J. P. S. Wong

A marine biogenic source of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles

The amount of ice present in clouds can affect cloud lifetime, precipitation and radiative properties. The formation of ice in clouds is facilitated by the presence of airborne ice-nucleating particles. Sea spray is one of the major global sources of atmospheric particles, but it is unclear to what extent these particles are capable of nucleating ice. Sea-spray aerosol contains large amounts of organic material that is ejected into the atmosphere during bubble bursting at the organically enriched sea–air interface or sea surface microlayer. Here we show that organic material in the sea surface microlayer nucleates ice under conditions relevant for mixed-phase cloud and high-altitude ice cloud formation. The ice-nucleating material is probably biogenic and less than approximately 0.2 micrometres in size. We find that exudates separated from cells of the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana nucleate ice, and propose that organic material associated with phytoplankton cell exudates is a likely candidate for the observed ice-nucleating ability of the microlayer samples. Global model simulations of marine organic aerosol, in combination with our measurements, suggest that marine organic material may be an important source of ice-nucleating particles in remote marine environments such as the Southern Ocean, North Pacific Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean.

Crosshole audiofrequency seismology in granitic rocks using piezoelectric transducers as sources and detectors

Abstract A borehole-to-borehole seismic system using piezoelectric transducers as active elements has been developed and used to investigate the geology at a test site located near Bells Corners, Ontario. Preliminary results have shown that clear seismograms can be obtained with the system through 100–140 m of weathered, jointed, or pervasively fractured Precambrian rocks. Strong losses are seen due to random scattering, and in some cases, the presence of fracture zones in the seismic travel path completely blocks the transmission of signals. The results of attenuation experiments in different rock types and across unconformities indicate that the principle of seismic shadow imaging may be a powerful tool in rock mass characterization. Two-dimensional images of the seismic slowness and transparency distributions between two boreholes have been derived using a simple, first-order tomographic reconstruction algorithm.

Changes in Secondary Organic Aerosol Composition and Mass due to Photolysis: Relative Humidity Dependence

This study is focused on the relative humidity (RH) dependence of water-soluble secondary organic aerosol (SOA) aging by photolysis. Particles containing α-pinene SOA and ammonium sulfate, generated by atomization, were exposed to UV radiation in an environmental chamber at three RH conditions (5, 45, and 85%), and changes in chemical composition and mass were monitored using an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS). Under all RH conditions, photolysis leads to substantial loss of SOA mass, where the rate of mass loss decreased with decreasing RH. For all RH conditions, the less oxidized components of SOA (e.g., carbonyls) exhibited the fastest photodegradation rates, which resulted in a more oxidized SOA after photolytic aging. The photolytic reactivity of SOA material exhibited a dependence on RH likely due to moisture-induced changes in SOA morphology or phase. The results suggest that the atmospheric lifetime of SOA with respect to photolysis is dependent on its RH cycle, and that photolysis may be an important sink for some SOA components occurring on an initial time scale of a few hours under ambient conditions.

Impacts of Sulfate Seed Acidity and Water Content on Isoprene Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation.

The effects of particle-phase water and the acidity of pre-existing sulfate seed particles on the formation of isoprene secondary organic aerosol (SOA) was investigated. SOA was generated from the photo-oxidation of isoprene in a flow tube reactor at 70% relative humidity (RH) and room temperature in the presence of three different sulfate seeds (effloresced and deliquesced ammonium sulfate and ammonium bisulfate) under low NOx conditions. High OH exposure conditions lead to little isoprene epoxydiol (IEPOX) SOA being generated. The primary result is that particle-phase water had the largest effect on the amount of SOA formed, with 60% more SOA formation occurring with deliquesced ammonium sulfate seeds as compared to that on effloresced ones. The additional organic material was highly oxidized. Although the amount of SOA formed did not exhibit a dependence on the range of seed particle acidity examined, perhaps because of the low amount of IEPOX SOA, the levels of high-molecular-weight material increased with acidity. While the uptake of organics was partially reversible under drying, the results nevertheless indicate that particle-phase water enhanced the amount of organic aerosol material formed and that the RH cycling of sulfate particles may mediate the extent of isoprene SOA formation in the atmosphere.

Role of Aerosol Liquid Water in Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Volatile Organic Compounds

A key mechanism for atmospheric secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation occurs when oxidation products of volatile organic compounds condense onto pre-existing particles. Here, we examine effects of aerosol liquid water (ALW) on relative SOA yield and composition from α-pinene ozonolysis and the photooxidation of toluene and acetylene by OH. Reactions were conducted in a room-temperature flow tube under low-NOx conditions in the presence of equivalent loadings of deliquesced (∼20 μg m-3 ALW) or effloresced (∼0.2 μg m-3 ALW) ammonium sulfate seeds at exactly the same relative humidity (RH = 70%) and state of wall conditioning. We found 13% and 19% enhancements in relative SOA yield for the α-pinene and toluene systems, respectively, when seeds were deliquesced rather than effloresced. The relative yield doubled in the acetylene system, and this enhancement was partially reversible upon drying the prepared SOA, which reduced the yield by 40% within a time scale of seconds. We attribute the high relative yield of acetylene SOA on deliquesced seeds to aqueous partitioning and particle-phase reactions of the photooxidation product glyoxal. The observed range of relative yields for α-pinene, toluene, and acetylene SOA on deliquesced and effloresced seeds suggests that ALW plays a complicated, system-dependent role in SOA formation.

Changes in Light Absorptivity of Molecular Weight Separated Brown Carbon due to Photolytic Aging

Brown carbon (BrC) consists of those organic compounds in atmospheric aerosols that absorb solar radiation and may play an important role in planetary radiative forcing and climate. However, little is known about the production and loss mechanisms of BrC in the atmosphere. Here, we study how the light absorptivity of BrC from wood smoke and secondary BrC generated from the reaction of ammonium sulfate with methylglyoxal changes under photolytic aging by UVA radiation in the aqueous phase. Owing to its chemical complexity, BrC is separated by molecular weight using size exclusion chromatography, and the response of each molecular weight fraction to aging is studied. Photolytic aging induced significant changes in the light absorptivity of BrC for all molecular weight fractions; secondary BrC was rapidly photoblenched, whereas for wood smoke BrC, both photoenhancement and photobleaching were observed. Initially, large biomass burning BrC molecules were rapidly photoenhanced, followed by slow photolysis. As a result, large BrC molecules dominated the total light absorption of aged biomass burning BrC. These experimental results further support earlier observations that large molecular weight BrC compounds from biomass burning can be relatively long-lived components in atmospheric aerosols, thus more likely to have larger impacts on aerosol radiative forcing and could serve as biomass burning tracers.

Characterization of particle emissions from consumer fused deposition modeling 3D printers

ABSTRACT Particle emissions from multiple fused deposition modeling consumer 3D printers were systematically quantified utilizing an established emission testing protocol (Blue Angel) to allow quantitative exposure assessments for printers operating in different environments. The data are consistent with particle generation from volatilization of the polymer filament as it is heated by the extruder. Typically, as printing begins, a burst of new particle formation leads to the smallest sizes and maximum number concentrations produced throughout the print job. For acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) filaments, instantaneous concentrations were up to 106 #/cm3 with mean particle sizes of 20 to 40 nm when measured in a well mixed 1 m3 chamber with 1 air change per hour. Particles are continuously formed during printing and the size distribution evolves consistent with vapor condensation and particle coagulation. Particles emitted per mass of filament consumed (particle yield) varied widely due to factors including printer brand, and type and brand of filament. Higher extruder temperatures result in larger emissions. For filament materials tested, average particle number yields ranged from 7.3 × 108 to 5.2 × 1010 g−1 (approximately 0.65 to 24 ppm), with trace additives apparently driving the large variations. Nanoparticles (diameters less than 100 nm) dominate number distributions, whereas diameters in the range of 200 to 500 nm contribute most to estimated mass. Because 3D printers are often used in public spaces and personal residences, the general public and particularly susceptible populations, such as children, can be exposed to high concentrations of non-engineered nanoparticles of potential toxicity. Copyright

Suppression in droplet growth kinetics by the addition of organics to sulfate particles

Aerosol-cloud interactions are affected by the rate at which water vapor condenses onto particles during cloud droplet growth. Changes in droplet growth rates can impact cloud droplet number and size distribution. The current study investigated droplet growth kinetics of acidic and neutral sulfate particles which contained various amounts and types of organic compounds, from model compounds (carbonyls) to complex mixtures (α-pinene secondary organic aerosol and diesel engine exhaust). In most cases, the formed droplet size distributions were shifted to smaller sizes relative to control experiments (pure sulfate particles), due to suppression in droplet growth rates in the cloud condensation nuclei counter. The shift to smaller droplets correlated with increasing amounts of organic material, with the largest effect observed for acidic seed particles at low relative humidity. For all organics incorporated onto acidic particles, formation of high molecular weight compounds was observed, probably by acid-catalyzed Aldol condensation reactions in the case of carbonyls. To test the reversibility of this process, carbonyl experiments were conducted with acidic particles exposed to higher relative humidity. High molecular weight compounds were not measured in this case and no shift in droplet sizes was observed, suggesting that high molecular weight compounds are the species affecting the rate of water uptake. While these results provide laboratory evidence that organic compounds can slow droplet growth rates, the modeled mass accommodation coefficient of water on these particles (α > 0.1) indicates that this effect is unlikely to significantly affect cloud properties, consistent with infrequent field observations of slower droplet growth rates.

Investigating particle emissions and aerosol dynamics from a consumer fused deposition modeling 3D printer with a lognormal moment aerosol model

ABSTRACT Particle emissions from consumer-fused deposition modeling 3D printers have been reported previously; however, the complex processes leading to observed aerosols have not been investigated. We measured particle concentrations and size distributions between 7 nm and 25 μm emitted from a 3D printer under different conditions in an emission test chamber. The experimental data was combined with a moment lognormal aerosol dynamic model to better understand particle formation and subsequent evolution mechanisms. The model was based on particles being formed from nucleation of unknown semivolatile compounds emitted from the heated filament during printing, which evolve due to condensation of emitted vapors and coagulation, all within a small volume near the printer extruder nozzle. The model captured observed steady state particle number size distribution parameters (total number, geometric mean diameter and geometric standard deviation) with errors nominally within 20%. Model solutions provided a range of vapor generation rates, saturation vapor pressures and vapor condensation factors consistent with measured steady state particle concentrations and size distributions. Vapor generation rate was a crucial factor that was linked to printer extruder temperature and largely accounted for differences between filament material and brands. For the unknown condensing vapor species, saturation vapor pressures were in the range of 10−3 to 10−1 Pa. The model suggests particles could be removed by design of collection surfaces near the extruder tip. Copyright