Articles | Volume 26, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13303-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13303-2026
Research article
 | 
22 Sep 2026
Research article |  | 22 Sep 2026

Apportioning light absorption of ambient aerosols to black carbon, brown carbon, and lensing effect using a PAX-ISS hybrid method: insights into absorption enhancement

Yi Shen, Guorui Zhi, Wenjing Jin, Yao Kong, Yuzhe Zhang, Zhengying Li, Jianzhong Sun, Yuankai Wang, and Zhijian Liang

Cited articles

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Arhami, M., Shahne, M. Z., Hosseini, V., Roufigar Haghighat, N., Lai, A. M., and Schauer, J. J.: Seasonal trends in the composition and sources of PM2.5 and carbonaceous aerosol in Tehran, Iran, Environ. Pollut., 239, 69–81, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.03.111, 2018. 
Aswini, A. R., Hegde, P., Nair, P. R., and Aryasree, S.: Seasonal changes in carbonaceous aerosols over a tropical coastal location in response to meteorological processes, Sci. Total Environ., 656, 1261–1279, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.366, 2019. 
Bond, T. C., Habib, G., and Bergstrom, R. W.: Limitations in the enhancement of visible light absorption due to mixing state, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D20211, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD007315, 2006. 
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Short summary
A novel PAX-ISS method apportions aerosol light absorption to black carbon (BC), brown carbon (BrC), and the lensing effect. Field measurements reveal BC dominance, ~10 % annual BrC contribution, and a 40.0 % average lensing role in light absorption with strong spectral-seasonal variations. We provide observational indications of BrC's shortwave "blocking effect", which offsets lensing. This approach offers robust constraints for aerosol optics and climate modeling.
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