Articles | Volume 22, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12695-2022
© Author(s) 2022. 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-22-12695-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Technical note
| 
29 Sep 2022
Technical note |
| 29 Sep 2022
| 29 Sep 2022
Technical note: Use of PM2.5 to CO ratio as an indicator of wildfire smoke in urban areas
School of STEM, University of Washington, Bothell, WA 98011, USA
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle,
WA 98195, USA
Brendan Schnieder
Washoe County Health District, Air Quality Management Division, Reno,
NV 89512, USA
Daniel Inouye
Washoe County Health District, Air Quality Management Division, Reno,
NV 89512, USA
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We investigated the impact of societal restriction measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on surface ozone at 41 high-elevation sites worldwide. Negative ozone anomalies were observed for spring and summer 2020 for all of the regions considered. In 2021, negative anomalies continued for Europe and partially for the eastern US, while western US sites showed positive anomalies due to wildfires. IASI satellite data and the Carbon Monitor supported emission reductions as a cause of the anomalies.
Lixu Jin, Wade Permar, Vanessa Selimovic, Damien Ketcherside, Robert J. Yokelson, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Eric C. Apel, I-Ting Ku, Jeffrey L. Collett Jr., Amy P. Sullivan, Daniel A. Jaffe, Jeffrey R. Pierce, Alan Fried, Matthew M. Coggon, Georgios I. Gkatzelis, Carsten Warneke, Emily V. Fischer, and Lu Hu
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Daniel A. Jaffe, Colleen Miller, Katie Thompson, Brandon Finley, Manna Nelson, James Ouimette, and Elisabeth Andrews
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1311–1322, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1311-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1311-2023, 2023
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PurpleAir sensors (PASs) are low-cost tools to measure fine particulate matter (PM) concentrations. However, the raw PAS data have significant biases, so the sensors must be corrected. We analyzed data from numerous sites and found that the standard correction to the PAS Purple Air data is accurate in urban pollution events and smoke events but leads to a 6-fold underestimate in the PM2.5 concentrations in dust events. We propose a new correction algorithm to address this problem.
Nathaniel W. May, Noah Bernays, Ryan Farley, Qi Zhang, and Daniel A. Jaffe
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2747–2764, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2747-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2747-2023, 2023
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In summer 2019 at Mt. Bachelor Observatory, we observed smoke from wildfires with transport times ranging from less than a day up to 2 weeks. Aerosol absorption of multi-day transported smoke was dominated by black carbon, while smoke with shorter transport times had greater brown carbon absorption. Notably, Siberian smoke exhibited aerosol scattering and physical properties indicative of contributions from larger particles than typically observed in smoke.
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Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3189–3192, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3189-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3189-2022, 2022
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Ozone is an important pollutant that impacts millions of people worldwide. It is therefore important to ensure accurate measurements. A recent surge in wildfire activity in the USA has resulted in significant enhancements in ozone concentration. However given the nature of wildfire smoke, there are questions about our ability to accurately measure ozone. In this comment, we discuss possible biases in the UV measurements of ozone in the presence of smoke.
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Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 1571–1585, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1571-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1571-2019, 2019
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Arlene M. Fiore, Emily V. Fischer, George P. Milly, Shubha Pandey Deolal, Oliver Wild, Daniel A. Jaffe, Johannes Staehelin, Olivia E. Clifton, Dan Bergmann, William Collins, Frank Dentener, Ruth M. Doherty, Bryan N. Duncan, Bernd Fischer, Stefan Gilge, Peter G. Hess, Larry W. Horowitz, Alexandru Lupu, Ian A. MacKenzie, Rokjin Park, Ludwig Ries, Michael G. Sanderson, Martin G. Schultz, Drew T. Shindell, Martin Steinbacher, David S. Stevenson, Sophie Szopa, Christoph Zellweger, and Guang Zeng
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Jean J. Guo, Arlene M. Fiore, Lee T. Murray, Daniel A. Jaffe, Jordan L. Schnell, Charles T. Moore, and George P. Milly
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 12123–12140, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12123-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12123-2018, 2018
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Johannes Bieser, Franz Slemr, Jesse Ambrose, Carl Brenninkmeijer, Steve Brooks, Ashu Dastoor, Francesco DeSimone, Ralf Ebinghaus, Christian N. Gencarelli, Beate Geyer, Lynne E. Gratz, Ian M. Hedgecock, Daniel Jaffe, Paul Kelley, Che-Jen Lin, Lyatt Jaegle, Volker Matthias, Andrei Ryjkov, Noelle E. Selin, Shaojie Song, Oleg Travnikov, Andreas Weigelt, Winston Luke, Xinrong Ren, Andreas Zahn, Xin Yang, Yun Zhu, and Nicola Pirrone
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Andrew D. Teakles, Rita So, Bruce Ainslie, Robert Nissen, Corinne Schiller, Roxanne Vingarzan, Ian McKendry, Anne Marie Macdonald, Daniel A. Jaffe, Allan K. Bertram, Kevin B. Strawbridge, W. Richard Leaitch, Sarah Hanna, Desiree Toom, Jonathan Baik, and Lin Huang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 2593–2611, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2593-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2593-2017, 2017
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We present a case study of an intense wildfire smoke plume from Siberia that affected the air quality across the Pacific Northwest on 6–10 July 2012. The transport, entrainment, and chemical composition of the plume are examined to characterize the event. Ambient O3 and PM2.5 from surface monitoring is contrast to modelled baseline air quality estimates to show the overall contribution of the plume to exceedances in O3 and PM2.5 air quality standards and objectives that occurred.
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.
James R. Laing, Daniel A. Jaffe, and Jonathan R. Hee
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We characterize the aerosol physical and optical properties of biomass burning smoke observed at Mt. Bachelor Observatory in central Oregon during August 2015. We found differences in the light absorption properties of biomass burning aerosol depending on where the fire originated from and how long it was transported to the sampling site. We found that aerosol size distribution was not dependent on transport time but affected the light scattering properties of the aerosol.
Xiao Lu, Lin Zhang, Xu Yue, Jiachen Zhang, Daniel A. Jaffe, Andreas Stohl, Yuanhong Zhao, and Jingyuan Shao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 14687–14702, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-14687-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-14687-2016, 2016
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Increasing wildfire activities in the mountainous western US may present a challenge for the region to attain a recently revised ozone air quality standard in summer. We quantify the wildfire influence on the ozone variability, trends, and number of high ozone days over this region in summers 1989–2010 using a Lagrangian dispersion model and statistical regression models.
Kimiko M. Sakamoto, James R. Laing, Robin G. Stevens, Daniel A. Jaffe, and Jeffrey R. Pierce
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 7709–7724, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7709-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7709-2016, 2016
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We determine how various meteorological and fire factors contribute to shaping the aged biomass-burning particle size distribution through coagulation. The mass emissions flux, fire area, and wind speed are dominant factors controlling the aged size distribution. We parameterize the aged size distribution for global/regional aerosol models. We estimate that the aged biomass-burning particle size distribution may be more sensitive to variability in coagulation than SOA formation.
Colleen P. Jones, Seth N. Lyman, Daniel A. Jaffe, Tanner Allen, and Trevor L. O'Neil
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 2195–2205, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-2195-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-2195-2016, 2016
Short summary
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Current measurement methods do not provide information about the speciation of oxidized mercury compounds in the atmosphere, leading to uncertainty about which mercury compounds exist and how oxidized mercury is formed. We have developed a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry-based system for identification of oxidized mercury compounds. We discuss the main features and performance of this system.
V. Shah, L. Jaeglé, L. E. Gratz, J. L. Ambrose, D. A. Jaffe, N. E. Selin, S. Song, T. L. Campos, F. M. Flocke, M. Reeves, D. Stechman, M. Stell, J. Festa, J. Stutz, A. J. Weinheimer, D. J. Knapp, D. D. Montzka, G. S. Tyndall, E. C. Apel, R. S. Hornbrook, A. J. Hills, D. D. Riemer, N. J. Blake, C. A. Cantrell, and R. L. Mauldin III
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 1511–1530, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1511-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1511-2016, 2016
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We present airborne observations of mercury over the southeastern USA during summer. Higher concentrations of oxidized mercury were observed in clean, dry air masses descending in the subtropical anti-cyclones. We used an atmospheric model to simulate the chemistry and transport of mercury. We found reasonable agreement with the observations when the modeled oxidation of elemental mercury was increased, suggesting fast cycling between elemental and oxidized mercury.
S. Song, N. E. Selin, A. L. Soerensen, H. Angot, R. Artz, S. Brooks, E.-G. Brunke, G. Conley, A. Dommergue, R. Ebinghaus, T. M. Holsen, D. A. Jaffe, S. Kang, P. Kelley, W. T. Luke, O. Magand, K. Marumoto, K. A. Pfaffhuber, X. Ren, G.-R. Sheu, F. Slemr, T. Warneke, A. Weigelt, P. Weiss-Penzias, D. C. Wip, and Q. Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 7103–7125, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-7103-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-7103-2015, 2015
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A better knowledge of mercury (Hg) emission fluxes into the global atmosphere is important for assessing its human health impacts and evaluating the effectiveness of corresponding policy actions. We for the first time apply a top-down approach at a global scale to quantitatively estimate present-day mercury emission sources as well as key parameters in a chemical transport model, in order to better constrain the global biogeochemical cycle of mercury.
P. Weiss-Penzias, H. M. Amos, N. E. Selin, M. S. Gustin, D. A. Jaffe, D. Obrist, G.-R. Sheu, and A. Giang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 1161–1173, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-1161-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-1161-2015, 2015
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Speciated atmospheric Hg measurements from five high-elevation sites were compared with a global mercury model. The comparison confirmed that reactive mercury is formed in dry free tropospheric air from the oxidation of elemental Hg, more so in the summer than in other seasons. Simulations run with OH-O3 oxidation instead of the Br oxidation mechanism compared more closely with observations at desert sites, suggesting future simulations should include multiple reaction mechanisms simultaneously.
F. L. Herron-Thorpe, G. H. Mount, L. K. Emmons, B. K. Lamb, D. A. Jaffe, N. L. Wigder, S. H. Chung, R. Zhang, M. D. Woelfle, and J. K. Vaughan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 12533–12551, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12533-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12533-2014, 2014
Short summary
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Wildfire season simulations from an air quality forecast system for the Pacific Northwest were compared to surface monitor observations across the region and NASA Earth Observing System satellite retrievals of plume top, nitrogen dioxide, aerosol optical depth, and carbon monoxide. This study discusses why the Community Multi-scale Air Quality model predictions under-predicted secondary organic aerosol (SOA) production for events when fire emissions were transported large distances.
Davide Putero, Paolo Cristofanelli, Kai-Lan Chang, Gaëlle Dufour, Gregory Beachley, Cédric Couret, Peter Effertz, Daniel A. Jaffe, Dagmar Kubistin, Jason Lynch, Irina Petropavlovskikh, Melissa Puchalski, Timothy Sharac, Barkley C. Sive, Martin Steinbacher, Carlos Torres, and Owen R. Cooper
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15693–15709, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15693-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15693-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated the impact of societal restriction measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on surface ozone at 41 high-elevation sites worldwide. Negative ozone anomalies were observed for spring and summer 2020 for all of the regions considered. In 2021, negative anomalies continued for Europe and partially for the eastern US, while western US sites showed positive anomalies due to wildfires. IASI satellite data and the Carbon Monitor supported emission reductions as a cause of the anomalies.
Lixu Jin, Wade Permar, Vanessa Selimovic, Damien Ketcherside, Robert J. Yokelson, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Eric C. Apel, I-Ting Ku, Jeffrey L. Collett Jr., Amy P. Sullivan, Daniel A. Jaffe, Jeffrey R. Pierce, Alan Fried, Matthew M. Coggon, Georgios I. Gkatzelis, Carsten Warneke, Emily V. Fischer, and Lu Hu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5969–5991, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5969-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5969-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Air quality in the USA has been improving since 1970 due to anthropogenic emission reduction. Those gains have been partly offset by increased wildfire pollution in the western USA in the past 20 years. Still, we do not understand wildfire emissions well due to limited measurements. Here, we used a global transport model to evaluate and constrain current knowledge of wildfire emissions with recent observational constraints, showing the underestimation of wildfire emissions in the western USA.
Daniel A. Jaffe, Colleen Miller, Katie Thompson, Brandon Finley, Manna Nelson, James Ouimette, and Elisabeth Andrews
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1311–1322, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1311-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1311-2023, 2023
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PurpleAir sensors (PASs) are low-cost tools to measure fine particulate matter (PM) concentrations. However, the raw PAS data have significant biases, so the sensors must be corrected. We analyzed data from numerous sites and found that the standard correction to the PAS Purple Air data is accurate in urban pollution events and smoke events but leads to a 6-fold underestimate in the PM2.5 concentrations in dust events. We propose a new correction algorithm to address this problem.
Nathaniel W. May, Noah Bernays, Ryan Farley, Qi Zhang, and Daniel A. Jaffe
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2747–2764, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2747-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2747-2023, 2023
Short summary
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In summer 2019 at Mt. Bachelor Observatory, we observed smoke from wildfires with transport times ranging from less than a day up to 2 weeks. Aerosol absorption of multi-day transported smoke was dominated by black carbon, while smoke with shorter transport times had greater brown carbon absorption. Notably, Siberian smoke exhibited aerosol scattering and physical properties indicative of contributions from larger particles than typically observed in smoke.
Noah Bernays, Daniel A. Jaffe, Irina Petropavlovskikh, and Peter Effertz
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3189–3192, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3189-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3189-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Ozone is an important pollutant that impacts millions of people worldwide. It is therefore important to ensure accurate measurements. A recent surge in wildfire activity in the USA has resulted in significant enhancements in ozone concentration. However given the nature of wildfire smoke, there are questions about our ability to accurately measure ozone. In this comment, we discuss possible biases in the UV measurements of ozone in the presence of smoke.
Shan Zhou, Sonya Collier, Daniel A. Jaffe, and Qi Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 1571–1585, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1571-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1571-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Regional background aerosols in the western US were studied from a mountaintop observatory during summer. Oxygenated organics and sulfate were dominant aerosol components. However, free tropospheric aerosols were more enriched in sulfate, frequently acidic, and comprised mainly of highly oxidized low-volatility organic species. In contrast, organic aerosols in the boundary-layer-influenced air masses were less oxidized and appeared to be semivolatile.
Arlene M. Fiore, Emily V. Fischer, George P. Milly, Shubha Pandey Deolal, Oliver Wild, Daniel A. Jaffe, Johannes Staehelin, Olivia E. Clifton, Dan Bergmann, William Collins, Frank Dentener, Ruth M. Doherty, Bryan N. Duncan, Bernd Fischer, Stefan Gilge, Peter G. Hess, Larry W. Horowitz, Alexandru Lupu, Ian A. MacKenzie, Rokjin Park, Ludwig Ries, Michael G. Sanderson, Martin G. Schultz, Drew T. Shindell, Martin Steinbacher, David S. Stevenson, Sophie Szopa, Christoph Zellweger, and Guang Zeng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15345–15361, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15345-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15345-2018, 2018
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We demonstrate a proof-of-concept approach for applying northern midlatitude mountaintop peroxy acetyl nitrate (PAN) measurements and a multi-model ensemble during April to constrain the influence of continental-scale anthropogenic precursor emissions on PAN. Our findings imply a role for carefully coordinated multi-model ensembles in helping identify observations for discriminating among widely varying (and poorly constrained) model responses of atmospheric constituents to changes in emissions.
Jean J. Guo, Arlene M. Fiore, Lee T. Murray, Daniel A. Jaffe, Jordan L. Schnell, Charles T. Moore, and George P. Milly
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 12123–12140, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12123-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12123-2018, 2018
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Short summary
We use the GEOS-Chem model to estimate the influence from anthropogenic and background sources to ozone over the USA. Novel findings include the point that year-to-year background variability on the 10 highest observed ozone days is driven mainly by natural sources and not international or intercontinental pollution transport. High positive model biases during summer are associated with regional ozone production. The EPA 3-year average metric falls short of its aim to remove natural variability.
Johannes Bieser, Franz Slemr, Jesse Ambrose, Carl Brenninkmeijer, Steve Brooks, Ashu Dastoor, Francesco DeSimone, Ralf Ebinghaus, Christian N. Gencarelli, Beate Geyer, Lynne E. Gratz, Ian M. Hedgecock, Daniel Jaffe, Paul Kelley, Che-Jen Lin, Lyatt Jaegle, Volker Matthias, Andrei Ryjkov, Noelle E. Selin, Shaojie Song, Oleg Travnikov, Andreas Weigelt, Winston Luke, Xinrong Ren, Andreas Zahn, Xin Yang, Yun Zhu, and Nicola Pirrone
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 6925–6955, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6925-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6925-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We conducted a multi model study to investigate our ability to reproduce the vertical distribution of mercury in the atmosphere. For this, we used observational data from over 40 aircraft flights in EU and US. We compared observations to the results of seven chemistry transport models and found that the models are able to reproduce vertical gradients of total and elemental Hg. Finally, we found that different chemical reactions seem responsible for the oxidation of Hg depending on altitude.
Andrew D. Teakles, Rita So, Bruce Ainslie, Robert Nissen, Corinne Schiller, Roxanne Vingarzan, Ian McKendry, Anne Marie Macdonald, Daniel A. Jaffe, Allan K. Bertram, Kevin B. Strawbridge, W. Richard Leaitch, Sarah Hanna, Desiree Toom, Jonathan Baik, and Lin Huang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 2593–2611, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2593-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2593-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present a case study of an intense wildfire smoke plume from Siberia that affected the air quality across the Pacific Northwest on 6–10 July 2012. The transport, entrainment, and chemical composition of the plume are examined to characterize the event. Ambient O3 and PM2.5 from surface monitoring is contrast to modelled baseline air quality estimates to show the overall contribution of the plume to exceedances in O3 and PM2.5 air quality standards and objectives that occurred.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
James R. Laing, Daniel A. Jaffe, and Jonathan R. Hee
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 15185–15197, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-15185-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-15185-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We characterize the aerosol physical and optical properties of biomass burning smoke observed at Mt. Bachelor Observatory in central Oregon during August 2015. We found differences in the light absorption properties of biomass burning aerosol depending on where the fire originated from and how long it was transported to the sampling site. We found that aerosol size distribution was not dependent on transport time but affected the light scattering properties of the aerosol.
Xiao Lu, Lin Zhang, Xu Yue, Jiachen Zhang, Daniel A. Jaffe, Andreas Stohl, Yuanhong Zhao, and Jingyuan Shao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 14687–14702, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-14687-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-14687-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Increasing wildfire activities in the mountainous western US may present a challenge for the region to attain a recently revised ozone air quality standard in summer. We quantify the wildfire influence on the ozone variability, trends, and number of high ozone days over this region in summers 1989–2010 using a Lagrangian dispersion model and statistical regression models.
Kimiko M. Sakamoto, James R. Laing, Robin G. Stevens, Daniel A. Jaffe, and Jeffrey R. Pierce
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 7709–7724, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7709-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7709-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We determine how various meteorological and fire factors contribute to shaping the aged biomass-burning particle size distribution through coagulation. The mass emissions flux, fire area, and wind speed are dominant factors controlling the aged size distribution. We parameterize the aged size distribution for global/regional aerosol models. We estimate that the aged biomass-burning particle size distribution may be more sensitive to variability in coagulation than SOA formation.
Colleen P. Jones, Seth N. Lyman, Daniel A. Jaffe, Tanner Allen, and Trevor L. O'Neil
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 2195–2205, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-2195-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-2195-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Current measurement methods do not provide information about the speciation of oxidized mercury compounds in the atmosphere, leading to uncertainty about which mercury compounds exist and how oxidized mercury is formed. We have developed a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry-based system for identification of oxidized mercury compounds. We discuss the main features and performance of this system.
V. Shah, L. Jaeglé, L. E. Gratz, J. L. Ambrose, D. A. Jaffe, N. E. Selin, S. Song, T. L. Campos, F. M. Flocke, M. Reeves, D. Stechman, M. Stell, J. Festa, J. Stutz, A. J. Weinheimer, D. J. Knapp, D. D. Montzka, G. S. Tyndall, E. C. Apel, R. S. Hornbrook, A. J. Hills, D. D. Riemer, N. J. Blake, C. A. Cantrell, and R. L. Mauldin III
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 1511–1530, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1511-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1511-2016, 2016
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We present airborne observations of mercury over the southeastern USA during summer. Higher concentrations of oxidized mercury were observed in clean, dry air masses descending in the subtropical anti-cyclones. We used an atmospheric model to simulate the chemistry and transport of mercury. We found reasonable agreement with the observations when the modeled oxidation of elemental mercury was increased, suggesting fast cycling between elemental and oxidized mercury.
S. Song, N. E. Selin, A. L. Soerensen, H. Angot, R. Artz, S. Brooks, E.-G. Brunke, G. Conley, A. Dommergue, R. Ebinghaus, T. M. Holsen, D. A. Jaffe, S. Kang, P. Kelley, W. T. Luke, O. Magand, K. Marumoto, K. A. Pfaffhuber, X. Ren, G.-R. Sheu, F. Slemr, T. Warneke, A. Weigelt, P. Weiss-Penzias, D. C. Wip, and Q. Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 7103–7125, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-7103-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-7103-2015, 2015
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A better knowledge of mercury (Hg) emission fluxes into the global atmosphere is important for assessing its human health impacts and evaluating the effectiveness of corresponding policy actions. We for the first time apply a top-down approach at a global scale to quantitatively estimate present-day mercury emission sources as well as key parameters in a chemical transport model, in order to better constrain the global biogeochemical cycle of mercury.
P. Weiss-Penzias, H. M. Amos, N. E. Selin, M. S. Gustin, D. A. Jaffe, D. Obrist, G.-R. Sheu, and A. Giang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 1161–1173, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-1161-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-1161-2015, 2015
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Speciated atmospheric Hg measurements from five high-elevation sites were compared with a global mercury model. The comparison confirmed that reactive mercury is formed in dry free tropospheric air from the oxidation of elemental Hg, more so in the summer than in other seasons. Simulations run with OH-O3 oxidation instead of the Br oxidation mechanism compared more closely with observations at desert sites, suggesting future simulations should include multiple reaction mechanisms simultaneously.
F. L. Herron-Thorpe, G. H. Mount, L. K. Emmons, B. K. Lamb, D. A. Jaffe, N. L. Wigder, S. H. Chung, R. Zhang, M. D. Woelfle, and J. K. Vaughan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 12533–12551, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12533-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12533-2014, 2014
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Wildfire season simulations from an air quality forecast system for the Pacific Northwest were compared to surface monitor observations across the region and NASA Earth Observing System satellite retrievals of plume top, nitrogen dioxide, aerosol optical depth, and carbon monoxide. This study discusses why the Community Multi-scale Air Quality model predictions under-predicted secondary organic aerosol (SOA) production for events when fire emissions were transported large distances.
Related subject area
Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Field Measurements | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
Bridging gas and aerosol properties between the northeastern US and Bermuda: analysis of eight transit flights
The behaviour of charged particles (ions) during new particle formation events in urban Leipzig, Germany
Exploring the sources of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols by integrating observational and modeling results: insights from Northeast China
Measurement report: Characteristics of airborne black-carbon-containing particles during the 2021 summer COVID-19 lockdown in a typical Yangtze River Delta city, China
Aerosol optical properties within the atmospheric boundary layer predicted from ground-based observations compared to Raman lidar retrievals during RITA-2021
Hygroscopic growth and activation changed submicron aerosol composition and properties in the North China Plain
Measurement report: Formation of tropospheric brown carbon in a lifting air mass
Vertical variability of aerosol properties and trace gases over a remote marine region: a case study over Bermuda
Differences in aerosol and cloud properties along the central California coast when winds change from northerly to southerly
International airport emissions and their impact on local air quality: chemical speciation of ambient aerosols at Madrid–Barajas Airport during the AVIATOR campaign
The local ship speed reduction effect on black carbon emissions measured at a remote marine station
High-altitude aerosol chemical characterization and source identification: insights from the CALISHTO campaign
Measurement report: Impact of emission control measures on environmental persistent free radicals and reactive oxygen species – a short-term case study in Beijing
Characterizing water solubility of fresh and aged secondary organic aerosol in PM2.5 with the stable carbon isotope technique
Measurement report: Impact of cloud processes on secondary organic aerosols at a forested mountain site in southeastern China
Critical contribution of chemically diverse carbonyl molecules to the oxidative potential of atmospheric aerosols
Measurement report: Vanadium-containing ship exhaust particles detected in and above the marine boundary layer in the remote atmosphere
Diverging trends in aerosol sulfate and nitrate measured in the remote North Atlantic in Barbados are attributed to clean air policies, African smoke, and anthropogenic emissions
Diverse sources and aging change the mixing state and ice nucleation properties of aerosol particles over the western Pacific and Southern Ocean
The water-insoluble organic carbon in PM2.5 of typical Chinese urban areas: light-absorbing properties, potential sources, radiative forcing effects, and a possible light-absorbing continuum
Measurement report: Size-resolved secondary organic aerosol formation modulated by aerosol water uptake in wintertime haze
In situ measurement of organic aerosol molecular markers in urban Hong Kong during a summer period: temporal variations and source apportionment
Technical note: Determining chemical composition of atmospheric single particles by a standard-free mass calibration algorithm
Different formation pathways of nitrogen-containing organic compounds in aerosols and fog water in northern China
Automated compound speciation, cluster analysis, and quantification of organic vapours and aerosols using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and mass spectrometry
Atmospheric evolution of environmentally persistent free radicals in rural North China Plain: insights into water solubility and effects on PM2.5 oxidative potential
Impact of weather patterns and meteorological factors on PM2.5 and O3 responses to the COVID-19 lockdown in China
Daytime and nighttime aerosol soluble iron formation in clean and slightly polluted moist air in a coastal city in eastern China
Non-negligible secondary contribution to brown carbon in autumn and winter: inspiration from particulate nitrated and oxygenated aromatic compounds in urban Beijing
A Multi-site Passive Approach for Studying the Emissions and Evolution of Smoke from Prescribed Fires
Simultaneous organic aerosol source apportionment at two Antarctic sites reveals large-scale and ecoregion-specific components
Two distinct ship emission profiles for organic-sulfate source apportionment of PM in sulfur emission control areas
Measurement report: Optical characterization, seasonality, and sources of brown carbon in fine aerosols from Tianjin, North China: year-round observations
Bayesian inference-based estimation of hourly primary and secondary organic carbon in suburban Hong Kong: multi-temporal-scale variations and evolution characteristics during PM2.5 episodes
Primary and secondary emissions from a modern fleet of city buses
Dominant Influence of Biomass Combustion and Cross-Border Transport on Nitrogen-Containing Organic Compound Levels in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau
Measurement report: Characteristics of aminiums in PM2.5 during winter clean and polluted episodes in China: aminium outbreak and its constraint
Impact assessment of terrestrial and marine air-mass on the constituents and intermixing of bioaerosols over coastal atmosphere
Assessing the influence of long-range transport of aerosols on the PM2.5 chemical composition and concentration in the Aburrá Valley
Measurement report: Characteristics of nitrogen-containing organics in PM2.5 in Ürümqi, northwestern China – differential impacts of combustion of fresh and aged biomass materials
Measurement report: Bio-physicochemistry of tropical clouds at Maïdo (Réunion, Indian Ocean): overview of results from the BIO-MAÏDO campaign
Impacts of elevated anthropogenic emissions on physicochemical characteristics of BC-containing particles over the Tibetan Plateau
Chemical properties and single-particle mixing state of soot aerosol in Houston during the TRACER campaign
Measurement report: Evaluation of the TOF-ACSM-CV for PM1.0 and PM2.5 measurements during the RITA-2021 field campaign
Sea salt reactivity over the northwest Atlantic: an in-depth look using the airborne ACTIVATE dataset
Measurement report: Atmospheric ice nuclei in the Changbai Mountains (2623 m a.s.l.) in northeastern Asia
Morphological and optical properties of carbonaceous aerosol particles from ship emissions and biomass burning during a summer cruise measurement in the South China Sea
Tropical tropospheric aerosol sources and chemical composition observed at high altitude in the Bolivian Andes
Chemical composition, sources and formation mechanism of urban PM2.5 in Southwest China: a case study at the beginning of 2023
Chemical characterization of atmospheric aerosols at a high-altitude mountain site: a study of source apportionment
Cassidy Soloff, Taiwo Ajayi, Yonghoon Choi, Ewan C. Crosbie, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Marta A. Fenn, Richard A. Ferrare, Francesca Gallo, Johnathan W. Hair, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Simon Kirschler, Richard H. Moore, Taylor J. Shingler, Michael A. Shook, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Christiane Voigt, Edward L. Winstead, Luke D. Ziemba, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10385–10408, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10385-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10385-2024, 2024
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Using aircraft measurements over the northwestern Atlantic between the US East Coast and Bermuda and trajectory modeling of continental outflow, we identify trace gas and particle properties that exhibit gradients with offshore distance and quantify these changes with high-resolution measurements of concentrations and particle chemistry, size, and scattering properties. This work furthers our understanding of the complex interactions between continental and marine environments.
Alex Rowell, James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Zongbo Shi, Avinash Kumar, Matti Rissanen, Miikka Dal Maso, Peter Mettke, Kay Weinhold, Maik Merkel, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10349–10361, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10349-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10349-2024, 2024
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Ions enhance the formation and growth rates of new particles, affecting the Earth's radiation budget. Despite these effects, there is little published data exploring the sources of ions in the urban environment and their role in new particle formation (NPF). Here we show that natural ion sources dominate in urban environments, while traffic is a secondary source. Ions contribute up to 12.7 % of the formation rate of particles, indicating that they are important for forming urban PM.
Yuan Cheng, Xu-bing Cao, Sheng-qiang Zhu, Zhi-qing Zhang, Jiu-meng Liu, Hong-liang Zhang, Qiang Zhang, and Ke-bin He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9869–9883, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9869-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9869-2024, 2024
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The agreement between observational and modeling results is essential for the development of efficient air pollution control strategies. Here we constrained the modeling results of carbonaceous aerosols by field observation in Northeast China, a historically overlooked but recently targeted region of national clean-air actions. Our study suggested that the simulation of agricultural fire emissions and secondary organic aerosols remains challenging.
Yuan Dai, Junfeng Wang, Houjun Wang, Shijie Cui, Yunjiang Zhang, Haiwei Li, Yun Wu, Ming Wang, Eleonora Aruffo, and Xinlei Ge
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9733–9748, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9733-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9733-2024, 2024
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Short-term strict emission control can improve air quality, but its effectiveness needs assessment. During the 2021 summer COVID-19 lockdown in Yangzhou, we found that PM2.5 levels did not decrease despite reduced primary emissions. Aged black-carbon particles increased substantially due to higher O3 levels and transported pollutants. High humidity and low wind also played key roles. The results highlight the importance of a regionally balanced control strategy for future air quality management.
Xinya Liu, Diego Alves Gouveia, Bas Henzing, Arnoud Apituley, Arjan Hensen, Danielle van Dinther, Rujin Huang, and Ulrike Dusek
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9597–9614, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9597-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9597-2024, 2024
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The vertical distribution of aerosol optical properties is important for their effect on climate. This is usually measured by lidar, which has limitations, most notably the assumption of a lidar ratio. Our study shows that routine surface-level aerosol measurements are able to predict this lidar ratio reasonably well within the lower layers of the atmosphere and thus provide a relatively simple and cost-effective method to improve lidar measurements.
Weiqi Xu, Ye Kuang, Wanyun Xu, Zhiqiang Zhang, Biao Luo, Xiaoyi Zhang, Jiangchuang Tao, Hongqin Qiao, Li Liu, and Yele Sun
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9387–9399, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9387-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9387-2024, 2024
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We deployed an advanced aerosol–fog sampling system at a rural site in the North China Plain to investigate impacts of aerosol hygroscopic growth and activation on the physicochemical properties of submicron aerosols. Observed results highlighted remarkably different aqueous processing of primary and secondary submicron aerosol components under distinct ambient relative humidity (RH) conditions and that RH levels significantly impact aerosol sampling through the aerosol swelling effect.
Can Wu, Xiaodi Liu, Ke Zhang, Si Zhang, Cong Cao, Jianjun Li, Rui Li, Fan Zhang, and Gehui Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9263–9275, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9263-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9263-2024, 2024
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Brown carbon (BrC) is prevalent in the troposphere and can efficiently absorb solar and terrestrial radiation. Our observations show that the enhanced light absorption of BrC relative to black carbon at the tropopause can be attributed to the formation of nitrogen-containing organic compounds through the aqueous-phase reactions of carbonyls with ammonium.
Taiwo Ajayi, Yonghoon Choi, Ewan C. Crosbie, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Marta A. Fenn, Richard A. Ferrare, Johnathan W. Hair, Miguel Ricardo A. Hilario, Chris A. Hostetler, Simon Kirschler, Richard H. Moore, Taylor J. Shingler, Michael A. Shook, Cassidy Soloff, Kenneth L. Thornhill, Christiane Voigt, Edward L. Winstead, Luke D. Ziemba, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9197–9218, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9197-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9197-2024, 2024
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This study uses airborne data to examine vertical profiles of trace gases, aerosol particles, and meteorological variables over a remote marine area (Bermuda). Results show distinct differences based on both air mass source region (North America, Ocean, Caribbean/North Africa) and altitude for a given air mass type. This work highlights the sensitivity of remote marine areas to long-range transport and the importance of considering the vertical dependence of trace gas and aerosol properties.
Kira Zeider, Grace Betito, Anthony Bucholtz, Peng Xian, Annette Walker, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9059–9083, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9059-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9059-2024, 2024
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The predominant wind direction along the California coast (northerly) reverses several times during the summer (to southerly). The effects of these wind reversals on aerosol and cloud characteristics are not well understood. Using data from multiple datasets we found that southerly flow periods had enhanced signatures of anthropogenic emissions due to shipping and continental sources, and clouds had more but smaller droplets.
Saleh Alzahrani, Doğuşhan Kılıç, Michael Flynn, Paul I. Williams, and James Allan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9045–9058, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9045-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9045-2024, 2024
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This paper investigates emissions from aviation activities at an international airport to evaluate their impact on local air quality. The study provides detailed insights into the chemical composition of aerosols and key pollutants in the airport environment. Source apportionment analysis using positive matrix factorisation (PMF) identified three significant sources: less oxidised oxygenated organic aerosol, alkane organic aerosol, and more oxidised oxygenated organic aerosol.
Mikko Heikkilä, Krista Luoma, Timo Mäkelä, and Tiia Grönholm
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8927–8941, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8927-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8927-2024, 2024
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Black carbon (BC) concentration was measured from 211 ship exhaust gas plumes at a remote marine station. Emission factors of BC were calculated in grams per kilogram of fuel. Ships with an exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS) were found to have median BC emissions per fuel consumed 5 times lower than ships without an EGCS. However, this might be because of non-EGCS ships running at low engine loads rather than the EGCS itself. A local speed restriction would increase BC emissions of ships.
Olga Zografou, Maria Gini, Prodromos Fetfatzis, Konstantinos Granakis, Romanos Foskinis, Manousos Ioannis Manousakas, Fotios Tsopelas, Evangelia Diapouli, Eleni Dovrou, Christina N. Vasilakopoulou, Alexandros Papayannis, Spyros N. Pandis, Athanasios Nenes, and Konstantinos Eleftheriadis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8911–8926, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8911-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8911-2024, 2024
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Characterization of PM1 and positive matrix factorization (PMF) source apportionment of organic and inorganic fractions were conducted at the high-altitude station (HAC)2. Cloud presence reduced PM1, affecting sulfate more than organics. Free-troposphere (FT) conditions showed more black carbon (eBC) than planetary boundary layer (PBL) conditions.
Yuanyuan Qin, Xinghua Zhang, Wei Huang, Juanjuan Qin, Xiaoyu Hu, Yuxuan Cao, Tianyi Zhao, Yang Zhang, Jihua Tan, Ziyin Zhang, Xinming Wang, and Zhenzhen Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8737–8750, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8737-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8737-2024, 2024
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Environmental persistent free radicals (EPFRs) and reactive oxygen species (ROSs) play an active role in the atmosphere. Despite control measures having effectively reduced their emissions, reductions were less than in PM2.5. Emission control measures performed well in achieving Parade Blue, but reducing the impact of the atmosphere on human health remains challenging. Thus, there is a need to reassess emission control measures to better address the challenges posed by EPFRs and ROSs.
Fenghua Wei, Xing Peng, Liming Cao, Mengxue Tang, Ning Feng, Xiaofeng Huang, and Lingyan He
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8507–8518, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8507-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8507-2024, 2024
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The water solubility of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) is a crucial factor in determining their hygroscopicity and climatic impact. Stable carbon isotope and mass spectrometry techniques were combined to assess the water solubility of SOAs with different aging degrees in a coastal megacity in China. This work revealed a much higher water-soluble fraction of aged SOA compared to fresh SOA, indicating that the aging degree of SOA has considerable impacts on its water solubility.
Zijun Zhang, Weiqi Xu, Yi Zhang, Wei Zhou, Xiangyu Xu, Aodong Du, Yinzhou Zhang, Hongqin Qiao, Ye Kuang, Xiaole Pan, Zifa Wang, Xueling Cheng, Lanzhong Liu, Qingyan Fu, Douglas R. Worsnop, Jie Li, and Yele Sun
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8473–8488, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8473-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8473-2024, 2024
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We investigated aerosol composition and sources and the interaction between secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and clouds at a regional mountain site in southeastern China. Clouds efficiently scavenge more oxidized SOA; however, cloud evaporation leads to the production of less oxidized SOA. The unexpectedly high presence of nitrate in aerosol particles indicates that nitrate formed in polluted areas has undergone interactions with clouds, significantly influencing the regional background site.
Feifei Li, Shanshan Tang, Jitao Lv, Shiyang Yu, Xu Sun, Dong Cao, Yawei Wang, and Guibin Jiang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8397–8411, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8397-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8397-2024, 2024
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Targeted derivatization and non-targeted analysis with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) were used to reveal the molecular composition of carbonyl molecules in PM2.5, and the important role of carbonyls in increasing the oxidative potential of organic aerosol was found in real samples.
Maya Abou-Ghanem, Daniel M. Murphy, Gregory P. Schill, Michael J. Lawler, and Karl D. Froyd
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8263–8275, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8263-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8263-2024, 2024
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Using particle analysis by laser mass spectrometry, we examine vanadium-containing ship exhaust particles measured on NASA's DC-8 during the Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom). Our results reveal ship exhaust particles are sufficiently widespread in the marine atmosphere and experience atmospheric aging. Finally, we use laboratory calibrations to determine the vanadium, sulfate, and organic single-particle mass fractions of vanadium-containing ship exhaust particles.
Cassandra J. Gaston, Joseph M. Prospero, Kristen Foley, Havala O. T. Pye, Lillian Custals, Edmund Blades, Peter Sealy, and James A. Christie
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8049–8066, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8049-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8049-2024, 2024
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To understand how changing emissions have impacted aerosols in remote regions, we measured nitrate and sulfate in Barbados and compared them to model predictions from EPA’s Air QUAlity TimE Series (EQUATES). Nitrate was stable, except for spikes in 2008 and 2010 due to transported smoke. Sulfate decreased in the 1990s due to reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the US and Europe; then it increased in the 2000s, likely due to anthropogenic emissions from Africa.
Jiao Xue, Tian Zhang, Keyhong Park, Jinpei Yan, Young Jun Yoon, Jiyeon Park, and Bingbing Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7731–7754, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7731-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7731-2024, 2024
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Ice formation by particles is an important way of making mixed-phase and ice clouds. We found that particles collected in the marine atmosphere exhibit diverse ice nucleation abilities and mixing states. Sea salt mixed-sulfate particles were enriched in ice-nucleating particles. Selective aging on sea salt particles made particle populations more externally mixed. Characterizations of particles and their mixing state are needed for a better understanding of aerosol–cloud interactions.
Yangzhi Mo, Jun Li, Guangcai Zhong, Sanyuan Zhu, Shizhen Zhao, Jiao Tang, Hongxing Jiang, Zhineng Cheng, Chongguo Tian, Yingjun Chen, and Gan Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7755–7772, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7755-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7755-2024, 2024
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In this study, we found that biomass burning (31.0 %) and coal combustion (31.1 %) were the dominant sources of water-insoluble organic carbon in China, with coal combustion sources exhibiting the strongest light-absorbing capacity. Additionally, we propose a light-absorbing carbonaceous continuum, revealing that components enriched with fossil sources tend to have stronger light-absorbing capacity, higher aromaticity, higher molecular weights, and greater recalcitrance in the atmosphere.
Jing Duan, Ru-Jin Huang, Ying Wang, Wei Xu, Haobin Zhong, Chunshui Lin, Wei Huang, Yifang Gu, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Darius Ceburnis, and Colin O'Dowd
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7687–7698, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7687-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7687-2024, 2024
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The chemical composition of atmospheric particles has shown significant changes in recent years. We investigated the potential effects of changes in inorganics on aerosol water uptake and, thus, secondary organic aerosol formation in wintertime haze based on the size-resolved measurements of non-refractory fine particulate matter (NR-PM2.5) in Xi’an, northwestern China. We highlight the key role of aerosol water as a medium to link inorganics and organics in their multiphase processes.
Hongyong Li, Xiaopu Lyu, Likun Xue, Yunxi Huo, Dawen Yao, Haoxian Lu, and Hai Guo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7085–7100, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7085-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7085-2024, 2024
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Organic aerosol is ubiquitous in the atmosphere and largely explains the gap between current levels of fine particulate matter in many cities and the World Health Organization guideline values. This study highlights the dominant contributions of cooking emissions to organic aerosol when marine air prevailed in Hong Kong, which were occasionally overwhelmed by aromatics-derived secondary organic aerosol in continental ouflows.
Shao Shi, Jinghao Zhai, Xin Yang, Yechun Ruan, Yuanlong Huang, Xujian Chen, Antai Zhang, Jianhuai Ye, Guomao Zheng, Baohua Cai, Yaling Zeng, Yixiang Wang, Chunbo Xing, Yujie Zhang, Tzung-May Fu, Lei Zhu, Huizhong Shen, and Chen Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7001–7012, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7001-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7001-2024, 2024
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The determination of ions in the mass spectra of individual particles remains uncertain. We have developed a standard-free mass calibration algorithm applicable to more than 98 % of ambient particles. With our algorithm, ions with ~ 0.05 Th mass difference could be determined. Therefore, many more atmospheric species could be determined and involved in the source apportionment of aerosols, the study of chemical reaction mechanisms, and the analysis of single-particle mixing states.
Wei Sun, Xiaodong Hu, Yuzhen Fu, Guohua Zhang, Yujiao Zhu, Xinfeng Wang, Caiqing Yan, Likun Xue, He Meng, Bin Jiang, Yuhong Liao, Xinming Wang, Ping'an Peng, and Xinhui Bi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6987–6999, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6987-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6987-2024, 2024
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The formation pathways of nitrogen-containing compounds (NOCs) in the atmosphere remain unclear. We investigated the composition of aerosols and fog water by state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and compared the formation pathways of NOCs. We found that NOCs in aerosols were mainly formed through nitration reaction, while ammonia addition played a more important role in fog water. The results deepen our understanding of the processes of organic particulate pollution.
Xiao He, Xuan Zheng, Shuwen Guo, Lewei Zeng, Ting Chen, Bohan Yang, Shupei Xiao, Qiongqiong Wang, Zhiyuan Li, Yan You, Shaojun Zhang, and Ye Wu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1671, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1671, 2024
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This study introduces an innovative method for identifying and quantifying complex organic vapors and aerosols. By combining advanced analytical techniques and new algorithms, we categorized thousands of compounds from heavy-duty diesel vehicles and ambient air and highlighted specific tracers for emission sources. The innovative approach enhances peak identification, reduces quantification uncertainties, and offers new insights for air quality management and atmospheric chemistry.
Xu Yang, Fobang Liu, Shuqi Yang, Yuling Yang, Yanan Wang, Jingjing Li, Mingyu Zhao, Zhao Wang, Kai Wang, Chi He, and Haijie Tong
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1622, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1622, 2024
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A study in rural North China Plain revealed Environmental persistent free radicals (EPFRs) in atmospheric particulate matter (PM), with a notable water-soluble fraction likely from atmospheric oxidation during transport. Significant positive correlations between EPFRs and the water-soluble oxidative potential of PM2.5 were found, primarily attributable to the water-soluble fractions of EPFRs. These findings emphasize understanding EPFRs’ atmospheric evolution for climate and health impacts.
Fuzhen Shen, Michaela I. Hegglin, and Yue Yuan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6539–6553, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6539-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6539-2024, 2024
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We attempt to use a novel structural self-organising map and machine learning models to identify a weather system and quantify the importance of each meteorological factor in driving the unexpected PM2.5 and O3 changes under the specific weather system during the COVID-19 lockdown in China. The result highlights that temperature under the double-centre high-pressure system plays the most crucial role in abnormal events.
Wenshuai Li, Yuxuan Qi, Yingchen Liu, Guanru Wu, Yanjing Zhang, Jinhui Shi, Wenjun Qu, Lifang Sheng, Wencai Wang, Daizhou Zhang, and Yang Zhou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6495–6508, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6495-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6495-2024, 2024
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Aerosol particles from mainland can transport to oceans and deposit, providing soluble Fe and affecting phytoplankton growth. Thus, we studied the dissolution process of aerosol Fe and found that photochemistry played a key role in promoting Fe dissolution in clean conditions. RH-dependent reactions were more influential in slightly polluted conditions. These results highlight the distinct roles of two weather-related parameters (radiation and RH) in influencing geochemical cycles related to Fe.
Yanqin Ren, Zhenhai Wu, Yuanyuan Ji, Fang Bi, Junling Li, Haijie Zhang, Hao Zhang, Hong Li, and Gehui Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6525–6538, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6525-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6525-2024, 2024
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Nitrated aromatic compounds (NACs) and oxygenated derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs) in PM2.5 were examined from an urban area in Beijing during the autumn and winter. The OPAH and NAC concentrations were much higher during heating than before heating. They majorly originated from the combustion of biomass and automobile emissions, and the secondary generation was the major contributor throughout the whole sampling period.
Rime El Asmar, Zongrun Li, David J. Tanner, Yongtao Hu, Susan O’Neill, L. Gregory Huey, M. Talat Odman, and Rodney J. Weber
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1485, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1485, 2024
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Prescribed burning is an important method for managing ecosystems and preventing wildfires, however, smoke from prescribed fires can have a significant impact on air quality. Here, using a network of fixed sites and sampling throughout an extended prescribed burning period in two different years, we characterize the emissions and evolution up to 8 hours of PM2.5 mass, BC, and BrC in smoke from burning of forested lands in the southeastern US.
Marco Paglione, David C. S. Beddows, Anna Jones, Thomas Lachlan-Cope, Matteo Rinaldi, Stefano Decesari, Francesco Manarini, Mara Russo, Karam Mansour, Roy M. Harrison, Andrea Mazzanti, Emilio Tagliavini, and Manuel Dall'Osto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6305–6322, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6305-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6305-2024, 2024
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Applying factor analysis techniques to H-NMR spectra, we present the organic aerosol (OA) source apportionment of PM1 samples collected in parallel at two Antarctic stations, namely Signy and Halley, allowing investigation of aerosol–climate interactions in an unperturbed atmosphere. Our results show remarkable differences between pelagic (open-ocean) and sympagic (sea-ice-influenced) air masses and indicate that various sources and processes are controlling Antarctic aerosols.
Kirsten N. Fossum, Chunshui Lin, Niall O'Sullivan, Lu Lei, Stig Hellebust, Darius Ceburnis, Aqeel Afzal, Anja Tremper, David Green, Srishti Jain, Steigvilė Byčenkienė, Colin O'Dowd, John Wenger, and Jurgita Ovadnevaite
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1262, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1262, 2024
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The chemical composition and sources of submicron aerosol in the Dublin Port area were investigated over a month-long campaign. Two distinct types of ship emissions were identified and characterized: sulfate-rich plumes from use of heavy fuel oil with scrubbers and organic-rich plumes from use of low sulfur fuels. The latter were more frequent, emitting double the particle number, and having atypical V/Ni ratio for ship emission.
Zhichao Dong, Chandra Mouli Pavuluri, Peisen Li, Zhanjie Xu, Junjun Deng, Xueyan Zhao, Xiaomai Zhao, Pingqing Fu, and Cong-Qiang Liu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5887–5905, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5887-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5887-2024, 2024
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Comprehensive study of optical properties of brown carbon (BrC) in fine aerosols from Tianjin, China, implied that biological emissions are major sources of BrC in summer, whereas fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning emissions are in cold periods. The direct radiation absorption caused by BrC in short wavelengths contributed about 40 % to that caused by BrC in 300–700 nm. Water-insoluble but methanol-soluble BrC contains more protein-like chromophores (PLOM) than that of water-soluble BrC.
Shan Wang, Kezheng Liao, Zijing Zhang, Yuk Ying Cheng, Qiongqiong Wang, Hanzhe Chen, and Jian Zhen Yu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5803–5821, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5803-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5803-2024, 2024
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In this work, hourly primary and secondary organic carbon were estimated by a novel Bayesian inference approach in suburban Hong Kong. Their multi-temporal-scale variations and evolution characteristics during PM2.5 episodes were examined. The methodology could serve as a guide for other locations with similar monitoring capabilities. The observation-based results are helpful for understanding the evolving nature of secondary organic aerosols and refining the accuracy of model simulations.
Liyuan Zhou, Qianyun Liu, Christian M. Salvador, Michael Le Breton, Mattias Hallquist, Jian Zhen Yu, Chak K. Chan, and Åsa M. Hallquist
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-494, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-494, 2024
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Our research on city bus emissions reveals that alternative fuels (compressed natural gas and biofuels) reduce fresh particle emissions compared to diesel. However, all fuels lead to secondary air pollution. Aiming at guiding better environmental policies, we studied 76 buses using advanced emission measurement techniques. This work sheds light on the complex effects of bus fuels on urban air quality, emphasizing the need for comprehensive evaluations of future transportation technologies.
Meng Wang, Qiyuan Wang, Steven Sai Hang Ho, Jie Tian, Yong Zhang, Shun-cheng Lee, and Junji Cao
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1130, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1130, 2024
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This study explores nitrogen-containing organic compounds (NOCs) in PM2.5 particles on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau. We discovered that biomass burning and transboundary transport are the primary sources of NOCs in the high-altitude area. Understanding these aerosol sources informs how they contribute to regional and potentially global climate changes. Our findings could help shape effective environmental policies to enhance air quality and address climate impacts in this sensitive region.
Yu Xu, Tang Liu, Yi-Jia Ma, Qi-Bin Sun, Hong-Wei Xiao, Hao Xiao, and Hua-Yun Xiao
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-975, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-975, 2024
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This study has explored the characteristics of aminiums, ammonium, and PM2.5 from the clean days to the polluted days according to the observational data from 11 different Chinese cities, highlighting the possibility of the competitive uptake of ammonia versus amines on acidic aerosols, or the displacement of aminiums by ammonia under a high ammonia condition. The overall results deepen the understanding of the spatiotemporal differences in aminium characteristic and formation in China.
Qun He, Zhaowen Wang, Houfeng Liu, Pengju Xu, Rongbao Duan, Caihong Xu, Jianmin Chen, and Min Wei
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-841, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-841, 2024
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Coastal environments provide an ideal setting for investigating the intermixing processes of terrestrial and marine aerosols. Terrestrial air mass constituted a larger proportion during severe air pollution, harboring more animal and human pathogens. A relative shift towards marine air-mass with respect to pollution elimination, where saprophytic bacteria and fungi were predominant. Mixed air-mass reveals the intermixing processes of terrestrial and marine sources.
Maria P. Velásquez-García, K. Santiago Hernández, James A. Vergara-Correa, Richard J. Pope, Miriam Gómez-Marín, and Angela M. Rendón
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-695, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-695, 2024
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For the Aburrá Valley, Colombia, local emissions dominate aerosol concentrations, which degrade air quality (AQ) and impact human health. However, this can be exacerbated by the influx of external emissions from sources such as regional fires, Saharan dust, and volcanic degassing. While substantially increasing city-wide aerosols, these external sources can also degrade the aerosol chemical composition (i.e. their toxicity) and impact AQ, which we investigate in this study.
Yi-Jia Ma, Yu Xu, Ting Yang, Hong-Wei Xiao, and Hua-Yun Xiao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4331–4346, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4331-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4331-2024, 2024
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This study provides field-based evidence about the differential impacts of combustion of fresh and aged biomass materials on aerosol nitrogen-containing organic compounds (NOCs) in different seasons in Ürümqi, bridging the linkages between the observations and previous laboratory studies showing the formation mechanisms of NOCs.
Maud Leriche, Pierre Tulet, Laurent Deguillaume, Frédéric Burnet, Aurélie Colomb, Agnès Borbon, Corinne Jambert, Valentin Duflot, Stéphan Houdier, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Mickaël Vaïtilingom, Pamela Dominutti, Manon Rocco, Camille Mouchel-Vallon, Samira El Gdachi, Maxence Brissy, Maroua Fathalli, Nicolas Maury, Bert Verreyken, Crist Amelynck, Niels Schoon, Valérie Gros, Jean-Marc Pichon, Mickael Ribeiro, Eric Pique, Emmanuel Leclerc, Thierry Bourrianne, Axel Roy, Eric Moulin, Joël Barrie, Jean-Marc Metzger, Guillaume Péris, Christian Guadagno, Chatrapatty Bhugwant, Jean-Mathieu Tibere, Arnaud Tournigand, Evelyn Freney, Karine Sellegri, Anne-Marie Delort, Pierre Amato, Muriel Joly, Jean-Luc Baray, Pascal Renard, Angelica Bianco, Anne Réchou, and Guillaume Payen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4129–4155, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4129-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4129-2024, 2024
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Aerosol particles in the atmosphere play a key role in climate change and air pollution. A large number of aerosol particles are formed from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs and secondary organic aerosols – SOA). An important field campaign was organized on Réunion in March–April 2019 to understand the formation of SOA in a tropical atmosphere mostly influenced by VOCs emitted by forest and in the presence of clouds. This work synthesizes the results of this campaign.
Jinbo Wang, Jiaping Wang, Yuxuan Zhang, Tengyu Liu, Xuguang Chi, Xin Huang, Dafeng Ge, Shiyi Lai, Caijun Zhu, Lei Wang, Qiaozhi Zha, Ximeng Qi, Wei Nie, Congbin Fu, and Aijun Ding
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-879, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-879, 2024
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In this study, we found large spatial discrepancies in the physical and chemical properties of black carbon over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Elevated anthropogenic emissions from low-altitude regions can significantly change the mass concentration, mixing state and chemical composition of black carbon -containing aerosol in TP region, further altering its light absorption ability. Our study emphasizes the vulnerability of remote plateau regions to intense anthropogenic influences.
Ryan N. Farley, James E. Lee, Laura-Hélèna Rivellini, Alex K. Y. Lee, Rachael Dal Porto, Christopher D. Cappa, Kyle Gorkowski, Abu Sayeed Md Shawon, Katherine B. Benedict, Allison C. Aiken, Manvendra K. Dubey, and Qi Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 3953–3971, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3953-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3953-2024, 2024
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The black carbon aerosol composition and mixing state were characterized using a soot particle aerosol mass spectrometer. Single-particle measurements revealed the major role of atmospheric processing in modulating the black carbon mixing state. A significant fraction of soot particles were internally mixed with oxidized organic aerosol and sulfate, with implications for activation as cloud nuclei.
Xinya Liu, Bas Henzing, Arjan Hensen, Jan Mulder, Peng Yao, Danielle van Dinther, Jerry van Bronckhorst, Rujin Huang, and Ulrike Dusek
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 3405–3420, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3405-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3405-2024, 2024
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We evaluated the time-of-flight aerosol chemical speciation monitor (TOF-ACSM) following the implementation of the PM2.5 aerodynamic lens and a capture vaporizer (CV). The results showed that it significantly improved the accuracy and precision of ACSM in the field observations. The paper elucidates the measurement outcomes of various instruments and provides an analysis of their biases. This comprehensive evaluation is expected to benefit the ACSM community and other aerosol field measurements.
Eva-Lou Edwards, Yonghoon Choi, Ewan C. Crosbie, Joshua P. DiGangi, Glenn S. Diskin, Claire E. Robinson, Michael A. Shook, Edward L. Winstead, Luke D. Ziemba, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 3349–3378, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3349-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3349-2024, 2024
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We investigate Cl− depletion in sea salt particles over the northwest Atlantic from December 2021 to June 2022 using an airborne dataset. Losses of Cl− are greatest in May and least in December–February and March. Inorganic acidic species can account for all depletion observed for December–February, March, and June near Bermuda but none in May. Quantifying Cl− depletion as a percentage captures seasonal trends in depletion but fails to convey the effects it may have on atmospheric oxidation.
Yue Sun, Yujiao Zhu, Yanbin Qi, Lanxiadi Chen, Jiangshan Mu, Ye Shan, Yu Yang, Yanqiu Nie, Ping Liu, Can Cui, Ji Zhang, Mingxuan Liu, Lingli Zhang, Yufei Wang, Xinfeng Wang, Mingjin Tang, Wenxing Wang, and Likun Xue
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 3241–3256, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3241-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3241-2024, 2024
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Field observations were conducted at the summit of Changbai Mountain in northeast Asia. The cumulative number concentration of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) varied from 1.6 × 10−3 to 78.3 L−1 over the temperature range of −5.5 to −29.0 ℃. Biological INPs (bio-INPs) accounted for the majority of INPs, and the proportion exceeded 90% above −13.0 ℃. Planetary boundary layer height, valley breezes, and long-distance transport of air mass influence the abundance of bio-INPs.
Cuizhi Sun, Yongyun Zhang, Baoling Liang, Min Gao, Xi Sun, Fei Li, Xue Ni, Qibin Sun, Hengjia Ou, Dexian Chen, Shengzhen Zhou, and Jun Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 3043–3063, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3043-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3043-2024, 2024
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In a May–June 2021 expedition in the South China Sea, we analyzed black and brown carbon in marine aerosols, key to light absorption and climate impact. Using advanced in situ and microscope techniques, we observed particle size, structure, and tar balls mixed with various elements. Results showed biomass burning and fossil fuels majorly influence light absorption, especially during significant burning events. This research aids the understanding of carbonaceous aerosols' role in marine climate.
C. Isabel Moreno, Radovan Krejci, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Gaëlle Uzu, Andrés Alastuey, Marcos F. Andrade, Valeria Mardóñez, Alkuin Maximilian Koenig, Diego Aliaga, Claudia Mohr, Laura Ticona, Fernando Velarde, Luis Blacutt, Ricardo Forno, David N. Whiteman, Alfred Wiedensohler, Patrick Ginot, and Paolo Laj
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2837–2860, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2837-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2837-2024, 2024
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Aerosol chemical composition (ions, sugars, carbonaceous matter) from 2011 to 2020 was studied at Mt. Chacaltaya (5380 m a.s.l., Bolivian Andes). Minimum concentrations occur in the rainy season with maxima in the dry and transition seasons. The origins of the aerosol are located in a radius of hundreds of kilometers: nearby urban and rural areas, natural biogenic emissions, vegetation burning from Amazonia and Chaco, Pacific Ocean emissions, soil dust, and Peruvian volcanism.
Junke Zhang, Yunfei Su, Chunying Chen, Wenkai Guo, Qinwen Tan, Miao Feng, Danlin Song, Tao Jiang, Qiang Chen, Yuan Li, Wei Li, Yizhi Wang, Xiaojuan Huang, Lin Han, Wanqing Wu, and Gehui Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2803–2820, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2803-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2803-2024, 2024
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Typical haze events in Chengdu at the beginning of 2023 were investigated with bulk-chemical and single-particle analyses along with numerical model simulations. By integrating the obtained chemical composition, source, mixing state and numerical simulation results, we infer that Haze-1 was mainly caused by pollutants related to fossil fuel combustion, especially local mobile sources, while Haze-2 was triggered by the secondary pollutants, which mainly came from regional transmission.
Elena Barbaro, Matteo Feltracco, Fabrizio De Blasi, Clara Turetta, Marta Radaelli, Warren Cairns, Giulio Cozzi, Giovanna Mazzi, Marco Casula, Jacopo Gabrieli, Carlo Barbante, and Andrea Gambaro
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2821–2835, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2821-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2821-2024, 2024
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The study analyzed a year of atmospheric aerosol composition at Col Margherita in the Italian Alps. Over 100 chemical markers were identified, including major ions, organic compounds, and trace elements. It revealed sources of aerosol, highlighted impacts of Saharan dust events, and showed anthropogenic pollution's influence despite the site's remoteness. Enrichment factors emphasized non-natural sources of trace elements. Source apportionment identified four key factors affecting the area.
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Short summary
In this paper we use commonly measured pollutants (PM2.5 and carbon monoxide) to develop a Monte Carlo simulation of the mixing of urban pollution with smoke. The simulations compare well with observations from a heavily impacted smoke site and show that we can use standard regulatory measurements to quantify the amount of smoke in urban areas.
In this paper we use commonly measured pollutants (PM2.5 and carbon monoxide) to develop a Monte...
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