Articles | Volume 24, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12881-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12881-2024
Research article
 | 
21 Nov 2024
Research article |  | 21 Nov 2024

Understanding the mechanism and importance of brown carbon bleaching across the visible spectrum in biomass burning plumes from the WE-CAN campaign

Yingjie Shen, Rudra P. Pokhrel, Amy P. Sullivan, Ezra J. T. Levin, Lauren A. Garofalo, Delphine K. Farmer, Wade Permar, Lu Hu, Darin W. Toohey, Teresa Campos, Emily V. Fischer, and Shane M. Murphy

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Subject: Aerosols | Research Activity: Field Measurements | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Chemistry (chemical composition and reactions)
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Cited articles

Akagi, S. K., Yokelson, R. J., Wiedinmyer, C., Alvarado, M. J., Reid, J. S., Karl, T., Crounse, J. D., and Wennberg, P. O.: Emission factors for open and domestic biomass burning for use in atmospheric models, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 4039–4072, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-4039-2011, 2011. 
Andreae, M. O.: Emission of trace gases and aerosols from biomass burning – an updated assessment, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 8523–8546, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8523-2019, 2019. 
Andreae, M. O. and Gelencsér, A.: Black carbon or brown carbon? The nature of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 3131–3148, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-6-3131-2006, 2006. 
Bahadur, R., Praveen, P. S., Xu, Y., and Ramanathan, V.: Solar absorption by elemental and brown carbon determined from spectral observations, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 109, 17366–17371, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1205910109, 2012. 
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Short summary
The magnitude and evolution of brown carbon (BrC) absorption remain unclear, with uncertainty in climate models. Data from the WE-CAN airborne experiment show that model parameterizations overestimate the mass absorption cross section (MAC) of BrC. Observed decreases in BrC absorption with chemical markers are due to decreasing organic aerosol (OA) mass rather than a decreasing BrC MAC, which is currently implemented in models. Water-soluble BrC contributes 23 % of total absorption at 660 nm.
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