S. A. Guazzotti

Characterization of carbonaceous aerosols outflow from India and Arabia: Biomass/biofuel burning and fossil fuel combustion

[1] A major objective of the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) involves the characterization of the extent and chemical composition of pollution outflow from the Indian Subcontinent during the winter monsoon. During this season, low-level flow from the continent transports pollutants over the Indian Ocean toward the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Traditional standardized aerosol particle chemical analysis, together with real-time single particle and fast-response gas-phase measurements provided characterization of the sampled aerosol chemical properties. The gas- and particle-phase chemical compositions of encountered air parcels changed according to their geographic origin, which was traced by back trajectory analysis. The temporal evolutions of acetonitrile, a long-lived specific tracer for biomass/biofuel burning, number concentration of submicrometer carbon-containing particles with potassium (indicative of combustion sources), and mass concentration of submicrometer non-seasalt (nss) potassium are compared. High correlation coefficients (0.84 < r 2 < 0.92) are determined for these comparisons indicating that most likely the majority of the species evolve from the same, related, or proximate sources. Aerosol and trace gas measurements provide evidence that emissions from fossil fuel and biomass/biofuel burning are subject to long-range transport, thereby contributing to anthropogenic pollution even in areas downwind of South Asia. Specifically, high concentrations of submicrometer nss potassium, carbon-containing particles with potassium, and acetonitrile are observed in air masses advected from the Indian subcontinent, indicating a strong impact of biomass/biofuel burning in India during the sampling periods (74 (±9)% biomass/biofuel contribution to submicrometer carbonaceous aerosol). In contrast, lower values for these same species were measured in air masses from the Arabian Peninsula, where dominance of fossil fuel combustion is suggested by results from single-particle analysis and supported by results from gas-phase measurements (63 (±9))% fossil fuel contribution to submicrometer carbonaceous aerosol). Results presented here demonstrate the importance of simultaneous, detailed gas- and particle-phase measurements of related species when evaluating possible source contributions to aerosols in different regions of the world.

Three-dimensional simulations of inorganic aerosol distributions in east Asia during spring 2001

In this paper, aerosol composition and size distributions in east Asia are simulated using a comprehensive chemical transport model. Three-dimensional aerosol simulations for the TRACE-P and ACE-Asia periods are performed and used to help interpret actual observations. The regional chemical transport model, STEM-2K3, which includes the on-line gas-aerosol thermodynamic module SCAPE II, and explicitly considers chemical aging of dust, is used in the analysis. The model is found to represent many of the important observed features. The Asian outflow during March and April of 2001 is heavily polluted with high aerosol loadings. Under conditions of low dust loading, SO_2 condensation and gas phase ammonia distribution determine the nitrate size and gas-aerosol distributions along air mass trajectories, a situation that is analyzed in detail for two TRACE-P flights. Dust is predicted to alter the partitioning of the semivolatile components between the gas and aerosol phases as well as the size distributions of the secondary aerosol constituents. Calcium in the dust affects the gas-aerosol equilibrium by shifting the equilibrium balance to an anion-limited status, which benefits the uptake of sulfate and nitrate, but reduces the amount of aerosol ammonium. Surface reactions on dust provide an additional mechanism to produce aerosol nitrate and sulfate. The size distribution of dust is shown to be a critical factor in determining the size distribution of secondary aerosols. As much of the dust mass is found in the supermicron mode (70–90%), appreciable amounts of sulfate and nitrate are found in the supermicron particles. For sulfate the observations and the analysis indicate that 10–30% of sulfate is in the supermicron fraction during dust events; in the case of nitrate, more than 80% is found in the supermicron fraction.

Closure between aerosol particles and cloud condensation nuclei at Kaashidhoo Climate Observatory

Predicting the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) supersaturation spectrum from aerosol properties is a fairly straightforward matter, as long as those properties are simple. During the Indian Ocean Experiment we measured CCN spectra, size-resolved aerosol chemical composition, and aerosol number distributions and attempted to reconcile them using a modified form of Kohler theory. We obtained general agreement between our measured and modeled CCN spectra. However, the agreement was not as good during a time period when organic carbon comprised a quarter of the total mass of the aerosol in the submicron size range. The modeled concentrations overpredict those actually measured during that time period. This suggests that some component, presumably organic material, can inhibit the uptake of water by the electrolytic fraction of the mass.

Continuous measurements of size‐resolved particle chemistry during INDOEX‐Intensive Field Phase 99

During the Indian Ocean Experiment Intensive Field Phase 99, aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ATOFMS) was used for on-line characterization of the size and chemical composition of individual particles. High temporal resolution single-particle measurements were made on the Island of Kaashidhoo and on board the Research Vessel Ronald H. Brown during February and March, respectively. Sea-salt and dust particles are the major contributors to the aerosol between 1.0 and 2.5 μm. For particles with aerodynamic diameters between 0.2 and 1.0 μm, carbon-containing particles dominated. Differences in the chemical composition of the sampled aerosol were observed for different days and locations, and can be correlated with back trajectory information. For locations north of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), anthropogenic influences on the aerosol chemical composition were indicated by increased contributions from sea-salt particles with non-sea-salt (nss) sulfates, dust with sulfates, and carbon-containing particles with potassium and sulfates. In contrast, in regions close to and south of the ITCZ, the aerosol showed characteristics consistent with a more pristine marine environment. The relative contributions from sulfate-associated particles were evaluated from the single-particle data, as well. The observed sulfate aerosols over the size range analyzed in this study (i.e., aerodynamic diameter between 0.2 and 2.5 μm) consist exclusively of sulfates associated with sea salt, dust, elemental carbon, and/or organic matter. Quantitative contributions from the different types of sulfate-associated particles are evaluated at different locations during the IFP: southern latitude, midlatitude, northern latitude at the Arabian Sea, and mid/northern latitude at the Bay of Bengal.

Development and Characterization of an Aircraft Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer

Vertical and horizontal profiles of atmospheric aerosols are necessary for understanding the impact of air pollution on regional and global climate. To gain further insight into the size-resolved chemistry of individual atmospheric particles, a smaller aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) with increased data acquisition capabilities was developed for aircraft-based studies. Compared to previous ATOFMS systems, the new instrument has a faster data acquisition rate with improved ion transmission and mass resolution, as well as reduced physical size and power consumption, all required advances for use in aircraft studies. In addition, real-time source apportionment software allows the immediate identification and classification of individual particles to guide sampling decisions while in the field. The aircraft (A)-ATOFMS was field-tested on the ground during the Study of Organic Aerosols in Riverside, CA (SOAR) and aboard an aircraft during the Ice in Clouds Experiment-Layer Clouds (ICE-L). Initial results from ICE-L represent the first reported aircraft-based single-particle dual-polarity mass spectrometry measurements and provide an increased understanding of particle mixing state as a function of altitude. Improved ion transmission allows for the first single-particle detection of species out to approximately m/z 2000, an important mass range for the detection of biological aerosols and oligomeric species. In addition, high time resolution measurements of single-particle mixing state are demonstrated and shown to be important for airborne studies where particle concentrations and chemistry vary rapidly.

Real-time measurements of the chemical composition of size-resolved particles during a Santa Ana wind episode, California USA

Size-resolved particle composition, mass and number concentrations, aerosol scattering coefficients, and prevailing meteorological conditions were measured at the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier located in La Jolla, California on 15 December 1998. Aerosol particles were sampled using a field transportable aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer, allowing for the continuous detection and characterization of single particles from a polydisperse sample. An extensive and rapid change in the chemical composition of aerosol particles with aerodynamic diameters between 1.0 and 2.5 μm has been observed during the onset of a Santa Ana Winds condition. Coincident with the observed change in meteorological conditions, a substantial decrease in sea salt particles corresponds to an increase in dust and carbon-containing particles. This paper examines observations of the rapid changes occurring in the chemical composition of single aerosol particles and demonstrates the new types of information that can be obtained by measuring single particle size and composition with high temporal resolution.

Direct night-time ejection of particle-phase reduced biogenic sulfur compounds from the ocean to the atmosphere.

The influence of oceanic biological activity on sea spray aerosol composition, clouds, and climate remains poorly understood. The emission of organic material and gaseous dimethyl sulfide (DMS) from the ocean represents well-documented biogenic processes that influence particle chemistry in marine environments. However, the direct emission of particle-phase biogenic sulfur from the ocean remains largely unexplored. Here we present measurements of ocean-derived particles containing reduced sulfur, detected as elemental sulfur ions (e.g., (32)S(+), (64)S2(+)), in seven different marine environments using real-time, single particle mass spectrometry; these particles have not been detected outside of the marine environment. These reduced sulfur compounds were associated with primary marine particle types and wind speeds typically between 5 and 10 m/s suggesting that these particles themselves are a primary emission. In studies with measurements of seawater properties, chlorophyll-a and atmospheric DMS concentrations were typically elevated in these same locations suggesting a biogenic source for these sulfur-containing particles. Interestingly, these sulfur-containing particles only appeared at night, likely due to rapid photochemical destruction during the daytime, and comprised up to ∼67% of the aerosol number fraction, particularly in the supermicrometer size range. These sulfur-containing particles were detected along the California coast, across the Pacific Ocean, and in the southern Indian Ocean suggesting that these particles represent a globally significant biogenic contribution to the marine aerosol burden.