Pistone
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 4615–4635, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-4615-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-4615-2021, 2021
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Observations from the 2016 NASA ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) field campaign examine how biomass burning aerosols from southern Africa affect marine stratocumulus cloud decks over the Southeast Atlantic. Instances of contact and separation between aerosols and clouds are examined to quantify the impact of aerosol mixing into cloud top on cloud drop numbers and sizes. This information is needed for improving Earth system models and satellite retrievals.
Jens Redemann, Robert Wood, Paquita Zuidema, Sarah J. Doherty, Bernadette Luna, Samuel E. LeBlanc, Michael S. Diamond, Yohei Shinozuka, Ian Y. Chang, Rei Ueyama, Leonhard Pfister, Ju-Mee Ryoo, Amie N. Dobracki, Arlindo M. da Silva, Karla M. Longo, Meloë S. Kacenelenbogen, Connor J. Flynn, Kristina Pistone, Nichola M. Knox, Stuart J. Piketh, James M. Haywood, Paola Formenti, Marc Mallet, Philip Stier, Andrew S. Ackerman, Susanne E. Bauer, Ann M. Fridlind, Gregory R. Carmichael, Pablo E. Saide, Gonzalo A. Ferrada, Steven G. Howell, Steffen Freitag, Brian Cairns, Brent N. Holben, Kirk D. Knobelspiesse, Simone Tanelli, Tristan S. L'Ecuyer, Andrew M. Dzambo, Ousmane O. Sy, Greg M. McFarquhar, Michael R. Poellot, Siddhant Gupta, Joseph R. O'Brien, Athanasios Nenes, Mary Kacarab, Jenny P. S. Wong, Jennifer D. Small-Griswold, Kenneth L. Thornhill, David Noone, James R. Podolske, K. Sebastian Schmidt, Peter Pilewskie, Hong Chen, Sabrina P. Cochrane, Arthur J. Sedlacek, Timothy J. Lang, Eric Stith, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Richard A. Ferrare, Sharon P. Burton, Chris A. Hostetler, David J. Diner, Felix C. Seidel, Steven E. Platnick, Jeffrey S. Myers, Kerry G. Meyer, Douglas A. Spangenberg, Hal Maring, and Lan Gao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 1507–1563, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1507-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1507-2021, 2021
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Southern Africa produces significant biomass burning emissions whose impacts on regional and global climate are poorly understood. ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) is a 5-year NASA investigation designed to study the key processes that determine these climate impacts. The main purpose of this paper is to familiarize the broader scientific community with the ORACLES project, the dataset it produced, and the most important initial findings.
Sabrina P. Cochrane, K. Sebastian Schmidt, Hong Chen, Peter Pilewskie, Scott Kittelman, Jens Redemann, Samuel LeBlanc, Kristina Pistone, Meloë Kacenelenbogen, Michal Segal Rozenhaimer, Yohei Shinozuka, Connor Flynn, Amie Dobracki, Paquita Zuidema, Steven Howell, Steffen Freitag, and Sarah Doherty
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 567–593, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-567-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-567-2021, 2021
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Based on observations from the 2016 and 2017 field campaigns of ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS), this work establishes an observationally driven link from mid-visible aerosol optical depth (AOD) and other scene parameters to broadband shortwave irradiance (and by extension the direct aerosol radiative effect, DARE). The majority of the case-to-case DARE variability within the ORACLES dataset is attributable to the dependence on AOD and scene albedo.
Lawrence I. Kleinman, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Kouji Adachi, Peter R. Buseck, Sonya Collier, Manvendra K. Dubey, Anna L. Hodshire, Ernie Lewis, Timothy B. Onasch, Jeffery R. Pierce, John Shilling, Stephen R. Springston, Jian Wang, Qi Zhang, Shan Zhou, and Robert J. Yokelson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 13319–13341, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13319-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13319-2020, 2020
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Aerosols from wildfires affect the Earth's temperature by absorbing light or reflecting it back into space. This study investigates time-dependent chemical, microphysical, and optical properties of aerosols generated by wildfires in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Wildfire smoke plumes were traversed by an instrumented aircraft at locations near the fire and up to 3.5 h travel time downwind. Although there was no net aerosol production, aerosol particles grew and became more efficient scatters.
Kouji Adachi, Naga Oshima, Zhaoheng Gong, Suzane de Sá, Adam P. Bateman, Scot T. Martin, Joel F. de Brito, Paulo Artaxo, Glauber G. Cirino, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, and Peter R. Buseck
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11923–11939, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11923-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11923-2020, 2020
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Occurrences, size distributions, and number fractions of individual aerosol particles from the Amazon basin during the GoAmazon2014/5 campaign were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy. Aerosol particles from natural sources (e.g., mineral dust, primary biological aerosols, and sea salts) during the wet season originated from the Amazon forest and long-range transports (the Saharan desert and the Atlantic Ocean). They commonly mix at an individual particle scale during transport.
Yohei Shinozuka, Pablo E. Saide, Gonzalo A. Ferrada, Sharon P. Burton, Richard Ferrare, Sarah J. Doherty, Hamish Gordon, Karla Longo, Marc Mallet, Yan Feng, Qiaoqiao Wang, Yafang Cheng, Amie Dobracki, Steffen Freitag, Steven G. Howell, Samuel LeBlanc, Connor Flynn, Michal Segal-Rosenhaimer, Kristina Pistone, James R. Podolske, Eric J. Stith, Joseph Ryan Bennett, Gregory R. Carmichael, Arlindo da Silva, Ravi Govindaraju, Ruby Leung, Yang Zhang, Leonhard Pfister, Ju-Mee Ryoo, Jens Redemann, Robert Wood, and Paquita Zuidema
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11491–11526, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11491-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11491-2020, 2020
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In the southeast Atlantic, well-defined smoke plumes from Africa advect over marine boundary layer cloud decks; both are most extensive around September, when most of the smoke resides in the free troposphere. A framework is put forth for evaluating the performance of a range of global and regional atmospheric composition models against observations made during the NASA ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) airborne mission in September 2016.
Anin Puthukkudy, J. Vanderlei Martins, Lorraine A. Remer, Xiaoguang Xu, Oleg Dubovik, Pavel Litvinov, Brent McBride, Sharon Burton, and Henrique M. J. Barbosa
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 5207–5236, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5207-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5207-2020, 2020
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In this work, we report the demonstration and validation of the aerosol properties retrieved using AirHARP and GRASP for data from the NASA ACEPOL campaign 2017. These results serve as a proxy for the scale and detail of aerosol retrievals that are anticipated from future space mission data, as HARP CubeSat (mission begins 2020) and HARP2 (aboard the NASA PACE mission with the launch in 2023) are near duplicates of AirHARP and are expected to provide the same level of aerosol characterization.
Yohei Shinozuka, Meloë S. Kacenelenbogen, Sharon P. Burton, Steven G. Howell, Paquita Zuidema, Richard A. Ferrare, Samuel E. LeBlanc, Kristina Pistone, Stephen Broccardo, Jens Redemann, K. Sebastian Schmidt, Sabrina P. Cochrane, Marta Fenn, Steffen Freitag, Amie Dobracki, Michal Segal-Rosenheimer, and Connor J. Flynn
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11275–11285, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11275-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11275-2020, 2020
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To help satellite retrieval of aerosols and studies of their radiative effects, we demonstrate that daytime aerosol optical depth over low-level clouds is similar to that in neighboring clear skies at the same heights. Based on recent airborne lidar and sun photometer observations above the southeast Atlantic, the mean AOD difference at 532 nm is between 0 and -0.01, when comparing the cloudy and clear sides of cloud edges, with each up to 20 km wide.
Adeyemi A. Adebiyi, Paquita Zuidema, Ian Chang, Sharon P. Burton, and Brian Cairns
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11025–11043, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11025-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11025-2020, 2020
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Over the southeast Atlantic, interactions between the low-level clouds and the overlying smoke aerosols have previously been highlighted, but no study has yet focused on the presence of the mid-level clouds that complicate the aerosol–cloud interactions. Here we show that these optically thin super-cooled mid-level clouds are relatively common, and they frequently occur at the top of the smoke layer between August and October with significant radiative impacts on the low-level clouds.
Daniel J. Miller, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Kirk Knobelspiesse, Jens Redemann, Brian Cairns, Mikhail Alexandrov, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, and Andrzej Wasilewski
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 3447–3470, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3447-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3447-2020, 2020
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A neural network (NN) is developed and used to retrieve cloud microphysical properties from multiangular and multispectral polarimetric remote sensing observations. The NN is applied to research scanning polarimeter (RSP) observations obtained during the ORACLES field campaign and compared to other co-located remote sensing retrievals of cloud effective radius and optical thickness. A NN approach can advance more complex iterative search retrieval algorithms by providing a quick initial guess.
David Painemal, Fu-Lung Chang, Richard Ferrare, Sharon Burton, Zhujun Li, William L. Smith Jr., Patrick Minnis, Yan Feng, and Marian Clayton
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 7167–7177, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7167-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7167-2020, 2020
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Aerosol–cloud interactions (ACIs) are the most uncertain aspect of anthropogenic forcing. Although satellites provide the observational dataset for the global ACI quantification, retrievals are limited to vertically integrated quantities (e.g., aerosol optical depth – AOD), which are typically used as an aerosol proxy. This study demonstrates that matching vertically resolved aerosol from CALIOP at the cloud-layer height with satellite cloud retrievals reduces uncertainties in ACI estimates.
Mary Kacarab, K. Lee Thornhill, Amie Dobracki, Steven G. Howell, Joseph R. O'Brien, Steffen Freitag, Michael R. Poellot, Robert Wood, Paquita Zuidema, Jens Redemann, and Athanasios Nenes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 3029–3040, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-3029-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-3029-2020, 2020
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We find that extensive biomass burning aerosol plumes from southern Africa can profoundly influence clouds in the southeastern Atlantic. Concurrent variations in vertical velocity, however, are found to magnify the relationship between boundary layer aerosol and the cloud droplet number. Neglecting these covariances may strongly bias the sign and magnitude of aerosol impacts on the cloud droplet number.
Samuel E. LeBlanc, Jens Redemann, Connor Flynn, Kristina Pistone, Meloë Kacenelenbogen, Michal Segal-Rosenheimer, Yohei Shinozuka, Stephen Dunagan, Robert P. Dahlgren, Kerry Meyer, James Podolske, Steven G. Howell, Steffen Freitag, Jennifer Small-Griswold, Brent Holben, Michael Diamond, Robert Wood, Paola Formenti, Stuart Piketh, Gillian Maggs-Kölling, Monja Gerber, and Andreas Namwoonde
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 1565–1590, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1565-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1565-2020, 2020
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The southeast Atlantic during August–October experiences layers of smoke from biomass burning over marine stratocumulus clouds. Here we present the light attenuation of the smoke and its dependence in the spatial, vertical, and spectral domain through direct measurements from an airborne platform during September 2016. From our observations of this climatically important smoke, we found an average aerosol optical depth of 0.32 at 500 nm, slightly lower than comparative satellite measurements.
Guangliang Fu, Otto Hasekamp, Jeroen Rietjens, Martijn Smit, Antonio Di Noia, Brian Cairns, Andrzej Wasilewski, David Diner, Felix Seidel, Feng Xu, Kirk Knobelspiesse, Meng Gao, Arlindo da Silva, Sharon Burton, Chris Hostetler, John Hair, and Richard Ferrare
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 553–573, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-553-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-553-2020, 2020
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In this paper, we present aerosol retrieval results from the ACEPOL (Aerosol Characterization from Polarimeter and Lidar) campaign, which was a joint initiative between NASA and SRON (the Netherlands Institute for Space Research). We perform aerosol retrievals from different multi-angle polarimeters employed during the ACEPOL campaign and evaluate them against ground-based AERONET measurements and High Spectral Resolution Lidar-2 (HSRL-2) measurements.
Sabrina P. Cochrane, K. Sebastian Schmidt, Hong Chen, Peter Pilewskie, Scott Kittelman, Jens Redemann, Samuel LeBlanc, Kristina Pistone, Meloë Kacenelenbogen, Michal Segal Rozenhaimer, Yohei Shinozuka, Connor Flynn, Steven Platnick, Kerry Meyer, Rich Ferrare, Sharon Burton, Chris Hostetler, Steven Howell, Steffen Freitag, Amie Dobracki, and Sarah Doherty
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 6505–6528, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-6505-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-6505-2019, 2019
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For two cases from the NASA ORACLES experiments, we retrieve aerosol and cloud properties and calculate a direct aerosol radiative effect (DARE). We investigate the relationship between DARE and the cloud albedo by specifying the albedo for which DARE transitions from a cooling to warming radiative effect. Our new aerosol retrieval algorithm is successful despite complexities associated with scenes that contain aerosols above clouds and decreases the uncertainty on retrieved aerosol parameters.
Matthias Tesche, Alexei Kolgotin, Moritz Haarig, Sharon P. Burton, Richard A. Ferrare, Chris A. Hostetler, and Detlef Müller
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 4421–4437, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-4421-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-4421-2019, 2019
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Today, few lidar are capable of triple-wavelength particle linear depolarization ratio (PLDR) measurements. This study is the first systematic investigation of the effect of different choices of PLDR input on the inversion of lidar measurements of mineral dust and dusty mixtures using light scattering by randomly oriented spheroids. We provide recommendations of the most suitable input parameters for use with the applied methodology, based on a relational assessment of the inversion output.
Kristina Pistone, Jens Redemann, Sarah Doherty, Paquita Zuidema, Sharon Burton, Brian Cairns, Sabrina Cochrane, Richard Ferrare, Connor Flynn, Steffen Freitag, Steven G. Howell, Meloë Kacenelenbogen, Samuel LeBlanc, Xu Liu, K. Sebastian Schmidt, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Yohei Shinozuka, Snorre Stamnes, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, Gerard Van Harten, and Feng Xu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 9181–9208, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-9181-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-9181-2019, 2019
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Understanding how smoke particles interact with sunlight is important in calculating their effects on climate, since some smoke is more scattering (cooling) and some is more absorbing (heating). Knowing this proportion is important for both satellite observations and climate models. We measured smoke properties in a recent aircraft-based field campaign off the west coast of Africa and present a comparison of these properties as measured using the six different, independent techniques available.
Andrew M. Sayer, N. Christina Hsu, Jaehwa Lee, Woogyung V. Kim, Sharon Burton, Marta A. Fenn, Richard A. Ferrare, Meloë Kacenelenbogen, Samuel LeBlanc, Kristina Pistone, Jens Redemann, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Yohei Shinozuka, and Si-Chee Tsay
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 3595–3627, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-3595-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-3595-2019, 2019
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Aerosols are small particles in the atmosphere such as dust or smoke. They are routinely monitored by satellites due to their importance for climate and air quality. However aerosols above clouds are more difficult to monitor. This study describes an improvement to a technique to monitor light-absorbing aerosols above clouds from four Earth-orbiting satellite instruments. The improved method is evaluated using data from the ORACLES field campaign, which measured these aerosols from aircraft.
Suzane S. de Sá, Luciana V. Rizzo, Brett B. Palm, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Douglas A. Day, Lindsay D. Yee, Rebecca Wernis, Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz, Joel Brito, Samara Carbone, Yingjun J. Liu, Arthur Sedlacek, Stephen Springston, Allen H. Goldstein, Henrique M. J. Barbosa, M. Lizabeth Alexander, Paulo Artaxo, Jose L. Jimenez, and Scot T. Martin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 7973–8001, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-7973-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-7973-2019, 2019
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This study investigates the impacts of urban and fire emissions on the concentration, composition, and optical properties of submicron particulate matter (PM1) in central Amazonia during the dry season. Biomass-burning and urban emissions appeared to contribute at least 80 % of brown carbon absorption while accounting for 30 % to 40 % of the organic PM1 mass concentration. Only a fraction of the 9-fold increase in mass concentration relative to the wet season was due to biomass burning.
Marc Mallet, Pierre Nabat, Paquita Zuidema, Jens Redemann, Andrew Mark Sayer, Martin Stengel, Sebastian Schmidt, Sabrina Cochrane, Sharon Burton, Richard Ferrare, Kerry Meyer, Pablo Saide, Hiren Jethva, Omar Torres, Robert Wood, David Saint Martin, Romain Roehrig, Christina Hsu, and Paola Formenti
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 4963–4990, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4963-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4963-2019, 2019
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The model is able to represent LWP but not the LCF. AOD is consistent over the continent but also over ocean (ACAOD). Differences are observed in SSA due to the absence of internal mixing in ALADIN-Climate. A significant regional gradient of the forcing at TOA is observed. An intense positive forcing is simulated over Gabon. Results highlight the significant effect of enhanced moisture on BBA extinction. The surface dimming modifies the energy budget.
David Painemal, Marian Clayton, Richard Ferrare, Sharon Burton, Damien Josset, and Mark Vaughan
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 2201–2217, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2201-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2201-2019, 2019
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We present 1 year of a new CALIOP-based aerosol extinction coefficient and lidar ratio over the ocean, with the goal of providing a flexible dataset for climate research as well as independent retrievals that can be helpful for refining CALIPSO Science Team algorithms. The retrievals are derived by constraining the lidar equation with an aerosol optical depth estimated from cross-calibrated CALIOP and CloudSat surface echos.
Joseph A. Finlon, Greg M. McFarquhar, Stephen W. Nesbitt, Robert M. Rauber, Hugh Morrison, Wei Wu, and Pengfei Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 3621–3643, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-3621-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-3621-2019, 2019
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A new approach describing the relationship between ice crystal mass (m) and dimension (D) is derived, characterizing it as a set of
equally realizableparameters based on the natural variability in cloud conditions observed by aircraft over the Great Plains. Results from this approach address shortcomings of microphysical parameterization schemes and remote sensing retrievals that employ a single m–D relation for a given ice species or environment.
Mayra I. Oyola, James R. Campbell, Peng Xian, Anthony Bucholtz, Richard A. Ferrare, Sharon P. Burton, Olga Kalashnikova, Benjamin C. Ruston, and Simone Lolli
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 205–218, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-205-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-205-2019, 2019
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We conceptualized the aerosol radiative impact of an inline aerosol analysis field coupled with a global meteorological forecast system utilizing NAAPS and NAVGEM analysis and surface albedo fields. Model simulations were compared with in situ validation data collected during the NASA 2013 SEAC4RS experiment. Instantaneous heating rates peaked around 7 K day-1 in the lower part of the troposphere, while the HSRL profiles resulted in values of up to 18 K day-1 in the in the mid-troposphere.
Mark Vaughan, Anne Garnier, Damien Josset, Melody Avery, Kam-Pui Lee, Zhaoyan Liu, William Hunt, Jacques Pelon, Yongxiang Hu, Sharon Burton, Johnathan Hair, Jason L. Tackett, Brian Getzewich, Jayanta Kar, and Sharon Rodier
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 51–82, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-51-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-51-2019, 2019
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The version 4 (V4) release of the CALIPSO data products includes substantial improvements to the calibration of the CALIOP 1064 nm channel. In this paper we review the fundamentals of 1064 nm lidar calibration, explain the motivations for the changes made to the algorithm, and describe the mechanics of the V4 calibration technique. Internal consistency checks and comparisons to collocated high spectral resolution lidar measurements show the V4 1064 nm calibration coefficients to within ~ 3 %.
Junshik Um, Greg M. McFarquhar, Jeffrey L. Stith, Chang Hoon Jung, Seoung Soo Lee, Ji Yi Lee, Younghwan Shin, Yun Gon Lee, Yiseok Isaac Yang, Seong Soo Yum, Byung-Gon Kim, Joo Wan Cha, and A-Reum Ko
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 16915–16930, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-16915-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-16915-2018, 2018
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During the 2012 Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry experiment upper anvils of two storms were sampled. The occurrence of well-defined pristine crystals was low in the anvils, while single frozen droplets and frozen droplet aggregates (FDAs) were the dominant habits. A new algorithm was developed to automatically identify the number, size, and relative position of element frozen droplets within FDAs. The morphological characteristics of FDAs were compared with those of black carbon aggregates.
Emma Järvinen, Olivier Jourdan, David Neubauer, Bin Yao, Chao Liu, Meinrat O. Andreae, Ulrike Lohmann, Manfred Wendisch, Greg M. McFarquhar, Thomas Leisner, and Martin Schnaiter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15767–15781, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15767-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15767-2018, 2018
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Using light diffraction it is possible to detect microscopic features within ice particles that have not yet been fully characterized. Here, this technique was applied in airborne measurements, where it was found that majority of atmospheric ice particles have features that significantly change the way ice particles interact with solar light. The microscopic features make ice-containing clouds more reflective than previously thought, which could have consequences for predicting our climate.
Michael S. Diamond, Amie Dobracki, Steffen Freitag, Jennifer D. Small Griswold, Ashley Heikkila, Steven G. Howell, Mary E. Kacarab, James R. Podolske, Pablo E. Saide, and Robert Wood
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 14623–14636, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14623-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14623-2018, 2018
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Smoke from Africa can mix into clouds over the southeast Atlantic and create new droplets, which brightens the clouds, reflects more sunlight, and thus cools the region. Using aircraft data from a NASA field campaign, we find that cloud properties are correlated with smoke as expected when the smoke is below the clouds but not when smoke is above the clouds because it takes several days for clouds to mix smoke downward. We recommend methods that can track clouds as they move for future studies.
Suzane S. de Sá, Brett B. Palm, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Douglas A. Day, Weiwei Hu, Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz, Lindsay D. Yee, Joel Brito, Samara Carbone, Igor O. Ribeiro, Glauber G. Cirino, Yingjun Liu, Ryan Thalman, Arthur Sedlacek, Aaron Funk, Courtney Schumacher, John E. Shilling, Johannes Schneider, Paulo Artaxo, Allen H. Goldstein, Rodrigo A. F. Souza, Jian Wang, Karena A. McKinney, Henrique Barbosa, M. Lizabeth Alexander, Jose L. Jimenez, and Scot T. Martin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 12185–12206, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12185-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12185-2018, 2018
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This study aimed at understanding and quantifying the changes in mass concentration and composition of submicron airborne particulate matter (PM) in Amazonia due to urban pollution. Downwind of Manaus, PM concentrations increased by up to 200 % under polluted compared with background conditions. The observed changes included contributions from both primary and secondary processes. The differences in organic PM composition suggested a shift in the pathways of secondary production with pollution.
Sara D. Forestieri, Taylor M. Helgestad, Andrew T. Lambe, Lindsay Renbaum-Wolff, Daniel A. Lack, Paola Massoli, Eben S. Cross, Manvendra K. Dubey, Claudio Mazzoleni, Jason S. Olfert, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Andrew Freedman, Paul Davidovits, Timothy B. Onasch, and Christopher D. Cappa
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 12141–12159, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12141-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12141-2018, 2018
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We characterized optical properties of flame-derived black carbon particles and interpret our observations through the use of Mie theory and Rayleigh–Debye–Gans theory. We determined that the mass absorption coefficient is independent of particle collapse and use this to derive theory- and wavelength-specific refractive indices for black carbon (BC). We demonstrate the inadequacy of Mie theory and suggest an alternative approach for atmospheric models to better represent light absorption by BC.
Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Peter R. Buseck, Kouji Adachi, Timothy B. Onasch, Stephen R. Springston, and Lawrence Kleinman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 11289–11301, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-11289-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-11289-2018, 2018
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This paper presents the first direct atmospheric observations of the formation and evolution of tar balls (TBs) in forest fires collected during the Department of Energy’s Biomass Burning Observation Project (BBOP). We quantify, for the first time, the TB mass fraction in the BB plumes and show that this mass fraction increases from less than 1 % to 50 % within the first couple of hours of plume aging. Using Mie theory we find that TBs are consistent with being weak light absorbers.
Jay Herman, Elena Spinei, Alan Fried, Jhoon Kim, Jae Kim, Woogyung Kim, Alexander Cede, Nader Abuhassan, and Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 4583–4603, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4583-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4583-2018, 2018
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Nine Pandora Spectrometer Instruments were installed at 8 sites for KORUS-AQ (Korea U.S.-Air Quality) field study from ground, aircraft, and satellite measurements. The quantities retrieved were total column measurements of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde. We show the distribution of NO2 and HCHO air pollutants vs location and time of day and comparisons with aircraft and satellite data. For some of the sites, long-term time series are available to asses changes.
Jessie M. Creamean, Maximilian Maahn, Gijs de Boer, Allison McComiskey, Arthur J. Sedlacek, and Yan Feng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 555–570, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-555-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-555-2018, 2018
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We report on airborne observations from the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Fifth Airborne Carbon Measurements (ACME-V) campaign along the North Slope of Alaska during the summer of 2015. We show how local oil extraction activities, 2015's central Alaskan wildfires, and, to a lesser extent, long-range transport introduce aerosols and trace gases higher in concentration than previously reported in Arctic haze measurements to the North Slope.
Ryan Thalman, Suzane S. de Sá, Brett B. Palm, Henrique M. J. Barbosa, Mira L. Pöhlker, M. Lizabeth Alexander, Joel Brito, Samara Carbone, Paulo Castillo, Douglas A. Day, Chongai Kuang, Antonio Manzi, Nga Lee Ng, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Rodrigo Souza, Stephen Springston, Thomas Watson, Christopher Pöhlker, Ulrich Pöschl, Meinrat O. Andreae, Paulo Artaxo, Jose L. Jimenez, Scot T. Martin, and Jian Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 11779–11801, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-11779-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-11779-2017, 2017
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Particle hygroscopicity, mixing state, and the hygroscopicity of organic components were characterized in central Amazonia for 1 year; their seasonal and diel variations were driven by a combination of primary emissions, photochemical oxidation, and boundary layer development. The relationship between the hygroscopicity of organic components and their oxidation level was examined, and the results help to reconcile the differences among the relationships observed in previous studies.
Moritz Haarig, Albert Ansmann, Dietrich Althausen, André Klepel, Silke Groß, Volker Freudenthaler, Carlos Toledano, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, David A. Farrell, Damien A. Prescod, Eleni Marinou, Sharon P. Burton, Josef Gasteiger, Ronny Engelmann, and Holger Baars
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 10767–10794, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-10767-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-10767-2017, 2017
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Our measurements performed with a lidar on Barbados give a vertical profile of Saharan dust, which was transported over 5000 km across the Atlantic. The new triple-wavelength depolarization technique reveals more information about the shape and size of dust, which will improve our understanding of the aging process of dust in the atmosphere and its representation in dust models. Changing properties of dust particles influence the solar radiation and the cloud properties and thus our climate.
Patricia Sawamura, Richard H. Moore, Sharon P. Burton, Eduard Chemyakin, Detlef Müller, Alexei Kolgotin, Richard A. Ferrare, Chris A. Hostetler, Luke D. Ziemba, Andreas J. Beyersdorf, and Bruce E. Anderson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 7229–7243, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-7229-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-7229-2017, 2017
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We present a detailed evaluation of physical properties of aerosols, like aerosol number concentration and aerosol size, obtained from an advanced, airborne, multi-wavelength high-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL-2) system. These lidar-retrieved physical properties were compared to airborne in situ measurements. Our findings highlight the advantages of advanced HSRL measurements and retrievals to help constrain the vertical distribution of aerosol volume or mass loading relevant for air quality.
Ann M. Fridlind, Xiaowen Li, Di Wu, Marcus van Lier-Walqui, Andrew S. Ackerman, Wei-Kuo Tao, Greg M. McFarquhar, Wei Wu, Xiquan Dong, Jingyu Wang, Alexander Ryzhkov, Pengfei Zhang, Michael R. Poellot, Andrea Neumann, and Jason M. Tomlinson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 5947–5972, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5947-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5947-2017, 2017
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Understanding observed storm microphysics via computer simulation requires measurements of aerosol on which most hydrometeors form. We prepare aerosol input data for six storms observed over Oklahoma. We demonstrate their use in simulations of a case with widespread ice outflow well sampled by aircraft. Simulations predict too few ice crystals that are too large. We speculate that microphysics found in tropical storms occurred here, likely associated with poorly understood ice multiplication.
Samuel Rémy, Andreas Veira, Ronan Paugam, Mikhail Sofiev, Johannes W. Kaiser, Franco Marenco, Sharon P. Burton, Angela Benedetti, Richard J. Engelen, Richard Ferrare, and Jonathan W. Hair
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 2921–2942, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2921-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2921-2017, 2017
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Biomass burning emission injection heights are an important source of uncertainty in global climate and atmospheric composition modelling. This work provides a global daily data set of injection heights computed by two very different algorithms, which coherently complete a global biomass burning emissions database. The two data sets were compared and validated against observations, and their use was found to improve forecasts of carbonaceous aerosols in two case studies.
Shan Zhou, Sonya Collier, Daniel A. Jaffe, Nicole L. Briggs, Jonathan Hee, Arthur J. Sedlacek III, Lawrence Kleinman, Timothy B. Onasch, and Qi Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 2477–2493, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2477-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2477-2017, 2017
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Wildfire plumes in the western US were sampled at a high-elevation site in summer 2013. Three distinct BBOA types were identified, representing biomass burning OA with different degrees of atmospheric processing. Analysis of consecutive BB plumes transported from the same fire source showed that photooxidation led to enhanced mass fractions of aged BBOAs but negligible net OA production. A possible reason is that SOA formation was almost entirely balanced by BBOA volatilization during transport.
Adam P. Bateman, Zhaoheng Gong, Tristan H. Harder, Suzane S. de Sá, Bingbing Wang, Paulo Castillo, Swarup China, Yingjun Liu, Rachel E. O'Brien, Brett B. Palm, Hung-Wei Shiu, Glauber G. Cirino, Ryan Thalman, Kouji Adachi, M. Lizabeth Alexander, Paulo Artaxo, Allan K. Bertram, Peter R. Buseck, Mary K. Gilles, Jose L. Jimenez, Alexander Laskin, Antonio O. Manzi, Arthur Sedlacek, Rodrigo A. F. Souza, Jian Wang, Rahul Zaveri, and Scot T. Martin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 1759–1773, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1759-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-1759-2017, 2017
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The occurrence of nonliquid and liquid physical states of submicron atmospheric particulate matter (PM) downwind of an urban region in central Amazonia was investigated. Air masses representing background conditions, urban pollution, and regional- and continental-scale biomass were measured. Anthropogenic influences contributed to the presence of nonliquid PM in the atmospheric particle population, while liquid PM dominated during periods of biogenic influence.
Sharon P. Burton, Eduard Chemyakin, Xu Liu, Kirk Knobelspiesse, Snorre Stamnes, Patricia Sawamura, Richard H. Moore, Chris A. Hostetler, and Richard A. Ferrare
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 5555–5574, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5555-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5555-2016, 2016
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Retrievals of aerosol microphysics exist for ground-based, airborne, and future space-borne lidar measurements. We investigate the information content of a lidar measurement system, using only a forward model but no explicit inversion. The simplified aerosol used here is applicable as a best case for all retrievals in the absence of additional constraints. We report (1) information content of the measurements; (2) uncertainties on the retrieved parameters; and (3) sources of compensating errors.
Hiren Jethva, Omar Torres, Lorraine Remer, Jens Redemann, John Livingston, Stephen Dunagan, Yohei Shinozuka, Meloe Kacenelenbogen, Michal Segal Rosenheimer, and Rob Spurr
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 5053–5062, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5053-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5053-2016, 2016
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Validation of the above-cloud aerosol optical depth retrieved using the "color ratio" method applied to MODIS cloudy-sky
measurements against airborne direct measurements made by NASA’s AATS and 4STAR sun photometers during SAFARI-2000,
ACE-ASIA 2001, and SEAC4RS 2013 reveals a good level of agreement (difference < 0.1), in which most matchups are found
be constrained within the estimated uncertainties associated with the MODIS retrievals (-10 % to +50 %).
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
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 12733–12752, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12733-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12733-2016, 2016
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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.
Ann M. Fridlind, Rachel Atlas, Bastiaan van Diedenhoven, Junshik Um, Greg M. McFarquhar, Andrew S. Ackerman, Elisabeth J. Moyer, and R. Paul Lawson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 7251–7283, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7251-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7251-2016, 2016
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Images of crystals within mid-latitude cirrus clouds are used to derive consistent ice physical and optical properties for a detailed cloud microphysics model, including size-dependent mass, projected area, and fall speed. Based on habits found, properties are derived for bullet rosettes, their aggregates, and crystals with irregular shapes. Derived bullet rosette fall speeds are substantially greater than reported in past studies, owing to differences in mass, area, or diameter representation.
Patricia Sawamura, Richard H. Moore, Sharon P. Burton, Eduard Chemyakin, Detlef Müller, Alexei Kolgotin, Richard A. Ferrare, Chris A. Hostetler, Luke D. Ziemba, Andreas J. Beyersdorf, and Bruce E. Anderson
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2016-380, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2016-380, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
L. Kleinman, C. Kuang, A. Sedlacek, G. Senum, S. Springston, J. Wang, Q. Zhang, J. Jayne, J. Fast, J. Hubbe, J. Shilling, and R. Zaveri
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 1729–1746, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1729-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1729-2016, 2016
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Atmospheric measurements of total organic aerosol (OA) and tracers of anthropogenic and biogenic emissions are used to quantify synergistic effects (A–B interactions) between two classes of precursors in the formation of OA. Regressions are consistent with the Sacramento plume composed mainly of modern carbon, and OA correlating best with an anthropogenic tracer. It is found that meteorological conditions during a pollution episode can mimic effects of A–B interactions.
L. M. Zamora, R. A. Kahn, M. J. Cubison, G. S. Diskin, J. L. Jimenez, Y. Kondo, G. M. McFarquhar, A. Nenes, K. L. Thornhill, A. Wisthaler, A. Zelenyuk, and L. D. Ziemba
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 715–738, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-715-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-715-2016, 2016
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Based on extensive aircraft campaigns, we quantify how biomass burning smoke affects subarctic and Arctic liquid cloud microphysical properties. Enhanced cloud albedo may decrease short-wave radiative flux by between 2 and 4 Wm2 or more in some subarctic conditions. Smoke halved average cloud droplet diameter. In one case study, it also appeared to limit droplet formation. Numerous Arctic background Aitken particles can also interact with combustion particles, perhaps affecting their properties.
S. P. Burton, J. W. Hair, M. Kahnert, R. A. Ferrare, C. A. Hostetler, A. L. Cook, D. B. Harper, T. A. Berkoff, S. T. Seaman, J. E. Collins, M. A. Fenn, and R. R. Rogers
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 13453–13473, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-13453-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-13453-2015, 2015
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The manuscript describes measurements of particle depolarization ratio from the NASA airborne HSRL-2 at three wavelengths, for two dust cases and a smoke case. Differences in the spectral dependence of particle depolarization ratio are due to the sizes of the non-spherical particles, large for dust and small for smoke. The large depolarization at 355nm for smoke has not been previously reported and may impact aerosol typing when only a single wavelength is available.
J. Um, G. M. McFarquhar, Y. P. Hong, S.-S. Lee, C. H. Jung, R. P. Lawson, and Q. Mo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 3933–3956, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3933-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3933-2015, 2015
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Dimensions of ice crystals increased with an increase in temperature and the L-W relationships of crystals with a given L depended heavily on temperature, whereas the aspect ratio depended only weakly on temperature. The relative frequency of occurrence of plates was much larger in anvil clouds compared to that of columnar crystals (i.e., columns and bullet rosettes), whereas the relative occurrence frequency of columnar crystals was much larger in non-anvil clouds.
R. R. Rogers, M. A. Vaughan, C. A. Hostetler, S. P. Burton, R. A. Ferrare, S. A. Young, J. W. Hair, M. D. Obland, D. B. Harper, A. L. Cook, and D. M. Winker
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 4317–4340, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-4317-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-4317-2014, 2014
D. Müller, C. A. Hostetler, R. A. Ferrare, S. P. Burton, E. Chemyakin, A. Kolgotin, J. W. Hair, A. L. Cook, D. B. Harper, R. R. Rogers, R. W. Hare, C. S. Cleckner, M. D. Obland, J. Tomlinson, L. K. Berg, and B. Schmid
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 3487–3496, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-3487-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-3487-2014, 2014
J. D. Fast, J. Allan, R. Bahreini, J. Craven, L. Emmons, R. Ferrare, P. L. Hayes, A. Hodzic, J. Holloway, C. Hostetler, J. L. Jimenez, H. Jonsson, S. Liu, Y. Liu, A. Metcalf, A. Middlebrook, J. Nowak, M. Pekour, A. Perring, L. Russell, A. Sedlacek, J. Seinfeld, A. Setyan, J. Shilling, M. Shrivastava, S. Springston, C. Song, R. Subramanian, J. W. Taylor, V. Vinoj, Q. Yang, R. A. Zaveri, and Q. Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 10013–10060, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-10013-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-10013-2014, 2014
A. J. Scarino, M. D. Obland, J. D. Fast, S. P. Burton, R. A. Ferrare, C. A. Hostetler, L. K. Berg, B. Lefer, C. Haman, J. W. Hair, R. R. Rogers, C. Butler, A. L. Cook, and D. B. Harper
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 5547–5560, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-5547-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-5547-2014, 2014
S. G. Howell, A. D. Clarke, S. Freitag, C. S. McNaughton, V. Kapustin, V. Brekovskikh, J.-L. Jimenez, and M. J. Cubison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 5073–5087, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-5073-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-5073-2014, 2014
S. P. Burton, M. A. Vaughan, R. A. Ferrare, and C. A. Hostetler
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 419–436, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-419-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-419-2014, 2014
S. Freitag, A. D. Clarke, S. G. Howell, V. N. Kapustin, T. Campos, V. L. Brekhovskikh, and J. Zhou
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 107–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-107-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-107-2014, 2014
F. Patadia, R. A. Kahn, J. A. Limbacher, S. P. Burton, R. A. Ferrare, C. A. Hostetler, and J. W. Hair
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 9525–9541, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9525-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9525-2013, 2013
A. D. Clarke, S. Freitag, R. M. C. Simpson, J. G. Hudson, S. G. Howell, V. L. Brekhovskikh, T. Campos, V. N. Kapustin, and J. Zhou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 7511–7529, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-7511-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-7511-2013, 2013
R. Blot, A. D. Clarke, S. Freitag, V. Kapustin, S. G. Howell, J. B. Jensen, L. M. Shank, C. S. McNaughton, and V. Brekhovskikh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 7263–7278, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-7263-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-7263-2013, 2013
S. P. Burton, R. A. Ferrare, M. A. Vaughan, A. H. Omar, R. R. Rogers, C. A. Hostetler, and J. W. Hair
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 1397–1412, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-1397-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-1397-2013, 2013
J. E. Shilling, R. A. Zaveri, J. D. Fast, L. Kleinman, M. L. Alexander, M. R. Canagaratna, E. Fortner, J. M. Hubbe, J. T. Jayne, A. Sedlacek, A. Setyan, S. Springston, D. R. Worsnop, and Q. Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 2091–2113, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-2091-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-2091-2013, 2013
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
Hygroscopic aerosols amplify longwave downward radiation in the Arctic
Measurement report: Optical and structural properties of atmospheric water-soluble organic carbon in China – insights from multi-site spectroscopic measurements
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
In situ vertical observations of the layered structure of air pollution in a continental high-latitude urban boundary layer during winter
Size-resolved hygroscopicity and volatility properties of ambient urban aerosol particles measured by a volatility hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer system in Beijing
Terrestrial runoff is an important source of biological ice-nucleating particles in Arctic marine systems
Characterization of aerosol over the eastern Mediterranean by polarization-sensitive Raman lidar measurements during A-LIFE – aerosol type classification and type separation
Aerosol spectral optical properties in the Paris urban area and its peri-urban and forested surroundings during summer 2022 from ACROSS surface observations
Measurement report: An investigation of the spatiotemporal variability in aerosols in the mountainous terrain of the upper Colorado River basin using SAIL-Net
Contributions of the synoptic meteorology to the seasonal cloud condensation nuclei cycle over the Southern Ocean
Measurement report: Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity in the South China Sea from shipborne observations during the summer and winter of 2021 – seasonal variation and anthropogenic influence
Measurement report: A comparative analysis of an intensive incursion of fluorescing African dust particles over Puerto Rico and another over Spain
Measurement report: Analysis of aerosol optical depth variation at Zhongshan Station in Antarctica
External particle mixing influences hygroscopicity in a sub-urban area
Long-term observations of black carbon and carbon monoxide in the Poker Flat Research Range, central Alaska, with a focus on forest wildfire emissions
High ice-nucleating particle concentrations associated with Arctic haze in springtime cold-air outbreaks
CCN estimations at a high-altitude remote site: role of organic aerosol variability and hygroscopicity
Aerosol hygroscopicity over the southeast Atlantic Ocean during the biomass burning season – Part 1: From the perspective of scattering enhancement
Spatial, temporal, and meteorological impact of the 26 February 2023 dust storm: increase in particulate matter concentrations across New Mexico and West Texas
Large spatiotemporal variability in aerosol properties over central Argentina during the CACTI field campaign
Quantification and characterization of primary biological aerosol particles and microbes aerosolized from Baltic seawater
Brownness of organics in anthropogenic biomass burning aerosols over South Asia
Measurement report: size-resolved particle effective density measured by the AAC-SMPS and implications for chemical composition
Source apportionment of particle number size distribution at the street canyon and urban background sites
Long-range transport of coarse mineral dust: an evaluation of the Met Office Unified Model against aircraft observations
Extreme Saharan dust events expand northward over the Atlantic and Europe, prompting record-breaking PM10 and PM2.5 episodes
Atmospheric black carbon in the metropolitan area of La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia: concentration levels and emission sources
Changing optical properties of black carbon and brown carbon aerosols during long-range transport from the Indo-Gangetic Plain to the equatorial Indian Ocean
The evolution of aerosols mixing state derived from a field campaign in Beijing: implications to the particles aging time scale in urban atmosphere
Aerosol size distribution properties associated with cold-air outbreaks in the Norwegian Arctic
Ice-nucleating particles active below −24 °C in a Finnish boreal forest and their relationship to bioaerosols
Measurement report: The influence of particle number size distribution and hygroscopicity on the microphysical properties of cloud droplets at a mountain site
Measurements of particle emissions of an A350-941 burning 100 % sustainable aviation fuels in cruise
Vertical distribution of ice nucleating particles over the boreal forest of Hyytiälä, Finland
Multi-year gradient measurements of sea spray fluxes over the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean
Measurement report: In situ vertical profiles of below-cloud aerosol over the central Greenland Ice Sheet
Occurrence, abundance, and formation of atmospheric tarballs from a wide range of wildfires in the western US
Measurement report: Contribution of atmospheric new particle formation to ultrafine particle concentration, cloud condensation nuclei, and radiative forcing – results from 5-year observations in central Europe
Simulated contrail-processed aviation soot aerosols are poor ice-nucleating particles at cirrus temperatures
Biological and dust aerosols as sources of ice-nucleating particles in the eastern Mediterranean: source apportionment, atmospheric processing and parameterization
Quantifying the dust direct radiative effect in the southwestern United States: findings from multiyear measurements
How horizontal transport and turbulent mixing impact aerosol particle and precursor concentrations at a background site in the UAE
Markedly different impacts of primary emissions and secondary aerosol formation on aerosol mixing states revealed by simultaneous measurements of CCNC, H(/V)TDMA, and SP2
Phase matrix characterization of long-range transported Saharan dust using multiwavelength polarized polar imaging nephelometry
Vertically resolved aerosol variability at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory under wet-season conditions
Vertical structure of a springtime smoky and humid troposphere over the southeast Atlantic from aircraft and reanalysis
Measurement Report: Long-term Assessment of Primary and Secondary Organic Aerosols in Shanghai Megacity throughout China’s Clean Air Actions since 2010
Shipborne observations of black carbon aerosols in the western Arctic Ocean during summer and autumn 2016–2020: impact of boreal fires
Attribution of aerosol particle number size distributions to main sources using an 11-year urban dataset
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
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To understand the effect of aerosols on the vertical distribution of stratocumulus microphysical quantities in southwest China, the daily variation characteristics and formation mechanism of the vertical profiles of stratocumulus microphysical characteristics in this region were described using the data of nine cloud-crossing aircraft observations over Guangxi from 10 October to 3 November 2020.
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
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Our study explores how certain aerosols, like sea salt, affect infrared heat radiation in the Arctic, potentially speeding up warming. We used advanced technology to measure aerosol composition and found that these particles grow with humidity, significantly increasing their heat-trapping effect in the infrared region, especially in winter. Our findings suggest these aerosols could be a key factor in Arctic warming, emphasizing the importance of understanding aerosols for climate prediction.
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
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A comprehensive understanding of the optical properties of brown carbon (BrC) is essential to accurately assess its climatic effects. Based on multi-site spectroscopic measurements, this study demonstrated the significant spatial heterogeneity in the optical and structural properties of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in different regions of China and revealed factors affecting WSOC light absorption and the relationship between fluorophores and light absorption of WSOC.
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
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Here, we show differences and variations in the aerosol scattering hygroscopic growth factor (f(RH)) between new particle formation (NPF) and non-NPF days and the effect of aerosol chemical compositions on f(RH) in Xiamen with in situ observations. The findings are helpful for the further understanding of aerosol hygroscopicity in a coastal city and the use of hygroscopic growth factors in models of air quality and climate change.
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
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This study presents an analysis of vertical measurements of pollution in an Alaskan city during winter. It investigates the relationship between the atmospheric structure and the layering of aerosols and trace gases. Results indicate an overall very shallow surface mixing layer. The height of this layer is strongly influenced by a local shallow wind. The study also provides information on the pollution chemical composition at different altitudes, including pollution signatures from power plants.
Aoyuan Yu, Xiaojing Shen, Qianli Ma, Jiayuan Lu, Xinyao Hu, Yangmei Zhang, Quan Liu, Linlin Liang, Lei Liu, Shuo Liu, Hongfei Tong, Huizheng Che, Xiaoye Zhang, and Junying Sun
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3389–3412, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3389-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3389-2025, 2025
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In this work, we utilized a volatility hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer (VH-TDMA) to investigate, for the first time, the hygroscopicity and volatility of submicron aerosols, as well as their hygroscopicity after heating, in urban Beijing during the autumn of 2023. We analyzed the size-resolved characteristics of hygroscopicity and volatility, the relationship between hygroscopic and volatile properties, and the hygroscopicity of heated submicron aerosols.
Corina Wieber, Lasse Z. Jensen, Leendert Vergeynst, Lorenz Meire, Thomas Juul-Pedersen, Kai Finster, and Tina Šantl-Temkiv
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3327–3346, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3327-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3327-2025, 2025
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The Arctic region is subject to profound changes due to a warming climate. Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) in the seawater can get transported to the atmosphere and impact cloud formation. However, the sources of characteristics of INPs in the marine areas are poorly understood. We investigated the INPs in seawater from Greenlandic fjords and identified a seasonal variability, with highly active INPs originating from terrestrial sources such as glacial and soil runoff.
Silke Groß, Volker Freudenthaler, Moritz Haarig, Albert Ansmann, Carlos Toledano, David Mateos, Petra Seibert, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Argyro Nisantzi, Josef Gasteiger, Maximilian Dollner, Anne Tipka, Manuel Schöberl, Marilena Teri, and Bernadett Weinzierl
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3191–3211, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3191-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3191-2025, 2025
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Aerosols contribute to the largest uncertainties in climate change predictions. The eastern Mediterranean is a hotspot for aerosols with natural and anthropogenic contributions. We present lidar measurements performed during A-LIFE (Absorbing aerosol layers in a changing climate: aging, lifetime and dynamics) to characterize aerosols and aerosol mixtures. We extend current lidar classification and separation schemes and compare them to classification schemes using different methods.
Ludovico Di Antonio, Claudia Di Biagio, Paola Formenti, Aline Gratien, Vincent Michoud, Christopher Cantrell, Astrid Bauville, Antonin Bergé, Mathieu Cazaunau, Servanne Chevaillier, Manuela Cirtog, Patrice Coll, Barbara D'Anna, Joel F. de Brito, David O. De Haan, Juliette R. Dignum, Shravan Deshmukh, Olivier Favez, Pierre-Marie Flaud, Cecile Gaimoz, Lelia N. Hawkins, Julien Kammer, Brigitte Language, Franck Maisonneuve, Griša Močnik, Emilie Perraudin, Jean-Eudes Petit, Prodip Acharja, Laurent Poulain, Pauline Pouyes, Eva Drew Pronovost, Véronique Riffault, Kanuri I. Roundtree, Marwa Shahin, Guillaume Siour, Eric Villenave, Pascal Zapf, Gilles Foret, Jean-François Doussin, and Matthias Beekmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3161–3189, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3161-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3161-2025, 2025
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The spectral complex refractive index (CRI) and single scattering albedo were retrieved from submicron aerosol measurements at three sites within the greater Paris area during the ACROSS field campaign (June–July 2022). Measurements revealed urban emission impact on surrounding areas. CRI full period averages at 520 nm were 1.41 – 0.037i (urban), 1.52 – 0.038i (peri-urban), and 1.50 – 0.025i (rural). Organic aerosols dominated the aerosol mass and contributed up to 22 % of absorption at 370 nm.
Leah D. Gibson, Ezra J. T. Levin, Ethan Emerson, Nick Good, Anna Hodshire, Gavin McMeeking, Kate Patterson, Bryan Rainwater, Tom Ramin, and Ben Swanson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2745–2762, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2745-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2745-2025, 2025
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From fall 2021 to summer 2023, SAIL-Net, a network of six aerosol measurement nodes, was deployed in the East River watershed (Colorado, USA) to study aerosol variability across space and time in mountainous terrain. We found that aerosol variability is influenced by elevation differences, with the most representative site in the region changing seasonally, suggesting aerosol spatial variability also varies seasonally. This work offers a blueprint for future studies in other mountainous regions.
Tahereh Alinejadtabrizi, Yi Huang, Francisco Lang, Steven Siems, Michael Manton, Luis Ackermann, Melita Keywood, Ruhi Humphries, Paul Krummel, Alastair Williams, and Greg Ayers
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2631–2648, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2631-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2631-2025, 2025
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Clouds over the Southern Ocean are crucial to Earth's energy balance, but understanding the factors that control them is complex. Our research examines how weather patterns affect tiny particles called cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), which influence cloud properties. Using data from Kennaook / Cape Grim, we found that winter air from Antarctica brings cleaner conditions with lower CCN, while summer patterns from Australia transport more particles. Precipitation also helps reduce CCN in winter.
Hengjia Ou, Mingfu Cai, Yongyun Zhang, Xue Ni, Baoling Liang, Qibin Sun, Shixin Mai, Cuizhi Sun, Shengzhen Zhou, Haichao Wang, Jiaren Sun, and Jun Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2495–2513, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2495-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2495-2025, 2025
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Two shipborne observations in the South China Sea (SCS) in summer and winter 2021 were conducted. Our study found aerosol hygroscopicity is higher in the SCS in summer than winter, with significant influences from various terrestrial air masses. Aerosol size distribution had a stronger effect on activation ratio than aerosol hygroscopicity in summer and vice versa in winter. Our study provides valuable information to enhance our understanding of cloud condensation nuclei activities in the SCS.
Bighnaraj Sarangi, Darrel Baumgardner, Ana Isabel Calvo, Benjamin Bolaños-Rosero, Roberto Fraile, Alberto Rodríguez-Fernández, Delia Fernández-González, Carlos Blanco-Alegre, Cátia Gonçalves, Estela D. Vicente, and Olga L. Mayol-Bracero
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 843–865, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-843-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-843-2025, 2025
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Measurements of fluorescing aerosol particle properties have been made during two major African dust events, one over the island of Puerto Rico and the other over the city of León, Spain. The measurements were made with two wideband integrated bioaerosol spectrometers. A significant change in the background aerosol properties, at both locations, is observed when the dust is in the respective regions.
Lijing Chen, Lei Zhang, Yong She, Zhaoliang Zeng, Yu Zheng, Biao Tian, Wenqian Zhang, Zhaohui Liu, Huizheng Che, and Minghu Ding
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 727–739, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-727-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-727-2025, 2025
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Aerosol optical depth (AOD) at Zhongshan Station varies seasonally, with lower values in summer and higher values in winter. Winter and spring AOD increases due to reduced fine-mode particles, while summer and autumn increases are linked to particle growth. Diurnal AOD variation correlates positively with temperature but negatively with wind speed and humidity. Backward trajectories show that aerosols on high-AOD (low-AOD) days primarily originate from the ocean (interior Antarctica).
Shravan Deshmukh, Laurent Poulain, Birgit Wehner, Silvia Henning, Jean-Eudes Petit, Pauline Fombelle, Olivier Favez, Hartmut Herrmann, and Mira Pöhlker
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 741–758, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-741-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-741-2025, 2025
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Aerosol hygroscopicity has been investigated at a sub-urban site in Paris; analysis shows the sub-saturated regime's measured hygroscopicity and the chemically derived hygroscopic growth, shedding light on the large effect of external particle mixing and its influence on predicting hygroscopicity.
Takeshi Kinase, Fumikazu Taketani, Masayuki Takigawa, Chunmao Zhu, Yongwon Kim, Petr Mordovskoi, and Yugo Kanaya
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 143–156, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-143-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-143-2025, 2025
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Boreal forest wildfires in interior Alaska represent an important black carbon (BC) source for the Arctic and surrounding regions. We observed BC and carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations in the Poker Flat Research Range since 2016 and found a positive correlation between the observed BC / ∆CO ratio and fire radiative power (FRP) observed in Alaska and Canada. Our finding suggests the BC emission factor and/or inventory could be potentially improved by using FRP.
Erin N. Raif, Sarah L. Barr, Mark D. Tarn, James B. McQuaid, Martin I. Daily, Steven J. Abel, Paul A. Barrett, Keith N. Bower, Paul R. Field, Kenneth S. Carslaw, and Benjamin J. Murray
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 14045–14072, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14045-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14045-2024, 2024
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Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) allow ice to form in clouds at temperatures warmer than −35°C. We measured INP concentrations over the Norwegian and Barents seas in weather events where cold air is ejected from the Arctic. These concentrations were among the highest measured in the Arctic. It is likely that the INPs were transported to the Arctic from distant regions. These results show it is important to consider hemispheric-scale INP processes to understand INP concentrations in the Arctic.
Fernando Rejano, Andrea Casans, Marta Via, Juan Andrés Casquero-Vera, Sonia Castillo, Hassan Lyamani, Alberto Cazorla, Elisabeth Andrews, Daniel Pérez-Ramírez, Andrés Alastuey, Francisco Javier Gómez-Moreno, Lucas Alados-Arboledas, Francisco José Olmo, and Gloria Titos
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13865–13888, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13865-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13865-2024, 2024
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This study provides valuable insights to improve cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) estimations at a high-altitude remote site which is influenced by nearby urban pollution. Understanding the factors that affect CCN estimations is essential to improve the CCN data coverage worldwide and assess aerosol–cloud interactions on a global scale. This is crucial for improving climate models, since aerosol–cloud interactions are the most important source of uncertainty in climate projections.
Lu Zhang, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Haochi Che, Caroline Dang, Junying Sun, Ye Kuang, Paola Formenti, and Steven G. Howell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13849–13864, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13849-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13849-2024, 2024
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Using airborne measurements over the southeast Atlantic Ocean, we examined how much moisture aerosols take up during Africa’s biomass burning season. Our study revealed the important role of organic aerosols and introduced a predictive model for moisture uptake, accounting for organics, sulfate, and black carbon, summarizing results from various campaigns. These findings improve our understanding of aerosol–moisture interactions and their radiative effects in this climatically critical region.
Mary C. Robinson, Kaitlin Schueth, and Karin Ardon-Dryer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13733–13750, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13733-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13733-2024, 2024
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On 26 February 2023, New Mexico and West Texas were impacted by a severe dust storm. To analyze this storm, 28 meteorological stations and 19 PM2.5 and PM10 stations were used. Dust particles were in the air for 16 h, and dust storm conditions lasted for up to 120 min. Hourly PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were up to 518 and 9983 µg m−3, respectively. For Lubbock, Texas, the maximum PM2.5 concentrations were the highest ever recorded.
Jerome D. Fast, Adam C. Varble, Fan Mei, Mikhail Pekour, Jason Tomlinson, Alla Zelenyuk, Art J. Sedlacek III, Maria Zawadowicz, and Louisa Emmons
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13477–13502, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13477-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13477-2024, 2024
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Aerosol property measurements recently collected on the ground and by a research aircraft in central Argentina during the Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) campaign exhibit large spatial and temporal variability. These measurements coupled with coincident meteorological information provide a valuable data set needed to evaluate and improve model predictions of aerosols in a traditionally data-sparse region of South America.
Julika Zinke, Gabriel Pereira Freitas, Rachel Ann Foster, Paul Zieger, Ernst Douglas Nilsson, Piotr Markuszewski, and Matthew Edward Salter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13413–13428, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13413-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13413-2024, 2024
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Bioaerosols, which can influence climate and human health, were studied in the Baltic Sea. In May and August 2021, we used a sea spray simulation chamber during two ship-based campaigns to collect and measure these aerosols. We found that microbes were enriched in air compared to seawater. Bacterial diversity was analysed using DNA sequencing. Our methods provided consistent estimates of microbial emission fluxes, aligning with previous studies.
Chimurkar Navinya, Taveen Singh Kapoor, Gupta Anurag, Chandra Venkataraman, Harish C. Phuleria, and Rajan K. Chakrabarty
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13285–13297, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13285-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13285-2024, 2024
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Brown carbon (BrC) aerosols show an order-of-magnitude variation in their light absorption strength. Our understanding of BrC from real-world biomass burning remains limited, complicating the determination of its radiative impact. Our study reports absorption properties of BrC emitted from four major biomass burning sources using field measurements in India. It develops an absorption parameterization for BrC and examines the spatial variability in BrC's absorption strength across India.
Yao Song, Jing Wei, Wenlong Zhao, Jinmei Ding, Xiangyu Pei, Fei Zhang, Zhengning Xu, Ruifang Shi, Ya Wei, Lu Zhang, Lingling Jin, and Zhibin Wang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3298, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3298, 2024
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This study investigates the size-resolved effective density (ρeff) of aerosol particles in Hangzhou using an AAC-SMPS. The ρeff values ranged from 1.47 to 1.63 g/cm3, increasing with particle diameter. Smaller particles showed significant diurnal density variations. The relationship between ρeff and particle diameter varies due to differences in the chemical composition of the particles. A new method to derive size-resolved chemical composition of particles from ρeff was proposed.
Sami D. Harni, Minna Aurela, Sanna Saarikoski, Jarkko V. Niemi, Harri Portin, Hanna Manninen, Ville Leinonen, Pasi Aalto, Phil K. Hopke, Tuukka Petäjä, Topi Rönkkö, and Hilkka Timonen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12143–12160, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12143-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12143-2024, 2024
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In this study, particle number size distribution data were used in a novel way in positive matrix factorization analysis to find aerosol source profiles in the area. Measurements were made in Helsinki at a street canyon and urban background sites between February 2015 and June 2019. Five different aerosol sources were identified. These sources underline the significance of traffic-related emissions in urban environments despite recent improvements in emission reduction technologies.
Natalie G. Ratcliffe, Claire L. Ryder, Nicolas Bellouin, Stephanie Woodward, Anthony Jones, Ben Johnson, Lisa-Maria Wieland, Maximilian Dollner, Josef Gasteiger, and Bernadett Weinzierl
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12161–12181, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12161-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12161-2024, 2024
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Large mineral dust particles are more abundant in the atmosphere than expected and have different impacts on the environment than small particles, which are better represented in climate models. We use aircraft measurements to assess a climate model representation of large-dust transport. We find that the model underestimates the amount of large dust at all stages of transport and that fast removal of the large particles increases this underestimation with distance from the Sahara.
Sergio Rodríguez and Jessica López-Darias
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12031–12053, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12031-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12031-2024, 2024
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Extreme Saharan dust events expanded northward to the Atlantic and Europe, prompting record-breaking PM10 and PM2.5 events. These episodes are caused by low-to-high dipole meteorology during hemispheric anomalies characterized by subtropical anticyclones shifting to higher latitudes, anomalous low pressures beyond the tropics and amplified Rossby waves. Extreme dust events occur in a paradoxical context of a multidecadal decrease in dust emissions, a topic that requires further investigation.
Valeria Mardoñez-Balderrama, Griša Močnik, Marco Pandolfi, Robin L. Modini, Fernando Velarde, Laura Renzi, Angela Marinoni, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Isabel Moreno R., Diego Aliaga, Federico Bianchi, Claudia Mohr, Martin Gysel-Beer, Patrick Ginot, Radovan Krejci, Alfred Wiedensohler, Gaëlle Uzu, Marcos Andrade, and Paolo Laj
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12055–12077, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12055-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12055-2024, 2024
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Levels of black carbon (BC) are scarcely reported in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in high-altitude conditions. This study provides insight into the concentration level, variability, and optical properties of BC in La Paz and El Alto and at the Chacaltaya Global Atmosphere Watch Station. Two methods of source apportionment of absorption were tested and compared showing traffic as the main contributor to absorption in the urban area, in addition to biomass and open waste burning.
Krishnakant Budhavant, Mohanan Remani Manoj, Hari Ram Chandrika Rajendran Nair, Samuel Mwaniki Gaita, Henry Holmstrand, Abdus Salam, Ahmed Muslim, Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh, and Örjan Gustafsson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11911–11925, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11911-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11911-2024, 2024
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The South Asian Pollution Experiment 2018 used access to three strategically located receptor observatories. Observational constraints revealed opposing trends in the mass absorption cross sections of black carbon (BC MAC) and brown carbon (BrC MAC) during long-range transport. Models estimating the climate effects of BC aerosols may have underestimated the ambient BC MAC over distant receptor areas, leading to discrepancies in aerosol absorption predicted by observation-constrained models.
Jieyao Liu, Fang Zhang, Jingye Ren, and Lu Chen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2999, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2999, 2024
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The particles mixing states and aging time scale are important for the evaluation of aerosols climate effects, but they are poorly parameterized in current models. We unravel the evolution of real-time mixing states and aging time scale of size-resolved particles based on field measurement in urban Beijing. This study provides observational basis for accurately parameterizing the aging time scale of aerosol particles in climate models.
Abigail S. Williams, Jeramy L. Dedrick, Lynn M. Russell, Florian Tornow, Israel Silber, Ann M. Fridlind, Benjamin Swanson, Paul J. DeMott, Paul Zieger, and Radovan Krejci
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11791–11805, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11791-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11791-2024, 2024
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The measured aerosol size distribution modes reveal distinct properties characteristic of cold-air outbreaks in the Norwegian Arctic. We find higher sea spray number concentrations, smaller Hoppel minima, lower effective supersaturations, and accumulation-mode particle scavenging during cold-air outbreaks. These results advance our understanding of cold-air outbreak aerosol–cloud interactions in order to improve their accurate representation in models.
Franziska Vogel, Michael P. Adams, Larissa Lacher, Polly B. Foster, Grace C. E. Porter, Barbara Bertozzi, Kristina Höhler, Julia Schneider, Tobias Schorr, Nsikanabasi S. Umo, Jens Nadolny, Zoé Brasseur, Paavo Heikkilä, Erik S. Thomson, Nicole Büttner, Martin I. Daily, Romy Fösig, Alexander D. Harrison, Jorma Keskinen, Ulrike Proske, Jonathan Duplissy, Markku Kulmala, Tuukka Petäjä, Ottmar Möhler, and Benjamin J. Murray
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11737–11757, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11737-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11737-2024, 2024
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Primary ice formation in clouds strongly influences their properties; hence, it is important to understand the sources of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) and their variability. We present 2 months of INP measurements in a Finnish boreal forest using a new semi-autonomous INP counting device based on gas expansion. These results show strong variability in INP concentrations, and we present a case that the INPs we observe are, at least some of the time, of biological origin.
Xiaojing Shen, Quan Liu, Junying Sun, Wanlin Kong, Qianli Ma, Bing Qi, Lujie Han, Yangmei Zhang, Linlin Liang, Lei Liu, Shuo Liu, Xinyao Hu, Jiayuan Lu, Aoyuan Yu, Huizheng Che, and Xiaoye Zhang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2850, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2850, 2024
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In this work, an automatic switched inlet system was developed and employed to investigate the aerosols and cloud droplets at a mountain site with frequent cloud processes. It showed different characteristics of cloud residual and interstitial particles. Stronger particle hygroscopicity reduced liquid water content and smaller cloud droplet diameters. This investigation contributes to understanding aerosol-cloud interactions by assessing the impact of aerosol particles on cloud microphysics.
Rebecca Dischl, Daniel Sauer, Christiane Voigt, Theresa Harlaß, Felicitas Sakellariou, Raphael Märkl, Ulrich Schumann, Monika Scheibe, Stefan Kaufmann, Anke Roiger, Andreas Dörnbrack, Charles Renard, Maxime Gauthier, Peter Swann, Paul Madden, Darren Luff, Mark Johnson, Denise Ahrens, Reetu Sallinen, Tobias Schripp, Georg Eckel, Uwe Bauder, and Patrick Le Clercq
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11255–11273, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11255-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11255-2024, 2024
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In-flight measurements of aircraft emissions burning 100 % sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) show reduced particle number concentrations up to 41 % compared to conventional jet fuel. Particle emissions are dependent on engine power setting, flight altitude, and fuel composition. Engine models show a good correlation with measurement results. Future increased prevalence of SAF can positively influence the climate impact of aviation.
Zoé Brasseur, Julia Schneider, Janne Lampilahti, Ville Vakkari, Victoria A. Sinclair, Christina J. Williamson, Carlton Xavier, Dmitri Moisseev, Markus Hartmann, Pyry Poutanen, Markus Lampimäki, Markku Kulmala, Tuukka Petäjä, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Erik S. Thomson, Kristina Höhler, Ottmar Möhler, and Jonathan Duplissy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11305–11332, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11305-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11305-2024, 2024
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Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) strongly influence the formation of clouds by initiating the formation of ice crystals. However, very little is known about the vertical distribution of INPs in the atmosphere. Here, we present aircraft measurements of INP concentrations above the Finnish boreal forest. Results show that near-surface INPs are efficiently transported and mixed within the boundary layer and occasionally reach the free troposphere.
Piotr Markuszewski, E. Douglas Nilsson, Julika Zinke, E. Monica Mårtensson, Matthew Salter, Przemysław Makuch, Małgorzata Kitowska, Iwona Niedźwiecka-Wróbel, Violetta Drozdowska, Dominik Lis, Tomasz Petelski, Luca Ferrero, and Jacek Piskozub
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11227–11253, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11227-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11227-2024, 2024
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Our research provides new insights into the study of sea spray aerosol (SSA) emissions in the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic. We observed that SSA flux is suppressed during increased marine biological activity in the Baltic Sea. At the same time, the influence of wave age showed higher SSA emissions in the Baltic Sea for younger waves compared to the Atlantic Ocean. These insights underscore the complex interplay between biological activity and physical dynamics in regulating SSA emissions.
Heather Guy, Andrew S. Martin, Erik Olson, Ian M. Brooks, and Ryan R. Neely III
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11103–11114, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11103-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11103-2024, 2024
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Aerosol particles impact cloud properties which influence Greenland Ice Sheet melt. Understanding the aerosol population that interacts with clouds is important for constraining future melt. Measurements of aerosols at cloud height over Greenland are rare, and surface measurements are often used to investigate cloud–aerosol interactions. We use a tethered balloon to measure aerosols up to cloud base and show that surface measurements are often not equivalent to those just below the cloud.
Kouji Adachi, Jack E. Dibb, Joseph M. Katich, Joshua P. Schwarz, Hongyu Guo, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Jose L. Jimenez, Jeff Peischl, Christopher D. Holmes, and James Crawford
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10985–11004, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10985-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10985-2024, 2024
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We examined aerosol particles from wildfires and identified tarballs (TBs) from the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) campaign. This study reveals the compositions, abundance, sizes, and mixing states of TBs and shows that TBs formed as the smoke aged for up to 5 h. This study provides measurements of TBs from various biomass-burning events and ages, enhancing our knowledge of TB emissions and our understanding of their climate impact.
Jia Sun, Markus Hermann, Kay Weinhold, Maik Merkel, Wolfram Birmili, Yifan Yang, Thomas Tuch, Harald Flentje, Björn Briel, Ludwig Ries, Cedric Couret, Michael Elsasser, Ralf Sohmer, Klaus Wirtz, Frank Meinhardt, Maik Schütze, Olaf Bath, Bryan Hellack, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Markku Kulmala, Nan Ma, and Alfred Wiedensohler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10667–10687, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10667-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10667-2024, 2024
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We investigated the characteristics of new particle formation (NPF) for various environments from urban background to high Alpine and the impacts of NPF on cloud condensation nuclei and aerosol radiative forcing. NPF features differ between site categories, implying the crucial role of local environmental factors such as the degree of emissions and meteorological conditions. The results also underscore the importance of local environments when assessing the impact of NPF on climate in models.
Baptiste Testa, Lukas Durdina, Jacinta Edebeli, Curdin Spirig, and Zamin A. Kanji
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10409–10424, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10409-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10409-2024, 2024
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Aviation soot residuals released from contrails can become compacted upon sublimation of the ice crystals, generating new voids in the aggregates where ice nucleation can occur. Here we show that contrail-processed soot is highly compact but that it remains unable to form ice at a relative humidity different from that required for the formation of background cirrus from the more ubiquitous aqueous solution droplets, suggesting that it will not perturb cirrus cloud formation via ice nucleation.
Kunfeng Gao, Franziska Vogel, Romanos Foskinis, Stergios Vratolis, Maria I. Gini, Konstantinos Granakis, Anne-Claire Billault-Roux, Paraskevi Georgakaki, Olga Zografou, Prodromos Fetfatzis, Alexis Berne, Alexandros Papayannis, Konstantinos Eleftheridadis, Ottmar Möhler, and Athanasios Nenes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9939–9974, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9939-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9939-2024, 2024
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Ice nucleating particle (INP) concentrations are required for correct predictions of clouds and precipitation in a changing climate, but they are poorly constrained in climate models. We unravel source contributions to INPs in the eastern Mediterranean and find that biological particles are important, regardless of their origin. The parameterizations developed exhibit superior performance and enable models to consider biological-particle effects on INPs.
Alexandra Kuwano, Amato T. Evan, Blake Walkowiak, and Robert Frouin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9843–9868, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9843-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9843-2024, 2024
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The dust direct radiative effect is highly uncertain. Here we used new measurements collected over 3 years and during dust storms at a field site in a desert region in the southwestern United States to estimate the regional dust direct radiative effect. We also used novel soil mineralogy retrieved from an airborne spectrometer to estimate this parameter with model output. We find that, in this region, dust has a minimal net cooling effect on this region's climate.
Jutta Kesti, Ewan J. O'Connor, Anne Hirsikko, John Backman, Maria Filioglou, Anu-Maija Sundström, Juha Tonttila, Heikki Lihavainen, Hannele Korhonen, and Eija Asmi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9369–9386, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9369-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9369-2024, 2024
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The study combines aerosol particle measurements at the surface and vertical profiling of the atmosphere with a scanning Doppler lidar to investigate how particle transportation together with boundary layer evolution can affect particle and SO2 concentrations at the surface in the Arabian Peninsula region. The instrumentation enabled us to see elevated nucleation mode particle and SO2 concentrations at the surface when air masses transported from polluted areas are mixed in the boundary layer.
Jiangchuan Tao, Biao Luo, Weiqi Xu, Gang Zhao, Hanbin Xu, Biao Xue, Miaomiao Zhai, Wanyun Xu, Huarong Zhao, Sanxue Ren, Guangsheng Zhou, Li Liu, Ye Kuang, and Yele Sun
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9131–9154, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9131-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9131-2024, 2024
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Using simultaneous measurements of DMA–CCNC, H(/V)TDMA, and DMA–SP2, impacts of primary emissions and secondary aerosol formations on changes in aerosol physicochemical properties were comprehensively investigated. It was found that intercomparisons among aerosol mixing-state parameters derived from different techniques can help us gain more insight into aerosol physical properties which, in turn, will aid the investigation of emission characteristics and secondary aerosol formation pathways.
Elena Bazo, Daniel Perez-Ramirez, Antonio Valenzuela, Vanderlei Martins, Gloria Titos, Alberto Cazorla, Fernando Rejano, Diego Patrón, Arlett Diaz-Zurita, Francisco Jose Garcia-Izquierdo, David Fuertes, Lucas Alados-Arboledas, and Francisco Jose Olmo
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2080, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2080, 2024
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This works analyses aerosol scattering phase function for transported Saharan dust to the city of Granada – located in southwestern Europe. We use the novel technique polar imaging nephelometry that helps to determine the phase functions using a CCD camara. The capability of measuring with polarized light helps to inferr new properties about the mixture of Saharan dust particles with other of anthropogenic origin.
Marco A. Franco, Rafael Valiati, Bruna A. Holanda, Bruno B. Meller, Leslie A. Kremper, Luciana V. Rizzo, Samara Carbone, Fernando G. Morais, Janaína P. Nascimento, Meinrat O. Andreae, Micael A. Cecchini, Luiz A. T. Machado, Milena Ponczek, Ulrich Pöschl, David Walter, Christopher Pöhlker, and Paulo Artaxo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8751–8770, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8751-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8751-2024, 2024
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The Amazon wet-season atmosphere was studied at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory site, revealing vertical variations (between 60 and 325 m) in natural aerosols. Daytime mixing contrasted with nighttime stratification, with distinct rain-induced changes in aerosol populations. Notably, optical property recovery at higher levels was faster, while near-canopy aerosols showed higher scattering efficiency. These findings enhance our understanding of aerosol impacts on climate dynamics.
Kristina Pistone, Eric M. Wilcox, Paquita Zuidema, Marco Giordano, James Podolske, Samuel E. LeBlanc, Meloë Kacenelenbogen, Steven G. Howell, and Steffen Freitag
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7983–8005, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7983-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7983-2024, 2024
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The springtime southeast Atlantic atmosphere contains lots of smoke from continental fires. This smoke travels with water vapor; more smoke means more humidity. We use aircraft observations and models to describe how the values change through the season and over the region. We sort the atmosphere into different types by vertical structure and amount of smoke and humidity. Since our work shows how frequently these components coincide, it helps to better quantify heating effects over this region.
Haifeng Yu, Yunhua Chang, Lin Cheng, Yusen Duan, and Jianlin Hu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1488, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1488, 2024
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This study presents long-term measurements and comprehensive analysis of carbonaceous aerosols in PM2.5 in Shanghai. We further estimated POC and SOC levels, examining their temporal variations on interannual, monthly, seasonal, and diurnal scales. Through rigorous statistical analysis and correlation studies with meteorological parameters and pollutant concentrations, the origins, formation mechanisms, and spatial distribution patterns of SOC were elucidated.
Yange Deng, Hiroshi Tanimoto, Kohei Ikeda, Sohiko Kameyama, Sachiko Okamoto, Jinyoung Jung, Young Jun Yoon, Eun Jin Yang, and Sung-Ho Kang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6339–6357, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6339-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6339-2024, 2024
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Black carbon (BC) aerosols play important roles in Arctic climate change, yet they are not well understood because of limited observational data. We observed BC mass concentrations (mBC) in the western Arctic Ocean during summer and early autumn 2016–2020. The mean mBC in 2019 was much higher than in other years. Biomass burning was likely the dominant BC source. Boreal fire BC transport occurring near the surface and/or in the mid-troposphere contributed to high-BC events in the Arctic Ocean.
Máté Vörösmarty, Philip K. Hopke, and Imre Salma
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5695–5712, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5695-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5695-2024, 2024
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The World Health Organization identified ultrafine particles, which make up most of the particle number concentrations, as a potential risk factor for humans. The sources of particle numbers are very different from those of the particulate matter mass. We performed source apportionment of size-segregated particle number concentrations over the diameter range of 6–1000 nm in Budapest for 11 full years. Six source types were identified, characterized and quantified.
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Short summary
A large stratocumulus cloud deck resides off the west coast of central Africa. Biomass burning in Africa produces a large plume of aerosol that is carried by the wind over this stratocumulus cloud deck. This paper shows that particles with sizes from 0.01 to 1 mm reside within this plume. Past studies have shown that biomass burning produces such particles, but this is the first study to show that they can be transported westward, over long distances, to the Atlantic stratocumulus cloud deck.
A large stratocumulus cloud deck resides off the west coast of central Africa. Biomass burning...
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