Sample records for aerosol processing study

  1. RACORO aerosol data processing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Elisabeth Andrews

    2011-10-31

    The RACORO aerosol data (cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), condensation nuclei (CN) and aerosol size distributions) need further processing to be useful for model evaluation (e.g., GCM droplet nucleation parameterizations) and other investigations. These tasks include: (1) Identification and flagging of 'splash' contaminated Twin Otter aerosol data. (2) Calculation of actual supersaturation (SS) values in the two CCN columns flown on the Twin Otter. (3) Interpolation of CCN spectra from SGP and Twin Otter to 0.2% SS. (4) Process data for spatial variability studies. (5) Provide calculated light scattering from measured aerosol size distributions. Below we first briefly describe the measurementsmore » and then describe the results of several data processing tasks that which have been completed, paving the way for the scientific analyses for which the campaign was designed. The end result of this research will be several aerosol data sets which can be used to achieve some of the goals of the RACORO mission including the enhanced understanding of cloud-aerosol interactions and improved cloud simulations in climate models.« less

  2. Evaluating Aerosol Process Modules within the Framework of the Aerosol Modeling Testbed

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fast, J. D.; Velu, V.; Gustafson, W. I.; Chapman, E.; Easter, R. C.; Shrivastava, M.; Singh, B.

    2012-12-01

    Factors that influence predictions of aerosol direct and indirect forcing, such as aerosol mass, composition, size distribution, hygroscopicity, and optical properties, still contain large uncertainties in both regional and global models. New aerosol treatments are usually implemented into a 3-D atmospheric model and evaluated using a limited number of measurements from a specific case study. Under this modeling paradigm, the performance and computational efficiency of several treatments for a specific aerosol process cannot be adequately quantified because many other processes among various modeling studies (e.g. grid configuration, meteorology, emission rates) are different as well. The scientific community needs to know the advantages and disadvantages of specific aerosol treatments when the meteorology, chemistry, and other aerosol processes are identical in order to reduce the uncertainties associated with aerosols predictions. To address these issues, an Aerosol Modeling Testbed (AMT) has been developed that systematically and objectively evaluates new aerosol treatments for use in regional and global models. The AMT consists of the modular Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, a series testbed cases for which extensive in situ and remote sensing measurements of meteorological, trace gas, and aerosol properties are available, and a suite of tools to evaluate the performance of meteorological, chemical, aerosol process modules. WRF contains various parameterizations of meteorological, chemical, and aerosol processes and includes interactive aerosol-cloud-radiation treatments similar to those employed by climate models. In addition, the physics suite from the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) have also been ported to WRF so that they can be tested at various spatial scales and compared directly with field campaign data and other parameterizations commonly used by the mesoscale modeling community. Data from several campaigns, including the 2006

  3. Impact of Aerosol Processing on Orographic Clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pousse-Nottelmann, Sara; Zubler, Elias M.; Lohmann, Ulrike

    2010-05-01

    Aerosol particles undergo significant modifications during their residence time in the atmosphere. Physical processes like coagulation, coating and water uptake, and aqueous surface chemistry alter the aerosol size distribution and composition. At this, clouds play a primary role as physical and chemical processing inside cloud droplets contributes considerably to the changes in aerosol particles. A previous study estimates that on global average atmospheric particles are cycled three times through a cloud before being removed from the atmosphere [1]. An explicit and detailed treatment of cloud-borne particles has been implemented in the regional weather forecast and climate model COSMO-CLM. The employed model version includes a two-moment cloud microphysical scheme [2] that has been coupled to the aerosol microphysical scheme M7 [3] as described by Muhlbauer and Lohmann, 2008 [4]. So far, the formation, transfer and removal of cloud-borne aerosol number and mass were not considered in the model. Following the parameterization for cloud-borne particles developed by Hoose et al., 2008 [5], distinction between in-droplet and in-crystal particles is made to more physically account for processes in mixed-phase clouds, such as the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process and contact and immersion freezing. In our model, this approach has been extended to allow for aerosol particles in five different hydrometeors: cloud droplets, rain drops, ice crystals, snow flakes and graupel. We account for nucleation scavenging, freezing and melting processes, autoconversion, accretion, aggregation, riming and selfcollection, collisions between interstitial aerosol particles and hydrometeors, ice multiplication, sedimentation, evaporation and sublimation. The new scheme allows an evaluation of the cloud cycling of aerosol particles by tracking the particles even when scavenged into hydrometeors. Global simulations of aerosol processing in clouds have recently been conducted by Hoose et al

  4. Puerto Rico - 2002 : field studies to resolve aerosol processes.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gaffney, J. S.; Marley, N. A.; Ravelo, R.

    1999-10-05

    A number of questions remain concerning homogeneous aerosol formation by natural organics interacting with anthropogenic pollutants. For example, chlorine has been proposed as a potential oxidant in the troposphere because of its very high reactivity with a wide range of organics (Finlayson-Pitts, 1993). Indeed, sea salt aerosol in the presence of ozone has been shown to produce chlorine atoms in heterogeneous photochemical reactions under laboratory conditions. Whether chlorine can initiate oxidation of natural organics such as monoterpene hydrocarbons and can generate homogeneous nucleation or condensable material that contributes to aerosol loadings needs to be assessed. The nighttime reactions of ozonemore » and nitrate radical can also result in monoterpene reactions that contribute to aerosol mass. We are currently planning field studies in Puerto Rico to assess these aerosol issues and other atmospheric chemistry questions. Puerto Rico has a number of key features that make it very attractive for a field study of this sort. The principal feature is the island's very regular meteorology and its position in the Caribbean Sea relative to the easterly trade winds. This meteorology and the island's rectangular shape (100 x 35 miles) make it highly suitable for simplification of boundary layer conditions. In addition, the long stretch between Puerto Rico and the nearest pollution sources in Africa and southern Europe make the incoming background air relatively clean and constant. Furthermore, Puerto Rico has approximately 3.5 million people with a very well defined source region and a central area of rain forest vegetation. These features make Puerto Rico an ideal locale for assessing aerosol processes. The following sections describe specific areas of atmospheric chemistry that can be explored during the proposed field study.« less

  5. Satellite observations and EMAC model calculations of sulfate aerosols from Kilauea: a study of aerosol formation, processing, and loss

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Penning de Vries, Marloes; Beirle, Steffen; Brühl, Christoph; Dörner, Steffen; Pozzer, Andrea; Wagner, Thomas

    2016-04-01

    The currently most active volcano on Earth is Mount Kilauea on Hawaii, as it has been in a state of continuous eruption since 1983. The opening of a new vent in March 2008 caused half a year of strongly increased SO2 emissions, which in turn led to the formation of a sulfate plume with an extent of at least two thousand kilometers. The plume could be clearly identified from satellite measurements from March to November, 2008. The steady trade winds in the region and the lack of interfering sources allowed us to determine the life time of SO2 from Kilauea using only satellite-based measurements (no a priori or model information). The current investigation focuses on sulfate aerosols: their formation, processing and subsequent loss. Using space-based aerosol measurements by MODIS, we study the evolution of aerosol optical depth, which first increases as a function of distance from the volcano due to aerosol formation from SO2 oxidation, and subsequently decreases as aerosols are deposited to the surface. The outcome is compared to results from calculations using the EMAC (ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry) model to test the state of understanding of the sulfate aerosol life cycle. For this comparison, a particular focus is on the role of clouds and wet removal processes.

  6. Microphysical processing of aerosol particles in orographic clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pousse-Nottelmann, S.; Zubler, E. M.; Lohmann, U.

    2015-01-01

    An explicit and detailed treatment of cloud-borne particles allowing for the consideration of aerosol cycling in clouds has been implemented in the regional weather forecast and climate model COSMO. The effects of aerosol scavenging, cloud microphysical processing and regeneration upon cloud evaporation on the aerosol population and on subsequent cloud formation are investigated. For this, two-dimensional idealized simulations of moist flow over two bell-shaped mountains were carried out varying the treatment of aerosol scavenging and regeneration processes for a warm-phase and a mixed-phase orographic cloud. The results allowed to identify different aerosol cycling mechanisms. In the simulated non-precipitating warm-phase cloud, aerosol mass is incorporated into cloud droplets by activation scavenging and released back to the atmosphere upon cloud droplet evaporation. In the mixed-phase cloud, a first cycle comprises cloud droplet activation and evaporation via the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process. A second cycle includes below-cloud scavenging by precipitating snow particles and snow sublimation and is connected to the first cycle via the riming process which transfers aerosol mass from cloud droplets to snow flakes. In the simulated mixed-phase cloud, only a negligible part of the total aerosol mass is incorporated into ice crystals. Sedimenting snow flakes reaching the surface remove aerosol mass from the atmosphere. The results show that aerosol processing and regeneration lead to a vertical redistribution of aerosol mass and number. However, the processes not only impact the total aerosol number and mass, but also the shape of the aerosol size distributions by enhancing the internally mixed/soluble accumulation mode and generating coarse mode particles. Concerning subsequent cloud formation at the second mountain, accounting for aerosol processing and regeneration increases the cloud droplet number concentration with possible implications for the ice

  7. Microphysical processing of aerosol particles in orographic clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pousse-Nottelmann, S.; Zubler, E. M.; Lohmann, U.

    2015-08-01

    An explicit and detailed treatment of cloud-borne particles allowing for the consideration of aerosol cycling in clouds has been implemented into COSMO-Model, the regional weather forecast and climate model of the Consortium for Small-scale Modeling (COSMO). The effects of aerosol scavenging, cloud microphysical processing and regeneration upon cloud evaporation on the aerosol population and on subsequent cloud formation are investigated. For this, two-dimensional idealized simulations of moist flow over two bell-shaped mountains were carried out varying the treatment of aerosol scavenging and regeneration processes for a warm-phase and a mixed-phase orographic cloud. The results allowed us to identify different aerosol cycling mechanisms. In the simulated non-precipitating warm-phase cloud, aerosol mass is incorporated into cloud droplets by activation scavenging and released back to the atmosphere upon cloud droplet evaporation. In the mixed-phase cloud, a first cycle comprises cloud droplet activation and evaporation via the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen (WBF) process. A second cycle includes below-cloud scavenging by precipitating snow particles and snow sublimation and is connected to the first cycle via the riming process which transfers aerosol mass from cloud droplets to snowflakes. In the simulated mixed-phase cloud, only a negligible part of the total aerosol mass is incorporated into ice crystals. Sedimenting snowflakes reaching the surface remove aerosol mass from the atmosphere. The results show that aerosol processing and regeneration lead to a vertical redistribution of aerosol mass and number. Thereby, the processes impact the total aerosol number and mass and additionally alter the shape of the aerosol size distributions by enhancing the internally mixed/soluble Aitken and accumulation mode and generating coarse-mode particles. Concerning subsequent cloud formation at the second mountain, accounting for aerosol processing and regeneration increases

  8. Is there an aerosol signature of aqueous processing?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ervens, B.; Sorooshian, A.

    2017-12-01

    The formation of aerosol mass in cloud water has been recognized as a substantial source of atmospheric aerosol mass. While sulfate formation can be relatively well constrained, the formation of secondary organic aerosol mass in the aqueous phase (aqSOA) is much more complex due to the multitude of precursors and variety in chemical processes. Aqueous phase processing adds aerosol mass to the droplet mode, which is formed due to mass addition to activated particles in clouds. In addition, it has been shown that aqSOA mass has specific characteristics in terms of oxidation state and hygroscopicity that might help to distinguish it from other SOA sources. Many models do not include detailed chemical mechanisms of sulfate and aqSOA formation and also lack details on the mass distribution of newly formed mass. Mass addition inside and outside clouds modifies different parts of an aerosol population and consequently affects predictions of properties and lifetime of particles. Using a combination of field data analysis and model studies for a variety of air masses, we will show which chemical and physical aerosol properties can be used, in order to identify an `aqueous phase signature' in processed aerosol populations. We will discuss differences in this signature in clean (e.g., background), moderately polluted (e.g., urban) and highly polluted (e.g., biomass burning) air masses and suggest air-mass-specific chemical and/or physical properties that will help to quantify the aqueous-phase derived aerosol mass.

  9. Simulating the Effects of Semivolatile Compounds on Cloud Processing of Aerosol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kokkola, H.; Kudzotsa, I.; Tonttila, J.; Raatikainen, T.; Romakkaniemi, S.

    2017-12-01

    Aerosol removal processes largely dictate how well aerosol is transported in the atmosphere and thus the aerosol load over remote regions depends on how effectively aerosol is removed during its transport from the source regions. This means that in order to model the global distribution aerosol, both in vertical and horizontal, wet deposition processes have to be properly modelled. However, in large scale models, the description of wet removal and the vertical redistribution of aerosol by cloud processes is often extremely simplified.Here we present a novel aerosol-cloud model SALSA, where the aerosol properties are tracked through different cloud processes. These processes include: cloud droplet activation, precipitation formation, ice nucleation, melting, and evaporation. It is a sectional model that includes separate size sections for non-activated aerosol, cloud droplets, precipitation droplets, and ice crystals. The aerosol-cloud model was coupled to a large eddy model UCLALES which simulates the boundary-layer dynamics. In this study, the model has been applied in studying the wet removal as well as interactions between aerosol, clouds, and semi-volatile compounds, ammonia and nitric acid. These semi-volative compounds are special in the sense that they co-condense together with water during cloud activation and have been suggested to form droplets that can be considered cloud-droplet-like already in subsaturated conditions. In our model, we calculate the kinetic partitioning of ammonia and sulfate thus explicitly taking into account the effect of ammonia and nitric acid in the cloud formation. Our simulations indicate that especially in polluted conditions, these compounds significantly affect the properties of cloud droplets thus significantly affecting the lifecycle of different aerosol compounds.

  10. Microphysical processes affecting stratospheric aerosol particles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hamill, P.; Toon, O. B.; Kiang, C. S.

    1977-01-01

    Physical processes which affect stratospheric aerosol particles include nucleation, condensation, evaporation, coagulation and sedimentation. Quantitative studies of these mechanisms to determine if they can account for some of the observed properties of the aerosol are carried out. It is shown that the altitude range in which nucleation of sulfuric acid-water solution droplets can take place corresponds to that region of the stratosphere where the aerosol is generally found. Since heterogeneous nucleation is the dominant nucleation mechanism, the stratospheric solution droplets are mainly formed on particles which have been mixed up from the troposphere or injected into the stratosphere by volcanoes or meteorites. Particle growth by heteromolecular condensation can account for the observed increase in mixing ratio of large particles in the stratosphere. Coagulation is important in reducing the number of particles smaller than 0.05 micron radius. Growth by condensation, applied to the mixed nature of the particles, shows that available information is consistent with ammonium sulfate being formed by liquid phase chemical reactions in the aerosol particles. The upper altitude limit of the aerosol layer is probably due to the evaporation of sulfuric acid aerosol particles, while the lower limit is due to mixing across the tropopause.

  11. Aerosol processing in stratiform clouds in ECHAM6-HAM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neubauer, David; Lohmann, Ulrike; Hoose, Corinna

    2013-04-01

    chemical components as well as 5 tracers for aerosol particles in ice crystals. This allows simulations of aerosol processing in warm, mixed-phase (e.g. through the Bergeron-Findeisen process) and ice clouds. The fixed scavenging ratios used for wet deposition in clouds in standard HAM are replaced by an explicit treatment of collision of cloud droplets/ice crystals with interstitial aerosol particles. Nucleation scavenging of aerosol particles by acting as cloud condensation nuclei or ice nuclei, freezing and evaporation of cloud droplets and melting and sublimation of ice crystals are treated explicitly. In extension to previous studies, aerosol particles from evaporating precipitation are released to modes which correspond to their size. Cloud processing of aerosol particles changes their size distribution and hence influences cloud droplet and ice crystal number concentrations as well as precipitation rate, which in turn affects aerosol concentrations. Results will be presented at the conference. Hoose et al., JGR, 2008a, doi: 10.1029/2007JD009251 Hoose et al., ACP, 2008b, doi: 10.5194/acp-8-6939-2008 Stevens et al., 2013, submitted Stier et al., ACP, 2005, doi: 10.5194/acp-5-1125-2005

  12. Measurement of the aerosol absorption coefficient with the nonequilibrium process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Liang; Li, Jingxuan; Bai, Hailong; Li, Baosheng; Liu, Shanlin; Zhang, Yang

    2018-02-01

    On the basis of the conventional Jamin interferometer,the improved measuring method is proposed that using a polarization type reentrant Jamin interferometer measures atmospheric aerosol absorption coefficient under the photothermal effect.The paper studies the relationship between the absorption coefficient of atmospheric aerosol particles and the refractive index change of the atmosphere.In Matlab environment, the variation curves of the output voltage of the interferometer with different concentration aerosol samples under stimulated laser irradiation were plotted.Besides, the paper also studies the relationship between aerosol concentration and the time required for the photothermal effect to reach equilibrium.When using the photothermal interferometry the results show that the time required for the photothermal effect to reach equilibrium is also increasing with the increasing concentration of aerosol particles,the absorption coefficient and time of aerosol in the process of nonequilibrium are exponentially changing.

  13. During air cool process aerosol absorption detection with photothermal interferometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Baosheng; Xu, Limei; Huang, Junling; Ma, Fei; Wang, Yicheng; Li, Zhengqiang

    2014-11-01

    This paper studies the basic principle of laser photothermal interferometry method of aerosol particles absorption coefficient. The photothermal interferometry method with higher accuracy and lower uncertainty can directly measure the absorption coefficient of atmospheric aerosols and not be affected by scattered light. With Jones matrix expression, the math expression of a special polarization interferometer is described. This paper using folded Jamin interferometer, which overcomes the influence of vibration on measuring system. Interference come from light polarization beam with two orthogonal and then combine to one beam, finally aerosol absorption induced refractive index changes can be gotten with four beam of phase orthogonal light. These kinds of styles really improve the stability of system and resolution of the system. Four-channel detections interact with interference fringes, to reduce the light intensity `zero drift' effect on the system. In the laboratory, this device typical aerosol absorption index, it shows that the result completely agrees with actual value. After heated by laser, cool process of air also show the process of aerosol absorption. This kind of instrument will be used to monitor ambient aerosol absorption and suspended particulate matter chemical component. Keywords: Aerosol absorption coefficient; Photothermal interferometry; Suspended particulate matter.

  14. New Photosensitized Processes at Aerosol and Ocean Surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rossignol, S.; Aregahegn, K. Z.; Ciuraru, R.; Bernard, F.; Tinel, L.; Fine, L.; George, C.

    2014-12-01

    From a few years now, there is a growing body of evidence that photoinduced processes could be of great importance for the tropospheric chemistry. Here, we would like to present two additional outcomes of this new area of research, firstly the photosensitized direct VOC uptake by aerosols and, secondly, the photoinduced chemical formation of unsaturated VOC from marine microlayer proxy. It was recently shown that the chemistry of glyoxal toward ammonium ions into droplets and wet aerosols leads to the formation of light-absorbing compounds. Among them, we found that imidazole-2-carboxaldehyde (IC) acts as a photosensitizer and is able to initiate the growth of organic aerosols via the uptake of VOC, such as limonene. Given its potential importance, the mechanism of this photoinduced uptake was investigated thanks to aerosol flow tube experiments and UPLC-ESI-HRMS analysis. Results reveal hydrogen abstraction on the VOC molecule by the triplet state of IC leading to the VOC oxidation without any traditional oxidant. As well as aerosol, the sea-surface microlayer, known to be enriched in light-absorbing organics, is largely impacted by photochemical processes. Recent studies have pointed out for example the role of photosentitized processes in the loss of NO2 and ozone at water surfaces containing photoactive compounds such as chlorophyll. In order to go further, we worked from sea-surface microlayer proxy containing humic acids as photoactive material and organic acids as surfactants. Beside oxidation processes, we monitored by high resolution PTR-MS the release in the gas phase of unsaturated compounds, including C5 dienes (isoprene ?). A strong correlation between the measured surface tension and the C5 diene concentration in the gas phase was evidenced, clearly pointing toward an interfacial process. This contribution will highlight the similarities between both systems and will attempt to present a general chemical scheme for photosensitized chemistry at

  15. Seasonal dependence of aerosol processing in urban Philadelphia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Avery, A. M.; Waring, M. S.; DeCarlo, P. F.

    2017-12-01

    Urban aerosols pose an important threat to human health due to the conflation of emissions and concentrated population exposed. Winter and summer aerosol and trace gas measurements were taken in downtown Philadelphia in 2016. Measurements included aerosol composition and size with an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS), particle size distributions with an SMPS, and an aethalometer. Trace gas measurements of O3, NO, CH4, CO, and CO2 were taken concurrently. Sampling in seasonal extremes provided contrast in aerosol and trace gas composition, aerosol processing, and emission factors. Inorganic aerosol components contributed approximately 60% of the submicron aerosol mass, while summertime aerosol composition was roughly 70% organic matter. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) on the organic aerosol (OA) matrix revealed three factors in common in each season, including an oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) factor with different temporal behavior in each season. In summertime, OOA varied diurnally with ozone and daytime temperature, but in the wintertime, it was anti-correlated with ozone and temperature, and instead trended with calculated liquid water, indicating a seasonally-dependent processing of organic aerosol in Philadelphia's urban environment. Due to the inorganic dominant winter aerosol, liquid water much higher (2.65 μg/m3) in winter than in summer (1.54 μg/m3). Diurnally varying concentrations of background gas phase species (CH4, CO2) were higher in winter and varied less as a result of boundary layer conditions; ozone was also higher in background in winter than summer. Winter stagnation events with low windspeed showed large buildup of trace gases CH4, CO, CO2, and NO. Traffic related aerosol was also elevated with black carbon and hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) plumes of each at 3-5 times higher than the winter the average value for each. Winter ratios of HOA to black carbon were significantly higher in the winter than the summer due to lower

  16. Stratospheric Aerosol--Observations, Processes, and Impact on Climate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kresmer, Stefanie; Thomason, Larry W.; von Hobe, Marc; Hermann, Markus; Deshler, Terry; Timmreck, Claudia; Toohey, Matthew; Stenke, Andrea; Schwarz, Joshua P.; Weigel, Ralf; hide

    2016-01-01

    Interest in stratospheric aerosol and its role in climate have increased over the last decade due to the observed increase in stratospheric aerosol since 2000 and the potential for changes in the sulfur cycle induced by climate change. This review provides an overview about the advances in stratospheric aerosol research since the last comprehensive assessment of stratospheric aerosol was published in 2006. A crucial development since 2006 is the substantial improvement in the agreement between in situ and space-based inferences of stratospheric aerosol properties during volcanically quiescent periods. Furthermore, new measurement systems and techniques, both in situ and space based, have been developed for measuring physical aerosol properties with greater accuracy and for characterizing aerosol composition. However, these changes induce challenges to constructing a long-term stratospheric aerosol climatology. Currently, changes in stratospheric aerosol levels less than 20% cannot be confidently quantified. The volcanic signals tend to mask any nonvolcanically driven change, making them difficult to understand. While the role of carbonyl sulfide as a substantial and relatively constant source of stratospheric sulfur has been confirmed by new observations and model simulations, large uncertainties remain with respect to the contribution from anthropogenic sulfur dioxide emissions. New evidence has been provided that stratospheric aerosol can also contain small amounts of nonsulfatematter such as black carbon and organics. Chemistry-climate models have substantially increased in quantity and sophistication. In many models the implementation of stratospheric aerosol processes is coupled to radiation and/or stratospheric chemistry modules to account for relevant feedback processes.

  17. An overview of mesoscale aerosol processes, comparisons, and validation studies from DRAGON networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holben, Brent N.; Kim, Jhoon; Sano, Itaru; Mukai, Sonoyo; Eck, Thomas F.; Giles, David M.; Schafer, Joel S.; Sinyuk, Aliaksandr; Slutsker, Ilya; Smirnov, Alexander; Sorokin, Mikhail; Anderson, Bruce E.; Che, Huizheng; Choi, Myungje; Crawford, James H.; Ferrare, Richard A.; Garay, Michael J.; Jeong, Ukkyo; Kim, Mijin; Kim, Woogyung; Knox, Nichola; Li, Zhengqiang; Lim, Hwee S.; Liu, Yang; Maring, Hal; Nakata, Makiko; Pickering, Kenneth E.; Piketh, Stuart; Redemann, Jens; Reid, Jeffrey S.; Salinas, Santo; Seo, Sora; Tan, Fuyi; Tripathi, Sachchida N.; Toon, Owen B.; Xiao, Qingyang

    2018-01-01

    Over the past 24 years, the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) program has provided highly accurate remote-sensing characterization of aerosol optical and physical properties for an increasingly extensive geographic distribution including all continents and many oceanic island and coastal sites. The measurements and retrievals from the AERONET global network have addressed satellite and model validation needs very well, but there have been challenges in making comparisons to similar parameters from in situ surface and airborne measurements. Additionally, with improved spatial and temporal satellite remote sensing of aerosols, there is a need for higher spatial-resolution ground-based remote-sensing networks. An effort to address these needs resulted in a number of field campaign networks called Distributed Regional Aerosol Gridded Observation Networks (DRAGONs) that were designed to provide a database for in situ and remote-sensing comparison and analysis of local to mesoscale variability in aerosol properties. This paper describes the DRAGON deployments that will continue to contribute to the growing body of research related to meso- and microscale aerosol features and processes. The research presented in this special issue illustrates the diversity of topics that has resulted from the application of data from these networks.

  18. Aerosol processing of materials: Aerosol dynamics and microstructure evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gurav, Abhijit Shankar

    Spray pyrolysis is an aerosol process commonly used to synthesize a wide variety of materials in powder or film forms including metals, metal oxides and non-oxide ceramics. It is capable of producing high purity, unagglomerated, and micrometer to submicron-size powders, and scale-up has been demonstrated. This dissertation deals with the study of aerosol dynamics during spray pyrolysis of multicomponent systems involving volatile phases/components, and aspects involved with using fuel additives during spray processes to break apart droplets and particles in order to produce powders with smaller sizes. The gas-phase aerosol dynamics and composition size distributions were measured during spray pyrolysis of (Bi, Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O, and Sr-Ru-O and Bi-Ru-O at different temperatures. A differential mobility analyzer (DMA) was used in conjunction with a condensation particle counter (CPC) to monitor the gas-phase particle size distributions, and a Berner-type low-pressure impactor was used to obtain mass size distributions and size-classified samples for chemical analysis. (Bi, Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O powders made at temperatures up to 700sp°C maintained their initial stoichiometry over the whole range of particle sizes monitored, however, those made at 800sp°C and above were heavily depleted in lead in the size range 0.5-5.0 mum. When the reactor temperature was raised from 700 and 800sp°C to 900sp°C, a large number ({˜}10sp7\\ #/cmsp3) of new ultrafine particles were formed from PbO vapor released from the particles and the reactor walls at the beginning of high temperature runs (at 900sp°C). The metal ruthenate systems showed generation of ultrafine particles (<40-50 nm) at the beginning of runs at 800-900sp°C and also as a steady state process at a reactor temperature of 1000sp°C. The methods of aerosol dynamics measurements were also used to monitor the gas-phase particle size distributions during the generation of fullerene (Csb{60}) nano-particles (30 to 50 nm size

  19. Aerosol typing - key information from aerosol studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mona, Lucia; Kahn, Ralph; Papagiannopoulos, Nikolaos; Holzer-Popp, Thomas; Pappalardo, Gelsomina

    2016-04-01

    Aerosol typing is a key source of aerosol information from ground-based and satellite-borne instruments. Depending on the specific measurement technique, aerosol typing can be used as input for retrievals or represents an output for other applications. Typically aerosol retrievals require some a priori or external aerosol type information. The accuracy of the derived aerosol products strongly depends on the reliability of these assumptions. Different sensors can make use of different aerosol type inputs. A critical review and harmonization of these procedures could significantly reduce related uncertainties. On the other hand, satellite measurements in recent years are providing valuable information about the global distribution of aerosol types, showing for example the main source regions and typical transport paths. Climatological studies of aerosol load at global and regional scales often rely on inferred aerosol type. There is still a high degree of inhomogeneity among satellite aerosol typing schemes, which makes the use different sensor datasets in a consistent way difficult. Knowledge of the 4d aerosol type distribution at these scales is essential for understanding the impact of different aerosol sources on climate, precipitation and air quality. All this information is needed for planning upcoming aerosol emissions policies. The exchange of expertise and the communication among satellite and ground-based measurement communities is fundamental for improving long-term dataset consistency, and for reducing aerosol type distribution uncertainties. Aerosol typing has been recognized as one of its high-priority activities of the AEROSAT (International Satellite Aerosol Science Network, http://aero-sat.org/) initiative. In the AEROSAT framework, a first critical review of aerosol typing procedures has been carried out. The review underlines the high heterogeneity in many aspects: approach, nomenclature, assumed number of components and parameters used for the

  20. Process evaluation of sea salt aerosol concentrations at remote marine locations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Struthers, H.; Ekman, A. M.; Nilsson, E. D.

    2011-12-01

    Sea salt, an important natural aerosol, is generated by bubbles bursting at the surface of the ocean. Sea salt aerosol contributes significantly to the global aerosol burden and radiative budget and are a significant source of cloud condensation nuclei in remote marine areas (Monahan et al., 1986). Consequently, changes in marine aerosol abundance is expected to impact on climate forcing. Estimates of the atmospheric burden of sea salt aerosol mass derived from chemical transport and global climate models vary greatly both in the global total and the spatial distribution (Texor et al. 2006). This large uncertainty in the sea salt aerosol distribution in turn contributes to the large uncertainty in the current estimates of anthropogenic aerosol climate forcing (IPCC, 2007). To correctly attribute anthropogenic climate change and to veraciously project future climate, natural aerosols including sea salt must be understood and accurately modelled. In addition, the physical processes that determine the sea salt aerosol concentration are susceptible to modification due to climate change (Carslaw et al., 2010) which means there is the potential for feedbacks within the climate/aerosol system. Given the large uncertainties in sea salt aerosol modelling, there is an urgent need to evaluate the process description of sea salt aerosols in global models. An extremely valuable source of data for model evaluation is the long term measurements of PM10 sea salt aerosol mass available from a number of remote marine observation sites around the globe (including the GAW network). Sea salt aerosol concentrations at remote marine locations depend strongly on the surface exchange (emission and deposition) as well as entrainment or detrainment to the free troposphere. This suggests that the key parameters to consider in any analysis include the sea surface water temperature, wind speed, precipitation rate and the atmospheric stability. In this study, the sea salt aerosol observations

  1. Energy-based and process-based constraints on aerosol-climate interaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suzuki, K.; Sato, Y.; Takemura, T.; Michibata, T.; Goto, D.; Oikawa, E.

    2017-12-01

    Recent advance in both satellite observations and global modeling provides us with a novel opportunity to investigate the long-standing aerosol-climate interaction issue at a fundamental process level, particularly with a combined use of them. In this presentation, we will highlight our recent progress in understanding the aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction and its implication for global climate with a synergistic use of a state-of-the-art global climate model (MIROC), a global cloud-resolving model (NICAM) and recent satellite observations (A-Train). In particular, we explore two different aspects of the aerosol-climate interaction issue, i.e. (i) the global energy balance perspective with its modulation due to aerosols and (ii) the process-level characteristics of the aerosol-induced perturbations to cloud and precipitation. For the former, climate model simulations are used to quantify how components of global energy budget are modulated by the aerosol forcing. The moist processes are shown to be a critical pathway that links the forcing efficacy and the hydrologic sensitivity arising from aerosol perturbations. Effects of scattering (e.g. sulfate) and absorbing (e.g. black carbon) aerosols are compared in this context to highlight their distinctively different impacts on climate and hydrologic cycle. The aerosol-induced modulation of moist processes is also investigated in the context of the second aspect above to facilitate recent arguments on possible overestimates of the aerosol-cloud interaction in climate models. Our recent simulations with NICAM are shown to highlight how diverse responses of cloud to aerosol perturbation, which have been failed to represent in traditional climate models, are reproduced by the high-resolution global model with sophisticated cloud microphysics. We will discuss implications of these findings for a linkage between the two aspects above to aid advance process-based understandings of the aerosol-climate interaction and

  2. Assessing the Performance of Computationally Simple and Complex Representations of Aerosol Processes using a Testbed Methodology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fast, J. D.; Ma, P.; Easter, R. C.; Liu, X.; Zaveri, R. A.; Rasch, P.

    2012-12-01

    Predictions of aerosol radiative forcing in climate models still contain large uncertainties, resulting from a poor understanding of certain aerosol processes, the level of complexity of aerosol processes represented in models, and the ability of models to account for sub-grid scale variability of aerosols and processes affecting them. In addition, comparing the performance and computational efficiency of new aerosol process modules used in various studies is problematic because different studies often employ different grid configurations, meteorology, trace gas chemistry, and emissions that affect the temporal and spatial evolution of aerosols. To address this issue, we have developed an Aerosol Modeling Testbed (AMT) to systematically and objectively evaluate aerosol process modules. The AMT consists of the modular Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, a series of testbed cases for which extensive in situ and remote sensing measurements of meteorological, trace gas, and aerosol properties are available, and a suite of tools to evaluate the performance of meteorological, chemical, aerosol process modules. WRF contains various parameterizations of meteorological, chemical, and aerosol processes and includes interactive aerosol-cloud-radiation treatments similar to those employed by climate models. In addition, the physics suite from a global climate model, Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5), has also been ported to WRF so that these parameterizations can be tested at various spatial scales and compared directly with field campaign data and other parameterizations commonly used by the mesoscale modeling community. In this study, we evaluate simple and complex treatments of the aerosol size distribution and secondary organic aerosols using the AMT and measurements collected during three field campaigns: the Megacities Initiative Local and Global Observations (MILAGRO) campaign conducted in the vicinity of Mexico City during March 2006, the

  3. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, Xiaowen; Khain, Alexander; Matsui, Toshihisa; Lang, Stephen; Simpson, Joanne

    2008-01-01

    Aerosols and especially their effect on clouds are one of the key components of the climate system and the hydrological cycle [Ramanathan et al., 2001]. Yet, the aerosol effect on clouds remains largely unknown and the processes involved not well understood. A recent report published by the National Academy of Science states "The greatest uncertainty about the aerosol climate forcing - indeed, the largest of all the uncertainties about global climate forcing - is probably the indirect effect of aerosols on clouds [NRC, 2001]." The aerosol effect on clouds is often categorized into the traditional "first indirect (i.e., Twomey)" effect on the cloud droplet sizes for a constant liquid water path [Twomey, 1977] and the "semi-direct" effect on cloud coverage [e.g., Ackerman et al ., 2001]." Enhanced aerosol concentrations can also suppress warm rain processes by producing a narrow droplet spectrum that inhibits collision and coalescence processes [e.g., Squires and Twomey, 1961; Warner and Twomey, 1967; Warner, 1968; Rosenfeld, 19991. The aerosol effect on precipitation processes, also known as the second type of aerosol indirect effect [Albrecht, 1989], is even more complex, especially for mixed-phase convective clouds. Table 1 summarizes the key observational studies identifying the microphysical properties, cloud characteristics, thermodynamics and dynamics associated with cloud systems from high-aerosol continental environments. For example, atmospheric aerosol concentrations can influence cloud droplet size distributions, warm-rain process, cold-rain process, cloud-top height, the depth of the mixed phase region, and occurrence of lightning. In addition, high aerosol concentrations in urban environments could affect precipitation variability by providing an enhanced source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Hypotheses have been developed to explain the effect of urban regions on convection and precipitation [van den Heever and Cotton, 2007 and Shepherd, 2005

  4. Field and Laboratory Studies of Atmospheric Organic Aerosol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coggon, Matthew Mitchell

    This thesis is the culmination of field and laboratory studies aimed at assessing processes that affect the composition and distribution of atmospheric organic aerosol. An emphasis is placed on measurements conducted using compact and high-resolution Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometers (AMS). The first three chapters summarize results from aircraft campaigns designed to evaluate anthropogenic and biogenic impacts on marine aerosol and clouds off the coast of California. Subsequent chapters describe laboratory studies intended to evaluate gas and particle-phase mechanisms of organic aerosol oxidation. The 2013 Nucleation in California Experiment (NiCE) was a campaign designed to study environments impacted by nucleated and/or freshly formed aerosol particles. Terrestrial biogenic aerosol with > 85% organic mass was observed to reside in the free troposphere above marine stratocumulus. This biogenic organic aerosol (BOA) originated from the Northwestern United States and was transported to the marine atmosphere during periodic cloud-clearing events. Spectra recorded by a cloud condensation nuclei counter demonstrated that BOA is CCN active. BOA enhancements at latitudes north of San Francisco, CA coincided with enhanced cloud water concentrations of organic species such as acetate and formate. Airborne measurements conducted during the 2011 Eastern Pacific Emitted Aerosol Cloud Experiment (E-PEACE) were aimed at evaluating the contribution of ship emissions to the properties of marine aerosol and clouds off the coast of central California. In one study, analysis of organic aerosol mass spectra during periods of enhanced shipping activity yielded unique tracers indicative of cloud-processed ship emissions (m/z 42 and 99). The variation of their organic fraction (f42 and f 99) was found to coincide with periods of heavy (f 42 > 0.15; f99 > 0.04), moderate (0.05 < f42 < 0.15; 0.01 < f99 < 0.04), and negligible (f42 < 0.05; f99 < 0.01) ship influence. Application of

  5. Aerosol studies with Listeria innocua and Listeria monocytogenes.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Guodong; Ma, Li; Oyarzabal, Omar A; Doyle, Michael P

    2007-08-01

    Aerosol studies of Listeria monocytogenes in food processing plants have been limited by lack of a suitable surrogate microorganism. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of using green fluorescent protein-labeled strains of Listeria innocua as a surrogate for L. monocytogenes for aerosol studies. These studies were conducted in a laboratory bioaerosol chamber and a pilot food-processing facility. Four strains of L. innocua and five strains of L. monocytogenes were used. In the laboratory chamber study, Listeria cells were released into the environment at two different cell numbers and under two airflow conditions. Trypticase soy agar (TSA) plates and oven-roasted breasts of chicken and turkey were placed in the chamber to monitor Listeria cell numbers deposited from aerosols. A similar experimental design was used in the pilot plant study; however, only L. innocua was used. Results showed that L. monocytogenes and L. innocua survived equally well on chicken and turkey breast meats and TSA plates. No-fan and continuous fan applications, which affected airflow, had no significant effect on settling rates of aerosolized L. monocytogenes and L. innocua in the bioaerosol chamber or L. innocua in the pilot plant study. Listeriae cell numbers in the air decreased rapidly during the first 1.5 h following release, with few to no listeriae detected in the air at 3 h. Aerosol particles with diameters of 1 and 2 microM correlated directly with the number of Listeria cells in the aerosol but not with particles that were 0.3, 0.5, and 5 microM in diameter. Results indicate that L. innocua can be used as a surrogate for L. monocytogenes in an aerosol study.

  6. Impact of fog processing on water soluble organic aerosols.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tripathi, S. N.; Chakraborty, A.; Gupta, T.

    2017-12-01

    Fog is a natural meteorological phenomenon that occurs all around the world, and contains a substantial quantity of liquid water. Fog is generally seen as a natural cleansing agent but can also form secondary organic aerosols (SOA) via aqueous processing of ambient organics. Few field studies have reported elevated O/C ratio and SOA mass during or after fog events. However, mechanism behind aqueous SOA formation and its contribution to total organic aerosols (OA) still remains unclear. In this study we have tried to explore the impact of fog/aqueous processing on the characteristics of water soluble organic aerosols (WSOC), which to our knowledge has not been studied before. To assess this, both online (using HR-ToF-AMS) and offline (using a medium volume PM2.5 sampler and quartz filter) aerosol sampling were carried out at Kanpur, India from 15 December 2014 - 10 February 2015. Further, offline analysis of the aqueous extracts of the collected filters were carried out by AMS to characterize the water soluble OA (WSOA). Several (17) fog events occurred during the campaign and high concentrations of OA (151 ± 68 µg/m3) and WSOA (47 ± 19 µg/m3) were observed. WSOA/OA ratios were similar during fog (0.36 ± 0.14) and nofog (0.34 ± 0.15) periods. WSOA concentrations were also similar (slightly higher) during foggy (49 ± 18 µg/m3) and non-foggy periods (46 ± 20 µg/m3), in spite of fog scavenging. However, WSOA was more oxidized during foggy period (average O/C = 0.81) than non foggy periods (average O/C = 0.70). Like WSOA, OA was also more oxidized during foggy periods (average O/C = 0.64) than non foggy periods (average O/C = 0.53). During fog, WSOA to WIOA (water insoluble OA) ratios were higher (0.65 ± 0.16) compared to non foggy periods (0.56 ± 0.15). These observations clearly showed that WSOA become more dominant and processed during fog events, possibly due to the presence of fog droplets. This study highlights that fog processing of soluble organics

  7. COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Study of Aerosol Sources and Processing at the GVAX Pantnagar Supersite

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Thornton, Joel A.; Worsnop, Douglas

    2016-09-22

    This project was part of a collaborative campaign, including the participation of scientists from seven research groups as part of the Winter Intensive Operating Period (January-February 2012) of the Clean Air for London (ClearfLo) campaign at a rural site in Detling, UK, 45 km southeast of central London to study wintertime sources of urban particulate matter. The UW contribution by PI Thornton’s group was to make the first deployment of a chemical ionization mass spectrometer instrument (MOVI-CI-ToFMS) to measure both particle and gas phase organic acids. The new instrument ran nearly continuously during the ClearfLo WINTER IOP at the Detlingmore » site, producing a first-ever data set of molecular composition information that can be used for source apportionment and process studies. The UW group published a paper in Environmental Science and Technology and contributed to another (Bohnenstengel et al BAMS 2015) detailing a direct molecular connection between biomass/biofuel burning particles and aerosol light absorption. The ES&T paper (Mohr, et al ES&T 2013) has received 42 citations in just 3 years indicative of its significant impact on the field. These measurements of urban and rural aerosol properties will contribute to improved modeling of regional aerosol emissions, and of atmospheric aging and removal.« less

  8. Effect of temperature tuning on the aerosol acoustic aggregation process.

    PubMed

    Qiao, Zhenghui; Dong, Wei; Huang, Yaji; Naso, Vincenzo

    2018-05-01

    Diesel exhaust aerosols (DEAs) can absorb and accumulate toxic metal particulates and bacteria suspended in the atmospheric environment, which impact human health and the environment. The use of acoustic standing waves (ASWs) to aggregate DEA is currently considered to be an efficient particle removal method; however, study of the effect of different temperatures on the acoustic aggregation process is scarce. To explore the method and technology to regulate and optimize the aerosol aggregation process through temperature tuning, an acoustic apparatus integrated with a temperature regulation function was constructed. Using this apparatus, the effect of different characteristic temperatures (CTs) on the aerosol aggregation process was investigated experimentally in the ASW environment. Under constant conditions of acoustic frequency 1.286kHz, voltage amplitude 17V and input electric power 16.7W, the study concentrated on temperature effects on the aggregation process in the CT range of 58-72°C. The DEA opacity was used. The results demonstrate that the aggregation process is quite sensitive to the CT, and that the optimal DEA aggregation can be achieved at 66°C. The aggregated particles of 68.17μm are composed of small nanoparticles of 13.34-62.15nm. At CTs higher and lower than 66°C, the apparatus in non-resonance mode reduces the DEA aggregation level. For other instruments, the method for obtaining the optimum temperature for acoustic agglomeration is universal. This preliminary demonstration shows that the use of acoustic technology to regulate the aerosol aggregation process through tuning the operating temperature is feasible and convenient. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  9. Modeling the feedback between aerosol and boundary layer processes: a case study in Beijing, China.

    PubMed

    Miao, Yucong; Liu, Shuhua; Zheng, Yijia; Wang, Shu

    2016-02-01

    Rapid development has led to frequent haze in Beijing. With mountains and sea surrounding Beijing, the pollution is found to be influenced by the mountain-plain breeze and sea-land breeze in complex ways. Meanwhile, the presence of aerosols may affect the surface energy balance and impact these boundary layer (BL) processes. The effects of BL processes on aerosol pollution and the feedback between aerosol and BL processes are not yet clearly understood. Thus, the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) is used to investigate the possible effects and feedbacks during a haze episode on 23 September 2011. Influenced by the onshore prevailing wind, sea-breeze, and upslope breeze, about 45% of surface particulate matter (PM)2.5 in Beijing are found to be contributed by its neighbor cities through regional transport. In the afternoon, the development of upslope breeze suppresses the growth of BL in Beijing by imposing a relatively low thermal stable layer above the BL, which exacerbates the pollution. Two kinds of feedback during the daytime are revealed as follows: (1) as the aerosols absorb and scatter the solar radiation, the surface net radiation and sensible heat flux are decreased, while BL temperature is increased, resulting in a more stable and shallower BL, which leads to a higher surface PM2.5 concentration in the morning and (2) in the afternoon, as the presence of aerosols increases the BL temperature over plains, the upslope breeze is weakened, and the boundary layer height (BLH) over Beijing is heightened, resulting in the decrease of the surface PM2.5 concentration there.

  10. Aerosol and CCN over the Southern Ocean: Sources, Sinks and Processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clarke, A. D.; Freitag, S.; Howell, S. G.; Snider, J. R.; Kazil, J.; Feingold, G.; McNaughton, C. S.; Brekhovskikh, V.; Kapustin, V.; Campos, T. L.; Shank, L.

    2013-12-01

    Aerosol able to activate as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in marine stratus play an important role in cloud properties and processes. The 2008 VOCALS experiment (http://www.eol.ucar.edu/projects/vocals/) explored the aerosol cloud system over the South East Pacific (SEP). There, marine boundary layer (MBL) air from the Southern Ocean is directed north parallel to the South American coast and exposed to continental emissions. During this transport the initial clean MBL aerosol is modified in response to production, processing, entrainment, mixing, and removal. Here we discuss how the aerosol, the CCN and the clouds over the SEP are coupled by these processes. VOCALS data along 20S indicated cleanest air offshore and west of about 78W. However, some of the cleanest air (lowest CO concentrations) over the SEP were present in pockets of open cells (POC's). This suggests POC's are favored in places where remnants of Southern Ocean MBL air experienced the least mixing with higher CO sources during transport, either coastal or via entrainment of free troposphere air. Entrainment from the free troposphere (FT) was found to be an important source of marine boundary layer (MBL) aerosol in both near-shore and off-shore regions while direct advection of continental aerosol tended to influence aerosol and CCN closer to the coast. Entrainment from the FT included diverse sources from South America as well as long range transport from the western Pacific. Entrainment of FT aerosol can resupply the MBL with CCN and this process appears greatly enhanced when patchy 'rivers' of pollution lie directly above the inversion. This process was evident both offshore and near the coast. Production of CCN from sea spray aerosol (SSA) were found to increase with wind speed but atmospheric concentrations did not generally increase in the higher wind offshore regions because these regions had greater drizzle removal that compensated for increased production. Generally SSA larger than 60 nm

  11. Aerosol chemistry in Titan's ionosphere: simultaneous growth and etching processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carrasco, Nathalie; Cernogora, Guy; Jomard, François; Etcheberry, Arnaud; Vigneron, Jackie

    2016-10-01

    Since the Cassini-CAPS measurements, organic aerosols are known to be present and formed at high altitudes in the diluted and partially ionized medium that is Titan's ionosphere [1]. This unexpected chemistry can be further investigated in the laboratory with plasma experiments simulating the complex ion-neutral chemistry starting from N2-CH4 [2]. Two sorts of solid organic samples can be produced in laboratory experiments simulating Titan's atmospheric reactivity: grains in the volume and thin films on the reactor walls. We expect that grains are more representative of Titan's atmospheric aerosols, but films are used to provide optical indices for radiative models of Titan's atmosphere.The aim of the present study is to address if these two sorts of analogues are chemically equivalent or not, when produced in the same N2-CH4 plasma discharge. The chemical compositions of both these materials are measured by using elemental analysis, XPS analysis and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. We find that films are homogeneous but significantly less rich in nitrogen and hydrogen than grains produced in the same experimental conditions. This surprising difference in their chemical compositions is explained by the efficient etching occurring on the films, which stay in the discharge during the whole plasma duration, whereas the grains are ejected after a few minutes [3]. The impact for our understanding of Titan's aerosols chemical composition is important. Our study shows that chemical growth and etching process are simultaneously at stake in Titan's ionosphere. The more the aerosols stay in the ionosphere, the more graphitized they get through etching process. In order to infer Titan's aerosols composition, our work highlights a need for constraints on the residence time of aerosols in Titan's ionosphere. [1] Waite et al. (2009) Science , 316, p. 870[2] Szopa et al. (2006) PSS, 54, p. 394[3] Carrasco et al. (2016) PSS, 128, p. 52

  12. Sensitivity studies of different aerosol indirect effects in mixed-phase clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lohmann, U.; Hoose, C.

    2009-11-01

    Aerosols affect the climate system by changing cloud characteristics. Using the global climate model ECHAM5-HAM, we investigate different aerosol effects on mixed-phase clouds: The glaciation effect, which refers to a more frequent glaciation due to anthropogenic aerosols, versus the de-activation effect, which suggests that ice nuclei become less effective because of an anthropogenic sulfate coating. The glaciation effect can partly offset the indirect aerosol effect on warm clouds and thus causes the total anthropogenic aerosol effect to be smaller. It is investigated by varying the parameterization for the Bergeron-Findeisen process and the threshold coating thickness of sulfate (SO4-crit), which is required to convert an externally mixed aerosol particle into an internally mixed particle. Differences in the net radiation at the top-of-the-atmosphere due to anthropogenic aerosols between the different sensitivity studies amount up to 0.5 W m-2. This suggests that the investigated mixed-phase processes have a major effect on the total anthropogenic aerosol effect.

  13. Sensitivity studies of different aerosol indirect effects in mixed-phase clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lohmann, U.; Hoose, C.

    2009-07-01

    Aerosols affect the climate system by changing cloud characteristics. Using the global climate model ECHAM5-HAM, we investigate different aerosol effects on mixed-phase clouds: The glaciation effect, which refers to a more frequent glaciation due to anthropogenic aerosols, versus the de-activation effect, which suggests that ice nuclei become less effective because of an anthropogenic sulfate coating. The glaciation effect can partly offset the indirect aerosol effect on warm clouds and thus causes the total anthropogenic aerosol effect to be smaller. It is investigated by varying the parameterization for the Bergeron-Findeisen process and the threshold coating thickness of sulfate (SO4-crit), which is required to convert an externally mixed aerosol particle into an internally mixed particle. Differences in the net radiation at the top-of-the-atmosphere due to anthropogenic aerosols between the different sensitivity studies amount up to 0.5 W m-2. This suggests that the investigated mixed-phase processes have a major effect on the total anthropogenic aerosol effect.

  14. Modeling Gas-Aerosol Processes during MILAGRO 2006

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaveri, R. A.; Chapman, E. G.; Easter, R. C.; Fast, J. D.; Flocke, F.; Kleinman, L. I.; Madronich, S.; Springston, S. R.; Voss, P. B.; Weinheimer, A.

    2007-12-01

    Significant gas-aerosol interactions are expected in the Mexico City outflow due to formation of various semi- volatile secondary inorganic and organic gases that can partition into the particulate phase and due to various heterogeneous chemical processes. A number of T0-T1-T2 Lagrangian transport episodes during the MILAGRO campaign provide focused modeling opportunities to elucidate the roles of various chemical and physical processes in the evolution of the primary trace gases and aerosol particles emitted in Mexico City over a period of 4-8 hours. Additionally, one long-range Lagrangian transport episode on March 18-19, 2006, as characterized by the Controlled Meteorological (CMET) balloon trajectories, presents an excellent opportunity to model evolution of Mexico City pollutants over 26 hours. The key tools in our analysis of these Lagrangian episodes include a comprehensive Lagrangian box-model and the WRF-chem model based on the new Model for Simulating Aerosol Interactions and Chemistry (MOSAIC), which simulates gas-phase photochemistry, heterogeneous reactions, equilibrium particulate phase-state and water content, and dynamic gas-particle partitioning for size- resolved aerosols. Extensive gas, aerosol, and meteorological measurements onboard the G1 and C130 aircraft and T0, T1, and T2 ground sites will be used to initialize, constrain, and evaluate the models. For the long-range transport event, in-situ vertical profiles of wind vectors from repeated CMET balloon soundings in the Mexico City outflow will be used to nudge the winds in the WRF-chem simulation. Preliminary model results will be presented with the intention to explore further collaborative opportunities to use additional gas and particulate measurements to better constrain and evaluate the models.

  15. Single Aerosol Particle Studies Using Optical Trapping Raman And Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gong, Z.; Wang, C.; Pan, Y. L.; Videen, G.

    2017-12-01

    Due to the physical and chemical complexity of aerosol particles and the interdisciplinary nature of aerosol science that involves physics, chemistry, and biology, our knowledge of aerosol particles is rather incomplete; our current understanding of aerosol particles is limited by averaged (over size, composition, shape, and orientation) and/or ensemble (over time, size, and multi-particles) measurements. Physically, single aerosol particles are the fundamental units of any large aerosol ensembles. Chemically, single aerosol particles carry individual chemical components (properties and constituents) in particle ensemble processes. Therefore, the study of single aerosol particles can bridge the gap between aerosol ensembles and bulk/surface properties and provide a hierarchical progression from a simple benchmark single-component system to a mixed-phase multicomponent system. A single aerosol particle can be an effective reactor to study heterogeneous surface chemistry in multiple phases. Latest technological advances provide exciting new opportunities to study single aerosol particles and to further develop single aerosol particle instrumentation. We present updates on our recent studies of single aerosol particles optically trapped in air using the optical-trapping Raman and cavity ringdown spectroscopy.

  16. Secondary organic aerosol formation through cloud processing of aromatic VOCs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Herckes, P.; Hutchings, J. W.; Ervens, B.

    2010-12-01

    Field observations have shown substantial concentrations (20-5,500 ng L-1) of aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOC) in cloud droplets. The potential generation of secondary organic aerosol mass through the processing of these anthropogenic VOCs was investigated through laboratory and modeling studies. Under simulated atmospheric laboratory conditions, in idealized solutions, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) degraded quickly in the aqueous phase. The degradation process yielded less volatile products which would contribute to new aerosol mass upon cloud evaporation. However, when realistic cloud solutions containing natural organic matter were used in the experiments, the reaction rates decreased with increasing organic carbon content. Kinetic data derived from these experiments were used as input to a multiphase box model in order to evaluate the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass formation potential of cloud processing of BTEX. Model results will be presented that quantify the SOA amounts from these aqueous phase pathways. The efficiency of this multiphase SOA source will be compared to SOA yields from the same aromatics as treated in traditional SOA models that are restricted to gas phase oxidation and subsequent condensation on particles.

  17. Photochemical processing of organic aerosol at nearby continental sites: contrast between urban plumes and regional aerosol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slowik, J. G.; Brook, J.; Chang, R. Y.-W.; Evans, G. J.; Hayden, K.; Jeong, C.-H.; Li, S.-M.; Liggio, J.; Liu, P. S. K.; McGuire, M.; Mihele, C.; Sjostedt, S.; Vlasenko, A.; Abbatt, J. P. D.

    2010-10-01

    As part of the BAQS-Met 2007 field campaign, Aerodyne time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometers (ToF-AMS) were deployed at two sites in southwestern Ontario from 17 June to 11 July, 2007. One instrument was located at Harrow, ON, a rural, agriculture-dominated area approximately 40 km southeast of the Detroit/Windsor/Windsor urban area and 5 km north of Lake Erie. The second instrument was located at Bear Creek, ON, a rural site approximately 70 km northeast of the Harrow site and 50 km east of Detroit/Windsor. Positive matrix factorization analysis of the combined organic mass spectral dataset yields factors related to secondary organic aerosol (SOA), direct emissions, and uptake processes. This is the first application of PMF to simultaneous AMS measurements at different sites, an approach which allows for self-consistent, direct comparison of the datasets. Case studies are utilized to investigate processing of SOA from (1) fresh emissions from Detroit/Windsor and (2) regional aerosol during periods of inter-site flow. A strong correlation is observed between SOA/excess CO and photochemical age as represented by the NOx/NOy ratio for Detroit/Windsor outflow. Although this correlation is not evident for more aged air, measurements at the two sites during inter-site transport nevertheless show evidence of continued atmospheric processing by SOA production.

  18. Primary and secondary aerosols in Beijing in winter: sources, variations and processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Yele; Du, Wei; Fu, Pingqing; Wang, Qingqing; Li, Jie; Ge, Xinlei; Zhang, Qi; Zhu, Chunmao; Ren, Lujie; Xu, Weiqi; Zhao, Jian; Han, Tingting; Worsnop, Douglas R.; Wang, Zifa

    2016-07-01

    Winter has the worst air pollution of the year in the megacity of Beijing. Despite extensive winter studies in recent years, our knowledge of the sources, formation mechanisms and evolution of aerosol particles is not complete. Here we have a comprehensive characterization of the sources, variations and processes of submicron aerosols that were measured by an Aerodyne high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer from 17 December 2013 to 17 January 2014 along with offline filter analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Our results suggest that submicron aerosols composition was generally similar across the winter of different years and was mainly composed of organics (60 %), sulfate (15 %) and nitrate (11 %). Positive matrix factorization of high- and unit-mass resolution spectra identified four primary organic aerosol (POA) factors from traffic, cooking, biomass burning (BBOA) and coal combustion (CCOA) emissions as well as two secondary OA (SOA) factors. POA dominated OA, on average accounting for 56 %, with CCOA being the largest contributor (20 %). Both CCOA and BBOA showed distinct polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) spectral signatures, indicating that PAHs in winter were mainly from coal combustion (66 %) and biomass burning emissions (18 %). BBOA was highly correlated with levoglucosan, a tracer compound for biomass burning (r2 = 0.93), and made a considerable contribution to OA in winter (9 %). An aqueous-phase-processed SOA (aq-OOA) that was strongly correlated with particle liquid water content, sulfate and S-containing ions (e.g. CH2SO2+) was identified. On average aq-OOA contributed 12 % to the total OA and played a dominant role in increasing oxidation degrees of OA at high RH levels (> 50 %). Our results illustrate that aqueous-phase processing can enhance SOA production and oxidation states of OA as well in winter. Further episode analyses highlighted the significant impacts of meteorological parameters on aerosol composition, size

  19. Aerosol-Phase Production of Nitrogen-Containing Oligomers After Uptake of Methylglyoxal and Cloud Processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Haan, D. O.; Riva, M.; Surratt, J. D.; Cazaunau, M.; Doussin, J. F.

    2016-12-01

    Minimal organic aerosol forms when aerosol particles are exposed to gas-phase methylglyoxal, but condensed phase laboratory studies of aerosol chemistry have suggested that methylglyoxal is a significant source of oligomerized aerosol material. In this study, various types of seed particles were exposed to gaseous methylglyoxal and then cloud-processed in the CESAM chamber. The gas phase was continuously probed by high-resolution PTR-MS during the experiments, and the particle phase WSOC was chemically characterized by high-resolution UPLC/ESI-DAD-QTOFMS. Uptake of methylglyoxal to dry particles caused optical rather than size changes, along with the release of imine products to the gas phase. High RH and cloud processing released some particle-bound methylglyoxal back to the gas phase but triggered an uptake of imine products. Analysis of the particle phase identified N-containing aldol condensation products derived from methylglyoxal, imine (produced from methylglyoxal and amine reactions), acetaldehyde (produced by methylglyoxal photolysis) and hydroxyacetone (produced by methylglyoxal disproportionation) monomers.

  20. The Role of Aerosols on Precipitation Processes: Cloud Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Matsui, T.

    2012-01-01

    Cloud microphysics is inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, a detailed spectral-bin microphysical scheme was implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e. pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e., 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep cloud systems in the west Pacific warm pool region, the sub-tropics (Florida) and midlatitudes using identical thermodynamic conditions but with different concentrations of CCN: a low "clean" concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. Results indicate that the low CCN concentration case produces rainfall at the surface sooner than the high CeN case but has less cloud water mass aloft. Because the spectral-bin model explicitly calculates and allows for the examination of both the mass and number concentration of species in each size category, a detailed analysis of the instantaneous size spectrum can be obtained for these cases. It is shown that since the low (CN case produces fewer droplets, larger sizes develop due to greater condensational and collection growth, leading to a broader size spectrum in comparison to the high CCN case. Sensitivity tests were performed to

  1. Aerosol processing: a wind of innovation in the field of advanced heterogeneous catalysts.

    PubMed

    Debecker, Damien P; Le Bras, Solène; Boissière, Cédric; Chaumonnot, Alexandra; Sanchez, Clément

    2018-06-05

    Aerosol processing is long known and implemented industrially to obtain various types of divided materials and nanomaterials. The atomisation of a liquid solution or suspension produces a mist of aerosol droplets which can then be transformed via a diversity of processes including spray-drying, spray pyrolysis, flame spray pyrolysis, thermal decomposition, micronisation, gas atomisation, etc. The attractive technical features of these aerosol processes make them highly interesting for the continuous, large scale, and tailored production of heterogeneous catalysts. Indeed, during aerosol processing, each liquid droplet undergoes well-controlled physical and chemical transformations, allowing for example to dry and aggregate pre-existing solid particles or to synthesise new micro- or nanoparticles from mixtures of molecular or colloidal precursors. In the last two decades, more advanced reactive aerosol processes have emerged as innovative means to synthesise tailored-made nanomaterials with tunable surface properties, textures, compositions, etc. In particular, the "aerosol-assisted sol-gel" process (AASG) has demonstrated tremendous potential for the preparation of high-performance heterogeneous catalysts. The method is mainly based on the low-cost, scalable, and environmentally benign sol-gel chemistry process, often coupled with the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) concept. It allows producing micronic or submicronic, inorganic or hybrid organic-inorganic particles bearing tuneable and calibrated porous structures at different scales. In addition, pre-formed nanoparticles can be easily incorporated or formed in a "one-pot" bottom-up approach within the porous inorganic or hybrid spheres produced by such spray drying method. Thus, multifunctional catalysts with tailored catalytic activities can be prepared in a relatively simple way. This account is an overview of aerosol processed heterogeneous catalysts which demonstrated interesting performance in

  2. Cloud processing of organic compounds: Secondary organic aerosol and nitrosamine formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hutchings, James W., III

    Cloud processing of atmospheric organic compounds has been investigated through field studies, laboratory experiments, and numerical modeling. Observational cloud chemistry studies were performed in northern Arizona and fog studies in central Pennsylvania. At both locations, the cloud and fogs showed low acidity due to neutralization by soil dust components (Arizona) and ammonia (Pennsylvania). The field observations showed substantial concentrations (20-5500 ng•L -1) of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the cloud droplets. The potential generation of secondary organic aerosol mass through the processing of these anthropogenic VOCs was investigated through laboratory and modeling studies. Under simulated atmospheric conditions, in idealized solutions, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) degraded quickly in the aqueous phase with half lives of approximately three hours. The degradation process yielded less volatile products which would contribute to new aerosol mass upon cloud evaporation. However, when realistic cloud solutions containing natural organic matter were used in the experiments, the reaction kinetics decreased with increasing organic carbon content, resulting in half lives of approximately 7 hours. The secondary organic aerosol (SUA) mass formation potential of cloud processing of BTEX was evaluated. SOA mass formation by cloud processing of BTEX, while strongly dependent on the atmospheric conditions, could contribute up to 9% of the ambient atmospheric aerosol mass, although typically ˜1% appears realistic. Field observations also showed the occurrence of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a potent carcinogen, in fogs and clouds (100-340 ng•L -1). Laboratory studies were conducted to investigate the formation of NDMA from nitrous acid and dimethylamine in the homogeneous aqueous phase within cloud droplets. While NDMA was produced in the cloud droplets, the low yields (<1%) observed could not explain observational concentrations

  3. Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation in the Captive Aerosol Growth and Evolution (CAGE) Chambers during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) in Centreville, AL

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leong, Y.; Karakurt Cevik, B.; Hernandez, C.; Griffin, R. J.; Taylor, N.; Matus, J.; Collins, D. R.

    2013-12-01

    Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) represents a large portion of sub-micron particulate matter on a global scale. The composition of SOA and its formation processes are heavily influenced by anthropogenic and biogenic activity. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are emitted naturally from forests or from human activity serve as precursors to SOA formation. Biogenic SOA (BSOA) is formed from biogenic VOCs and is prevalent in forested regions like the Southeastern United States. The formation and enhancement of BSOA under anthropogenic influences such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and oxygen radicals are still not well understood. The lack of information on anthropogenic BSOA enhancement and the reversibility of SOA formation could explain the underprediction of SOA in current models. To address some of these gaps in knowledge, this study was conducted as part of the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) in Centreville, AL during the summer of 2013. SOA growth experiments were conducted in two Captive Aerosol Growth and Evolution (CAGE) outdoor chambers located at the SEARCH site. Ambient trace gas concentrations were maintained in these chambers using semi-permeable gas-exchange membranes, while studying the growth of injected monodisperse seed aerosol. The control chamber was operated under ambient conditions; the relative humidity and oxidant and NOx levels were perturbed in the second chamber. This design allows experiments to capture the natural BSOA formation processes in the southeastern atmosphere and to study the influence of anthropogenic activity on aerosol chemistry. Chamber experiments were periodically monitored with physical and chemical instrumentation including a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), a cloud condensation nuclei counter (CCNC), a humidified tandem differential mobility analyzer (H-TDMA), and an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). The CAGE experiments focused on SOA

  4. Modeling and measurements of urban aerosol processes on the neighborhood scale in Rotterdam, Oslo and Helsinki

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karl, Matthias; Kukkonen, Jaakko; Keuken, Menno P.; Lützenkirchen, Susanne; Pirjola, Liisa; Hussein, Tareq

    2016-04-01

    This study evaluates the influence of aerosol processes on the particle number (PN) concentrations in three major European cities on the temporal scale of 1 h, i.e., on the neighborhood and city scales. We have used selected measured data of particle size distributions from previous campaigns in the cities of Helsinki, Oslo and Rotterdam. The aerosol transformation processes were evaluated using the aerosol dynamics model MAFOR, combined with a simplified treatment of roadside and urban atmospheric dispersion. We have compared the model predictions of particle number size distributions with the measured data, and conducted sensitivity analyses regarding the influence of various model input variables. We also present a simplified parameterization for aerosol processes, which is based on the more complex aerosol process computations; this simple model can easily be implemented to both Gaussian and Eulerian urban dispersion models. Aerosol processes considered in this study were (i) the coagulation of particles, (ii) the condensation and evaporation of two organic vapors, and (iii) dry deposition. The chemical transformation of gas-phase compounds was not taken into account. By choosing concentrations and particle size distributions at roadside as starting point of the computations, nucleation of gas-phase vapors from the exhaust has been regarded as post tail-pipe emission, avoiding the need to include nucleation in the process analysis. Dry deposition and coagulation of particles were identified to be the most important aerosol dynamic processes that control the evolution and removal of particles. The error of the contribution from dry deposition to PN losses due to the uncertainty of measured deposition velocities ranges from -76 to +64 %. The removal of nanoparticles by coagulation enhanced considerably when considering the fractal nature of soot aggregates and the combined effect of van der Waals and viscous interactions. The effect of condensation and

  5. Measurements of Semi-volatile Aerosol and Its Effect on Aerosol Optical Properties During Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khlystov, A.; Grieshop, A. P.; Saha, P.; Subramanian, R.

    2013-12-01

    Semi-volatile compounds, including particle-bound water, comprise a large part of aerosol mass and have a significant influence on aerosol lifecycle and its optical properties. Understanding the properties of semi-volatile compounds, especially those pertaining to gas/aerosol partitioning, is of critical importance for our ability to predict concentrations and properties of ambient aerosol. A set of state-of-the-art instruments was deployed at the SEARCH site near Centerville, AL during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) campaign in summer 2013 to measure the effect of temperature and relative humidity on aerosol size distribution, composition and optical properties. Light scattering and absorption by temperature- and humidity-conditioned aerosols was measured using three photo-acoustic extinctiometers (PAX) at three wavelengths (405 nm, 532 nm, and 870 nm). In parallel to these measurements, a long residence time temperature-stepping thermodenuder and a variable residence time constant temperature thermodenuder in combination with three SMPS systems and an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) were used to assess aerosol volatility and kinetics of aerosol evaporation. It was found that both temperature and relative humidity have a strong effect on aerosol optical properties. The variable residence time thermodenuder data suggest that aerosol equilibrated fairly quickly, within 2 s, in contrast to other ambient observations. Preliminary analysis show that approximately 50% and 90% of total aerosol mass evaporated at temperatures of 100 C and 180C, respectively. Evaporation varied substantially with ambient aerosol loading and composition and meteorology. During course of this study, T50 (temperatures at which 50% aerosol mass evaporates) varied from 60 C to more than 120 C.

  6. Characterisation of aerosol combustible mixtures generated using condensation process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saat, Aminuddin; Dutta, Nilabza; Wahid, Mazlan A.

    2012-06-01

    An accidental release of a liquid flammable substance might be formed as an aerosol (droplet and vapour mixture). This phenomenon might be due to high pressure sprays, pressurised liquid leaks and through condensation when hot vapour is rapidly cooled. Such phenomena require a fundamental investigation of mixture characterisation prior to any subsequent process such as evaporation and combustion. This paper describes characterisation study of droplet and vapour mixtures generated in a fan stirred vessel using condensation technique. Aerosol of isooctane mixtures were generated by expansion from initially a premixed gaseous fuel-air mixture. The distribution of droplets within the mixture was characterised using laser diagnostics. Nearly monosized droplet clouds were generated and the droplet diameter was defined as a function of expansion time. The effect of changes in pressure, temperature, fuel-air fraction and expansion ratio on droplet diameter was evaluated. It is shown that aerosol generation by expansion was influenced by the initial pressure and temperature, equivalence ratio and expansion rates. All these parameters affected the onset of condensation which in turn affected the variation in droplet diameter.

  7. Modelling absorbing aerosol with ECHAM-HAM: Insights from regional studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tegen, Ina; Heinold, Bernd; Schepanski, Kerstin; Banks, Jamie; Kubin, Anne; Schacht, Jacob

    2017-04-01

    Quantifying distributions and properties of absorbing aerosol is a basis for investigations of interactions of aerosol particles with radiation and climate. While evaluations of aerosol models by field measurements can be particularly successful at the regional scale, such results need to be put into a global context for climate studies. We present an overview over studies performed at the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research aiming at constraining the properties of mineral dust and soot aerosol in the global aerosol model ECHAM6-HAM2 based on different regional studies. An example is the impact of different sources for dust transported to central Asia, which is influenced, by far-range transport of dust from Arabia and the Sahara together with dust from local sources. Dust types from these different source regions were investigated in the context of the CADEX project and are expected to have different optical properties. For Saharan dust, satellite retrievals from MSG SEVIRI are used to constrain Saharan dust sources and optical properties. In the Arctic region, on one hand dust aerosol is simulated in the framework of the PalMod project. On the other hand aerosol measurements that will be taken during the DFG-funded (AC)3 field campaigns will be used to evaluate the simulated transport pathways of soot aerosol from European, North American and Asian sources, as well as the parameterization of soot ageing processes in ECHAM6-HAM2. Ultimately, results from these studies will improve the representation of aerosol absorption in the global model.

  8. a Study on the Physical and Chemical Properties of Stratospheric Aerosols.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tabazadeh, Azadeh

    The physical and chemical properties of stratospheric aerosols under background and perturbed conditions are discussed. First, a multi-component aerosol physical chemistry model was developed to study the composition and reactivity of stratospheric aerosols. The compositions are predicted from an equilibrium assumption between the condensed-and gas-phases, and they are calculated as a function of ambient temperature, relative humidity, and the total mass of nitric acid and sulfuric acid present per unit volume of air. The water and solute activity parameters in the aerosol model are derived from various laboratory sources, and the set of equilibrium equations are solved using a unique numerical scheme. The aerosol model is applied to study the formation of nitric acid-containing aerosols in the stratosphere. Also, the equilibrium compositions are used to estimate the extent of aqueous phase processing of chlorine species in the aerosol solutions. This processing can contribute to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, especially after major volcanic eruptions where sulfate aerosols are more abundant. Second, a surface chemistry model was constructed that includes Langmuir trace-gas adsorption and desorption, Brunauer, Emmett and Teller adsorption of water vapor, surface poisoning, solvation and diffusion of molecules on the surface, chemical activation and reaction of adsorbates, and product desorption or reaction. This model is used to study the effects of relative humidity and other physical parameters on the efficiency of heterogeneous chemical processes which occur on the surfaces of solid polar stratospheric clouds. These heterogeneous chemical processes are responsible for the formation of the "ozone hole", can contribute to global ozone depletion, and may have tropospheric significance. Finally, a fluid dynamics and thermodynamics model of volcanic eruption columns was used to develop a scheme for predicting the extent of HCl removal from volcanic

  9. Laboratory Experiments and Instrument Intercomparison Studies of Carbonaceous Aerosol Particles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Davidovits, Paul

    Aerosols containing black carbon (and some specific types of organic particulate matter) directly absorb incoming light, heating the atmosphere. In addition, all aerosol particles backscatter solar light, leading to a net-cooling effect. Indirect effects involve hydrophilic aerosols, which serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) that affect cloud cover and cloud stability, impacting both atmospheric radiation balance and precipitation patterns. At night, all clouds produce local warming, but overall clouds exert a net-cooling effect on the Earth. The effect of aerosol radiative forcing on climate may be as large as that of the greenhouse gases, but predominantly opposite in sign andmore » much more uncertain. The uncertainties in the representation of aerosol interactions in climate models makes it problematic to use model projections to guide energy policy. The objective of our program is to reduce the uncertainties in the aerosol radiative forcing in the two areas highlighted in the ASR Science and Program Plan. That is, (1) addressing the direct effect by correlating particle chemistry and morphology with particle optical properties (i.e. absorption, scattering, extinction), and (2) addressing the indirect effect by correlating particle hygroscopicity and CCN activity with particle size, chemistry, and morphology. In this connection we are systematically studying particle formation, oxidation, and the effects of particle coating. The work is specifically focused on carbonaceous particles where the uncertainties in the climate relevant properties are the highest. The ongoing work consists of laboratory experiments and related instrument inter-comparison studies both coordinated with field and modeling studies, with the aim of providing reliable data to represent aerosol processes in climate models. The work is performed in the aerosol laboratory at Boston College. At the center of our laboratory setup are two main sources for the production of aerosol

  10. Organic and inorganic markers and stable C-, N-isotopic compositions of tropical coastal aerosols from megacity Mumbai: sources of organic aerosols and atmospheric processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aggarwal, S. G.; Kawamura, K.; Umarji, G. S.; Tachibana, E.; Patil, R. S.; Gupta, P. K.

    2012-08-01

    To better understand the sources of PM10 samples from Mumbai, India, aerosol chemical compositions, i.e. total carbon (TC), organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and inorganic ions were studied together with specific markers such as methanesulfonate (MSA), oxalic acid (C2), azelaic acid (C9), and levoglucosan. The results revealed that biofuel/biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion are the major sources of the Mumbai aerosols. Nitrogen-isotopic (δ15N) composition of aerosol total nitrogen, which ranged from 18.1 to 25.4‰, also suggest that biofuel/biomass burning is the dominant source in both summer and winter seasons. Aerosol mass concentrations of major species increased 3-4 times in winter compared to summer, indicating an enhanced emission from these sources in winter season. Photochemical production tracers, C2 diacid and nssSO42- do not show diurnal changes. Concentrations of C2 diacid and WSOC show a strong correlation (r2 = 0.95). In addition, WSOC to OC (or TC) ratios remain almost constant for day- (0.37 ± 0.06 (0.28 ± 0.04)) and nighttime (0.38 ± 0.07 (0.28 ± 0.06)), suggesting that mixing of fresh secondary organic aerosols is not significant rather the Mumbai aerosols are photochemically well processed. Concentrations of MSA and C9 diacid present a positive correlation (r2 = 0.75), indicating a marine influence on Mumbai aerosols in addition to local/regional influence. Backward air mass trajectory analyses further suggested that the Mumbai aerosols are largely influenced by long-range continental and regional transport. Stable C-isotopic ratios (δ13C) of TC ranged from -27.0 to -25.4‰ with slightly lower average (-26.5 ± 0.3‰) in summer than in winter (-25.9 ± 0.3‰). Positive correlation between WSOC/TC ratios and δ13C values suggested that the increment in δ13C of wintertime TC may be caused by prolonged photochemical processing of organic aerosols in this season. This study suggests

  11. Design of Nanomaterial Synthesis by Aerosol Processes

    PubMed Central

    Buesser, Beat; Pratsinis, Sotiris E.

    2013-01-01

    Aerosol synthesis of materials is a vibrant field of particle technology and chemical reaction engineering. Examples include the manufacture of carbon blacks, fumed SiO2, pigmentary TiO2, ZnO vulcanizing catalysts, filamentary Ni, and optical fibers, materials that impact transportation, construction, pharmaceuticals, energy, and communications. Parallel to this, development of novel, scalable aerosol processes has enabled synthesis of new functional nanomaterials (e.g., catalysts, biomaterials, electroceramics) and devices (e.g., gas sensors). This review provides an access point for engineers to the multiscale design of aerosol reactors for the synthesis of nanomaterials using continuum, mesoscale, molecular dynamics, and quantum mechanics models spanning 10 and 15 orders of magnitude in length and time, respectively. Key design features are the rapid chemistry; the high particle concentrations but low volume fractions; the attainment of a self-preserving particle size distribution by coagulation; the ratio of the characteristic times of coagulation and sintering, which controls the extent of particle aggregation; and the narrowing of the aggregate primary particle size distribution by sintering. PMID:22468598

  12. Design of nanomaterial synthesis by aerosol processes.

    PubMed

    Buesser, Beat; Pratsinis, Sotiris E

    2012-01-01

    Aerosol synthesis of materials is a vibrant field of particle technology and chemical reaction engineering. Examples include the manufacture of carbon blacks, fumed SiO(2), pigmentary TiO(2), ZnO vulcanizing catalysts, filamentary Ni, and optical fibers, materials that impact transportation, construction, pharmaceuticals, energy, and communications. Parallel to this, development of novel, scalable aerosol processes has enabled synthesis of new functional nanomaterials (e.g., catalysts, biomaterials, electroceramics) and devices (e.g., gas sensors). This review provides an access point for engineers to the multiscale design of aerosol reactors for the synthesis of nanomaterials using continuum, mesoscale, molecular dynamics, and quantum mechanics models spanning 10 and 15 orders of magnitude in length and time, respectively. Key design features are the rapid chemistry; the high particle concentrations but low volume fractions; the attainment of a self-preserving particle size distribution by coagulation; the ratio of the characteristic times of coagulation and sintering, which controls the extent of particle aggregation; and the narrowing of the aggregate primary particle size distribution by sintering.

  13. Effect of relative humidity on soot - secondary organic aerosol mixing: A case study from the Soot Aerosol Aging Study (PNNL-SAAS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharma, N.; China, S.; Zaveri, R. A.; Shilling, J. E.; Pekour, M. S.; Liu, S.; Aiken, A. C.; Dubey, M. K.; Wilson, J. M.; Zelenyuk, A.; OBrien, R. E.; Moffet, R.; Gilles, M. K.; Gourihar, K.; Chand, D.; Sedlacek, A. J., III; Subramanian, R.; Onasch, T. B.; Laskin, A.; Mazzoleni, C.

    2014-12-01

    Atmospheric processing of fresh soot particles emitted by anthropogenic as well as natural sources alters their physical and chemical properties. For example, fresh and aged soot particles interact differently with incident solar radiation, resulting in different overall radiation budgets. Varying atmospheric chemical and meteorological conditions can result in complex soot mixing states. The Soot Aerosol Aging Study (SAAS) was conducted at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in November 2013 and January 2014 as a step towards understanding the evolution of mixing state of soot and its impact on climate-relevant properties. Aging experiments on diesel soot were carried out in a controlled laboratory chamber, and the effects of condensation and coagulation processes were systematically explored in separate sets of experiments. In addition to online measurement of aerosol properties, aerosol samples were collected for offline single particle analysis to investigate the evolution of the morphology, elemental composition and fine structure of sample particles from different experiments. Condensation experiments focused on the formation of α-pinene secondary organic aerosol on diesel soot aerosol seeds. Experiments were conducted to study the aging of soot under dry (RH < 2%) and humid conditions (RH ~ 80%). We present an analysis of the morphology of soot, its evolution, and its correlation with optical properties, as the condensation of α-pinene SOA is carried out for the two different RH conditions. The analysis was performed by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission x-ray microscopy and atomic force microscopy for single particle characterization. In addition, particle size, mass, composition, shape, and density were characterized in-situ, as a function of organics condensed on soot seeds, using single particle mass spectrometer.

  14. Extending 'Deep Blue' aerosol retrieval coverage to cases of absorbing aerosols above clouds: sensitivity analysis and first case studies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sayer, Andrew M.; Hsu, C.; Bettenhausen, Corey

    Cases of absorbing aerosols above clouds (AAC), such as smoke or mineral dust, are omitted from most routinely-processed space-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) data products, including those from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This study presents a sensitivity analysis and preliminary algorithm to retrieve above-cloud AOD and liquid cloud optical depth (COD) for AAC cases from MODIS or similar

  15. Evaluation on Asian Dust Aerosol and Simulated Processes in CanAM4.2 Using Satellite Measurements and Station Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yiran, P.; Li, J.; von Salzen, K.; Dai, T.; Liu, D.

    2014-12-01

    Mineral dust is a significant contributor to global and Asian aerosol burden. Currently, large uncertainties still exist in simulated aerosol processes in global climate models (GCMs), which lead to a diversity in dust mass loading and spatial distribution of GCM projections. In this study, satellite measurements from CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) and observed aerosol data from Asian stations are compared with modelled aerosol in the Canadian Atmospheric Global Climate Model (CanAM4.2). Both seasonal and annual variations in Asian dust distribution are investigated. Vertical profile of simulated aerosol in troposphere is evaluated with CALIOP Level 3 products and local observed extinction for dust and total aerosols. Physical processes in GCM such as horizontal advection, vertical mixing, dry and wet removals are analyzed according to model simulation and available measurements of aerosol. This work aims to improve current understanding of Asian dust transport and vertical exchange on a large scale, which may help to increase the accuracy of GCM simulation on aerosols.

  16. Studying of welding aerosol using laser granulometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kirichenko, K. Y.; Gridasov, A. V.; Drozd, V. A.; Golokhvast, K. S.

    2016-11-01

    The paper presents results of a study of the size of the particles that arise during the welding process using laser granulometry method. It is shown that the welding aerosol - extremely dangerous for human and animal health and the source of nano- and micro-sized particles.

  17. The application of chemical and isotopic tracers to characterize aerosol sources and processing in marine air

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turekian, Vaughan Charles

    2000-12-01

    their different chemical compositions. Results suggested that HNO3 incorporation into supermicron aerosol was essentially unidirectional whereas submicron aerosol was both a source and a sink for NH3(g). Variable aerosol liquid water content over the relatively longer atmospheric lifetimes of submicron aerosol may lead to multiple NH3 phase changes. This study was the first to combine sized aerosol sampling, high-resolution chemical analysis and multiple stable isotopes to characterize both the sources and the processing of aerosols in marine air. The results of this study, therefore, provide crucial information for source apportionment of environmentally important atmospheric species in continentally impacted, marine air.

  18. Secondary organic aerosol formation through fog processing of VOCs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Herckes, P.; Hutchings, J. W.

    2010-07-01

    Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) have been determined in highly concentrated amounts (>1 ug/L) in intercepted clouds in northern Arizona (USA). These VOCs are found in concentrations much higher than predicted by partitioning alone. The reactivity of BTEX in the fog/cloud aqueous phase was investigated through laboratory studies. BTEX species showed fast degradation in the aqueous phase in the presence of peroxides and light. Observed half-lives ranged from three and six hours, substantially shorter than the respective gas phase half-lives (several days). The observed reaction rates were on the order of 1 ppb/min but decreased substantially with increasing concentrations of organic matter (TOC). The products of BTEX oxidation reactions were analyzed using HPLC-UV and LCMS. The first generation of products identified included phenol and cresols which correspond to the hydroxyl-addition reaction to benzene and toluene. Upon investigating of multi-generational products, smaller, less volatile species are predominant although a large variety of products is found. Most reaction products have substantially lower vapor pressure and will remain in the particle phase upon droplet evaporation. The SOA generation potential of cloud and fog processing of BTEX was evaluated using simple calculations and showed that in ideal situations these reactions could add up to 9% of the ambient aerosol mass. In more conservative scenarios, the contribution of the processing of BTEX was around 1% of ambient aerosol concentrations. Overall, cloud processing of VOC has the potential to contribute to the atmospheric aerosol mass. However, the contribution will depend upon many factors such as the irradiation, organic matter content in the droplets and droplet lifetime.

  19. The Effect of Aerosol Hygroscopicity and Volatility on Aerosol Optical Properties During Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khlystov, A.; Grieshop, A. P.; Saha, P.; Subramanian, R.

    2014-12-01

    Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from biogenic sources can influence optical properties of ambient aerosol by altering its hygroscopicity and contributing to light absorption directly via formation of brown carbon and indirectly by enhancing light absorption by black carbon ("lensing effect"). The magnitude of these effects remains highly uncertain. A set of state-of-the-art instruments was deployed at the SEARCH site near Centerville, AL during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) campaign in summer 2013 to measure the effect of relative humidity and temperature on aerosol size distribution, composition and optical properties. Light scattering and absorption by temperature- and humidity-conditioned aerosols was measured using three photo-acoustic extinctiometers (PAX) at three wavelengths (405 nm, 532 nm, and 870 nm). The sample-conditioning system provided measurements at ambient RH, 10%RH ("dry"), 85%RH ("wet"), and 200 C ("TD"). In parallel to these measurements, a long residence time temperature-stepping thermodenuder (TD) and a variable residence time constant temperature TD in combination with three SMPS systems and an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) were used to assess aerosol volatility and kinetics of aerosol evaporation. We will present results of the on-going analysis of the collected data set. We will show that both temperature and relative humidity have a strong effect on aerosol optical properties. SOA appears to increase aerosol light absorption by about 10%. TD measurements suggest that aerosol equilibrated fairly quickly, within 2 s. Evaporation varied substantially with ambient aerosol loading and composition and meteorology.

  20. Perspective: Aerosol microphysics: From molecules to the chemical physics of aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bzdek, Bryan R.; Reid, Jonathan P.

    2017-12-01

    Aerosols are found in a wide diversity of contexts and applications, including the atmosphere, pharmaceutics, and industry. Aerosols are dispersions of particles in a gas, and the coupling of the two phases results in highly dynamic systems where chemical and physical properties like size, composition, phase, and refractive index change rapidly in response to environmental perturbations. Aerosol particles span a wide range of sizes from 1 nm to tens of micrometres or from small molecular clusters that may more closely resemble gas phase molecules to large particles that can have similar qualities to bulk materials. However, even large particles with finite volumes exhibit distinct properties from the bulk condensed phase, due in part to their higher surface-to-volume ratio and their ability to easily access supersaturated solute states inaccessible in the bulk. Aerosols represent a major challenge for study because of the facile coupling between the particle and gas, the small amounts of sample available for analysis, and the sheer breadth of operative processes. Time scales of aerosol processes can be as short as nanoseconds or as long as years. Despite their very different impacts and applications, fundamental chemical physics processes serve as a common theme that underpins our understanding of aerosols. This perspective article discusses challenges in the study of aerosols and highlights recent chemical physics advancements that have enabled improved understanding of these complex systems.

  1. Comprehensive modeling study of ozonolysis of oleic acid aerosol based on real-time, online measurements of aerosol composition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gallimore, P. J.; Griffiths, P. T.; Pope, F. D.; Reid, J. P.; Kalberer, M.

    2017-04-01

    The chemical composition of organic aerosols profoundly influences their atmospheric properties, but a detailed understanding of heterogeneous and in-particle reactivity is lacking. We present here a combined experimental and modeling study of the ozonolysis of oleic acid particles. An online mass spectrometry (MS) method, Extractive Electrospray Ionization (EESI), is used to follow the composition of the aerosol at a molecular level in real time; relative changes in the concentrations of both reactants and products are determined during aerosol aging. The results show evidence for multiple non-first-order reactions involving stabilized Criegee intermediates, including the formation of secondary ozonides and other oligomers. Offline liquid chromatography MS is used to confirm the online MS assignment of the monomeric and dimeric products. We explain the observed EESI-MS chemical composition changes, and chemical and physical data from previous studies, using a process-based aerosol chemistry simulation, the Pretty Good Aerosol Model (PG-AM). In particular, we extend previous studies of reactant loss by demonstrating success in reproducing the time dependence of product formation and the evolving particle size. This advance requires a comprehensive chemical scheme coupled to the partitioning of semivolatile products; relevant reaction and evaporation parameters have been refined using our new measurements in combination with PG-AM.

  2. Organic and inorganic markers and stable C-, N-isotopic compositions of tropical coastal aerosols from megacity Mumbai: sources of organic aerosols and atmospheric processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aggarwal, S. G.; Kawamura, K.; Umarji, G. S.; Tachibana, E.; Patil, R. S.; Gupta, P. K.

    2013-05-01

    To better understand the sources of PM10 samples in Mumbai, India, aerosol chemical composition, i.e., total carbon (TC), organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and inorganic ions were studied together with specific markers such as methanesulfonate (MSA), oxalic acid (C2), azelaic acid (C9), and levoglucosan. The results revealed that biofuel/biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion are the major sources of the Mumbai aerosols. Nitrogen-isotopic (δ15N) composition of aerosol total nitrogen, which ranged from 18.1 to 25.4‰, also suggests that biofuel/biomass burning is a predominate source in both the summer and winter seasons. Aerosol mass concentrations of major species increased 3-4 times in winter compared to summer, indicating enhanced emission from these sources in the winter season. Photochemical production tracers, C2 diacid and nssSO42-, do not show diurnal changes. Concentrations of C2 diacid and WSOC show a strong correlation (r2 = 0.95). In addition, WSOC to OC (or TC) ratios remain almost constant for daytime (0.37 ± 0.06 (0.28 ± 0.04)) and nighttime (0.38 ± 0.07 (0.28 ± 0.06)), suggesting that mixing of fresh secondary organic aerosols is not significant and the Mumbai aerosols are photochemically well processed. Concentrations of MSA and C9 diacid present a positive correlation (r2 = 0.75), indicating a marine influence on Mumbai aerosols in addition to local/regional influence. Backward air mass trajectory analyses further suggested that the Mumbai aerosols are largely influenced by long-range continental and regional transport. Stable C-isotopic ratios (δ13C) of TC ranged from -27.0 to -25.4‰, with slightly lower average (-26.5 ± 0.3‰) in summer than in winter (-25.9 ± 0.3‰). Positive correlation between WSOC/TC ratios and δ13C values suggested that the relative increment in 13C of wintertime TC may be caused by prolonged photochemical processing of organic aerosols in this season. This

  3. Photochemical processing of organic aerosol at nearby continental sites: contrast between urban plumes and regional aerosol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slowik, J. G.; Brook, J.; Chang, R. Y.-W.; Evans, G. J.; Hayden, K.; Jeong, C.-H.; Li, S.-M.; Liggio, J.; Liu, P. S. K.; McGuire, M.; Mihele, C.; Sjostedt, S.; Vlasenko, A.; Abbatt, J. P. D.

    2011-03-01

    As part of the BAQS-Met 2007 field campaign, Aerodyne time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometers (ToF-AMS) were deployed at two sites in southwestern Ontario from 17 June to 11 July 2007. One instrument was located at Harrow, ON, a rural, agriculture-dominated area approximately 40 km southeast of the Detroit/Windsor/Windsor urban area and 5 km north of Lake Erie. The second instrument was located at Bear Creek, ON, a rural site approximately 70 km northeast of the Harrow site and 50 km east of Detroit/Windsor. Positive matrix factorization analysis of the combined organic mass spectral dataset yields factors related to secondary organic aerosol (SOA), direct emissions, and a factor tentatively attributed to the reactive uptake of isoprene and/or condensation of its early generation reaction products. This is the first application of PMF to simultaneous AMS measurements at different sites, an approach which allows for self-consistent, direct comparison of the datasets. Case studies are utilized to investigate processing of SOA from (1) fresh emissions from Detroit/Windsor and (2) regional aerosol during periods of inter-site flow. A strong correlation is observed between SOA/excess CO and photochemical age as represented by the NOx/NOy ratio for Detroit/Windsor outflow. Although this correlation is not evident for more aged air, measurements at the two sites during inter-site transport nevertheless show evidence of continued atmospheric processing by SOA production. However, the rate of SOA production decreases with airmass age from an initial value of ~10.1 μg m-3 ppmvCO-1 h-1 for the first ~10 h of plume processing to near-zero in an aged airmass (i.e. after several days). The initial SOA production rate is comparable to the observed rate in Mexico City over similar timescales.

  4. Remote sensing for studying atmospheric aerosols in Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kanniah, Kasturi D.; Kamarul Zaman, Nurul A. F.

    2015-10-01

    The aerosol system is Southeast Asia is complex and the high concentrations are due to population growth, rapid urbanization and development of SEA countries. Nevertheless, only a few studies have been carried out especially at large spatial extent and on a continuous basis to study atmospheric aerosols in Malaysia. In this review paper we report the use of remote sensing data to study atmospheric aerosols in Malaysia and document gaps and recommend further studies to bridge the gaps. Satellite data have been used to study the spatial and seasonal patterns of aerosol optical depth (AOD) in Malaysia. Satellite data combined with AERONET data were used to delineate different types and sizes of aerosols and to identify the sources of aerosols in Malaysia. Most of the aerosol studies performed in Malaysia was based on station-based PM10 data that have limited spatial coverage. Thus, satellite data have been used to extrapolate and retrieve PM10 data over large areas by correlating remotely sensed AOD with ground-based PM10. Realising the critical role of aerosols on radiative forcing numerous studies have been conducted worldwide to assess the aerosol radiative forcing (ARF). Such studies are yet to be conducted in Malaysia. Although the only source of aerosol data covering large region in Malaysia is remote sensing, satellite observations are limited by cloud cover, orbital gaps of satellite track, etc. In addition, relatively less understanding is achieved on how the atmospheric aerosol interacts with the regional climate system. These gaps can be bridged by conducting more studies using integrated approach of remote sensing, AERONET and ground based measurements.

  5. Effect of operation conditions of the drop-on-demand aerosol generator on aerosol characteristics: Pseudo-cinematographic and plasma mass spectrometric studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Orlandini v. Niessen, Jan O.; Krone, Karin M.; Bings, Nicolas H.

    2014-02-01

    The recently presented drop-on-demand (DOD) aerosol generator overcomes some of the drawbacks of pneumatic nebulization, as its aerosol is no longer generated by gas-liquid interaction. In the current study, an advanced imaging technique is presented, based on a CCD camera equipped with magnifying telecentric optics to allow for fast, automated and precise aerosol characterization as well as fundamental studies on the droplet generation processes by means of pseudo-cinematography. The DOD aerosol generator is thoroughly characterized regarding its droplet size distribution, which shows few distinct populations rather than a continuous distribution. Other important figures, such as the Sauter diameter (D3,2) of 22 μm and the span of 0.4 were also determined. Additionally, the influence of the electrical operation conditions of the dosing device on the aerosol generation process is described. The number and volume of the generated droplets were found to be very reproducible and user-variable, e.g. from 17 to 27 μm (D3,2), within a span of 0.07-0.89. The performances of different setups of the DOD as liquid sample introduction system in ICP-MS are correlated to the respective achievable aerosol characteristics and are also compared to the performance of a state-of-the-art μ-flow nebulizer (EnyaMist). The DOD system allowed for improved sensitivity, but slightly elevated signal noise and overall comparable limits of detection. The results are critically discussed and future directions are outlined.

  6. Measurement Comparisons Towards Improving the Understanding of Aerosol-Cloud Processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noble, Stephen R.

    Cloud processing of aerosol is an aerosol-cloud interaction that is not heavily researched but could have implications on climate. The three types of cloud processing are chemical processing, collision and coalescence processing, and Brownian capture of interstitial particles. All types improve cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in size or hygroscopicity (kappa). These improved CCN affect subsequent clouds. This dissertation focuses on measurement comparisons to improve our observations and understanding of aerosol-cloud processing. Particle size distributions measured at the continental Southern Great Plains (SGP) site were compared with ground based measurements of cloud fraction (CF) and cloud base altitude (CBA). Particle size distributions were described by a new objective shape parameter to define bimodality rather than an old subjective one. Cloudy conditions at SGP were found to be correlated with lagged shape parameter. Horizontal wind speed and regional CF explained 42%+ of this lag time. Many of these surface particle size distributions were influenced by aerosol-cloud processing. Thus, cloud processing may be more widespread with more implications than previously thought. Particle size distributions measured during two aircraft field campaigns (MArine Stratus/stratocumulus Experiment; MASE; and Ice in Cloud Experiment-Tropical; ICE-T) were compared to CCN distributions. Tuning particle size to critical supersaturation revealed hygroscopicity expressed as ? when the distributions were overlain. Distributions near cumulus clouds (ICE-T) had a higher frequency of the same ?s (48% in ICE-T to 42% in MASE) between the accumulation (processed) and Aitken (unprocessed) modes. This suggested physical processing domination in ICE-T. More MASE (stratus cloud) kappa differences between modes pointed to chemical cloud processing. Chemistry measurements made in MASE showed increases in sulfates and nitrates with distributions that were more processed. This supported

  7. Aerosol polarization effects on atmospheric correction and aerosol retrievals in ocean color remote sensing.

    PubMed

    Wang, Menghua

    2006-12-10

    The current ocean color data processing system for the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) and the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) uses the Rayleigh lookup tables that were generated using the vector radiative transfer theory with inclusion of the polarization effects. The polarization effects, however, are not accounted for in the aerosol lookup tables for the ocean color data processing. I describe a study of the aerosol polarization effects on the atmospheric correction and aerosol retrieval algorithms in the ocean color remote sensing. Using an efficient method for the multiple vector radiative transfer computations, aerosol lookup tables that include polarization effects are generated. Simulations have been carried out to evaluate the aerosol polarization effects on the derived ocean color and aerosol products for all possible solar-sensor geometries and the various aerosol optical properties. Furthermore, the new aerosol lookup tables have been implemented in the SeaWiFS data processing system and extensively tested and evaluated with SeaWiFS regional and global measurements. Results show that in open oceans (maritime environment), the aerosol polarization effects on the ocean color and aerosol products are usually negligible, while there are some noticeable effects on the derived products in the coastal regions with nonmaritime aerosols.

  8. Accelerated simulation of stochastic particle removal processes in particle-resolved aerosol models

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Curtis, J.H.; Michelotti, M.D.; Riemer, N.

    2016-10-01

    Stochastic particle-resolved methods have proven useful for simulating multi-dimensional systems such as composition-resolved aerosol size distributions. While particle-resolved methods have substantial benefits for highly detailed simulations, these techniques suffer from high computational cost, motivating efforts to improve their algorithmic efficiency. Here we formulate an algorithm for accelerating particle removal processes by aggregating particles of similar size into bins. We present the Binned Algorithm for particle removal processes and analyze its performance with application to the atmospherically relevant process of aerosol dry deposition. We show that the Binned Algorithm can dramatically improve the efficiency of particle removals, particularly for low removalmore » rates, and that computational cost is reduced without introducing additional error. In simulations of aerosol particle removal by dry deposition in atmospherically relevant conditions, we demonstrate about 50-times increase in algorithm efficiency.« less

  9. Airborne Aerosol Closure Studies During PRIDE

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Redemann, Jens; Livingston, John M.; Russell, Philip B.; Schmid, Beat; Reid, Jeff

    2000-01-01

    The Puerto Rico Dust Experiment (PRIDE) was conducted during June/July of 2000 to study the properties of Saharan dust aerosols transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Islands. During PRIDE, the NASA Ames Research Center six-channel (380 - 1020 nm) airborne autotracking sunphotometer (AATS-6) was operated aboard a Piper Navajo airplane alongside a suite of in situ aerosol instruments. The in situ aerosol instrumentation relevant to this paper included a Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe (FSSP-100) and a Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (PCASP), covering the radius range of approx. 0.05 to 10 microns. The simultaneous and collocated measurement of multi-spectral aerosol optical depth and in situ particle size distribution data permits a variety of closure studies. For example, vertical profiles of aerosol optical depth obtained during local aircraft ascents and descents can be differentiated with respect to altitude and compared to extinction profiles calculated using the in situ particle size distribution data (and reasonable estimates of the aerosol index of refraction). Additionally, aerosol extinction (optical depth) spectra can be inverted to retrieve estimates of the particle size distributions, which can be compared directly to the in situ size distributions. In this paper we will report on such closure studies using data from a select number of vertical profiles at Cabras Island, Puerto Rico, including measurements in distinct Saharan Dust Layers. Preliminary results show good agreement to within 30% between mid-visible aerosol extinction derived from the AATS-6 optical depth profiles and extinction profiles forward calculated using 60s-average in situ particle size distributions and standard Saharan dust aerosol refractive indices published in the literature. In agreement with tendencies observed in previous studies, our initial results show an underestimate of aerosol extinction calculated based on the in situ size distributions

  10. Processes Controlling the Seasonal Cycle of Arctic Aerosol Number and Size Distributions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wentworth, G.; Croft, B.; Martin, R.; Leaitch, W. R.; Tunved, P.; Breider, T. J.; D'Andrea, S.; Pierce, J. R.; Murphy, J. G.; Kodros, J.; Abbatt, J.

    2015-12-01

    Measurements at high-Arctic sites show a strong seasonal cycle in aerosol number and size. The number of aerosols with diameters larger than 20 nm exhibits a maximum in late spring associated with a dominant accumulation mode, and a second maximum in the summer associated with a dominant Aitken mode. Seasonal-mean aerosol effective diameter ranges from about 160 nm in summer to 250 nm in winter. This study interprets these seasonal cycles with the GEOS-Chem-TOMAS global aerosol microphysics model. We find improved agreement with in situ measurements (SMPS) of aerosol size at both Alert, Nunavut, and Mt. Zeppelin, Svalbard following model developments: 1) increase the efficiency of wet scavenging in the Arctic summer and 2) represent coagulation between interstitial aerosols and aerosols activated to form cloud droplets. Our simulations indicate that the dominant summer-time Aitken mode is associated with increased efficiency of wet removal, which limits the number of larger aerosols and promotes local new-aerosol formation. We also find an important role of interstitial coagulation in clouds in the Arctic, which limits the number of Aitken-mode aerosols in the non-summer seasons when direct wet removal of these aerosols is inefficient. The summertime Arctic atmosphere is particularly pristine and strongly influenced by natural regional emissions which have poorly understood climate impacts. Especially influenced are the climatic roles of atmospheric particles and clouds. Here we present evidence that ammonia (NH3) emissions from migratory-seabird guano (dung) are the primary contributor to summertime free ammonia levels recently measured in the Canadian Arctic atmosphere. These findings suggest that ammonia from seabird guano is a key factor contributing to bursts of new-particle formation, which are observed every summer in the near-surface atmosphere at Alert, Canada. Chemical transport model simulations show that these newly formed particles can grow by vapour

  11. Enviro-HIRLAM/ HARMONIE Studies in ECMWF HPC EnviroAerosols Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hansen Sass, Bent; Mahura, Alexander; Nuterman, Roman; Baklanov, Alexander; Palamarchuk, Julia; Ivanov, Serguei; Pagh Nielsen, Kristian; Penenko, Alexey; Edvardsson, Nellie; Stysiak, Aleksander Andrzej; Bostanbekov, Kairat; Amstrup, Bjarne; Yang, Xiaohua; Ruban, Igor; Bergen Jensen, Marina; Penenko, Vladimir; Nurseitov, Daniyar; Zakarin, Edige

    2017-04-01

    The EnviroAerosols on ECMWF HPC project (2015-2017) "Enviro-HIRLAM/ HARMONIE model research and development for online integrated meteorology-chemistry-aerosols feedbacks and interactions in weather and atmospheric composition forecasting" is aimed at analysis of importance of the meteorology-chemistry/aerosols interactions and to provide a way for development of efficient techniques for on-line coupling of numerical weather prediction and atmospheric chemical transport via process-oriented parameterizations and feedback algorithms, which will improve both the numerical weather prediction and atmospheric composition forecasts. Two main application areas of the on-line integrated modelling are considered: (i) improved numerical weather prediction with short-term feedbacks of aerosols and chemistry on formation and development of meteorological variables, and (ii) improved atmospheric composition forecasting with on-line integrated meteorological forecast and two-way feedbacks between aerosols/chemistry and meteorology. During 2015-2016 several research projects were realized. At first, the study on "On-line Meteorology-Chemistry/Aerosols Modelling and Integration for Risk Assessment: Case Studies" focused on assessment of scenarios with accidental and continuous emissions of sulphur dioxide for case studies for Atyrau (Kazakhstan) near the northern part of the Caspian Sea and metallurgical enterprises on the Kola Peninsula (Russia), with GIS integration of modelling results into the RANDOM (Risk Assessment of Nature Detriment due to Oil spill Migration) system. At second, the studies on "The sensitivity of precipitation simulations to the soot aerosol presence" & "The precipitation forecast sensitivity to data assimilation on a very high resolution domain" focused on sensitivity and changes in precipitation life-cycle under black carbon polluted conditions over Scandinavia. At third, studies on "Aerosol effects over China investigated with a high resolution

  12. Marine Emissions and Atmospheric Processing Influence Aerosol Mixing States in the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kirpes, R.; Rodriguez, B.; Kim, S.; Park, K.; China, S.; Laskin, A.; Pratt, K.

    2017-12-01

    The Arctic region is rapidly changing due to sea ice loss and increasing oil/gas development and shipping activity. These changes influence aerosol sources and composition, resulting in complex aerosol-cloud-climate feedbacks. Atmospheric particles were collected aboard the R/V Araon in July-August 2016 in the Alaskan Arctic along the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea. Offline analysis of individual particles by microscopic and spectroscopic techniques provided information on particle size, morphology, and chemical composition. Sea spray aerosol (SSA) and organic aerosol (OA) particles were the most commonly observed particle types, and sulfate was internally mixed with both SSA and OA. Evidence of multiphase sea spray aerosol reactions was observed, with varying degrees of chlorine depletion observed along the cruise. Notably, atmospherically processed SSA, completely depleted in chlorine, and internally mixed organic and sulfate particles, were observed in samples influenced by the central Arctic Ocean. Changes in particle composition due to fog processing were also investigated. Due to the changing aerosol sources and atmospheric processes in the Arctic region, it is crucial to understand aerosol composition in order to predict climate impacts.

  13. Building America Case Study: Apartment Compartmentalization with an Aerosol-Based Sealing Process - Queens, NY; Technology Solutions for New and Existing Homes, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    None

    2015-07-01

    Air sealing of building enclosures is a difficult and time-consuming process. Current methods in new construction require laborers to physically locate small and sometimes large holes in multiple assemblies and then manually seal each of them. The innovation demonstrated under this research study was the automated air sealing and compartmentalization of buildings through the use of an aerosolized sealant, developed by the Western Cooling Efficiency Center at University of California Davis.CARB sought to demonstrate this new technology application in a multifamily building in Queens, NY. The effectiveness of the sealing process was evaluated by three methods: air leakage testing ofmore » overall apartment before and after sealing, point-source testing of individual leaks, and pressure measurements in the walls of the target apartment during sealing. Aerosolized sealing was successful by several measures in this study. Many individual leaks that are labor-intensive to address separately were well sealed by the aerosol particles. In addition, many diffuse leaks that are difficult to identify and treat were also sealed. The aerosol-based sealing process resulted in an average reduction of 71% in air leakage across three apartments and an average apartment airtightness of 0.08 CFM50/SF of enclosure area.« less

  14. Modeling regional air quality and climate: improving organic aerosol and aerosol activation processes in WRF/Chem version 3.7.1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yahya, Khairunnisa; Glotfelty, Timothy; Wang, Kai; Zhang, Yang; Nenes, Athanasios

    2017-06-01

    Air quality and climate influence each other through the uncertain processes of aerosol formation and cloud droplet activation. In this study, both processes are improved in the Weather, Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF/Chem) version 3.7.1. The existing Volatility Basis Set (VBS) treatments for organic aerosol (OA) formation in WRF/Chem are improved by considering the following: the secondary OA (SOA) formation from semi-volatile primary organic aerosol (POA), a semi-empirical formulation for the enthalpy of vaporization of SOA, and functionalization and fragmentation reactions for multiple generations of products from the oxidation of VOCs. Over the continental US, 2-month-long simulations (May to June 2010) are conducted and results are evaluated against surface and aircraft observations during the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change (CalNex) campaign. Among all the configurations considered, the best performance is found for the simulation with the 2005 Carbon Bond mechanism (CB05) and the VBS SOA module with semivolatile POA treatment, 25 % fragmentation, and the emissions of semi-volatile and intermediate volatile organic compounds being 3 times the original POA emissions. Among the three gas-phase mechanisms (CB05, CB6, and SAPRC07) used, CB05 gives the best performance for surface ozone and PM2. 5 concentrations. Differences in SOA predictions are larger for the simulations with different VBS treatments (e.g., nonvolatile POA versus semivolatile POA) compared to the simulations with different gas-phase mechanisms. Compared to the simulation with CB05 and the default SOA module, the simulations with the VBS treatment improve cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) predictions (normalized mean biases from -40.8 % to a range of -34.6 to -27.7 %), with large differences between CB05-CB6 and SAPRC07 due to large differences in their OH and HO2 predictions. An advanced aerosol activation parameterization based on the Fountoukis and Nenes

  15. Ground-based Network and Supersite Measurements for Studying Aerosol Properties and Aerosol-Cloud Interactions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tsay, Si-Chee; Holben, Brent N.

    2008-01-01

    From radiometric principles, it is expected that the retrieved properties of extensive aerosols and clouds from reflected/emitted measurements by satellite (and/or aircraft) should be consistent with those retrieved from transmitted/emitted radiance observed at the surface. Although space-borne remote sensing observations contain large spatial domain, they are often plagued by contamination of surface signatures. Thus, ground-based in-situ and remote-sensing measurements, where signals come directly from atmospheric constituents, the sun, and the Earth-atmosphere interactions, provide additional information content for comparisons that confirm quantitatively the usefulness of the integrated surface, aircraft, and satellite datasets. The development and deployment of AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) sunphotometer network and SMART-COMMIT (Surface-sensing Measurements for Atmospheric Radiative Transfer - Chemical, Optical & Microphysical Measurements of In-situ Troposphere) mobile supersite are aimed for the optimal utilization of collocated ground-based observations as constraints to yield higher fidelity satellite retrievals and to determine any sampling bias due to target conditions. To characterize the regional natural and anthropogenic aerosols, AERONET is an internationally federated network of unique sunphotometry that contains more than 250 permanent sites worldwide. Since 1993, there are more than 480 million aerosol optical depth observations and about 15 sites have continuous records longer than 10 years for annual/seasonal trend analyses. To quantify the energetics of the surface-atmosphere system and the atmospheric processes, SMART-COMMIT instrument into three categories: flux radiometer, radiance sensor and in-situ probe. Through participation in many satellite remote-sensing/retrieval and validation projects over eight years, SMART-COMMIT have gradually refine( and been proven vital for field deployment. In this paper, we will demonstrate the

  16. A new WRF-Chem treatment for studying regional-scale impacts of cloud processes on aerosol and trace gases in parameterized cumuli

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Berg, L. K.; Shrivastava, M.; Easter, R. C.

    A new treatment of cloud effects on aerosol and trace gases within parameterized shallow and deep convection, and aerosol effects on cloud droplet number, has been implemented in the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) version 3.2.1 that can be used to better understand the aerosol life cycle over regional to synoptic scales. The modifications to the model include treatment of the cloud droplet number mixing ratio; key cloud microphysical and macrophysical parameters (including the updraft fractional area, updraft and downdraft mass fluxes, and entrainment) averaged over the population of shallow clouds, or a single deep convectivemore » cloud; and vertical transport, activation/resuspension, aqueous chemistry, and wet removal of aerosol and trace gases in warm clouds. These changes have been implemented in both the WRF-Chem chemistry packages as well as the Kain–Fritsch (KF) cumulus parameterization that has been modified to better represent shallow convective clouds. Testing of the modified WRF-Chem has been completed using observations from the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS). The simulation results are used to investigate the impact of cloud–aerosol interactions on regional-scale transport of black carbon (BC), organic aerosol (OA), and sulfate aerosol. Based on the simulations presented here, changes in the column-integrated BC can be as large as –50% when cloud–aerosol interactions are considered (due largely to wet removal), or as large as +40% for sulfate under non-precipitating conditions due to sulfate production in the parameterized clouds. The modifications to WRF-Chem are found to account for changes in the cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and changes in the chemical composition of cloud droplet residuals in a way that is consistent with observations collected during CHAPS. Efforts are currently underway to port the changes described here to the latest version of WRF-Chem, and it

  17. A new WRF-Chem treatment for studying regional-scale impacts of cloud processes on aerosol and trace gases in parameterized cumuli

    DOE PAGES

    Berg, L. K.; Shrivastava, M.; Easter, R. C.; ...

    2015-02-24

    A new treatment of cloud effects on aerosol and trace gases within parameterized shallow and deep convection, and aerosol effects on cloud droplet number, has been implemented in the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) version 3.2.1 that can be used to better understand the aerosol life cycle over regional to synoptic scales. The modifications to the model include treatment of the cloud droplet number mixing ratio; key cloud microphysical and macrophysical parameters (including the updraft fractional area, updraft and downdraft mass fluxes, and entrainment) averaged over the population of shallow clouds, or a single deep convectivemore » cloud; and vertical transport, activation/resuspension, aqueous chemistry, and wet removal of aerosol and trace gases in warm clouds. These changes have been implemented in both the WRF-Chem chemistry packages as well as the Kain–Fritsch (KF) cumulus parameterization that has been modified to better represent shallow convective clouds. Testing of the modified WRF-Chem has been completed using observations from the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS). The simulation results are used to investigate the impact of cloud–aerosol interactions on regional-scale transport of black carbon (BC), organic aerosol (OA), and sulfate aerosol. Based on the simulations presented here, changes in the column-integrated BC can be as large as –50% when cloud–aerosol interactions are considered (due largely to wet removal), or as large as +40% for sulfate under non-precipitating conditions due to sulfate production in the parameterized clouds. The modifications to WRF-Chem are found to account for changes in the cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and changes in the chemical composition of cloud droplet residuals in a way that is consistent with observations collected during CHAPS. Efforts are currently underway to port the changes described here to the latest version of WRF-Chem, and it

  18. Photochemical Aging of Organic Aerosols: A Laboratory Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Papanastasiou, Dimitrios K.; Kostenidou, Evangelia; Gkatzelis, Georgios I.; Psichoudaki, Magdalini; Louvaris, Evangelos; Pandis, Spyros N.

    2014-05-01

    -Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) were used to measure the organic aerosol mass production and oxidation degree (O:C ratio) following OH aging. A thermodenuder system was used to measure the volatility distribution change as organic aerosol aged upon continuous oxidation. Organic gas phase species were characterized with a Proton Transfer Reaction - Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS) while NOx and O3 were measured with the use of corresponding analyzers. Results from this study show that organic mass production occurs upon exposure to OH radicals indicating that continuous OH aging of semi-volatile is probably responsible for at least some of the gap between observed and modeled OA levels in the atmosphere. Additionally, this chemical aging process leads to a decrease in volatility and an increase in O:C ratio while the level of change in both properties depends on OH exposure. The atmospheric implications of this study are discussed.

  19. Application of remote sensing techniques to study aerosol water vapour uptake in a real atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fernández, A. J.; Molero, F.; Becerril-Valle, M.; Coz, E.; Salvador, P.; Artíñano, B.; Pujadas, M.

    2018-04-01

    In this work, a study of several observations of aerosol water uptake in a real (non-controlled) atmosphere, registered by remote sensing techniques, are presented. In particular, three events were identified within the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) and other two events were detected in the free troposphere (beyond the top of the ABL). Then, aerosol optical properties were measured at different relative humidity (RH) conditions by means of a multi-wavelength (MW) Raman lidar located at CIEMAT (Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology) facilities in Madrid (Spain). Additionally, aerosol optical and microphysical properties provided by automatic sun and sky scanning spectral radiometers (CIMEL CE-318) and a meteorological analysis complement the study. However, a detailed analysis only could be carried out for the cases observed within the ABL since well-mixed atmospheric layers are required to properly characterize these processes. This characterization of aerosol water uptake is based on the curve described by the backscatter coefficient at 532 nm as a function of RH which allows deriving the enhancement factor. Thus, the Hänel parameterization is utilized, and the results obtained are in the range of values reported in previous studies, which shows the suitability of this approach to study such hygroscopic processes. Furthermore, the anti-correlated pattern observed on backscatter-related Ångström exponent (532/355 nm) and RH indicates plausible signs of aerosol hygroscopic growth. According to the meteorological analysis performed, we attribute such hygroscopic behaviour to marine aerosols which are advected from the Atlantic Ocean to the low troposphere in Madrid. We have also observed an interesting response of aerosols to RH at certain levels which it is suggested to be due to a hysteresis process. The events registered in the free troposphere, which deal with volcano

  20. Aerosol Processing of Crumpled Graphene Oxide-based Nanocomposites for Drug Delivery.

    PubMed

    Wang, Wei-Ning; He, Xiang

    2016-01-01

    The flexibility of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and their unique properties enable them to be excellent two dimensional (2D) building blocks for designing functional materials. Aerosol routes are proved to be a rational approach to fold the 2D flat GO nanosheets into 3D crumpled spheres to mitigate the restacking issue for large-scale applications, such as for drug delivery. The fundamentals of graphene, GO, and the crumpling process of GO nanosheets are summarized. Various crumpled graphene oxide (CGO)-based nanocomposites have been synthesized by aerosol routes. This mini review focuses on the state-of-the-art in the design and fabrication of these nanocomposites for a specific application in drug delivery. Various techniques are demonstrated and discussed to control the release rates, tailor the morphology, and adjust the components inside the nanocomposites. Potential risks and possible trends are also pointed out. Aerosol processing of CGO-based nanocomposites provides a promising approach to design functional nanomaterials for drug delivery and other related applications.

  1. Numerical analysis of the formation process of aerosols in the alveoli

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haslbeck, Karsten; Seume, Jörg R.

    2008-11-01

    For a successful diagnosis of lung diseases through an analysis of non-volatile molecules in the exhaled breath, an exact understanding of the aerosol formation process is required. This process is modeled using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The model shows the interaction of the boundary surface between the streamed airway and the local epithelial liquid layer. A 2-D volume mesh of an alveolus is generated by taking into account the connection of the alveoli with the sacculi alveolares (SA). The Volume of Fluid (VOF) Method is used to model the interface between the gas and the liquid film. The non-Newtonian flow is modeled by the implementation of the Ostwald de Waele model. Surface tension is a function of the surfactant concentration. The VOF-Method allows the distribution of the concentration of the epithelial liquid layer at the surface to be traced in a transient manner. The simulations show the rupturing of the liquid film through the drop formation. Aerosol particles are ejected into the SA and do not collide with the walls. The quantity, the geometrical size as well as the velocity distributions of the generated aerosols are determined. The data presented in the paper provide the boundary conditions for future CFD analysis of the aerosol transport through the airways up to exhalation.

  2. Observational Study and Parameterization of Aerosol-fog Interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duan, J.; Guo, X.; Liu, Y.; Fang, C.; Su, Z.; Chen, Y.

    2014-12-01

    Studies have shown that human activities such as increased aerosols affect fog occurrence and properties significantly, and accurate numerical fog forecasting depends on, to a large extent, parameterization of fog microphysics and aerosol-fog interactions. Furthermore, fogs can be considered as clouds near the ground, and enjoy an advantage of permitting comprehensive long-term in-situ measurements that clouds do not. Knowledge learned from studying aerosol-fog interactions will provide useful insights into aerosol-cloud interactions. To serve the twofold objectives of understanding and improving parameterizations of aerosol-fog interactions and aerosol-cloud interactions, this study examines the data collected from fogs, with a focus but not limited to the data collected in Beijing, China. Data examined include aerosol particle size distributions measured by a Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (PCASP-100X), fog droplet size distributions measured by a Fog Monitor (FM-120), Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN), liquid water path measured by radiometers and visibility sensors, along with meteorological variables measured by a Tethered Balloon Sounding System (XLS-Ⅱ) and Automatic Weather Station (AWS). The results will be compared with low-level clouds for similarities and differences between fogs and clouds.

  3. Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations of Aerosol-Cloud Interactions Triggered by Strong Aerosol Emissions in the Arctic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, H.; Kravitz, B.; Rasch, P. J.; Morrison, H.; Solomon, A.

    2014-12-01

    Previous process-oriented modeling studies have highlighted the dependence of effectiveness of cloud brightening by aerosols on cloud regimes in warm marine boundary layer. Cloud microphysical processes in clouds that contain ice, and hence the mechanisms that drive aerosol-cloud interactions, are more complicated than in warm clouds. Interactions between ice particles and liquid drops add additional levels of complexity to aerosol effects. A cloud-resolving model is used to study aerosol-cloud interactions in the Arctic triggered by strong aerosol emissions, through either geoengineering injection or concentrated sources such as shipping and fires. An updated cloud microphysical scheme with prognostic aerosol and cloud particle numbers is employed. Model simulations are performed in pure super-cooled liquid and mixed-phase clouds, separately, with or without an injection of aerosols into either a clean or a more polluted Arctic boundary layer. Vertical mixing and cloud scavenging of particles injected from the surface is still quite efficient in the less turbulent cold environment. Overall, the injection of aerosols into the Arctic boundary layer can delay the collapse of the boundary layer and increase low-cloud albedo. The pure liquid clouds are more susceptible to the increase in aerosol number concentration than the mixed-phase clouds. Rain production processes are more effectively suppressed by aerosol injection, whereas ice precipitation (snow) is affected less; thus the effectiveness of brightening mixed-phase clouds is lower than for liquid-only clouds. Aerosol injection into a clean boundary layer results in a greater cloud albedo increase than injection into a polluted one, consistent with current knowledge about aerosol-cloud interactions. Unlike previous studies investigating warm clouds, the impact of dynamical feedback due to precipitation changes is small. According to these results, which are dependent upon the representation of ice nucleation

  4. Aerosol physicochemical properties in relation to meteorology: Case studies in urban, marine, and arid settings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wonaschuetz, Anna

    Atmospheric aerosols are a highly relevant component of the climate system affecting atmospheric radiative transfer and the hydrological cycle. As opposed to other key atmospheric constituents with climatic relevance, atmospheric aerosol particles are highly heterogeneous in time and space with respect to their size, concentration, chemical composition and physical properties. Many aspects of their life cycle are not understood, making them difficult to represent in climate models and hard to control as a pollutant. Aerosol-cloud interactions in particular are infamous as a major source of uncertainty in future climate predictions. Field measurements are an important source of information for the modeling community and can lead to a better understanding of chemical and microphysical processes. In this study, field data from urban, marine, and arid settings are analyzed and the impact of meteorological conditions on the evolution of aerosol particles while in the atmosphere is investigated. Particular attention is given to organic aerosols, which are a poorly understood component of atmospheric aerosols. Local wind characteristics, solar radiation, relative humidity and the presence or absence of clouds and fog are found to be crucial factors in the transport and chemical evolution of aerosol particles. Organic aerosols in particular are found to be heavily impacted by processes in the liquid phase (cloud droplets and aerosol water). The reported measurements serve to improve the process-level understanding of aerosol evolution in different environments and to inform the modeling community by providing realistic values for input parameters and validation of model calculations.

  5. Downscaling Aerosols and the Impact of Neglected Subgrid Processes on Direct Aerosol Radiative Forcing for a Representative Global Climate Model Grid Spacing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gustafson, William I.; Qian, Yun; Fast, Jerome D.

    2011-07-13

    Recent improvements to many global climate models include detailed, prognostic aerosol calculations intended to better reproduce the observed climate. However, the trace gas and aerosol fields are treated at the grid-cell scale with no attempt to account for sub-grid impacts on the aerosol fields. This paper begins to quantify the error introduced by the neglected sub-grid variability for the shortwave aerosol radiative forcing for a representative climate model grid spacing of 75 km. An analysis of the value added in downscaling aerosol fields is also presented to give context to the WRF-Chem simulations used for the sub-grid analysis. We foundmore » that 1) the impact of neglected sub-grid variability on the aerosol radiative forcing is strongest in regions of complex topography and complicated flow patterns, and 2) scale-induced differences in emissions contribute strongly to the impact of neglected sub-grid processes on the aerosol radiative forcing. The two of these effects together, when simulated at 75 km vs. 3 km in WRF-Chem, result in an average daytime mean bias of over 30% error in top-of-atmosphere shortwave aerosol radiative forcing for a large percentage of central Mexico during the MILAGRO field campaign.« less

  6. Overview of the 2010 Carbonaceous Aerosols and Radiative Effects Study (CARES)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaveri, R. A.; Shaw, W. J.; Cziczo, D. J.; Schmid, B.; Ferrare, R. A.; Alexander, M. L.; Alexandrov, M.; Alvarez, R. J.; Arnott, W. P.; Atkinson, D. B.; Baidar, S.; Banta, R. M.; Barnard, J. C.; Beranek, J.; Berg, L. K.; Brechtel, F.; Brewer, W. A.; Cahill, J. F.; Cairns, B.; Cappa, C. D.; Chand, D.; China, S.; Comstock, J. M.; Dubey, M. K.; Easter, R. C.; Erickson, M. H.; Fast, J. D.; Floerchinger, C.; Flowers, B. A.; Fortner, E.; Gaffney, J. S.; Gilles, M. K.; Gorkowski, K.; Gustafson, W. I.; Gyawali, M.; Hair, J.; Hardesty, R. M.; Harworth, J. W.; Herndon, S.; Hiranuma, N.; Hostetler, C.; Hubbe, J. M.; Jayne, J. T.; Jeong, H.; Jobson, B. T.; Kassianov, E. I.; Kleinman, L. I.; Kluzek, C.; Knighton, B.; Kolesar, K. R.; Kuang, C.; Kubátová, A.; Langford, A. O.; Laskin, A.; Laulainen, N.; Marchbanks, R. D.; Mazzoleni, C.; Mei, F.; Moffet, R. C.; Nelson, D.; Obland, M. D.; Oetjen, H.; Onasch, T. B.; Ortega, I.; Ottaviani, M.; Pekour, M.; Prather, K. A.; Radney, J. G.; Rogers, R. R.; Sandberg, S. P.; Sedlacek, A.; Senff, C. J.; Senum, G.; Setyan, A.; Shilling, J. E.; Shrivastava, M.; Song, C.; Springston, S. R.; Subramanian, R.; Suski, K.; Tomlinson, J.; Volkamer, R.; Wallace, H. W.; Wang, J.; Weickmann, A. M.; Worsnop, D. R.; Yu, X.-Y.; Zelenyuk, A.; Zhang, Q.

    2012-08-01

    Substantial uncertainties still exist in the scientific understanding of the possible interactions between urban and natural (biogenic) emissions in the production and transformation of atmospheric aerosol and the resulting impact on climate change. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) carried out in June 2010 in Central Valley, California, was a comprehensive effort designed to improve this understanding. The primary objective of the field study was to investigate the evolution of secondary organic and black carbon aerosols and their climate-related properties in the Sacramento urban plume as it was routinely transported into the forested Sierra Nevada foothills area. Urban aerosols and trace gases experienced significant physical and chemical transformations as they mixed with the reactive biogenic hydrocarbons emitted from the forest. Two heavily-instrumented ground sites - one within the Sacramento urban area and another about 40 km to the northeast in the foothills area - were set up to characterize the evolution of meteorological variables, trace gases, aerosol precursors, aerosol size, composition, and climate-related properties in freshly polluted and "aged" urban air. On selected days, the DOE G-1 aircraft was deployed to make similar measurements upwind and across the evolving Sacramento plume in the morning and again in the afternoon. The NASA B-200 aircraft, carrying remote sensing instruments, was also deployed to characterize the vertical and horizontal distribution of aerosols and aerosol optical properties within and around the plume. This overview provides: (a) the scientific background and motivation for the study, (b) the operational and logistical information pertinent to the execution of the study, (c) an overview of key observations and initial findings from the aircraft and ground-based sampling platforms, and (d) a roadmap of planned data

  7. Overview of the 2010 Carbonaceous Aerosols and Radiative Effects Study (CARES)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zaveri, R. A.; Shaw, W. J.; Cziczo, D. J.; Schmid, B.; Alexander, M. L.; Alexandrov, M.; Alvarez, R. J.; Arnott, W. P.; Atkinson, D. B.; Baidar, S.; Banta, R. M.; Barnard, J. C.; Beranek, J.; Berg, L. K.; Brechtel, F.; Brewer, W. A.; Cahill, J. F.; Cairns, B.; Cappa, C. D.; Chand, D.; China, S.; Comstock, J. M.; Dubey, M. K.; Easter, R. C.; Fast, J. D.; Floerchinger, C.; Flowers, B. A.; Fortner, E.; Gaffney, J. S.; Gilles, M. K.; Gorkowski, K.; Gustafson, W. I.; Gyawali, M.; Hair, J.; Hardesty, R. M.; Harworth, J. W.; Herndon, S.; Hiranuma, N.; Hostetler, C.; Hubbe, J. M.; Jayne, J. T.; Jeong, H.; Jobson, B. T.; Kleinman, L. I.; Kluzek, C.; Knighton, B.; Kolesar, K. R.; Kuang, C.; Langford, A. O.; Laskin, A.; Marchbanks, R. D.; Mazzoleni, C.; Mei, F.; Moffet, R. C.; Nelson, D.; Obland, M. D.; Oetjen, H.; Onasch, T. B.; Ortega, I.; Ottaviani, M.; Pekour, M.; Prather, K. A.; Radney, J. G.; Rogers, R. R.; Sandberg, S. P.; Sedlacek, A.; Senff, C. J.; Senum, G.; Setyan, A.; Shilling, J. E.; Shrivastava, M.; Song, C.; Springston, S. R.; Subramanian, R.; Tomlinson, J.; Volkamer, R.; Wallace, H. W.; Wang, J.; Weickmann, A. M.; Yu, X.-Y.; Zelenyuk, A.; Zhang, Q.

    2012-01-01

    Substantial uncertainties still exist in the scientific understanding of the possible interactions between urban and natural (biogenic) emissions in the production and transformation of atmospheric aerosol and the resulting impact on climate change. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) carried out in June 2010 in Central Valley, California, was a comprehensive effort designed to improve this understanding. The primary objective of the field study was to investigate the evolution of secondary organic and black carbon aerosols and their climate-related properties in the Sacramento urban plume as it was routinely transported into the forested Sierra Nevada foothills area. Urban aerosols and trace gases experienced significant physical and chemical transformations as they mixed with the reactive biogenic hydrocarbons emitted from the forest. Two heavily-instrumented ground sites - one within the Sacramento urban area and another about 40 km to the northeast in the foothills area - were set up to characterize the evolution of meteorological variables, trace gases, aerosol precursors, aerosol size, composition, and climate-related properties in freshly polluted and "aged" urban air. On selected days, the DOE G-1 aircraft was deployed to make similar measurements upwind and across the evolving Sacramento plume in the morning and again in the afternoon. The NASA B-200 aircraft, carrying remote sensing instruments, was also deployed to characterize the vertical and horizontal distribution of aerosols and aerosol optical properties within and around the plume. This overview provides: (a) the scientific background and motivation for the study, (b) the operational and logistical information pertinent to the execution of the study, (c) an overview of key observations and initial results from the aircraft and ground-based sampling platforms, and (d) a roadmap of planned data

  8. Overview of the 2010 Carbonaceous Aerosols and Radiative Effects Study (CARES)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zaveri, R. A.; Shaw, W. J.; Cahill, J. F.; Cairns, Brian; Cappa, C. D.; Ottaviani, Matteo; Cziczo, D. J.; Ferrare, Richard A.; Alexander, M. L.; Alexandrov, Mikhail Dmitrievic; hide

    2012-01-01

    Substantial uncertainties still exist in the scientific understanding of the possible interactions between urban and natural (biogenic) emissions in the production and transformation of atmospheric aerosol and the resulting impact on climate change. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program's Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) carried out in June 2010 in Central Valley, California, was a comprehensive effort designed to improve this understanding. The primary objective of the field study was to investigate the evolution of secondary organic and black carbon aerosols and their climate-related properties in the Sacramento urban plume as it was routinely transported into the forested Sierra Nevada foothills area. Urban aerosols and trace gases experienced significant physical and chemical transformations as they mixed with the reactive biogenic hydrocarbons emitted from the forest. Two heavily-instrumented ground sites - one within the Sacramento urban area and another about 40 km to the northeast in the foothills area - were set up to characterize the evolution of meteorological variables, trace gases, aerosol precursors, aerosol size, composition, and climaterelated properties in freshly polluted and "aged" urban air. On selected days, the DOE G-1 aircraft was deployed to make similar measurements upwind and across the evolving Sacramento plume in the morning and again in the afternoon. The NASA B-200 aircraft, carrying remote sensing instruments, was also deployed to characterize the vertical and horizontal distribution of aerosols and aerosol optical properties within and around the plume. This overview provides: (a) the scientific background and motivation for the study, (b) the operational and logistical information pertinent to the execution of the study, (c) an overview of key observations and initial findings from the aircraft and ground-based sampling platforms, and (d) a roadmap of planned data

  9. Lithium vapor/aerosol studies. Interim summary report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Whitlow, G.A.; Bauerle, J.E.; Down, M.G.

    1979-04-01

    The temperature/cover gas pressure regime, in which detectable lithium aerosol is formed in a static system has been mapped for argon and helium cover gases using a portable He--Ne laser device. At 538/sup 0/C (1000/sup 0/F), lithium aerosol particles were observed over the range 0.5 to 20 torr and 2 to 10 torr for argon and helium respectively. The experimental conditions in this study were more conducive to aerosol formation than in a fusion reactor. In the real reactor system, very high intensity mechanical and thermal disturbances will be made to the liquid lithium. These disturbances, particularly transient increases inmore » lithium vapor pressure appear to be capable of producing high concentrations of optically-dense aerosol. A more detailed study is, therefore, proposed using the basic information generated in these preliminary experiments, as a starting point. Areas recommended include the kinetics of aerosol formation and the occurrence of supersaturated vapor during rapid vapor pressure transients, and also the effect of lithium agitation (falls, jets, splashing, etc.) on aerosol formation.« less

  10. Formation of Oxidized Organic Aerosol (OOA) through Fog Processing in the Po Valley

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilardoni, S.; Paglione, M.; Rinaldi, M.; Giulianelli, L.; Massoli, P.; Hillamo, R. E.; Carbone, S.; Lanconelli, C.; Laaksonen, A. J.; Russell, L. M.; Poluzzi, V.; Fuzzi, S.; Facchini, C.

    2014-12-01

    Aqueous phase chemistry might be responsible for the formation of a significant fraction of the organic aerosol (OA) observed in the atmosphere, and could explain some of the discrepancies between OA concentration and properties predicted by models and observed in the environment. Aerosol - fog interaction and its effect on submicron aerosol properties were investigated in the Po Valley (northern Italy) during fall 2011, in the framework of the Supersite project (ARPA Emilia Romagna). Composition and physical properties of submicron aerosol were measured online by a High Resolution- Time of Flight - Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-TOF-AMS), a Soot Photometer - Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (SP-AMS), and a Tandem Differential Mobility Particle Sizer (TDMPS). Organic functional group analysis was performed off-line by Hydrogen - Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (H-NMR) spectrometry and by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. Aerosol absorption, scattering, and total extinction were measured simultaneously with a Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP), a Nephelometer, and a Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift Spectrometer particle extinction monitor (CAPS PMex), respectively. Water-soluble organic carbon in fog-water was characterized off-line by HR-TOF-AMS. Fourteen distinct fog events were observed. Fog dissipation left behind an aerosol enriched in particles larger than 400 nm, typical of fog and cloud processing, and dominated by secondary species, including ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate and oxidized OA (OOA). Source apportionment of OA allowed us to identify OOA as the difference between total OA and primary OA (hydrocarbon like OA and biomass burning OA). The formation of OOA through fog processing is proved by the correlation of OOA concentration with hydroxyl methyl sulfonate signal and by the similarity of OOA spectra with organic mass spectra obtained by re-aerosolization of fog water samples. The oxygen to carbon ratio and the hydrogen to carbon ratio of

  11. Characterizing Organic Aerosol Processes and Climatically Relevant Properties via Advanced and Integrated Analyses of Aerosol Mass Spectrometry Datasets from DOE Campaigns and ACRF Measurements. Final report for DE-SC0007178

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Qi

    Organic aerosols (OA) are an important but poorly characterized component of the earth’s climate system. Enormous complexities commonly associated with OA composition and life cycle processes have significantly complicated the simulation and quantification of aerosol effects. To unravel these complexities and improve understanding of the properties, sources, formation, evolution processes, and radiative properties of atmospheric OA, we propose to perform advanced and integrated analyses of multiple DOE aerosol mass spectrometry datasets, including two high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-AMS) datasets from intensive field campaigns on the aerosol life cycle and the Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) datasets from long-term routinemore » measurement programs at ACRF sites. In this project, we will focus on 1) characterizing the chemical (i.e., composition, organic elemental ratios), physical (i.e., size distribution and volatility), and radiative (i.e., sub- and super-saturated growth) properties of organic aerosols, 2) examining the correlations of these properties with different source and process regimes (e.g., primary, secondary, urban, biogenic, biomass burning, marine, or mixtures), 3) quantifying the evolutions of these properties as a function of photochemical processing, 4) identifying and characterizing special cases for important processes such as SOA formation and new particle formation and growth, and 5) correlating size-resolved aerosol chemistry with measurements of radiative properties of aerosols to determine the climatically relevant properties of OA and characterize the relationship between these properties and processes of atmospheric aerosol organics. Our primary goal is to improve a process-level understanding of the life cycle of organic aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere. We will also aim at bridging between observations and models via synthesizing and translating the results and insights generated from

  12. Airborne measurements of multi-wavelength aerosol optical depth and cloud-transmitted radiances in the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shinozuka, Y.; Johnson, R. R.; LeBlanc, S. E.; Chang, C. S.; Redemann, J.

    2016-12-01

    We report on our recent airborne measurements of multi-wavelength aerosol optical depth and cloud-transmitted radiances over the North Atlantic. We ran the Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research (4STAR) in November 2015 and the 14-channel Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-14) in May and June 2016, both aboard the NASA C-130 aircraft. These sunphotometers provide measurements of overlying cirrus and aerosol optical depths of up to about 0.5 and constrain ecosystem and aerosol retrievals from the accompanying nadir-viewing remote sensing instruments. In addition, 4STAR measures hyperspectral transmitted light, which enables the retrieval of cloud optical depth, effective radius, and thermodynamic phase from below cloud. Our measurements contribute to the science objectives of the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES), an interdisciplinary investigation resolving key processes controlling marine ecosystems and aerosols that are essential to our understanding of Earth system function and future change.

  13. On the Feasibility of Studying Shortwave Aerosol Radiative Forcing of Climate Using Dual-Wavelength Aerosol Backscatter Lidar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Redemann, Jens; Russell, Philip B.; Winker, David M.; McCormick, M. Patrick; Hipskind, R. Stephen (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    The current low confidence in the estimates of aerosol-induced perturbations of Earth's radiation balance is caused by the highly non-uniform compositional, spatial and temporal distributions of tropospheric aerosols on a global scale owing to their heterogeneous sources and short lifetimes. Nevertheless, recent studies have shown that the inclusion of aerosol effects in climate model calculations can improve agreement with observed spatial and temporal temperature distributions. In light of the short lifetimes of aerosols, determination of their global distribution with space-borne sensors seems to be a necessary approach. Until recently, satellite measurements of tropospheric aerosols have been approximate and did not provide the full set of information required to determine their radiative effects. With the advent of active aerosol remote sensing from space (e.g., PICASSO-CENA), the applicability fo lidar-derived aerosol 180 deg -backscatter data to radiative flux calculations and hence studies of aerosol effects on climate needs to be investigated.

  14. Unique DNA-barcoded aerosol test particles for studying aerosol transport

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Harding, Ruth N.; Hara, Christine A.; Hall, Sara B.

    Data are presented for the first use of novel DNA-barcoded aerosol test particles that have been developed to track the fate of airborne contaminants in populated environments. Until DNATrax (DNA Tagged Reagents for Aerosol eXperiments) particles were developed, there was no way to rapidly validate air transport models with realistic particles in the respirable range of 1–10 μm in diameter. The DNATrax particles, developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and tested with the assistance of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, are the first safe and effective materials for aerosol transport studies that are identified by DNA molecules. The usemore » of unique synthetic DNA barcodes overcomes the challenges of discerning the test material from pre-existing environmental or background contaminants (either naturally occurring or previously released). The DNATrax particle properties are demonstrated to have appropriate size range (approximately 1–4.5 μm in diameter) to accurately simulate bacterial spore transport. As a result, we describe details of the first field test of the DNATrax aerosol test particles in a large indoor facility.« less

  15. Unique DNA-barcoded aerosol test particles for studying aerosol transport

    DOE PAGES

    Harding, Ruth N.; Hara, Christine A.; Hall, Sara B.; ...

    2016-03-22

    Data are presented for the first use of novel DNA-barcoded aerosol test particles that have been developed to track the fate of airborne contaminants in populated environments. Until DNATrax (DNA Tagged Reagents for Aerosol eXperiments) particles were developed, there was no way to rapidly validate air transport models with realistic particles in the respirable range of 1–10 μm in diameter. The DNATrax particles, developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and tested with the assistance of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, are the first safe and effective materials for aerosol transport studies that are identified by DNA molecules. The usemore » of unique synthetic DNA barcodes overcomes the challenges of discerning the test material from pre-existing environmental or background contaminants (either naturally occurring or previously released). The DNATrax particle properties are demonstrated to have appropriate size range (approximately 1–4.5 μm in diameter) to accurately simulate bacterial spore transport. As a result, we describe details of the first field test of the DNATrax aerosol test particles in a large indoor facility.« less

  16. Simulating Aerosol Optical Properties With the Aerosol Simulation Program (ASP): Closure Studies Using ARCTAS Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alvarado, M. J.; Macintyre, H. L.; Bian, H.; Chin, M.; Wang, C.

    2012-12-01

    The scattering and absorption of ultraviolet and visible radiation by aerosols can significantly alter actinic fluxes and photolysis rates. Accurate modeling of aerosol optical properties is thus essential to simulating atmospheric chemistry, air quality, and climate. Here we evaluate the aerosol optical property predictions of the Aerosol Simulation Program (ASP) with in situ data on aerosol scattering and absorption gathered during the Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) campaign. The model simulations are initialized with in situ data on the aerosol size distribution and composition. We perform a set of sensitivity studies (e.g., internal vs. external mixture, core-in-shell versus Maxwell-Garnett, fraction of the organic carbon mass that is light-absorbing "brown carbon," etc.) to determine the model framework and parameters most consistent with the observations. We compare the ASP results to the aerosol optical property lookup tables in FAST-JX and suggest improvements that will better enable FAST-JX to simulate the impact of aerosols on photolysis rates and atmospheric chemistry.

  17. Overview of atmospheric aerosol studies in Malaysia: Known and unknown

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kanniah, Kasturi Devi; Kaskaoutis, Dimitris G.; San Lim, Hwee; Latif, Mohd Talib; Kamarul Zaman, Nurul Amalin Fatihah; Liew, Juneng

    2016-12-01

    Atmospheric aerosols particularly those originated from anthropogenic sources can affect human health, air quality and the regional climate system of Southeast Asia (SEA). Population growth, and rapid urbanization associated with economic development in the SEA countries including Malaysia have resulted in high aerosol concentrations. Moreover, transboundary smoke plumes add more aerosols to the atmosphere in Malaysia. Nevertheless, the aerosol monitoring networks and/or field studies and research campaigns investigating the various aerosol properties are not so widespread over Malaysia. In the present work, we summarize and discuss the results of previous studies that investigated the aerosol properties over Malaysia by means of various instrumentation and techniques, focusing on the use of remote sensing data to examine atmospheric aerosols. Furthermore, we identify gaps in this research field and recommend further studies to bridge these knowledge gaps. More specifically gaps are identified in (i) monitoring aerosol loading and composition over urban areas, (ii) examining the influence of dust, (iii) assessing radiative effects of aerosols, (iv) measuring and modelling fine particles and (v) quantifying the contribution of long range transport of aerosols. Such studies are crucial for understanding the optical, physical and chemical properties of aerosols and their spatio-temporal characteristics over the region, which are useful for modelling and prediction of aerosols' effects on air quality and climate system.

  18. Aerosol Chemical Composition and its Effects on Cloud-Aerosol Interactions during the 2007 CHAPS Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Y.; Alexander, L.; Newburn, M.; Jayne, J.; Hubbe, J.; Springston, S.; Senum, G.; Andrews, B.; Ogren, J.; Kleinman, L.; Daum, P.; Berg, L.; Berkowitz, C.

    2007-12-01

    Chemical composition of submicron aerosol particles was determined using an Aerodyne Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) outfitted on the DOE G-1 aircraft during the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS) conducted in Oklahoma City area in June 2007. The primary objective of CHAPS was to investigate the effects of urban emissions on cloud aerosol interactions as a function of processing of the emissions. Aerosol composition was typically determined at three different altitudes: below, in, and above cloud, in both upwind and downwind regions of the urban area. Aerosols were sampled from an isokinetic inlet with an upper size cut-off of ~1.5 micrometer. During cloud passages, the AMS also sampled particles that were dried from cloud droplets collected using a counter-flow virtual impactor (CVI) sampler. The aerosol mass concentrations were typically below 10 microgram per cubic meter, and were dominated by organics and sulfate. Ammonium was often less than required for complete neutralization of sulfate. Aerosol nitrate levels were very low. We noted that nitrate levels were significantly enhanced in cloud droplets compared to aerosols, most likely resulting from dissolution of gaseous nitric acid. Organic to sulfate ratios appeared to be lower in cloud droplets than in aerosols, suggesting cloud condensation nuclei properties of aerosol particles might be affected by loading and nature of the organic components in aerosols. In-cloud formation of sulfate was considered unimportant because of the very low SO2 concentration in the region. A detailed examination of the sources of the aerosol organic components (based on hydrocarbons determined using a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer) and their effects on cloud formation as a function of atmospheric processing (based on the degree of oxidation of the organic components) will be presented.

  19. Influence of crustal dust and sea spray supermicron particle concentrations and acidity on inorganic NO 3 − aerosol during the 2013 Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study

    DOE PAGES

    Allen, H. M.; Draper, D. C.; Ayres, B. R.; ...

    2015-09-25

    Inorganic aerosol composition was measured in the southeastern United States, a region that exhibits high aerosol mass loading during the summer, as part of the 2013 Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) campaign. Measurements using a Monitor for AeRosols and GAses (MARGA) revealed two periods of high aerosol nitrate (NO 3 −) concentrations during the campaign. These periods of high nitrate were correlated with increased concentrations of supermicron crustal and sea spray aerosol species, particularly Na + and Ca 2+, and with a shift towards aerosol with larger (1 to 2.5 μm) diameters. We suggest this nitrate aerosol forms bymore » multiphase reactions of HNO 3 and particles, reactions that are facilitated by transport of crustal dust and sea spray aerosol from a source within the United States. The observed high aerosol acidity prevents the formation of NH 4NO 3, the inorganic nitrogen species often dominant in fine-mode aerosol at higher pH. In addition, calculation of the rate of the heterogeneous uptake of HNO 3 on mineral aerosol supports the conclusion that aerosol NO 3 − is produced primarily by this process, and is likely limited by the availability of mineral cation-containing aerosol surface area. Modeling of NO 3 − and HNO 3 by thermodynamic equilibrium models (ISORROPIA II and E-AIM) reveals the importance of including mineral cations in the southeastern United States to accurately balance ion species and predict gas–aerosol phase partitioning.« less

  20. A Global Modeling Study on Carbonaceous Aerosol Microphysical Characteristics and Radiative Effects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bauer, S. E.; Menon, S.; Koch, D.; Bond, T. C.; Tsigaridis, K.

    2010-01-01

    Recently, attention has been drawn towards black carbon aerosols as a short-term climate warming mitigation candidate. However the global and regional impacts of the direct, indirect and semi-direct aerosol effects are highly uncertain, due to the complex nature of aerosol evolution and the way that mixed, aged aerosols interact with clouds and radiation. A detailed aerosol microphysical scheme, MATRIX, embedded within the GISS climate model is used in this study to present a quantitative assessment of the impact of microphysical processes involving black carbon, such as emission size distributions and optical properties on aerosol cloud activation and radiative effects. Our best estimate for net direct and indirect aerosol radiative flux change between 1750 and 2000 is -0.56 W/m2. However, the direct and indirect aerosol effects are quite sensitive to the black and organic carbon size distribution and consequential mixing state. The net radiative flux change can vary between -0.32 to -0.75 W/m2 depending on these carbonaceous particle properties at emission. Taking into account internally mixed black carbon particles let us simulate correct aerosol absorption. Absorption of black carbon aerosols is amplified by sulfate and nitrate coatings and, even more strongly, by organic coatings. Black carbon mitigation scenarios generally showed reduced radiative fluxeswhen sources with a large proportion of black carbon, such as diesel, are reduced; however reducing sources with a larger organic carbon component as well, such as bio-fuels, does not necessarily lead to a reduction in positive radiative flux.

  1. A global modeling study on carbonaceous aerosol microphysical characteristics and radiative effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bauer, S. E.; Menon, S.; Koch, D.; Bond, T. C.; Tsigaridis, K.

    2010-08-01

    Recently, attention has been drawn towards black carbon aerosols as a short-term climate warming mitigation candidate. However the global and regional impacts of the direct, indirect and semi-direct aerosol effects are highly uncertain, due to the complex nature of aerosol evolution and the way that mixed, aged aerosols interact with clouds and radiation. A detailed aerosol microphysical scheme, MATRIX, embedded within the GISS climate model is used in this study to present a quantitative assessment of the impact of microphysical processes involving black carbon, such as emission size distributions and optical properties on aerosol cloud activation and radiative effects. Our best estimate for net direct and indirect aerosol radiative flux change between 1750 and 2000 is -0.56 W/m2. However, the direct and indirect aerosol effects are quite sensitive to the black and organic carbon size distribution and consequential mixing state. The net radiative flux change can vary between -0.32 to -0.75 W/m2 depending on these carbonaceous particle properties at emission. Taking into account internally mixed black carbon particles let us simulate correct aerosol absorption. Absorption of black carbon aerosols is amplified by sulfate and nitrate coatings and, even more strongly, by organic coatings. Black carbon mitigation scenarios generally showed reduced radiative fluxeswhen sources with a large proportion of black carbon, such as diesel, are reduced; however reducing sources with a larger organic carbon component as well, such as bio-fuels, does not necessarily lead to a reduction in positive radiative flux.

  2. Modeling Atmospheric Aerosols in WRF/Chem

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Yang; Hu, X.-M.; Howell, G.

    2005-06-01

    In this study, three aerosol modules are tested and compared. The first module is the Modal Aerosol Dynamics Model for Europe (MADE) with the secondary organic aerosol model (SORGAM) (referred to as MADE/SORGAM). The second module is the Model for Simulating Aerosol Interactions and Chemistry (MOSAIC). The third module is the Model of Aerosol Dynamics, Reaction, Ionization and Dissolution (MADRID). The three modules differ in terms of size representation used, chemical species treated, assumptions and numerical algorithms used. Table 1 compares the major processes among the three aerosol modules.

  3. Chemical composition, sources and secondary processes of aerosols in Baoji city of northwest China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Y. C.; Huang, R.-J.; Ni, H. Y.; Chen, Y.; Wang, Q. Y.; Li, G. H.; Tie, X. X.; Shen, Z. X.; Huang, Y.; Liu, S. X.; Dong, W. M.; Xue, P.; Fröhlich, R.; Canonaco, F.; Elser, M.; Daellenbach, K. R.; Bozzetti, C.; El Haddad, I.; Prévôt, A. S. H.; Canagaratna, M. R.; Worsnop, D. R.; Cao, J. J.

    2017-06-01

    Particulate air pollution is a severe environmental problem in China, affecting visibility, air quality, climate and human health. However, previous studies focus mainly on large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. In this study, an Aerodyne Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor was deployed in Baoji, a middle size inland city in northwest China from 26 February to 27 March 2014. The non-refractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1) was dominated by organics (55%), followed by sulfate (16%), nitrate (15%), ammonium (11%) and chloride (3%). A source apportionment of the organic aerosol (OA) was performed with the Sofi (Source Finder) interface of ME-2 (Multilinear Engine), and six main sources/factors were identified and classified as hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA), cooking OA (COA), biomass burning OA (BBOA), coal combustion OA (CCOA), less oxidized oxygenated OA (LO-OOA) and more oxidized oxygenated OA (MO-OOA), which contributed 20%, 14%, 13%, 9%, 23% and 21% of total OA, respectively. The contribution of secondary components shows increasing trends from clean days to polluted days, indicating the importance of secondary aerosol formation processes in driving particulate air pollution. The formation of LO-OOA and MO-OOA is mainly driven by photochemical reactions, but significantly influenced by aqueous-phase chemistry during periods of low atmospheric oxidative capacity.

  4. Tropospheric Ozone Lidar Network (TOLNet) - Long-term Tropospheric Ozone and Aerosol Profiling for Satellite Continuity and Process Studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Newchurch, M.; Al-Saadi, J. A.; Alvarez, R. J.; Burris, J.; Cantrell, W.; Chen, G.; De Young, R.; Hardesty, R.; Hoff, R. M.; Kaye, J. A.; kuang, S.; Langford, A. O.; LeBlanc, T.; McDermid, I. S.; McGee, T. J.; Pierce, R.; Senff, C. J.; Sullivan, J. T.; Szykman, J.; Tonnesen, G.; Wang, L.

    2012-12-01

    An interagency research initiative for ground-based ozone and aerosol lidar profiling recently funded by NASA has important applications to air-quality studies in addition to the goal of serving the GEO-CAPE and other air-quality missions. Ozone is a key trace-gas species, a greenhouse gas, and an important pollutant in the troposphere. High spatial and temporal variability of ozone affected by various physical and photochemical processes motivates the high spatio-temporal lidar profiling of tropospheric ozone for improving the simulation and forecasting capability of the photochemical/air-quality models, especially in the boundary layer where the resolution and precision of satellite retrievals are fundamentally limited. It is well known that there are large discrepancies between the surface and upper-air ozone due to titration, surface deposition, diurnal processes, free-tropospheric transport, and other processes. Near-ground ozone profiling has been technically challenging for lidars due to some engineering difficulties, such as near-range saturation, field-of-view overlap, and signal processing issues. This initiative provides an opportunity for us to solve those engineering issues and redesign the lidars aimed at long-term, routine ozone/aerosol observations from the near surface to the top of the troposphere at multiple stations (i.e., NASA/GSFC, NASA/LaRC, NASA/JPL, NOAA/ESRL, UAHuntsville) for addressing the needs of NASA, NOAA, EPA and State/local AQ agencies. We will present the details of the science investigations, current status of the instrumentation development, data access/protocol, and the future goals of this lidar network. Ozone lidar/RAQMS comparison of laminar structures.

  5. Study on Dicarboxylic Acids in Aerosol Samples with Capillary Electrophoresis

    PubMed Central

    Adler, Heidi; Sirén, Heli

    2014-01-01

    The research was performed to study the simultaneous detection of a homologous series of α, ω-dicarboxylic acids (C2–C10), oxalic, malonic, succinic, glutaric, adipic, pimelic, suberic, azelaic, and sebacic acids, with capillary electrophoresis using indirect UV detection. Good separation efficiency in 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid as background electrolyte modified with myristyl trimethyl ammonium bromide was obtained. The dicarboxylic acids were ionised and separated within five minutes. For the study, authentic samples were collected onto dry cellulose membrane filters of a cascade impactor (12 stages) from outdoor spring aerosols in an urban area. Hot water and ultrasonication extraction methods were used to isolate the acids from membrane filters. Due to the low concentrations of acids in the aerosols, the extracts were concentrated with solid-phase extraction (SPE) before determination. The enrichment of the carboxylic acids was between 86 and 134% with sample pretreatment followed by 100-time increase by preparation of the sample to 50 μL. Inaccuracy was optimised for all the sample processing steps. The aerosols contained dicarboxylic acids C2–C10. Then, mostly they contained C2, C5, and C10. Only one sample contained succinic acid. In the study, the concentrations of the acids in aerosols were lower than 10 ng/m3. PMID:24729915

  6. Case Studies of the Vertical Structure of the Direct Shortwave Aerosol Radiative Forcing During TARFOX

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Redemann, J.; Turco, R. P.; Liou, K. N.; Hobbs, P. V.; Hartley, W. S.; Bergstrom, R. W.; Browell, E. V.; Russell, P. B.

    2000-01-01

    The vertical structure of aerosol-induced radiative flux changes in the Earth's troposphere affects local heating rates and thereby convective processes, the formation and lifetime of clouds, and hence the distribution of chemical constituents. We present observationally based estimates of the vertical structure of direct shortwave aerosol radiative forcing for two case studies from the Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational Experiment (TARFOX) which took place on the U.S. east coast in July 1996. The aerosol radiative forcings are computed using the Fu-Liou broadband radiative transfer model. The aerosol optical properties used in the radiative transfer simulations are calculated from independent vertically resolved estimates of the complex aerosol indices of refraction in two to three distinct vertical layers, using profiles of in situ particle size distributions measured aboard the University of Washington research aircraft. Aerosol single-scattering albedos at 450 nm thus determined range from 0.9 to 0.985, while the asymmetry factor varies from 0.6 to 0.8. The instantaneous shortwave aerosol radiative forcings derived from the optical properties of the aerosols are of the order of -36 Wm(exp -2) at the top of the atmosphere and about -56 Wm(exp -2) at the surface for both case studies.

  7. Processing of aerosol particles within the Habshan pollution plume

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Semeniuk, T. A.; Bruintjes, R.; Salazar, V.; Breed, D.; Jensen, T.; Buseck, P. R.

    2015-03-01

    The Habshan industrial site in the United Arab Emirates produces a regional-scale pollution plume associated with oil and gas processing, discharging high loadings of sulfates and chlorides into the atmosphere, which interact with the ambient aerosol population. Aerosol particles and trace gas chemistry at this site were studied on two flights in the summer of 2002. Measurements were collected along vertical plume profiles to show changes associated with atmospheric processing of particle and gas components. Close to the outlet stack, particle concentrations were over 10,000 cm-3, dropping to <2000 cm-3 in more dilute plume around 1500 m above the stack. Particles collected close to the stack and within the dilute plume were individually measured for size, morphology, composition, and mixing state using transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Close to the stack, most coarse particles consisted of mineral dust and NaCl crystals from burning oil brines, while sulfate droplets dominated the fine mode. In more dilute plume, at least 1500 m above the stack, the particle spectrum was more diverse, with a significant increase in internally mixed particle types. Dilute plume samples consisted of coarse NaCl/silicate aggregates or NaCl-rich droplets, often with a sulfate component, while fine-fraction particles were of mixed cation sulfates, also internally mixed with nanospherical soot or silicates. Thus, both chloride and sulfate components of the pollution plume rapidly reacted with ambient mineral dust to form coated and aggregate particles, enhancing particle size, hygroscopicity, and reactivity of the coarse mode. The fine-fraction sulfate-bearing particles formed in the plume contribute to regional transport of sulfates, while coarse sulfate-bearing fractions locally reduced the SO2 loading through sedimentation. The chloride- and sulfate-bearing internally mixed particles formed in the plume markedly changed the

  8. Extending "Deep Blue" Aerosol Retrieval Coverage to Cases of Absorbing Aerosols Above Clouds: Sensitivity Analysis and First Case Studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sayer, A. M.; Hsu, N. C.; Bettenhausen, C.; Lee, J.; Redemann, J.; Schmid, B.; Shinozuka, Y.

    2016-01-01

    Cases of absorbing aerosols above clouds (AACs), such as smoke or mineral dust, are omitted from most routinely processed space-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) data products, including those from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This study presents a sensitivity analysis and preliminary algorithm to retrieve above-cloud AOD and liquid cloud optical depth (COD) for AAC cases from MODIS or similar sensors, for incorporation into a future version of the "Deep Blue" AOD data product. Detailed retrieval simulations suggest that these sensors should be able to determine AAC AOD with a typical level of uncertainty approximately 25-50 percent (with lower uncertainties for more strongly absorbing aerosol types) and COD with an uncertainty approximately10-20 percent, if an appropriate aerosol optical model is known beforehand. Errors are larger, particularly if the aerosols are only weakly absorbing, if the aerosol optical properties are not known, and the appropriate model to use must also be retrieved. Actual retrieval errors are also compared to uncertainty envelopes obtained through the optimal estimation (OE) technique; OE-based uncertainties are found to be generally reasonable for COD but larger than actual retrieval errors for AOD, due in part to difficulties in quantifying the degree of spectral correlation of forward model error. The algorithm is also applied to two MODIS scenes (one smoke and one dust) for which near-coincident NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sun photometer (AATS) data were available to use as a ground truth AOD data source, and found to be in good agreement, demonstrating the validity of the technique with real observations.

  9. Extending "Deep Blue" aerosol retrieval coverage to cases of absorbing aerosols above clouds: Sensitivity analysis and first case studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sayer, A. M.; Hsu, N. C.; Bettenhausen, C.; Lee, J.; Redemann, J.; Schmid, B.; Shinozuka, Y.

    2016-05-01

    Cases of absorbing aerosols above clouds (AACs), such as smoke or mineral dust, are omitted from most routinely processed space-based aerosol optical depth (AOD) data products, including those from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This study presents a sensitivity analysis and preliminary algorithm to retrieve above-cloud AOD and liquid cloud optical depth (COD) for AAC cases from MODIS or similar sensors, for incorporation into a future version of the "Deep Blue" AOD data product. Detailed retrieval simulations suggest that these sensors should be able to determine AAC AOD with a typical level of uncertainty ˜25-50% (with lower uncertainties for more strongly absorbing aerosol types) and COD with an uncertainty ˜10-20%, if an appropriate aerosol optical model is known beforehand. Errors are larger, particularly if the aerosols are only weakly absorbing, if the aerosol optical properties are not known, and the appropriate model to use must also be retrieved. Actual retrieval errors are also compared to uncertainty envelopes obtained through the optimal estimation (OE) technique; OE-based uncertainties are found to be generally reasonable for COD but larger than actual retrieval errors for AOD, due in part to difficulties in quantifying the degree of spectral correlation of forward model error. The algorithm is also applied to two MODIS scenes (one smoke and one dust) for which near-coincident NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sun photometer (AATS) data were available to use as a ground truth AOD data source, and found to be in good agreement, demonstrating the validity of the technique with real observations.

  10. The physico-chemical evolution of atmospheric aerosols and the gas-particle partitioning of inorganic aerosol during KORUS-AQ

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, T.; Park, T.; Lee, J. B.; Lim, Y. J.; Ahn, J.; Park, J. S.; Soo, C. J.; Desyaterik, Y.; Collett, J. L., Jr.

    2017-12-01

    Aerosols influence climate change directly by scattering and absorption and indirectly by acting as cloud condensation nuclei and some of the effects of aerosols are reduction in visibility, deterioration of human health, and deposition of pollutants to ecosystems. Urban area is large source of aerosols and aerosol precursors. Aerosol sources are both local and from long-range transport. Long-range transport processed aerosol are often dominant sources of aerosol pollution in Korea. To improve our knowledge of aerosol chemistry, Korea and U.S-Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) of Aircraft-based aerosol measurement took place in and around Seoul, Korea during May and June 2016. KORUS-AQ campaigns were conducted to study the chemical characterization and processes of pollutants in the Seoul Metropolitan area to regional scales of Korean peninsula. Aerodyne High Resolution Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was deployed on aircraft platforms on-board DC-8 (NASA) aircraft. We characterized aerosol chemical properties and mass concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, ammonium and organics in polluted air plumes and investigate the spatial and vertical distribution of the species. The results of studies show that organics is predominant in Aerosol and a significant fraction of the organics is oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) at the high altitude. Both Nitrate and sulfate can partition between the gas and particle phases. The ratios for HNO3/(N(V) (=gaseous HNO3 + particulate Nitrate) and SO2/(SO2+Sulfate) were found to exhibit quite different distributions between the particles and gas phase for the locations during KORUS-AQ campaign, representing potential for formation of additional particulate nitrate and sulfate. The results of those studies can provide highly resolved temporal and spatial air pollutant, which are valuable for air quality model input parameters for aerosol behaviour.

  11. New understanding and quantification of the regime dependence of aerosol-cloud interaction for studying aerosol indirect effects

    DOE PAGES

    Chen, Jingyi; Liu, Yangang; Zhang, Minghua; ...

    2016-02-28

    In this study, aerosol indirect effects suffer from large uncertainty in climate models and among observations. This study focuses on two plausible factors: regime dependence of aerosol-cloud interactions and the effect of cloud droplet spectral shape. We show, using a new parcel model, that combined consideration of droplet number concentration (N c) and relative dispersion (ε, ratio of standard deviation to mean radius of the cloud droplet size distribution) better characterizes the regime dependence of aerosol-cloud interactions than considering N c alone. Given updraft velocity (w), ε increases with increasing aerosol number concentration (N a) in the aerosol-limited regime, peaksmore » in the transitional regime, and decreases with further increasing N a in the updraft-limited regime. This new finding further reconciles contrasting observations in literature and reinforces the compensating role of dispersion effect. The nonmonotonic behavior of ε further quantifies the relationship between the transitional N a and w that separates the aerosol- and updraft-limited regimes.« less

  12. Predicting the mineral composition of dust aerosols - Part 1: Representing key processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perlwitz, J. P.; Pérez García-Pando, C.; Miller, R. L.

    2015-02-01

    Soil dust aerosols created by wind erosion are typically assigned globally uniform physical and chemical properties within Earth system models, despite known regional variations in the mineral content of the parent soil. Mineral composition of the aerosol particles is important to their interaction with climate, including shortwave absorption and radiative forcing, nucleation of cloud droplets and ice crystals, coating by heterogeneous uptake of sulfates and nitrates, and atmospheric processing of iron into bioavailable forms that increase the productivity of marine phytoplankton. Here, aerosol mineral composition is derived by extending a method that provides the composition of a wet-sieved soil. The extension accounts for measurements showing significant differences between the mineral fractions of the wet-sieved soil and the resulting aerosol concentration. For example, some phyllosilicate aerosols are more prevalent at silt sizes, even though they are nearly absent in a soil whose aggregates are dispersed by wet sieving during analysis. We reconstruct the undispersed size distribution of the original soil that is subject to wind erosion. An empirical constraint upon the relative emission of clay and silt is applied that further differentiates the soil and aerosol mineral composition. In addition, a method is proposed for mixing minerals with small impurities composed of iron oxides. These mixtures are important for transporting iron far from the dust source, because pure iron oxides are more dense and vulnerable to gravitational removal than most minerals comprising dust aerosols. A limited comparison to measurements from North Africa shows that the extension brings the model into better agreement, consistent with a more extensive comparison to global observations as well as measurements of elemental composition downwind of the Sahara, as described in companion articles.

  13. Aerosol algorithm evaluation within aerosol-CCI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kinne, Stefan; Schulz, Michael; Griesfeller, Jan

    Properties of aerosol retrievals from space are difficult. Even data from dedicated satellite sensors face contaminations which limit the accuracy of aerosol retrieval products. Issues are the identification of complete cloud-free scenes, the need to assume aerosol compositional features in an underdetermined solution space and the requirement to characterize the background at high accuracy. Usually the development of aerosol is a slow process, requiring continuous feedback from evaluations. To demonstrate maturity, these evaluations need to cover different regions and seasons and many different aerosol properties, because aerosol composition is quite diverse and highly variable in space and time, as atmospheric aerosol lifetimes are only a few days. Three years ago the ESA Climate Change Initiative started to support aerosol retrieval efforts in order to develop aerosol retrieval products for the climate community from underutilized ESA satellite sensors. The initial focus was on retrievals of AOD (a measure for the atmospheric column amount) and of Angstrom (a proxy for aerosol size) from the ATSR and MERIS sensors on ENVISAT. The goal was to offer retrieval products that are comparable or better in accuracy than commonly used NASA products of MODIS or MISR. Fortunately, accurate reference data of ground based sun-/sky-photometry networks exist. Thus, retrieval assessments could and were conducted independently by different evaluation groups. Here, results of these evaluations for the year 2008 are summarized. The capability of these newly developed retrievals is analyzed and quantified in scores. These scores allowed a ranking of competing efforts and also allow skill comparisons of these new retrievals against existing and commonly used retrievals.

  14. Cloud Processing of Secondary Organic Aerosol from Isoprene and Methacrolein Photooxidation.

    PubMed

    Giorio, Chiara; Monod, Anne; Brégonzio-Rozier, Lola; DeWitt, Helen Langley; Cazaunau, Mathieu; Temime-Roussel, Brice; Gratien, Aline; Michoud, Vincent; Pangui, Edouard; Ravier, Sylvain; Zielinski, Arthur T; Tapparo, Andrea; Vermeylen, Reinhilde; Claeys, Magda; Voisin, Didier; Kalberer, Markus; Doussin, Jean-François

    2017-10-12

    Aerosol-cloud interaction contributes to the largest uncertainties in the estimation and interpretation of the Earth's changing energy budget. The present study explores experimentally the impacts of water condensation-evaporation events, mimicking processes occurring in atmospheric clouds, on the molecular composition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from the photooxidation of methacrolein. A range of on- and off-line mass spectrometry techniques were used to obtain a detailed chemical characterization of SOA formed in control experiments in dry conditions, in triphasic experiments simulating gas-particle-cloud droplet interactions (starting from dry conditions and from 60% relative humidity (RH)), and in bulk aqueous-phase experiments. We observed that cloud events trigger fast SOA formation accompanied by evaporative losses. These evaporative losses decreased SOA concentration in the simulation chamber by 25-32% upon RH increase, while aqueous SOA was found to be metastable and slowly evaporated after cloud dissipation. In the simulation chamber, SOA composition measured with a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer, did not change during cloud events compared with high RH conditions (RH > 80%). In all experiments, off-line mass spectrometry techniques emphasize the critical role of 2-methylglyceric acid as a major product of isoprene chemistry, as an important contributor to the total SOA mass (15-20%) and as a key building block of oligomers found in the particulate phase. Interestingly, the comparison between the series of oligomers obtained from experiments performed under different conditions show a markedly different reactivity. In particular, long reaction times at high RH seem to create the conditions for aqueous-phase processing to occur in a more efficient manner than during two relatively short cloud events.

  15. A 3-D Model Study of Aerosol Composition and Radiative Forcing in the Asian-Pacific Region

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chin, Mian; Ginoux, Paul; Torres, Omar; Zhao, Xuepeng; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    The Georgia Tech/Goddard Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model will be used in analyzing the aerosol data in the ACE-Asia program. Our objectives are (1) to understand the physical, chemical, and optical properties of aerosol and the processes that control these properties over the Asian-Pacific region, (2) to determine the aerosol radiative forcing over the Asian-Pacific region, and (3) to investigate the interaction between aerosol and tropospheric chemistry. We will present the GOCART aerosol simulations of sulfate, dust, carbonaceous, and sea salt concentrations, their optical thicknesses, and their radiative effects. We will also show the comparisons of model results with data taken from previous field campaigns, ground-based sun photometer measurements, and satellite observations. Finally, we will present our plan for the ACE-Asia study.

  16. Importance of Anthropogenic Aerosols for Climate Prediction: a Study on East Asian Sulfate Aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bartlett, R. E.; Bollasina, M. A.

    2017-12-01

    Climate prediction is vital to ensure that we are able to adapt to our changing climate. Understandably, the main focus for such prediction is greenhouse gas forcing, as this will be the main anthropogenic driver of long-term global climate change; however, other forcings could still be important. Atmospheric aerosols represent one such forcing, especially in regions with high present-day aerosol loading such as Asia; yet, uncertainty in their future emissions are under-sampled by commonly used climate forcing projections, such as the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). Globally, anthropogenic aerosols exert a net cooling, but their effects show large variation at regional scales. Studies have shown that aerosols impact locally upon temperature, precipitation and hydroclimate, and also upon larger scale atmospheric circulation (for example, the Asian monsoon) with implications for climate remote from aerosol sources. We investigate how future climate could evolve differently given the same greenhouse gas forcing pathway but differing aerosol emissions. Specifically, we use climate modelling experiments (using HadGEM2-ES) of two scenarios based upon RCP2.6 greenhouse gas forcing but with large differences in sulfur dioxide emissions over East Asia. Results show that increased sulfate aerosols (associated with increased sulfur dioxide) lead to large regional cooling through aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interactions. Focussing on dynamical mechanisms, we explore the consequences of this cooling for the Asian summer and winter monsoons. In addition to local temperature and precipitation changes, we find significant changes to large scale atmospheric circulation. Wave-like responses to upper-level atmospheric changes propagate across the northern hemisphere with far-reaching effects on surface climate, for example, cooling over Europe. Within the tropics, we find alterations to zonal circulation (notably, shifts in the Pacific Walker cell) and monsoon

  17. Emission or atmospheric processes? An attempt to attribute the source of large bias of aerosols in eastern China simulated by global climate models

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fan, Tianyi; Liu, Xiaohong; Ma, Po -Lun

    Here, global climate models often underestimate aerosol loadings in China, and these biases can have significant implications for anthropogenic aerosol radiative forcing and climate effects. The biases may be caused by either the emission inventory or the treatment of aerosol processes in the models, or both, but so far no consensus has been reached. In this study, a relatively new emission inventory based on energy statistics and technology, Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC), is used to drive the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) to evaluate aerosol distribution and radiative effects against observations in China. The model results aremore » compared with the model simulations with the widely used Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC AR5) emission inventory. We find that the new MEIC emission improves the aerosol optical depth (AOD) simulations in eastern China and explains 22–28 % of the AOD low bias simulated with the AR5 emission. However, AOD is still biased low in eastern China. Seasonal variation of the MEIC emission leads to a better agreement with the observed seasonal variation of primary aerosols than the AR5 emission, but the concentrations are still underestimated. This implies that the atmospheric loadings of primary aerosols are closely related to the emission, which may still be underestimated over eastern China. In contrast, the seasonal variations of secondary aerosols depend more on aerosol processes (e.g., gas- and aqueous-phase production from precursor gases) that are associated with meteorological conditions and to a lesser extent on the emission. It indicates that the emissions of precursor gases for the secondary aerosols alone cannot explain the low bias in the model. Aerosol secondary production processes in CAM5 should also be revisited. The simulation using MEIC estimates the annual-average aerosol direct radiative effects (ADREs) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), at

  18. Emission or atmospheric processes? An attempt to attribute the source of large bias of aerosols in eastern China simulated by global climate models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, Tianyi; Liu, Xiaohong; Ma, Po-Lun; Zhang, Qiang; Li, Zhanqing; Jiang, Yiquan; Zhang, Fang; Zhao, Chuanfeng; Yang, Xin; Wu, Fang; Wang, Yuying

    2018-02-01

    Global climate models often underestimate aerosol loadings in China, and these biases can have significant implications for anthropogenic aerosol radiative forcing and climate effects. The biases may be caused by either the emission inventory or the treatment of aerosol processes in the models, or both, but so far no consensus has been reached. In this study, a relatively new emission inventory based on energy statistics and technology, Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC), is used to drive the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) to evaluate aerosol distribution and radiative effects against observations in China. The model results are compared with the model simulations with the widely used Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC AR5) emission inventory. We find that the new MEIC emission improves the aerosol optical depth (AOD) simulations in eastern China and explains 22-28 % of the AOD low bias simulated with the AR5 emission. However, AOD is still biased low in eastern China. Seasonal variation of the MEIC emission leads to a better agreement with the observed seasonal variation of primary aerosols than the AR5 emission, but the concentrations are still underestimated. This implies that the atmospheric loadings of primary aerosols are closely related to the emission, which may still be underestimated over eastern China. In contrast, the seasonal variations of secondary aerosols depend more on aerosol processes (e.g., gas- and aqueous-phase production from precursor gases) that are associated with meteorological conditions and to a lesser extent on the emission. It indicates that the emissions of precursor gases for the secondary aerosols alone cannot explain the low bias in the model. Aerosol secondary production processes in CAM5 should also be revisited. The simulation using MEIC estimates the annual-average aerosol direct radiative effects (ADREs) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), at the surface, and

  19. Emission or atmospheric processes? An attempt to attribute the source of large bias of aerosols in eastern China simulated by global climate models

    DOE PAGES

    Fan, Tianyi; Liu, Xiaohong; Ma, Po -Lun; ...

    2018-02-01

    Here, global climate models often underestimate aerosol loadings in China, and these biases can have significant implications for anthropogenic aerosol radiative forcing and climate effects. The biases may be caused by either the emission inventory or the treatment of aerosol processes in the models, or both, but so far no consensus has been reached. In this study, a relatively new emission inventory based on energy statistics and technology, Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC), is used to drive the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) to evaluate aerosol distribution and radiative effects against observations in China. The model results aremore » compared with the model simulations with the widely used Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC AR5) emission inventory. We find that the new MEIC emission improves the aerosol optical depth (AOD) simulations in eastern China and explains 22–28 % of the AOD low bias simulated with the AR5 emission. However, AOD is still biased low in eastern China. Seasonal variation of the MEIC emission leads to a better agreement with the observed seasonal variation of primary aerosols than the AR5 emission, but the concentrations are still underestimated. This implies that the atmospheric loadings of primary aerosols are closely related to the emission, which may still be underestimated over eastern China. In contrast, the seasonal variations of secondary aerosols depend more on aerosol processes (e.g., gas- and aqueous-phase production from precursor gases) that are associated with meteorological conditions and to a lesser extent on the emission. It indicates that the emissions of precursor gases for the secondary aerosols alone cannot explain the low bias in the model. Aerosol secondary production processes in CAM5 should also be revisited. The simulation using MEIC estimates the annual-average aerosol direct radiative effects (ADREs) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), at

  20. A global modeling study on carbonaceous aerosol microphysical characteristics and radiative forcing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bauer, S. E.; Menon, S.; Koch, D.; Bond, T. C.; Tsigaridis, K.

    2010-02-01

    Recently, attention has been drawn towards black carbon aerosols as a short-term climate warming mitigation candidate. However the global and regional impacts of the direct, cloud-indirect and semi-direct forcing effects are highly uncertain, due to the complex nature of aerosol evolution and the way that mixed, aged aerosols interact with clouds and radiation. A detailed aerosol microphysical scheme, MATRIX, embedded within the GISS climate model is used in this study to present a quantitative assessment of the impact of microphysical processes involving black carbon, such as emission size distributions and optical properties on aerosol cloud activation and radiative forcing. Our best estimate for net direct and indirect aerosol radiative forcing between 1750 and 2000 is -0.56 W/m2. However, the direct and indirect aerosol effects are quite sensitive to the black and organic carbon size distribution and consequential mixing state. The net radiative forcing can vary between -0.32 to -0.75 W/m2 depending on these carbonaceous particle properties at emission. Assuming that sulfates, nitrates and secondary organics form a coating around a black carbon core, rather than forming a uniformly mixed particle, changes the overall net aerosol radiative forcing from negative to positive. Taking into account internally mixed black carbon particles let us simulate correct aerosol absorption. Black carbon absorption is amplified by sulfate and nitrate coatings, but even more strongly by organic coatings. Black carbon mitigation scenarios generally showed reduced radiative forcing when sources with a large proportion of black carbon, such as diesel, are reduced; however reducing sources with a larger organic carbon component as well, such as bio-fuels, does not necessarily lead to climate benefits.

  1. Elucidating the Chemical Complexity of Organic Aerosol Constituents Measured During the Southeastern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yee, L.; Isaacman, G. A.; Spielman, S. R.; Worton, D. R.; Zhang, H.; Kreisberg, N. M.; Wilson, K. R.; Hering, S. V.; Goldstein, A. H.

    2013-12-01

    Thousands of volatile organic compounds are uniquely created in the atmosphere, many of which undergo chemical transformations that result in more highly-oxidized and often lower vapor pressure species. These species can contribute to secondary organic aerosol, a complex mixture of organic compounds that is still not chemically well-resolved. Organic aerosol collected on filters taken during the Southeastern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) constitute hundreds of unique chemical compounds. Some of these include known anthropogenic and biogenic tracers characterized using standardized analytical techniques (e.g. GC-MS, UPLC, LC-MS), but the majority of the chemical diversity has yet to be explored. By employing analytical techniques involving sample derivatization and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) with high-resolution-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HR-ToF-MS), we elucidate the chemical complexity of the organic aerosol matrix along the volatility and polarity grids. Further, by utilizing both electron impact (EI) and novel soft vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) ionization mass spectrometry, a greater fraction of the organic mass is fully speciated. The GC x GC-HR-ToF-MS with EI/VUV technique efficiently provides an unprecedented level of speciation for complex ambient samples. We present an extensive chemical characterization and quantification of organic species that goes beyond typical atmospheric tracers in the SOAS samples. We further demonstrate that complex organic mixtures can be chemically deconvoluted by elucidation of chemical formulae, volatility, functionality, and polarity. These parameters provide insight into the sources (anthropogenic vs. biogenic), chemical processes (oxidation pathways), and environmental factors (temperature, humidity), controlling organic aerosol growth in the Southeastern United States.

  2. The NASA-AMES Research Center Stratospheric Aerosol Model. 1. Physical Processes and Computational Analogs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Turco, R. P.; Hamill, P.; Toon, O. B.; Whitten, R. C.; Kiang, C. S.

    1979-01-01

    A time-dependent one-dimensional model of the stratospheric sulfate aerosol layer is presented. In constructing the model, a wide range of basic physical and chemical processes are incorporated in order to avoid predetermining or biasing the model predictions. The simulation, which extends from the surface to an altitude of 58 km, includes the troposphere as a source of gases and condensation nuclei and as a sink for aerosol droplets. The size distribution of aerosol particles is resolved into 25 categories with particle radii increasing geometrically from 0.01 to 2.56 microns such that particle volume doubles between categories.

  3. A one-dimensional sectional aerosol model integrated with mesoscale meteorological data to study marine boundary layer aerosol dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caffrey, Peter F.; Hoppel, William A.; Shi, Jainn J.

    2006-12-01

    The dynamics of aerosols in the marine boundary layer are simulated with a one-dimensional, multicomponent, sectional aerosol model using vertical profiles of turbulence, relative humidity, temperature, vertical velocity, cloud cover, and precipitation provided by 3-D mesoscale meteorological model output. The Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) sectional aerosol model MARBLES (Fitzgerald et al., 1998a) was adapted to use hourly meteorological input taken from NRL's Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Prediction System (COAMPS). COAMPS-generated turbulent mixing coefficients and large-scale vertical velocities determine vertical exchange within the marine boundary layer and exchange with the free troposphere. Air mass back trajectories were used to define the air column history along which the meteorology was retrieved for use with the aerosol model. Details on the integration of these models are described here, as well as a description of improvements made to the aerosol model, including transport by large-scale vertical motions (such as subsidence and lifting), a revised sea-salt aerosol source function, and separate tracking of sulfate mass from each of the five sources (free tropospheric, nucleated, condensed from gas phase oxidation products, cloud-processed, and produced from heterogeneous oxidation of S(IV) on sea-salt aerosol). Results from modeling air masses arriving at Oahu, Hawaii, are presented, and the relative contribution of free-tropospheric sulfate particles versus sea-salt aerosol from the surface to CCN concentrations is discussed. Limitations and benefits of the method are presented, as are sensitivity analyses of the effect of large-scale vertical motions versus turbulent mixing.

  4. Meeting Review: Airborne Aerosol Inlet Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baumgardner, Darrel; Huebert, Barry; Wilson, Chuck

    1991-01-01

    Proceedings from the Airborne Aerosol Inlet Workshop are presented. The two central topics of discussion were the role of aerosols in atmospheric processes and the difficulties in characterizing aerosols. The following topics were discussed during the working sessions: airborne observations to date; identification of inlet design issues; inlet modeling needs and directions; objectives for aircraft experiments; and future laboratory and wind tunnel studies.

  5. Gas phase emissions from cooking processes and their secondary aerosol production potential

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klein, Felix; Platt, Stephen; Bruns, Emily; Termime-roussel, Brice; Detournay, Anais; Mohr, Claudia; Crippa, Monica; Slowik, Jay; Marchand, Nicolas; Baltensperger, Urs; Prevot, Andre; El Haddad, Imad

    2014-05-01

    Long before the industrial evolution and the era of fossil fuels, high concentrations of aerosol particles were alluded to in heavily populated areas, including ancient Rome and medieval London. Recent radiocarbon measurements (14C) conducted in modern megacities came as a surprise: carbonaceous aerosol (mainly organic aerosol, OA), a predominant fraction of particulate matter (PM), remains overwhelmingly non-fossil despite extensive fossil fuel combustion. Such particles are directly emitted (primary OA, POA) or formed in-situ in the atmosphere (secondary OA, SOA) via photochemical reactions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Urban levels of non-fossil OA greatly exceed the levels measured in pristine environments strongly impacted by biogenic emissions, suggesting a contribution from unidentified anthropogenic non-fossil sources to urban OA. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) techniques applied to ambient aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS, Aerodyne) data identify primary cooking emissions (COA) as one of the main sources of primary non-fossil OA in major cities like London (Allan et al., 2010), New York (Sun et al., 2011) and Beijing (Huang et al., 2010). Cooking processes can also emit VOCs that can act as SOA precursors, potentially explaining in part the high levels of oxygenated OA (OOA) identified by the AMS in urban areas. However, at present, the chemical nature of these VOCs and their secondary aerosol production potential (SAPP) remain virtually unknown. The approach adopted here involves laboratory quantification of PM and VOC emission factors from the main primary COA emitting processes and their SAPP. Primary emissions from deep-fat frying, vegetable boiling, vegetable frying and meat cooking for different oils, meats and vegetables were analysed under controlled conditions after ~100 times dilution. A high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and a high resolution proton transfer time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR

  6. Vacuum FTIR study on the hygroscopicity of magnesium acetate aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Na; Cai, Chen; He, Xiang; Pang, Shu-Feng; Zhang, Yun-Hong

    2018-03-01

    Hygroscopicity and volatility of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) are two important properties, which determine the composition, concentration, size, phase state of SOA and thus chemical and optical properties for SOA. In this work, magnesium acetate (Mg(Ac)2) aerosol was used as a simple SOA model in order to reveal relationship between hygroscopicity and volatility. A novel approach was set up based on a combination of a vacuum FTIR spectrometer and a home-made relative humidity (RH) controlling system. The striking advantage of this approach was that the RH and the compositions of aerosols could be obtained from a same IR spectrum, which guaranteed the synchronism between RH and spectral features on a sub-second scale. At the constant RH of 90% and 80% for 3000 s, the water content within Mg(Ac)2 aerosol particles decreased about 19.0% and 9.4% while there were 13.4% and 6.0% of acetate loss. This was attributed to a cooperation between volatile of acetic acid and Mg2 + hydrolysis in Mg(Ac)2 aerosols, which greatly suppressed the hygroscopicity of Mg(Ac)2 aerosols. When the RH changed with pulsed mode between 70% and 90%, hygroscopicity relaxation was observed for Mg(Ac)2 aerosols. Diffuse coefficient of water in the relaxation process was estimated to be 5 × 10- 12 m2·s- 1 for the Mg(Ac)2 aerosols. Combining the IR spectra analysis, the decrease in the diffuse coefficient of water was due to the formation of magnesium hydroxide accompanying acetic acid evaporation in the aerosols.

  7. Laboratory photochemical processing of aqueous aerosols: formation and degradation of dicarboxylic acids, oxocarboxylic acids and α-dicarbonyls

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pavuluri, C. M.; Kawamura, K.; Mihalopoulos, N.; Swaminathan, T.

    2015-01-01

    To better understand the photochemical processing of dicarboxylic acids and related polar compounds, we conducted batch UV irradiation experiments on two types of aerosol samples collected from India, which represent anthropogenic (AA) and biogenic aerosols (BA), for time periods of 0.5 to 120 h. The irradiated samples were analyzed for molecular compositions of diacids, oxoacids and α-dicarbonyls. The results show that photochemical degradation of oxalic (C2) and malonic (C3) and other C8-C12 diacids overwhelmed their production in aqueous aerosols whereas succinic acid (C4) and C5-C7 diacids showed a significant increase (ca. 10 times) during the course of irradiation experiments. The photochemical formation of oxoacids and α-dicarbonyls overwhelmed their degradation during the early stages of experiment, except for ω-oxooctanoic acid (ωC8) that showed a similar pattern to that of C4. We also found a gradual decrease in the relative abundance of C2 to total diacids and an increase in the relative abundance of C4 during prolonged experiment. Based on the changes in concentrations and mass ratios of selected species with the irradiation time, we hypothesize that iron-catalyzed photolysis of C2 and C3 diacids dominates their concentrations in Fe-rich atmospheric waters, whereas photochemical formation of C4 diacid (via ωC8) is enhanced with photochemical processing of aqueous aerosols in the atmosphere. This study demonstrates that the ambient aerosols contain abundant precursors that produce diacids, oxoacids and α-dicarbonyls, although some species such as oxalic acid decompose extensively during an early stage of photochemical processing.

  8. Laboratory photochemical processing of aqueous aerosols: formation and degradation of dicarboxylic acids, oxocarboxylic acids and α-dicarbonyls

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pavuluri, C. M.; Kawamura, K.; Mihalopoulos, N.; Swaminathan, T.

    2015-07-01

    To better understand the photochemical processing of dicarboxylic acids and related polar compounds, we conducted batch UV irradiation experiments on two types of aerosol samples collected from India, which represent anthropogenic (AA) and biogenic (BA) aerosols, for time periods of 0.5 to 120 h. The irradiated samples were analyzed for molecular compositions of diacids, oxoacids and α-dicarbonyls. The results show that photochemical degradation of oxalic (C2), malonic (C3) and other C8-C12 diacids overwhelmed their production in aqueous aerosols, whereas succinic acid (C4) and C5-C7 diacids showed a significant increase (ca. 10 times) during the course of irradiation experiments. The photochemical formation of oxoacids and α-dicarbonyls overwhelmed their degradation during the early stages of experiment except for ω-oxooctanoic acid (ωC8), which showed a similar pattern to that of C4. We also found a gradual decrease in the relative abundance of C2 to total diacids and an increase in the relative abundance of C4 during prolonged experiment. Based on the changes in concentrations and mass ratios of selected species with the irradiation time, we hypothesize that iron-catalyzed photolysis of C2 and C3 diacids controls their concentrations in Fe-rich atmospheric waters, whereas photochemical formation of C4 diacid (via ωC8) is enhanced with photochemical processing of aqueous aerosols in the atmosphere. This study demonstrates that the ambient aerosols contain abundant precursors that produce diacids, oxoacids and α-dicarbonyls, although some species such as oxalic acid decompose extensively during an early stage of photochemical processing.

  9. Characterizing Atmospheric Processing of Aerosols from Forest Fires at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory during BBOP

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, S.; Collier, S.; Hee, J.; Wigder, N. L.; Jaffe, D. A.; Zhang, Q.

    2014-12-01

    This study investigates the physical and chemical characteristics and atmospheric processing of aerosols from uncontrolled forest fires across the Pacific Northwest. The measurements were made at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory (MBO) located at the summit of Mt. Bachelor in central Oregon (43.9794° N, 121.6885° W, 2,763 m asl) in summer 2013 during the DOE sponsored Biomass Burning Observation Project (BBOP) field campaign. We utilized an Aerodyne High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) coupled with a thermodenuder. Observations during periods affected by biomass burning (BB) pollution showed elevated non-refractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1) concentration up to 140 μg/m3. NR-PM1 correlated well with PM light scattering (up to ~ 600 Mm-1 at 550 nm) and gas phase CO (up to ~0.4 ppmv). The AMS BB tracer, f60, i.e., fraction of organic signals at m/z = 60, was also enhanced with a maximum of ~ 2%. Organic aerosol (OA) dominated the PM composition in BB plumes (94.1% of the NR-PM1 mass) with an average concentration of 13.9 μg/m3. Three distinctive BBOA factors were identified by Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF): a fresh BBOA-I factor (O/C=0.27, H/C=1.52, f60 = 2.26%) that correlates well with ammonium nitrate; an intermediately oxidized BBOA-II (O/C=0.52, H/C=1.47, f60 = 1.05%), and a highly oxidized BBOA-III (O/C=0.95, H/C=1.02) with a low f60 (< 0.01%) and enhanced tracer ions for carboxylic acids (e.g., CHO2+). During persistent BB plume events from fixed fire sources, fresh BBOA-I initially dominated the OA composition, but decreased as the more oxidized BBOA-II increased while BBOA-III remained unchanged. These events shed light on the chemical transformation of BB aerosol during atmospheric aging. We will examine the enhancement of different BBOA factors relative to CO to investigate secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation processes in BB plumes.

  10. On The Cloud Processing of Aerosol Particles: An Entraining Air Parcel Model With Two-dimensional Spectral Cloud Microphysics and A New Formulation of The Collection Kernel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bott, Andreas; Kerkweg, Astrid; Wurzler, Sabine

    A study has been made of the modification of aerosol spectra due to cloud pro- cesses and the impact of the modified aerosols on the microphysical structure of future clouds. For this purpose an entraining air parcel model with two-dimensional spectral cloud microphysics has been used. In order to treat collision/coalescence processes in the two-dimensional microphysical module, a new realistic and continuous formu- lation of the collection kernel has been developed. Based on experimental data, the kernel covers the entire investigated size range of aerosols, cloud and rain drops, that is the kernel combines all important coalescence processes such as the collision of cloud drops as well as the impaction scavenging of small aerosols by big raindrops. Since chemical reactions in the gas phase and in cloud drops have an important impact on the physico-chemical properties of aerosol particles, the parcel model has been extended by a chemical module describing gas phase and aqueous phase chemical reactions. However, it will be shown that in the numerical case studies presented in this paper the modification of aerosols by chemical reactions has a minor influence on the microphysical structure of future clouds. The major process yielding in a second cloud event an enhanced formation of rain is the production of large aerosol particles by collision/coalescence processes in the first cloud.

  11. Probing into the aging dynamics of biomass burning aerosol by using satellite measurements of aerosol optical depth and carbon monoxide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Konovalov, Igor B.; Beekmann, Matthias; Berezin, Evgeny V.; Formenti, Paola; Andreae, Meinrat O.

    2017-04-01

    Carbonaceous aerosol released into the atmosphere from open biomass burning (BB) is known to undergo considerable chemical and physical transformations (aging). However, there is substantial controversy about the nature and observable effects of these transformations. A shortage of consistent observational evidence on BB aerosol aging processes under different environmental conditions and at various temporal scales hinders development of their adequate representations in chemistry transport models (CTMs). In this study, we obtain insights into the BB aerosol dynamics by using available satellite measurements of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and carbon monoxide (CO). The basic concept of our method is to consider AOD as a function of the BB aerosol photochemical age (that is, the time period characterizing the exposure of BB aerosol emissions to atmospheric oxidation reactions) predicted by means of model tracers. We evaluate the AOD enhancement ratio (ER) defined as the ratio of optical depth of actual BB aerosol with respect to that of a modeled aerosol tracer that is assumed to originate from the same fires as the real BB aerosol but that is not affected by any aging processes. To limit possible effects of model transport errors, the AOD measurements are normalized to CO column amounts that are also retrieved from satellite measurements. The method is applied to the analysis of the meso- and synoptic-scale evolution of aerosol in smoke plumes from major wildfires that occurred in Siberia in summer 2012. AOD and CO retrievals from MODIS and IASI measurements, respectively, are used in combination with simulations performed with the CHIMERE CTM. The analysis indicates that aging processes strongly affected the evolution of BB aerosol in the situation considered, especially in dense plumes (with spatial average PM2. 5 concentration exceeding 100 µg m-3). For such plumes, the ER is found to increase almost 2-fold on the scale of ˜ 10 h of daytime aerosol

  12. Overview of TANGENT (Tandem Aerosol Nucleation and Growth ENvironment Tube) 2017 IOP Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tiszenkel, L.

    2017-12-01

    New particle formation consists of two steps: nucleation and growth of nucleated particles. However, most laboratory studies have been conducted under conditions where these two processes are convoluted together, thereby hampering the detailed understanding of the effect of chemical species and atmospheric conditions on two processes. The objective of the Tandem Aerosol Nucleation and Growth ENvironment Tube (TANGENT) laboratory study is to investigate aerosol nucleation and growth properties independently by separating these two processes in two different flow tubes. This research is a collaboration between the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the University of Delaware. In this poster we will present the experimental setup of TANGENT and summarize the key results from the first IOP (intense observation period) experiments undertaken during Summer 2017. Nucleation takes place in a temperature- and RH-controlled fast flow reactor (FT-1) where sulfuric acid forms from OH radicals and sulfur dioxide. Sulfuric acid and impurity base compounds are detected with chemical ionization mass spectrometers (CIMS). Particle sizes and number concentrations of newly nucleated particles are measured with a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and particle size magnifier (PSM), providing concentrations of particles between 1-100 nm. The nucleation particles are transferred directly to the growth tube (FT-2) where oxidants and biogenic organic precursors are added to grow nucleated nanoparticles. Sizes of particles after growth are analyzed with an additional SMPS and elemental chemical composition of 50 nm and above particles detected with a nano-aerosol mass spectrometer (NAMS). TANGENT provides the unique ability to conduct experiments that can monitor and control reactant concentrations, aerosol size and aerosol chemical composition during nucleation and growth. Experiments during this first IOP study have elucidated the effects of sulfur dioxide, particle size

  13. The global aerosol-climate model ECHAM-HAM, version 2: sensitivity to improvements in process representations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, K.; O'Donnell, D.; Kazil, J.; Stier, P.; Kinne, S.; Lohmann, U.; Ferrachat, S.; Croft, B.; Quaas, J.; Wan, H.; Rast, S.; Feichter, J.

    2012-03-01

    This paper introduces and evaluates the second version of the global aerosol-climate model ECHAM-HAM. Major changes have been brought into the model, including new parameterizations for aerosol nucleation and water uptake, an explicit treatment of secondary organic aerosols, modified emission calculations for sea salt and mineral dust, the coupling of aerosol microphysics to a two-moment stratiform cloud microphysics scheme, and alternative wet scavenging parameterizations. These revisions extend the model's capability to represent details of the aerosol lifecycle and its interaction with climate. Sensitivity experiments are carried out to analyse the effects of these improvements in the process representation on the simulated aerosol properties and global distribution. The new parameterizations that have largest impact on the global mean aerosol optical depth and radiative effects turn out to be the water uptake scheme and cloud microphysics. The former leads to a significant decrease of aerosol water contents in the lower troposphere, and consequently smaller optical depth; the latter results in higher aerosol loading and longer lifetime due to weaker in-cloud scavenging. The combined effects of the new/updated parameterizations are demonstrated by comparing the new model results with those from the earlier version, and against observations. Model simulations are evaluated in terms of aerosol number concentrations against measurements collected from twenty field campaigns as well as from fixed measurement sites, and in terms of optical properties against the AERONET measurements. Results indicate a general improvement with respect to the earlier version. The aerosol size distribution and spatial-temporal variance simulated by HAM2 are in better agreement with the observations. Biases in the earlier model version in aerosol optical depth and in the Ångström parameter have been reduced. The paper also points out the remaining model deficiencies that need to be

  14. Sensitivity of warm-frontal processes to cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Igel, Adele L.; Van Den Heever, Susan C.; Naud, Catherine M.; Saleeby, Stephen M.; Posselt, Derek J.

    2013-01-01

    An extratropical cyclone that crossed the United States on 9-11 April 2009 was successfully simulated at high resolution (3-km horizontal grid spacing) using the Colorado State University Regional Atmospheric Modeling System. The sensitivity of the associated warm front to increasing pollution levels was then explored by conducting the same experiment with three different background profiles of cloud-nucleating aerosol concentration. To the authors' knowledge, no study has examined the indirect effects of aerosols on warm fronts. The budgets of ice, cloud water, and rain in the simulation with the lowest aerosol concentrations were examined. The ice mass was found to be produced in equal amounts through vapor deposition and riming, and the melting of ice produced approximately 75% of the total rain. Conversion of cloud water to rain accounted for the other 25%. When cloud-nucleating aerosol concentrations were increased, significant changes were seen in the budget terms, but total precipitation remained relatively constant. Vapor deposition onto ice increased, but riming of cloud water decreased such that there was only a small change in the total ice production and hence there was no significant change in melting. These responses can be understood in terms of a buffering effect in which smaller cloud droplets in the mixed-phase region lead to both an enhanced vapor deposition and decreased riming efficiency with increasing aerosol concentrations. Overall, while large changes were seen in the microphysical structure of the frontal cloud, cloud-nucleating aerosols had little impact on the precipitation production of the warm front.

  15. Rapid Measurements of Aerosol Size Distribution and Hygroscopic Growth via Image Processing with a Fast Integrated Mobility Spectrometer (FIMS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Y.; Pinterich, T.; Spielman, S. R.; Hering, S. V.; Wang, J.

    2017-12-01

    Aerosol size distribution and hygroscopicity are among key parameters in determining the impact of atmospheric aerosols on global radiation and climate change. In situ submicron aerosol size distribution measurements commonly involve a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). The SMPS scanning time is in the scale of minutes, which is often too slow to capture the variation of aerosol size distribution, such as for aerosols formed via nucleation processes or measurements onboard research aircraft. To solve this problem, a Fast Integrated Mobility Spectrometer (FIMS) based on image processing was developed for rapid measurements of aerosol size distributions from 10 to 500 nm. The FIMS consists of a parallel plate classifier, a condenser, and a CCD detector array. Inside the classifier an electric field separates charged aerosols based on electrical mobilities. Upon exiting the classifier, the aerosols pass through a three stage growth channel (Pinterich et al. 2017; Spielman et al. 2017), where aerosols as small as 7 nm are enlarged to above 1 μm through water or heptanol condensation. Finally, the grown aerosols are illuminated by a laser sheet and imaged onto a CCD array. The images provide both aerosol concentration and position, which directly relate to the aerosol size distribution. By this simultaneous measurement of aerosols with different sizes, the FIMS provides aerosol size spectra nearly 100 times faster than the SMPS. Recent deployment onboard research aircraft demonstrated that the FIMS is capable of measuring aerosol size distributions in 1s (Figure), thereby offering a great advantage in applications requiring high time resolution (Wang et al. 2016). In addition, the coupling of the FIMS with other conventional aerosol instruments provides orders of magnitude more rapid characterization of aerosol optical and microphysical properties. For example, the combination of a differential mobility analyzer, a relative humidity control unit, and a FIMS was

  16. Imaging aerosol viscosity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pope, Francis; Athanasiadis, Thanos; Botchway, Stan; Davdison, Nicholas; Fitzgerald, Clare; Gallimore, Peter; Hosny, Neveen; Kalberer, Markus; Kuimova, Marina; Vysniauskas, Aurimas; Ward, Andy

    2017-04-01

    Organic aerosol particles play major roles in atmospheric chemistry, climate, and public health. Aerosol particle viscosity is important since it can determine the ability of chemical species such as oxidants, organics or water to diffuse into the particle bulk. Recent measurements indicate that OA may be present in highly viscous states; however, diffusion rates of small molecules such as water appear not to be limited by these high viscosities. We have developed a technique for measuring viscosity that allows for the imaging of aerosol viscosity in micron sized aerosols through use of fluorescence lifetime imaging of viscosity sensitive dyes which are also known as 'molecular rotors'. These rotors can be introduced into laboratory generated aerosol by adding minute quantities of the rotor to aerosol precursor prior to aerosolization. Real world aerosols can also be studied by doping them in situ with the rotors. The doping is achieved through generation of ultrafine aerosol particles that contain the rotors; the ultrafine aerosol particles deliver the rotors to the aerosol of interest via impaction and coagulation. This work has been conducted both on aerosols deposited on microscope coverslips and on particles that are levitated in their true aerosol phase through the use of a bespoke optical trap developed at the Central Laser Facility. The technique allows for the direct observation of kinetic barriers caused by high viscosity and low diffusivity in aerosol particles. The technique is non-destructive thereby allowing for multiple experiments to be carried out on the same sample. It can dynamically quantify and track viscosity changes during atmospherically relevant processes such oxidation and hygroscopic growth (1). This presentation will focus on the oxidation of aerosol particles composed of unsaturated and saturated organic species. It will discuss how the type of oxidant, oxidation rate and the composition of the oxidized products affect the time

  17. Detection of fish antigens aerosolized during fish processing using newly developed immunoassays.

    PubMed

    Lopata, Andreas L; Jeebhay, Mohamed F; Reese, Gerald; Fernandes, Joshua; Swoboda, Ines; Robins, Thomas G; Lehrer, Samuel B

    2005-09-01

    Aerosolization of fish proteins during seafood processing has been identified as a potential route for allergic sensitization and occupational asthma among workers involved in high-risk activities. The aim of this study was to develop immunological assays for the quantification of aerosolized fish antigens in a fish-processing factory. Polyclonal antibodies to the main fish species processed in the factory (anchovy and pilchard) were generated in rabbits and compared by ELISA inhibition assay and immunoblotting. These antisera were utilized to develop ELISA assays for the detection of fish antigens. The ELISA inhibition assays were evaluated by analyzing environmental air samples collected from three areas in a fish-processing factory: pilchard canning, fish meal production and lobster processing. By immunoblotting, the rabbit polyclonal antibodies demonstrated IgG antibody binding patterns comparable with IgE antibodies of fish-sensitized patients, particularly in regard to the major fish allergens parvalbumins. The sensitivity of the fish-specific ELISA assays developed was 0.5 microg/ml. The ELISA inhibition assays were able to differentiate between the two different fish species of interest but did not recognize a crustacean species. Notable differences in exposure levels to canned pilchard and anchovy antigens were demonstrated in the three different working areas of the factory, with assays having a detection limit as low as 105 ng/m(3). These ELISA-based assays are sensitive and specific to quantify differential exposure levels to fish antigens produced during fish processing, making it possible to investigate exposure-disease response relationships among workers in this industry. Copyright (c) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  18. A Systematic Evaluation of the Extent of Photochemical Processing in Different Types of Secondary Organic Aerosols in the Aqueous Phase

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romonosky, D.; Lee, H.; Epstein, S. A.; Nizkorodov, S.; Laskin, J.; Laskin, A.

    2013-12-01

    A significant fraction of atmospheric organic compounds are predominantly found in condensed phases, such as organic phase in aerosol particles or aqueous phase in cloud droplets. The oxidation of VOCs followed by the condensation of products into particles was thought to be the main mechanism of organic aerosol (OA) formation. However, in the last several years, scientists have realized that a large fraction, if not the majority of organic particles, is produced through cloud and fog photochemical processes. Many of these organic compounds are photolabile, and can degrade through direct photolysis or indirect photooxidation processes on time scales that are comparable to the typical lifetimes of droplets (hours) and particles (days). We previously reported that compounds in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from ozonolysis of d-limonene efficiently photodegrade in both organic (Walser et al., 2007) and aqueous phases (Bateman et al., 2011). Significant photolysis was also observed in an aqueous extract of SOA from high-NOx photooxidation of isoprene (Nguyen et al., 2012). More recent experiments studying the response to irradiation of complex aqueous mixtures (as opposed to solutions of isolated compounds) found surprising resilience to photodegradation in aqueous extracts of SOA prepared by photooxidation of alpha-pinene (Romonosky et al., unpublished). We present a systematic investigation of the extent of photochemical processing in different types of SOA from various biogenic and anthropogenic precursors. Chamber- or flowtube-generated SOA is collected on an inert substrate, extracted in a methanol/water solution (70:30), photolyzed in the aqueous solution, and the extent of change in the molecular level composition of the material is assessed with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS). The outcome of this study will be improved understanding of the role of condensed-phase photochemistry in chemical aging of aerosol particles and cloud droplets. Bateman et

  19. Seasonality of Forcing by Carbonaceous Aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Habib, G.; Bond, T.; Rasch, P. J.; Coleman, D.

    2006-12-01

    Aerosols can influence the energy balance of Earth-Atmosphere system with profound effect on regional climate. Atmospheric processes, such as convection, scavenging, wet and dry deposition, govern the lifetime and location of aerosol; emissions affect its quantity and location. Both affect climate forcing. Here we investigate the effect of seasonality in emissions and atmospheric processes on radiative forcing by carbonaceous aerosols, focusing on aerosol from fossil fuel and biofuel. Because aerosol lifetime is seasonal, ignoring the seasonality of sources such as residential biofuel may introduce a bias in aerosol burden and therefore in predicted climate forcing. We present a global emission inventory of carbonaceous aerosols with seasonality, and simulate atmospheric concentrations using the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM). We discuss where and when the seasonality of emissions and atmospheric processes has strong effects on atmospheric burden, lifetime, climate forcing and aerosol optical depth (AOD). Previous work has shown that aerosol forcing is higher in summer than in winter, and has identified the importance of aerosol above cloud in determining black carbon forcing. We show that predicted cloud height is a very important factor in determining normalized radiative forcing (forcing per mass), especially in summer. This can affect the average summer radiative forcing by nearly 50%. Removal by cloud droplets is the dominant atmospheric cleansing mechanism for carbonaceous aerosols. We demonstrate the modeled seasonality of removal processes and compare the importance of scavenging by warm and cold clouds. Both types of clouds contribute significantly to aerosol removal. We estimate uncertainty in direct radiative forcing due to scavenging by tagging the aerosol which has experienced cloud interactions. Finally, seasonal variations offer an opportunity to assess modeled processes when a single process dominates variability. We identify regions where aerosol

  20. Instrumental neutron activation analysis for studying size-fractionated aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salma, Imre; Zemplén-Papp, Éva

    1999-10-01

    Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was utilized for studying aerosol samples collected into a coarse and a fine size fraction on Nuclepore polycarbonate membrane filters. As a result of the panoramic INAA, 49 elements were determined in an amount of about 200-400 μg of particulate matter by two irradiations and four γ-spectrometric measurements. The analytical calculations were performed by the absolute ( k0) standardization method. The calibration procedures, application protocol and the data evaluation process are described and discussed. They make it possible now to analyse a considerable number of samples, with assuring the quality of the results. As a means of demonstrating the system's analytical capabilities, the concentration ranges, median or mean atmospheric concentrations and detection limits are presented for an extensive series of aerosol samples collected within the framework of an urban air pollution study in Budapest. For most elements, the precision of the analysis was found to be beyond the uncertainty represented by the sampling techniques and sample variability.

  1. Aerosol as a player in the Arctic Amplification - an aerosol-climate model evaluation study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schacht, Jacob; Heinold, Bernd; Tegen, Ina

    2017-04-01

    Climate warming is much more pronounced in the Arctic than in any other region on Earth - a phenomenon referred to as the "Arctic Amplification". This is closely related to a variety of specific feedback mechanisms, which relative importance, however, is not yet sufficiently understood. The local changes in the Arctic climate are far-reaching and affect for example the general atmospheric circulation and global energy transport. Aerosol particles from long-range transport and local sources play an important role in the Arctic system by modulating the energy balance (directly by interaction with solar and thermal infrared radiation and indirectly by changing cloud properties and atmospheric dynamics). The main source regions of anthropogenic aerosol are Europe and East Asia, but also local shipping and oil/gas extraction may contribute significantly. In addition, important sources are widespread, mainly natural boreal forest fires. Most of the European aerosol is transported through the lower atmospheric layers in wintertime. The Asian aerosol is transported through higher altitudes. Because of the usually pristine conditions in the Arctic even small absolute changes in aerosol concentration can have large impacts on the Arctic climate. Using global and Arctic-focused model simulations, we aim at investigating the sources and transport pathways of natural and anthropogenic aerosol to the Arctic region, as well as their impact on radiation and clouds. Here, we present first results from an aerosol-climate model evaluation study. Simulations were performed with the global aerosol-climate model ECHAM6-HAM2, using three different state-of-the-art emission inventories (ACCMIP, ACCMIP + GFAS emissions for wildfires and ECLIPSE). The runs were performed in nudged mode at T63 horizontal resolution (approximately 1.8°) with 47 vertical levels for the 10-year period 2006-2015. Black carbon (BC) and sulphate (SO4) are of particular interest. BC is highly absorbing in the

  2. SeReNA Project: studying aerosol interactions with cloud microphysics in the Amazon Basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Correia, A. L.; Catandi, P. B.; Frigeri, F. F.; Ferreira, W. C.; Martins, J.; Artaxo, P.

    2012-12-01

    Cloud microphysics and its interaction with aerosols is a key atmospheric process for weather and climate. Interactions between clouds and aerosols can impact Earth's radiative balance, its hydrological and energetic cycles, and are responsible for a large fraction of the uncertainty in climatic models. On a planetary scale, the Amazon Basin is one of the most significant land sources of moisture and latent heat energy. Moreover, every year this region undergoes mearked seasonal shifts in its atmospheric state, transitioning from clean to heavily polluted conditions due to the occurrence of seasonal biomass burning fires, that emit large amounts of smoke to the atmosphere. These conditions make the Amazon Basin a special place to study aerosol-cloud interactions. The SeReNA Project ("Remote sensing of clouds and their interaction with aerosols", from the acronym in Portuguese, @SerenaProject on Twitter) is an ongoing effort to experimentally investigate the impact of aerosols upon cloud microphysics in Amazonia. Vertical profiles of droplet effective radius of water and ice particles, in single convective clouds, can be derived from measurements of the emerging radiation on cloud sides. Aerosol optical depth, cloud top properties, and meteorological parameters retrieved from satellites will be correlated with microphysical properties derived for single clouds. Maps of cloud brightness temperature will allow building temperature vs. effective radius profiles for hydrometeors in single clouds. Figure 1 shows an example extracted from Martins et al. (2011), illustrating a proof-of-concept for the kind of result expected within the framework for the SeReNA Project. The results to be obtained will help foster the quantitative knowledge about interactions between aerosols and clouds in a microphysical level. These interactions are a fundamental process in the context of global climatic changes, they are key to understanding basic processes within clouds and how aerosols

  3. Low-cost wind tunnel for aerosol inhalation studies.

    PubMed

    Chung, I P; Dunn-Rankin, D; Phalen, R F; Oldham, M J

    1992-04-01

    A low-cost wind tunnel for aerosol studies has been designed, constructed, and evaluated for aerosol uniformity with 2- and 0.46-micron particles. A commercial nebulizer was used to produce the suspended test particles, and a custom-made, four-hole injector was used to introduce the aerosol into the wind tunnel. A commercially available optical particle counter measured the particle concentration. Performance tests of the velocity profile and particle concentration distribution at two flow rates showed that the system performs well for small particles.

  4. Sugars in Antarctic aerosol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barbaro, Elena; Kirchgeorg, Torben; Zangrando, Roberta; Vecchiato, Marco; Piazza, Rossano; Barbante, Carlo; Gambaro, Andrea

    2015-10-01

    The processes and transformations occurring in the Antarctic aerosol during atmospheric transport were described using selected sugars as source tracers. Monosaccharides (arabinose, fructose, galactose, glucose, mannose, ribose, xylose), disaccharides (sucrose, lactose, maltose, lactulose), alcohol-sugars (erythritol, mannitol, ribitol, sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, galactitol) and anhydrosugars (levoglucosan, mannosan and galactosan) were measured in the Antarctic aerosol collected during four different sampling campaigns. For quantification, a sensitive high-pressure anion exchange chromatography was coupled with a single quadrupole mass spectrometer. The method was validated, showing good accuracy and low method quantification limits. This study describes the first determination of sugars in the Antarctic aerosol. The total mean concentration of sugars in the aerosol collected at the ;Mario Zucchelli; coastal station was 140 pg m-3; as for the aerosol collected over the Antarctic plateau during two consecutive sampling campaigns, the concentration amounted to 440 and 438 pg m-3. The study of particle-size distribution allowed us to identify the natural emission from spores or from sea-spray as the main sources of sugars in the coastal area. The enrichment of sugars in the fine fraction of the aerosol collected on the Antarctic plateau is due to the degradation of particles during long-range atmospheric transport. The composition of sugars in the coarse fraction was also investigated in the aerosol collected during the oceanographic cruise.

  5. Self-assembly of silica nanoparticles into hollow spheres via a microwave-assisted aerosol process

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Shan; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164; Wang, Fei

    2016-02-15

    Highlights: • The silica hollow spheres were fabricated via a microwave-assisted aerosol process. • The formation of the hollow spheres was obtained through a one-step process. • The spheres indicated the remarkable sustained release of potassium persulfate. - Abstract: In this work, a simple and efficient strategy for fabrication of silica hollow spheres (SHSs) has been successfully introduced with a one-step microwave-assisted aerosol process using silica nanoparticles (SiO{sub 2}, 12–50 nm) and NH{sub 4}HCO{sub 3} as precursor materials. This approach combines the merits of microwave radiation and the aerosol technique. And the formation of SHSs is ascribed to solvent evaporationmore » and the as-generated gas from NH{sub 4}HCO{sub 3} decomposition in the microwave reactor. The morphology of the SHSs can be easily tuned by varying the residence time, amount of NH{sub 4}HCO{sub 3} and silica sources. The formation mechanism of SHSs was also investigated by structure analysis. In addition, the hollow spheres exhibited remarkable sustained release of potassium persulfate, by loading it into the porous structures. The results provide new sights into the fabrication of inorganic hollow spheres via a one-step process.« less

  6. TEM Study of SAFARI-2000 Aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Buseck, Peter R.

    2004-01-01

    The aim of our research was to obtain data on the chemical and physical properties of individual aerosol particles from biomass smoke plume s in southern Africa and from air masses in the region that are affec ted by the smoke. We used analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM), including energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and ele ctron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), and field-emission electron microscopy (FESEM) to study aerosol particles from several smoke and haz e samples and from a set of cloud samples.

  7. Sources and atmospheric processing of winter aerosols in Seoul, Korea: insights from real-time measurements using a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Hwajin; Zhang, Qi; Bae, Gwi-Nam; Kim, Jin Young; Bok Lee, Seung

    2017-02-01

    quality in Seoul during winter is influenced strongly by secondary aerosol formation, with sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, SV-OOA, and LV-OOA together accounting for 64 % of the PM1 mass during this study. However, aerosol sources and composition were found to be significantly different between clean and polluted periods. During stagnant periods with low wind speed (WS) and high relative humidity (RH), PM concentration was generally high (average ±1σ = 43.6 ± 12.4 µg m-3) with enhanced fractions of nitrate (27 %) and SV-OOA (8 %), which suggested a strong influence from local production of secondary aerosol. Low-PM loading periods (12.6 ± 7.1 µg m-3) tended to occur under higher-WS and lower-RH conditions and appeared to be more strongly influenced by regional air masses, as indicated by higher mass fractions of sulfate (12 %) and LV-OOA (20 %) in PM1. Overall, our results indicate that PM pollutants in urban Korea originate from complex emission sources and atmospheric processes and that their concentrations and composition are controlled by various factors, including meteorological conditions, local anthropogenic emissions, and upwind sources.

  8. Marine Aerosols and Clouds.

    PubMed

    Brooks, Sarah D; Thornton, Daniel C O

    2018-01-03

    The role of marine bioaerosols in cloud formation and climate is currently so uncertain that even the sign of the climate forcing is unclear. Marine aerosols form through direct emissions and through the conversion of gas-phase emissions to aerosols in the atmosphere. The composition and size of aerosols determine how effective they are in catalyzing the formation of water droplets and ice crystals in clouds by acting as cloud condensation nuclei and ice nucleating particles, respectively. Marine organic aerosols may be sourced both from recent regional phytoplankton blooms that add labile organic matter to the surface ocean and from long-term global processes, such as the upwelling of old refractory dissolved organic matter from the deep ocean. Understanding the formation of marine aerosols and their propensity to catalyze cloud formation processes are challenges that must be addressed given the major uncertainties associated with aerosols in climate models.

  9. Predicting the Mineral Composition of Dust Aerosols. Part 1; Representing Key Processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Perlwitz, J. P.; Garcia-Pando, C. Perez; Miller, R. L.

    2015-01-01

    Soil dust aerosols created by wind erosion are typically assigned globally uniform physical and chemical properties within Earth system models, despite known regional variations in the mineral content of the parent soil. Mineral composition of the aerosol particles is important to their interaction with climate, including shortwave absorption and radiative forcing, nucleation of cloud droplets and ice crystals, heterogeneous formation of sulfates and nitrates, and atmospheric processing of iron into bioavailable forms that increase the productivity of marine phytoplankton. Here, aerosol mineral composition is derived by extending a method that provides the composition of a wet-sieved soil. The extension accounts for measurements showing significant differences between the mineral fractions of the wetsieved soil and the emitted aerosol concentration. For example, some phyllosilicate aerosols are more prevalent at silt sizes, even though they are nearly absent at these diameters in a soil whose aggregates are dispersed by wet sieving. We calculate the emitted mass of each mineral with respect to size by accounting for the disintegration of soil aggregates during wet sieving. These aggregates are emitted during mobilization and fragmentation of the original undispersed soil that is subject to wind erosion. The emitted aggregates are carried far downwind from their parent soil. The soil mineral fractions used to calculate the aggregates also include larger particles that are suspended only in the vicinity of the source. We calculate the emitted size distribution of these particles using a normalized distribution derived from aerosol measurements. In addition, a method is proposed for mixing minerals with small impurities composed of iron oxides. These mixtures are important for transporting iron far from the dust source, because pure iron oxides are more dense and vulnerable to gravitational removal than most minerals comprising dust aerosols. A limited comparison to

  10. Predicting the mineral composition of dust aerosols - Part 1: Representing key processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perlwitz, J. P.; Pérez García-Pando, C.; Miller, R. L.

    2015-10-01

    Soil dust aerosols created by wind erosion are typically assigned globally uniform physical and chemical properties within Earth system models, despite known regional variations in the mineral content of the parent soil. Mineral composition of the aerosol particles is important to their interaction with climate, including shortwave absorption and radiative forcing, nucleation of cloud droplets and ice crystals, heterogeneous formation of sulfates and nitrates, and atmospheric processing of iron into bioavailable forms that increase the productivity of marine phytoplankton. Here, aerosol mineral composition is derived by extending a method that provides the composition of a wet-sieved soil. The extension accounts for measurements showing significant differences between the mineral fractions of the wet-sieved soil and the emitted aerosol concentration. For example, some phyllosilicate aerosols are more prevalent at silt sizes, even though they are nearly absent at these diameters in a soil whose aggregates are dispersed by wet sieving. We calculate the emitted mass of each mineral with respect to size by accounting for the disintegration of soil aggregates during wet sieving. These aggregates are emitted during mobilization and fragmentation of the original undispersed soil that is subject to wind erosion. The emitted aggregates are carried far downwind from their parent soil. The soil mineral fractions used to calculate the aggregates also include larger particles that are suspended only in the vicinity of the source. We calculate the emitted size distribution of these particles using a normalized distribution derived from aerosol measurements. In addition, a method is proposed for mixing minerals with small impurities composed of iron oxides. These mixtures are important for transporting iron far from the dust source, because pure iron oxides are more dense and vulnerable to gravitational removal than most minerals comprising dust aerosols. A limited comparison to

  11. Chemical, physical, and optical evolution of biomass burning aerosols: a case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adler, G.; Flores, J. M.; Abo Riziq, A.; Borrmann, S.; Rudich, Y.

    2011-02-01

    In-situ chemical composition measurements of ambient aerosols have been used for characterizing the evolution of submicron aerosols from a large anthropogenic biomass burning (BB) event in Israel. A high resolution Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-RES-TOF-AMS) was used to follow the chemical evolution of BB aerosols during a night-long, extensive nationwide wood burning event and during the following day. While these types of extensive BB events are not common in this region, burning of agricultural waste is a common practice. The aging process of the BB aerosols was followed through their chemical, physical and optical properties. Mass spectrometric analysis of the aerosol organic component showed that aerosol aging is characterized by shifting from less oxidized fresh BB aerosols to more oxidized aerosols. Evidence for aerosol aging during the day following the BB event was indicated by an increase in the organic mass, its oxidation state, the total aerosol concentration, and a shift in the modal particle diameter. The effective broadband refractive index (EBRI) was derived using a white light optical particle counter (WELAS). The average EBRI for a mixed population of aerosols dominated by open fires was m = 1.53(±0.03) + 0.07i(±0.03), during the smoldering phase of the fires we found the EBRI to be m = 1.54(±0.01) + 0.04i(±0.01) compared to m = 1.49(±0.01) + 0.02i(±0.01) of the aged aerosols during the following day. This change indicates a decrease in the overall aerosol absorption and scattering. Elevated levels of particulate Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected during the entire event, which suggest possible implications for human health during such extensive event.

  12. Aircraft- and ground-based assessment of the CCN-AOD relationship and implications on model analysis of ACI and underlying aerosol processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shinozuka, Y.; Clarke, A. D.; Nenes, A.; Lathem, T. L.; Redemann, J.; Jefferson, A.; Wood, R.

    2014-12-01

    Contrary to common assumptions in satellite-based modeling of aerosol-cloud interactions, ∂logCCN/∂logAOD is less than unity, i.e., the number concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) less than doubles as aerosol optical depth (AOD) doubles. This can be explained by omnipresent aerosol processes. Condensation, coagulation and cloud processing, for example, generally make particles scatter more light while hardly increasing their number. This paper reports on the relationship in local air masses between CCN concentration, aerosol size distribution and light extinction observed from aircraft and the ground at diverse locations. The CCN-to-local-extinction relationship, when averaged over ~1 km distance and sorted by the wavelength dependence of extinction, varies approximately by a factor of 2, reflecting the variability in aerosol intensive properties. This, together with retrieval uncertainties and the variability in aerosol spatio-temporal distribution and hygroscopic growth, challenges satellite-based CCN estimates. However, the large differences in estimated CCN may correspond to a considerably lower uncertainty in cloud drop number concentration (CDNC), given the sublinear response of CDNC to CCN. Overall, our findings from airborne and ground-based observations call for model-based reexamination of aerosol-cloud interactions and underlying aerosol processes.

  13. Development of an aerosol microphysical module: Aerosol Two-dimensional bin module for foRmation and Aging Simulation (ATRAS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsui, H.; Koike, M.; Kondo, Y.; Fast, J. D.; Takigawa, M.

    2014-09-01

    Number concentrations, size distributions, and mixing states of aerosols are essential parameters for accurate estimations of aerosol direct and indirect effects. In this study, we develop an aerosol module, designated the Aerosol Two-dimensional bin module for foRmation and Aging Simulation (ATRAS), that can explicitly represent these parameters by considering new particle formation (NPF), black carbon (BC) aging, and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) processes. A two-dimensional bin representation is used for particles with dry diameters from 40 nm to 10 μm to resolve both aerosol sizes (12 bins) and BC mixing states (10 bins) for a total of 120 bins. The particles with diameters between 1 and 40 nm are resolved using additional eight size bins to calculate NPF. The ATRAS module is implemented in the WRF-Chem model and applied to examine the sensitivity of simulated mass, number, size distributions, and optical and radiative parameters of aerosols to NPF, BC aging, and SOA processes over East Asia during the spring of 2009. The BC absorption enhancement by coating materials is about 50% over East Asia during the spring, and the contribution of SOA processes to the absorption enhancement is estimated to be 10-20% over northern East Asia and 20-35% over southern East Asia. A clear north-south contrast is also found between the impacts of NPF and SOA processes on cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations: NPF increases CCN concentrations at higher supersaturations (smaller particles) over northern East Asia, whereas SOA increases CCN concentrations at lower supersaturations (larger particles) over southern East Asia. The application of ATRAS in East Asia also shows that the impact of each process on each optical and radiative parameter depends strongly on the process and the parameter in question. The module can be used in the future as a benchmark model to evaluate the accuracy of simpler aerosol models and examine interactions between NPF, BC aging, and SOA

  14. Development of an aerosol microphysical module: Aerosol Two-dimensional bin module for foRmation and Aging Simulation (ATRAS)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Matsui, H.; Koike, Makoto; Kondo, Yutaka

    2014-09-30

    Number concentrations, size distributions, and mixing states of aerosols are essential parameters for accurate estimation of aerosol direct and indirect effects. In this study, we developed an aerosol module, designated Aerosol Two-dimensional bin module for foRmation and Aging Simulation (ATRAS), that can represent these parameters explicitly by considering new particle formation (NPF), black carbon (BC) aging, and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) processes. A two-dimensional bin representation is used for particles with dry diameters from 40 nm to 10 µm to resolve both aerosol size (12 bins) and BC mixing state (10 bins) for a total of 120 bins. The particlesmore » with diameters from 1 to 40 nm are resolved using an additional 8 size bins to calculate NPF. The ATRAS module was implemented in the WRF-chem model and applied to examine the sensitivity of simulated mass, number, size distributions, and optical and radiative parameters of aerosols to NPF, BC aging and SOA processes over East Asia during the spring of 2009. BC absorption enhancement by coating materials was about 50% over East Asia during the spring, and the contribution of SOA processes to the absorption enhancement was estimated to be 10 – 20% over northern East Asia and 20 – 35% over southern East Asia. A clear north-south contrast was also found between the impacts of NPF and SOA processes on cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations: NPF increased CCN concentrations at higher supersaturations (smaller particles) over northern East Asia, whereas SOA increased CCN concentrations at lower supersaturations (larger particles) over southern East Asia. Application of ATRAS to East Asia also showed that the impact of each process on each optical and radiative parameter depended strongly on the process and the parameter in question. The module can be used in the future as a benchmark model to evaluate the accuracy of simpler aerosol models and examine interactions between NPF, BC aging, and SOA

  15. Dicarboxylic acids, oxocarboxylic acids and α-dicarbonyls in fine aerosols over central Alaska: Implications for sources and atmospheric processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deshmukh, Dhananjay K.; Mozammel Haque, Md.; Kawamura, Kimitaka; Kim, Yongwon

    2018-04-01

    The presence of water-soluble dicarboxylic acids in atmospheric aerosols has a significant influence on the regional radiative forcing through direct aerosol effect and cloud formation process. Fine aerosol (PM2.5) samples collected in central Alaska (Fairbanks: 64.51°N and 147.51°W) during summer of 2009 were measured for water-soluble diacids (C2-C12), oxoacids (C2-C9) and α-dicarbonyls (C2-C3) as well as elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC) and water-soluble OC (WSOC) to assess their sources and formation processes. We found the predominance of oxalic acid (C2) followed by malonic (C3) and succinic acid (C4) in Alaskan aerosols. Higher C3/C4 diacid ratios (ave. 1.2) in Alaskan aerosols than those reported for fresh aerosols emitted from fossil fuel combustion (ave. 0.35) and biomass burning (0.51-0.66) suggest that organic aerosols in central Alaska were photochemically processed. The relatively high correlations of major diacids and related compounds with levoglucosan (r = 0.80-0.99) than those with 2-methylglyceric acid (r = 0.59-0.98) suggest that they were significantly produced from biomass burning emission. Strong correlations of C2 with normal-chain saturated diacids (C3-C9: r = 0.80-0.98), glyoxylic acid (ωC2: r = 0.95) and methylglyoxal (MeGly: r = 0.88), together with strong correlations of solar radiation with ratio of C2 to C2-C12 diacids (r = 0.83), ωC2 (r = 0.80) and MeGly (r = 0.82) suggest that oxalic acid in PM2.5 aerosol was produced by the photooxidation of higher homologous diacids, glyoxylic acid and methylglyoxal in the atmosphere of central Alaska. These results reveal that photochemical processing of organic precursors mainly produced from biomass burning control the water-soluble organic chemical composition of fine aerosols in central Alaska.

  16. A study of aerosol indirect effects and feedbacks on convective precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Da Silva, Nicolas; Mailler, Sylvain; Drobinski, Philippe

    2017-04-01

    Atmospheric aerosols from natural and anthropogenic origin are present in the troposphere of the Mediterranean basin and continental Europe, occasionnally reaching very high concentrations in air masses with a strong content of aerosols related to mineral dust emissions, wildfires, or anthropogenic contamination [1]. On the other hand precipitations in the Mediterranean basin need to be understood precisely since drought and extreme precipitation events are a part of Mediterranean climate which can strongly affect the people and the economic activity in the Mediterranean basin [2]. The present study is a contribution to the investigations on the effects of aerosols on precipitation in the Mediterranean basin and continental Europe. For that purpose, we used the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) parameterized with the Thompson aerosol-aware microphysics schemes, performing two sensitivity simulations forced with two different aerosol climatologies during six months covering an entire summer season on a domain, covering the Mediterranean basin and continental Europe at 50 km resolution. Aerosols may affect atmospheric dynamics through their direct and semidirect radiative effects as well as through their indirect effects (through the changes of cloud microphysics). While it is difficult to disentangle these differents effects in reality, numerical modelling with the WRF model make it possible to isolate indirect effects by modifying them without affecting the direct or semidirect effects of aerosols in an attempt to examine the effect of aerosols on precipitations through microphysical effects only. Our first results have shown two opposite responses depending whether the precipitation are convective or large-scale. Since convective precipitations seem to be clearly inhibited by increased concentrations of cloud-condensation nuclei, we attempted to understand which processes and feedbacks are involved in this reduction of parameterized convective

  17. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.

    2005-01-01

    Cloud microphysics are inevitable affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds, Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effect of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, a detailed spectral-bin microphysical scheme was implemented into the the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bim microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e., pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e., 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions.

  18. A single-step aerosol process for in-situ surface modification of nanoparticles: Preparation of stable aqueous nanoparticle suspensions.

    PubMed

    Sapra, Mahak; Pawar, Amol Ashok; Venkataraman, Chandra

    2016-02-15

    Surface modification of nanoparticles during aerosol or gas-phase synthesis, followed by direct transfer into liquid media can be used to produce stable water-dispersed nanoparticle suspensions. This work investigates a single-step, aerosol process for in-situ surface-modification of nanoparticles. Previous studies have used a two-step sublimation-condensation mechanism following droplet drying, for surface modification, while the present process uses a liquid precursor containing two solutes, a matrix lipid and a surface modifying agent. A precursor solution in chloroform, of stearic acid lipid, with 4 %w/w of surface-active, physiological molecules [1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol)-sodium salt (DPPG) or 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy (polyethylene glycol) 2000]-ammonium salt (DPPE-PEG)] was processed in an aerosol reactor at a low gas temperatures. The surface modified nanoparticles were characterized for morphology, surface composition and suspension properties. Spherical, surface-modified lipid nanoparticles with median mobility diameters in the range of 105-150nm and unimodal size distributions were obtained. Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements confirmed the presence of surface-active molecules on external surfaces of modified lipid nanoparticles. Surface modified nanoparticles exhibited improved suspension stability, compared to that of pure lipid nanoparticles for a period of 30days. Lowest aggregation was observed in DPPE-PEG modified nanoparticles from combined electrostatic and steric effects. The study provides a single-step aerosol method for in-situ surface modification of nanoparticles, using minimal amounts of surface active agents, to make stable, aqueous nanoparticle suspensions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Aerosol Indirect Effects on Cirrus Clouds in Global Aerosol-Climate Models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, X.; Zhang, K.; Wang, Y.; Neubauer, D.; Lohmann, U.; Ferrachat, S.; Zhou, C.; Penner, J.; Barahona, D.; Shi, X.

    2015-12-01

    Cirrus clouds play an important role in regulating the Earth's radiative budget and water vapor distribution in the upper troposphere. Aerosols can act as solution droplets or ice nuclei that promote ice nucleation in cirrus clouds. Anthropogenic emissions from fossil fuel and biomass burning activities have substantially perturbed and enhanced concentrations of aerosol particles in the atmosphere. Global aerosol-climate models (GCMs) have now been used to quantify the radiative forcing and effects of aerosols on cirrus clouds (IPCC AR5). However, the estimate uncertainty is very large due to the different representation of ice cloud formation and evolution processes in GCMs. In addition, large discrepancies have been found between model simulations in terms of the spatial distribution of ice-nucleating aerosols, relative humidity, and temperature fluctuations, which contribute to different estimates of the aerosol indirect effect through cirrus clouds. In this presentation, four GCMs with the start-of-the art representations of cloud microphysics and aerosol-cloud interactions are used to estimate the aerosol indirect effects on cirrus clouds and to identify the causes of the discrepancies. The estimated global and annual mean anthropogenic aerosol indirect effect through cirrus clouds ranges from 0.1 W m-2 to 0.3 W m-2 in terms of the top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) net radiation flux, and 0.5-0.6 W m-2 for the TOA longwave flux. Despite the good agreement on global mean, large discrepancies are found at the regional scale. The physics behind the aerosol indirect effect is dramatically different. Our analysis suggests that burden of ice-nucleating aerosols in the upper troposphere, ice nucleation frequency, and relative role of ice formation processes (i.e., homogeneous versus heterogeneous nucleation) play key roles in determining the characteristics of the simulated aerosol indirect effects. In addition to the indirect effect estimate, we also use field campaign

  20. Indirect and semi-direct aerosol campaign: The impact of Arctic aerosols on clouds

    DOE PAGES

    McFarquhar, Greg M.; Ghan, Steven; Verlinde, Johannes; ...

    2011-02-01

    A comprehensive dataset of microphysical and radiative properties of aerosols and clouds in the boundary layer in the vicinity of Barrow, Alaska, was collected in April 2008 during the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC). ISDAC's primary aim was to examine the effects of aerosols, including those generated by Asian wildfires, on clouds that contain both liquid and ice. ISDAC utilized the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Pro- gram's permanent observational facilities at Barrow and specially deployed instruments measuring aerosol, ice fog, precipitation, and radiation. The National Research Council of Canada Convair-580 flew 27 sorties and collected data using an unprecedented 41more » stateof- the-art cloud and aerosol instruments for more than 100 h on 12 different days. Aerosol compositions, including fresh and processed sea salt, biomassburning particles, organics, and sulfates mixed with organics, varied between flights. Observations in a dense arctic haze on 19 April and above, within, and below the single-layer stratocumulus on 8 and 26 April are enabling a process-oriented understanding of how aerosols affect arctic clouds. Inhomogeneities in reflectivity, a close coupling of upward and downward Doppler motion, and a nearly constant ice profile in the single-layer stratocumulus suggests that vertical mixing is responsible for its longevity observed during ISDAC. Data acquired in cirrus on flights between Barrow and Fairbanks, Alaska, are improving the understanding of the performance of cloud probes in ice. Furthermore, ISDAC data will improve the representation of cloud and aerosol processes in models covering a variety of spatial and temporal scales, and determine the extent to which surface measurements can provide retrievals of aerosols, clouds, precipitation, and radiative heating.« less

  1. Theoretical and global scale model studies of the atmospheric sulfur/aerosol system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kasibhatla, Prasad

    1996-01-01

    The primary focus during the third-phase of our on-going multi-year research effort has been on 3 activities. These are: (1) a global-scale model study of the anthropogenic component of the tropospheric sulfur cycle; (2) process-scale model studies of the factors influencing the distribution of aerosols in the remote marine atmosphere; and (3) an investigation of the mechanism of the OH-initiated oxidation of DMS in the remote marine boundary layer. In this paper, we describe in more detail our research activities in each of these areas. A major portion of our activities during the fourth and final phase of this project will involve the preparation and submission of manuscripts describing the results from our model studies of marine boundary-layer aerosols and DMS-oxidation mechanisms.

  2. Predicting the Mineral Composition of Dust Aerosols. Part 2; Model Evaluation and Identification of Key Processes with Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Perlwitz, J. P.; Garcia-Pando, C. Perez; Miller, R. L.

    2015-01-01

    A global compilation of nearly sixty measurement studies is used to evaluate two methods of simulating the mineral composition of dust aerosols in an Earth system model. Both methods are based upon a Mean Mineralogical Table (MMT) that relates the soil mineral fractions to a global atlas of arid soil type. The Soil Mineral Fraction (SMF) method assumes that the aerosol mineral fractions match the fractions of the soil. The MMT is based upon soil measurements after wet sieving, a process that destroys aggregates of soil particles that would have been emitted from the original, undisturbed soil. The second method approximately reconstructs the emitted aggregates. This model is referred to as the Aerosol Mineral Fraction (AMF) method because the mineral fractions of the aerosols differ from those of the wet-sieved parent soil, partly due to reaggregation. The AMF method remedies some of the deficiencies of the SMF method in comparison to observations. Only the AMF method exhibits phyllosilicate mass at silt sizes, where they are abundant according to observations. In addition, the AMF quartz fraction of silt particles is in better agreement with measured values, in contrast to the overestimated SMF fraction. Measurements at distinct clay and silt particle sizes are shown to be more useful for evaluation of the models, in contrast to the sum over all particles sizes that is susceptible to compensating errors, as illustrated by the SMF experiment. Model errors suggest that allocation of the emitted silt fraction of each mineral into the corresponding transported size categories is an important remaining source of uncertainty. Evaluation of both models and the MMT is hindered by the limited number of size-resolved measurements of mineral content that sparsely sample aerosols from the major dust sources. The importance of climate processes dependent upon aerosol mineral composition shows the need for global and routine mineral measurements.

  3. Preliminary aerosol generator design studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stampfer, J. F., Jr.

    1976-01-01

    The design and construction of a prototype vaporization generator for highly dispersed sodium chloride aerosols is described. The aerosol generating system is to be used in the Science Simulator of the Cloud Physics Laboratory Project and as part of the Cloud Physics Laboratory payload to be flown on the shuttle/spacelab.

  4. Organic Aerosol Formation Photoenhanced by the Formation of Secondary Photo-sensitizers in ageing Aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aregahegn, Kifle; Nozière, Barbara; George, Christian

    2013-04-01

    Humankind is facing a changing environment possibly due to anthropogenic stress on the atmosphere. In this context, aerosols play a key role by affecting the radiative climate forcing, hydrological cycle, and by their adverse effect on health. The role of organic compounds in these processes is however still poorly understood because of their massive chemical complexity and numerous transformations. This is particularly true for Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA), which are produced in the atmosphere by organic gases. Traditionally, the driving forces for SOA growth is believed to be the partitioning onto aerosol seeds of condensable gases, either emitted primarily or resulting from the gas phase oxidation of organic gases. However, even the most up-to-date models based on such mechanisms can not account for the SOA mass observed in the atmosphere, suggesting the existence of other, yet unknown formation processes. The present study shows experimental evidence that particulate phase chemistry produces photo-sensitizers that lead to photo-induced formation and growth of secondary organic aerosol in the near UV and the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOC) such as terpenes. By means of an aerosol flow tube reactor equipped with Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) having Kr-85 source aerosol neutralizer, Differential Mobility Analyser (DMA) and Condensation Particle Sizer (CPC), we identified that traces of the aerosol phase product of glyoxal chemistry as is explained in Gallway et al., and Yu et al., namely imidazole-2-carboxaldehyde (IC) is a strong photo-sensitizer when irradiated by near-UV in the presence of volatile organic compounds such as terpenes. Furthermore, the influence of pH, type and concentration of VOCs, composition of seed particles, relative humidity and irradiation intensity on particle growth were studied. This novel photo-sensitizer contributed to more than 30% of SOA growth in 19min irradiation time in the presence of terpenes in the

  5. Tropospheric Aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buseck, P. R.; Schwartz, S. E.

    2003-12-01

    uncertainties by "the I-beams". Only an uncertainty range rather than a best estimate is presented for direct aerosol forcing by mineral dust and for indirect aerosol forcing. An assessment of the present level of scientific understanding is indicated at the bottom of the figure (reproduced by permission of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). The importance of atmospheric aerosols to issues of societal concern has motivated much research intended to describe their loading, distribution, and properties and to develop understanding of the controlling processes to address such issues as air pollution, acid deposition, and climate influences of aerosols. However, description based wholly on measurements will inevitably be limited in its spatial and temporal coverage and in the limited characterization of aerosol properties. These limitations are even more serious for predictions of future emissions and provide motivation for concurrent theoretical studies and development of model-based description of atmospheric aerosols.An important long-range goal, which has already been partly realized, is to develop quantitative understanding of the processes that control aerosol loading, composition, and microphysical properties as well as the resultant optical and cloud-nucleating properties. An objective is to incorporate these results into chemical transport models that can be used for predictions. Such models are required, for example, to design approaches to achieve air quality standards and to assess and predict aerosol influences on climate change. Much current research is directed toward enhancing this understanding and to evaluating it by comparison of model results and observations. However, compared to gases, models involving particles are far more complex because of the need to specify additional parameters such as particle sizes and size distributions, compositions as a function of size, particle shapes, and temporal and spatial variations, including reactions that occur

  6. Comparative Study of Aerosol and Cloud Detected by CALIPSO and OMI

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Zhong; Torres, Omar; McCormick, M. Patrick; Smith, William; Ahn, Changwoo

    2012-01-01

    The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aura Satellite detects the presence of desert dust and smoke particles (also known as aerosols) in terms of a parameter known as the UV Aerosol Index (UV AI). The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) mission measures the vertical distribution of aerosols and clouds. Aerosols and clouds play important roles in the atmosphere and climate system. Accurately detecting their presence, altitude, and properties using satellite radiance measurements is a very important task. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the CALIPSO Version 2 Vertical Feature Mask (VFM) product with the (OMI) UV Aerosol Index (UV AI) and reflectivity datasets for a full year of 2007. The comparison is done at regional and global scales. Based on CALIPSO arid OMI observations, the vertical and horizontal extent of clouds and aerosols are determined and the effects of aerosol type selection, load, cloud fraction on aerosol identification are discussed. It was found that the spatial-temporal correlation found between CALIPSO and OMI observations, is strongly dependent on aerosol types and cloud contamination. CALIPSO is more sensitivity to cloud and often misidentifies desert dust aerosols as cloud, while some small scale aerosol layers as well as some pollution aerosols are unidentified by OMI UV AI. Large differences in aerosol distribution patterns between CALIPSO and OMI are observed, especially for the smoke and pollution aerosol dominated areas. In addition, the results found a significant correlation between CALIPSO lidar 1064 nm backscatter and the OMI UV AI over the study regions.

  7. Reconciling the aerosol-liquid water path relationship in the ECHAM6-HAM GCM and the Aerosol_cci/Cloud_cci (A)ATSR dataset by minimizing the effect of aerosol swelling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neubauer, D.; Christensen, M.; Lohmann, U.; Poulsen, C. A.

    2016-12-01

    Studies using present day variability to assess statistical relationships between aerosol and cloud properties find different strengths of these relationships between satellite data and general circulation model (GCM) data. This discrepancy can be explained by structural uncertainties due to differences in the analysis/observational scale and the process scale or spurious relationships between aerosol and cloud properties. Such spurious relationships are the growth of aerosol particles in the humid environment surrounding clouds, misclassification of partly cloudy satellite pixels as cloud free pixels, brightening of aerosol particles by sunlight reflected at cloud edges, or effects of clouds on aerosol like processing of aerosol particles in clouds by nucleation or impact scavenging and subsequent growth by heterogeneous chemistry and release by cloud droplet evaporation or wet scavenging of aerosol particles. To minimize the effects of spatial aggregation and spurious relationships we apply a new nearest neighbour approach to high resolution (A)ATSR datasets from the Aerosol_cci and Cloud_cci projects of the Climate Change Initiative (CCI) programme of ESA. For the ECHAM6-HAM GCM we quantify the impact of using dry aerosol (without aerosol water) in the analysis to mimic the effect of the nearest neighbour approach. The aerosol-liquid water path relationship in ECHAM6-HAM is systematically stronger than in (A)ATSR data and cannot be explained by an overestimation of autoconversion when using diagnostic precipitation but rather by aerosol swelling in regions where humidity is high and clouds are present. When aerosol water is removed from the analysis in ECHAM6-HAM the strength of the aerosol-liquid water path relationship agrees much better with the ones of (A)ATSR or MODIS. We further find that while the observed relationships of different satellite sensors ((A)ATSR vs. MODIS) are not always consistent for tested environmental conditions the relationships in

  8. A microphysical pathway analysis to investigate aerosol effects on convective clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heikenfeld, Max; White, Bethan; Labbouz, Laurent; Stier, Philip

    2017-04-01

    The impact of aerosols on ice- and mixed-phase processes in convective clouds remains highly uncertain, which has strong implications for estimates of the role of aerosol-cloud interactions in the climate system. The wide range of interacting microphysical processes are still poorly understood and generally not resolved in global climate models. To understand and visualise these processes and to conduct a detailed pathway analysis, we have added diagnostic output of all individual process rates for number and mass mixing ratios to two commonly-used cloud microphysics schemes (Thompson and Morrison) in WRF. This allows us to investigate the response of individual processes to changes in aerosol conditions and the propagation of perturbations throughout the development of convective clouds. Aerosol effects on cloud microphysics could strongly depend on the representation of these interactions in the model. We use different model complexities with regard to aerosol-cloud interactions ranging from simulations with different levels of fixed cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) as a proxy for aerosol, to prognostic CDNC with fixed modal aerosol distributions. Furthermore, we have implemented the HAM aerosol model in WRF-chem to also perform simulations with a fully interactive aerosol scheme. We employ a hierarchy of simulation types to understand the evolution of cloud microphysical perturbations in atmospheric convection. Idealised supercell simulations are chosen to present and test the analysis methods for a strongly confined and well-studied case. We then extend the analysis to large case study simulations of tropical convection over the Amazon rainforest. For both cases we apply our analyses to individually tracked convective cells. Our results show the impact of model uncertainties on the understanding of aerosol-convection interactions and have implications for improving process representation in models.

  9. Recent advances in understanding secondary organic aerosol: Implications for global climate forcing: Advances in Secondary Organic Aerosol

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shrivastava, Manish; Cappa, Christopher D.; Fan, Jiwen

    Anthropogenic emissions and land-use changes have modified atmospheric aerosol concentrations and size distributions over time. Understanding pre-industrial conditions and changes in organic aerosol due to anthropogenic activities is important because these features 1) influence estimates of aerosol radiative forcing and 2) can confound estimates of the historical response of climate to increases in greenhouse gases (e.g. the ‘climate sensitivity’). Secondary organic aerosol (SOA), formed in the atmosphere by oxidation of organic gases, represents a major fraction of global submicron-sized atmospheric organic aerosol. Over the past decade, significant advances in understanding SOA properties and formation mechanisms have occurred through a combinationmore » of laboratory and field measurements, yet current climate models typically do not comprehensively include all important SOA-relevant processes. Therefore, major gaps exist at present between current measurement-based knowledge on the one hand and model implementation of organic aerosols on the other. The critical review herein summarizes some of the important developments in understanding SOA formation that could potentially have large impacts on our understanding of aerosol radiative forcing and climate. We highlight the importance of some recently discovered processes and properties that influence the growth of SOA particles to sizes relevant for clouds and radiative forcing, including: formation of extremely low-volatility organics in the gas-phase; isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX) multi-phase chemistry; particle-phase oligomerization; and physical properties such as viscosity. In addition, this review also highlights some of the important processes that involve interactions between natural biogenic emissions and anthropogenic emissions, such as the role of sulfate and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) on SOA formation from biogenic volatile organic compounds. Studies that relate the observed evolution of organic

  10. Type-segregated aerosol effects on regional monsoon activity: A study using ground-based experiments and model simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vijayakumar, K.; Devara, P. C. S.; Sonbawne, S. M.

    2014-12-01

    Classification of observed aerosols into key types [e.g., clean-maritime (CM), desert-dust (DD), urban-industrial/biomass-burning (UI/BB), black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) and mixed-type aerosols (MA)] would facilitate to infer aerosol sources, effects, and feedback mechanisms, not only to improve the accuracy of satellite retrievals but also to quantify the assessment of aerosol radiative impacts on climate. In this paper, we report the results of a study conducted in this direction, employing a Cimel Sun-sky radiometer at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, India during 2008 and 2009, which represent two successive contrasting monsoon years. The study provided an observational evidence to show that the local sources are subject to heavy loading of absorbing aerosols (dust and black carbon), with strong seasonality closely linked to the monsoon annual rainfall cycle over Pune, a tropical urban station in India. The results revealed the absence of CM aerosols in the pre-monsoon as well as in the monsoon seasons of 2009 as opposed to 2008. Higher loading of dust aerosols is observed in the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons of 2009; majority may be coated with fine BC aerosols from local emissions, leading to reduction in regional rainfall. Further, significant decrease in coarse-mode AOD and presence of carbonaceous aerosols, affecting the aerosol-cloud interaction and monsoon-rain processes via microphysics and dynamics, is considered responsible for the reduction in rainfall during 2009. Additionally, we discuss how optical depth, contributed by different types of aerosols, influences the distribution of monsoon rainfall over an urban region using the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) aerosol reanalysis. Furthermore, predictions of the Dust REgional Atmospheric Model (DREAM) simulations combined with HYSPLIT (HYbrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) cluster model are also discussed in support of the

  11. Studies of seasonal variations of aerosol optical properties with use of remote techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strzalkowska, Agata; Zielinski, Tymon; Petelski, Tomasz; Pakszys, Paulina; Markuszewski, Piotr; Makuch, Przemyslaw

    2014-05-01

    According to the IPCC report, atmospheric aerosols due to their properties -extinction of Sun and Earth radiation and participation in processes of creation of clouds, are among basic "unknowns" in climate studies. Aerosols have large effect on the radiation balance of the Earth which has a significant impact on climate changes. They are also a key issue in the case of remote sensing measurements. The optical properties of atmospheric aerosols depend not only on their type but also on physical parameters such as pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction. The wide range of properties in which atmospheric aerosols affect Earth's climate is the reason of high unrelenting interest of scientists from different disciplines such as physics, chemistry and biology. Numerous studies have dealt with aerosol optical properties, e.g. Dubovik et al. (2002), but only in a few have regarded the influence of meteorological parameters on the optical properties of aerosols in the Baltic Sea area. Studies of aerosol properties over the Baltic were conducted already in the last forty years, e.g. Zielinski T. et. al. (1999) or Zielinski T. & A. Zielinski (2002). The experiments carried out at that time involved only one measuring instrument -e.g. LIDAR (range of 1 km) measurements and they were conducted only in selected areas of the Polish coastal zone. Moreover in those publications authors did not use measurements performed on board of research vessel (R/V Oceania), which belongs to Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Science (IO PAN) or data received from satellite measurements. In 2011 Zdun and Rozwadowska performed an analysis of all data derived from the AERONET station on the Gotland Island. The data were divided into seasons and supplemented by meteorological factors. However, so far no comprehensive study has been carried out for the entire Baltic Sea area. This was the reason to conduct further research of SEasonal Variations of Aerosol optical depth over the Baltic

  12. Integrated Modeling of Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation and Land Processes at Satellite-Resolved Scales

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peters-Lidard, Christa; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chin, Mian; Braun, Scott; Case, Jonathan; Hou, Arthur; Kumar, Anil; Kumar, Sujay; Lau, William; Matsui, Toshihisa; hide

    2012-01-01

    In this talk, I will present recent results from a project led at NASA/GSFC, in collaboration with NASA/MSFC and JHU, focused on the development and application of an observation-driven integrated modeling system that represents aerosol, cloud, precipitation and land processes at satellite-resolved scales. The project, known as the NASA Unified WRF (NU-WRF), is funded by NASA's Modeling and Analysis Program, and leverages prior investments from the Air Force Weather Agency and NASA's Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO). We define "satellite-resolved" scales as being within a typical mesoscale atmospheric modeling grid (roughly 1-25 km), although this work is designed to bridge the continuum between local (microscale), regional (mesoscale) and global (synoptic) processes. NU-WRF is a superset of the standard NCAR Advanced Research WRF model, achieved by fully integrating the GSFC Land Information System (LIS, already coupled to WRF), the WRF/Chem enabled version of the Goddard Chemistry Aerosols Radiation Transport (GOCART) model, the Goddard Satellite Data Simulation Unit (SDSU), and boundary/initial condition preprocessors for MERRA and GEOS-5 into a single software release (with source code available by agreement with NASA/GSFC). I will show examples where the full coupling between aerosol, cloud, precipitation and land processes is critical for predicting local, regional, and global water and energy cycles, including some high-impact phenomena such as floods, hurricanes, mesoscale convective systems, droughts, and monsoons.

  13. Global CALIPSO Observations of Aerosol Changes Near Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Varnai, Tamas; Marshak, Alexander

    2011-01-01

    Several recent studies have found that clouds are surrounded by a transition zone of rapidly changing aerosol optical properties and particle size. Characterizing this transition zone is important for better understanding aerosol-cloud interactions and aerosol radiative effects, and also for improving satellite retrievals of aerosol properties. This letter presents a statistical analysis of a monthlong global data set of Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) lidar observations over oceans. The results show that the transition zone is ubiquitous over all oceans and extends up to 15 km away from clouds. They also show that near-cloud enhancements in backscatter and particle size are strongest at low altitudes, slightly below the top of the nearest clouds. Also, the enhancements are similar near illuminated and shadowy cloud sides, which confirms that the asymmetry of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer reflectances found in an earlier study comes from 3-D radiative processes and not from differences in aerosol properties. Finally, the effects of CALIPSO aerosol detection and cloud identification uncertainties are discussed. The findings underline the importance of accounting for the transition zone to avoid potential biases in studies of satellite aerosol products, aerosol-cloud interactions, and aerosol direct radiative effects.

  14. Predicting the mineral composition of dust aerosols – Part 1: Representing key processes

    DOE PAGES

    Perlwitz, J. P.; Perez Garcia-Pando, C.; Miller, R. L.

    2015-10-21

    Soil dust aerosols created by wind erosion are typically assigned globally uniform physical and chemical properties within Earth system models, despite known regional variations in the mineral content of the parent soil. Mineral composition of the aerosol particles is important to their interaction with climate, including shortwave absorption and radiative forcing, nucleation of cloud droplets and ice crystals, heterogeneous formation of sulfates and nitrates, and atmospheric processing of iron into bioavailable forms that increase the productivity of marine phytoplankton. Here, aerosol mineral composition is derived by extending a method that provides the composition of a wet-sieved soil. The extension accountsmore » for measurements showing significant differences between the mineral fractions of the wet-sieved soil and the emitted aerosol concentration. For example, some phyllosilicate aerosols are more prevalent at silt sizes, even though they are nearly absent at these diameters in a soil whose aggregates are dispersed by wet sieving. We calculate the emitted mass of each mineral with respect to size by accounting for the disintegration of soil aggregates during wet sieving. These aggregates are emitted during mobilization and fragmentation of the original undispersed soil that is subject to wind erosion. The emitted aggregates are carried far downwind from their parent soil. The soil mineral fractions used to calculate the aggregates also include larger particles that are suspended only in the vicinity of the source. We calculate the emitted size distribution of these particles using a normalized distribution derived from aerosol measurements. In addition, a method is proposed for mixing minerals with small impurities composed of iron oxides. These mixtures are important for transporting iron far from the dust source, because pure iron oxides are more dense and vulnerable to gravitational removal than most minerals comprising dust aerosols. Finally, a

  15. Functional group composition of organic aerosol from combustion emissions and secondary processes at two contrasted urban environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    El Haddad, Imad; Marchand, Nicolas; D'Anna, Barbara; Jaffrezo, Jean Luc; Wortham, Henri

    2013-08-01

    The quantification of major functional groups in atmospheric organic aerosol (OA) provides a constraint on the types of compounds emitted and formed in atmospheric conditions. This paper presents functional group composition of organic aerosol from two contrasted urban environments: Marseille during summer and Grenoble during winter. Functional groups were determined using a tandem mass spectrometry approach, enabling the quantification of carboxylic (RCOOH), carbonyl (RCOR‧), and nitro (RNO2) functional groups. Using a multiple regression analysis, absolute concentrations of functional groups were combined with those of organic carbon derived from different sources in order to infer the functional group contents of different organic aerosol fractions. These fractions include fossil fuel combustion emissions, biomass burning emissions and secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Results clearly highlight the differences between functional group fingerprints of primary and secondary OA fractions. OA emitted from primary sources is found to be moderately functionalized, as about 20 carbons per 1000 bear one of the functional groups determined here, whereas SOA is much more functionalized, as in average 94 carbons per 1000 bear a functional group under study. Aging processes appear to increase both RCOOH and RCOR‧ functional group contents by nearly one order of magnitude. Conversely, RNO2 content is found to decrease with photochemical processes. Finally, our results also suggest that other functional groups significantly contribute to biomass smoke and SOA. In particular, for SOA, the overall oxygen content, assessed using aerosol mass spectrometer measurements by an O:C ratio of 0.63, is significantly higher than the apparent O:C* ratio of 0.17 estimated based on functional groups measured here. A thorough examination of our data suggests that this remaining unexplained oxygen content can be most probably assigned to alcohol (ROH), organic peroxides (ROOH

  16. Development studies towards an 11-year global gridded aerosol optical thickness reanalysis for climate and applied applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lynch, P.; Reid, J. S.; Westphal, D. L.; Zhang, J.; Hogan, T. F.; Hyer, E. J.; Curtis, C. A.; Hegg, D. A.; Shi, Y.; Campbell, J. R.; Rubin, J. I.; Sessions, W. R.; Turk, F. J.; Walker, A. L.

    2015-12-01

    While standalone satellite and model aerosol products see wide utilization, there is a significant need in numerous climate and applied applications for a fused product on a regular grid. Aerosol data assimilation is an operational reality at numerous centers, and like meteorological reanalyses, aerosol reanalyses will see significant use in the near future. Here we present a standardized 2003-2013 global 1° × 1° and 6 hourly modal aerosol optical thickness (AOT) reanalysis product. This dataset can be applied to basic and applied earth system science studies of significant aerosol events, aerosol impacts on numerical weather prediction, and electro-optical propagation and sensor performance, among other uses. This paper describes the science of how to develop and score an aerosol reanalysis product. This reanalysis utilizes a modified Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System (NAAPS) at its core and assimilates quality controlled retrievals of AOT from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua and the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) on Terra. The aerosol source functions, including dust and smoke, were regionally tuned to obtain the best match between the model fine and coarse mode AOTs and the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) AOTs. Other model processes, including deposition, were tuned to minimize the AOT difference between the model and satellite AOT. Aerosol wet deposition in the tropics is driven with satellite retrieved precipitation, rather than the model field. The final reanalyzed fine and coarse mode AOT at 550 nm is shown to have good agreement with AERONET observations, with global mean root mean square error around 0.1 for both fine and coarse mode AOTs. This paper includes a discussion of issues particular to aerosol reanalyses that make them distinct from standard meteorological reanalyses, considerations for extending such a reanalysis outside of the NASA A-Train era, and examples of how the

  17. Aerosol-cloud interactions in mixed-phase convective clouds - Part 1: Aerosol perturbations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miltenberger, Annette K.; Field, Paul R.; Hill, Adrian A.; Rosenberg, Phil; Shipway, Ben J.; Wilkinson, Jonathan M.; Scovell, Robert; Blyth, Alan M.

    2018-03-01

    Changes induced by perturbed aerosol conditions in moderately deep mixed-phase convective clouds (cloud top height ˜ 5 km) developing along sea-breeze convergence lines are investigated with high-resolution numerical model simulations. The simulations utilise the newly developed Cloud-AeroSol Interacting Microphysics (CASIM) module for the Unified Model (UM), which allows for the representation of the two-way interaction between cloud and aerosol fields. Simulations are evaluated against observations collected during the COnvective Precipitation Experiment (COPE) field campaign over the southwestern peninsula of the UK in 2013. The simulations compare favourably with observed thermodynamic profiles, cloud base cloud droplet number concentrations (CDNC), cloud depth, and radar reflectivity statistics. Including the modification of aerosol fields by cloud microphysical processes improves the correspondence with observed CDNC values and spatial variability, but reduces the agreement with observations for average cloud size and cloud top height. Accumulated precipitation is suppressed for higher-aerosol conditions before clouds become organised along the sea-breeze convergence lines. Changes in precipitation are smaller in simulations with aerosol processing. The precipitation suppression is due to less efficient precipitation production by warm-phase microphysics, consistent with parcel model predictions. In contrast, after convective cells organise along the sea-breeze convergence zone, accumulated precipitation increases with aerosol concentrations. Condensate production increases with the aerosol concentrations due to higher vertical velocities in the convective cores and higher cloud top heights. However, for the highest-aerosol scenarios, no further increase in the condensate production occurs, as clouds grow into an upper-level stable layer. In these cases, the reduced precipitation efficiency (PE) dominates the precipitation response and no further

  18. New Satellite Project Aerosol-UA: Remote Sensing of Aerosols in the Terrestrial Atmosphere

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Milinevsky, G.; Yatskiv, Ya.; Degtyaryov, O.; Syniavskyi, I.; Mishchenko, Michael I.; Rosenbush, V.; Ivanov, Yu.; Makarov, A.; Bovchaliuk, A.; Danylevsky, V.; hide

    2016-01-01

    We discuss the development of the Ukrainian space project Aerosol-UA which has the following three main objectives: (1) to monitor the spatial distribution of key characteristics of terrestrial tropospheric and stratospheric aerosols; (2) to provide a comprehensive observational database enabling accurate quantitative estimates of the aerosol contribution to the energy budget of the climate system; and (3) quantify the contribution of anthropogenic aerosols to climate and ecological processes. The remote sensing concept of the project is based on precise orbital measurements of the intensity and polarization of sunlight scattered by the atmosphere and the surface with a scanning polarimeter accompanied by a wide-angle multispectral imager-polarimeter. Preparations have already been made for the development of the instrument suite for the Aerosol-UA project, in particular, of the multi-channel scanning polarimeter (ScanPol) designed for remote sensing studies of the global distribution of aerosol and cloud properties (such as particle size, morphology, and composition) in the terrestrial atmosphere by polarimetric and spectrophotometric measurements of the scattered sunlight in a wide range of wavelengths and viewing directions from which a scene location is observed. ScanPol is accompanied by multispectral wide-angle imager-polarimeter (MSIP) that serves to collect information on cloud conditions and Earths surface image. Various components of the polarimeter ScanPol have been prototyped, including the opto-mechanical and electronic assemblies and the scanning mirror controller. Preliminary synthetic data simulations for the retrieval of aerosol parameters over land surfaces have been performed using the Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties (GRASP) algorithm. Methods for the validation of satellite data using ground-based observations of aerosol properties are also discussed. We assume that designing, building, and launching into orbit a multi

  19. A study of regional-scale aerosol assimilation using a Stretch-NICAM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Misawa, S.; Dai, T.; Schutgens, N.; Nakajima, T.

    2013-12-01

    Although aerosol is considered to be harmful to human health and it became a social issue, aerosol models and emission inventories include large uncertainties. In recent studies, data assimilation is applied to aerosol simulation to get more accurate aerosol field and emission inventory. Most of these studies, however, are carried out only on global scale, and there are only a few researches about regional scale aerosol assimilation. In this study, we have created and verified an aerosol assimilation system on regional scale, in hopes to reduce an error associated with the aerosol emission inventory. Our aerosol assimilation system has been developed using an atmospheric climate model, NICAM (Non-hydrostaric ICosahedral Atmospheric Model; Satoh et al., 2008) with a stretch grid system and coupled with an aerosol transport model, SPRINTARS (Takemura et al., 2000). Also, this assimilation system is based on local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF). To validate this system, we used a simulated observational data by adding some artificial errors to the surface aerosol fields constructed by Stretch-NICAM-SPRINTARS. We also included a small perturbation in original emission inventory. This assimilation with modified observational data and emission inventory was performed in Kanto-plane region around Tokyo, Japan, and the result indicates the system reducing a relative error of aerosol concentration by 20%. Furthermore, we examined a sensitivity of the aerosol assimilation system by varying the number of total ensemble (5, 10 and 15 ensembles) and local patch (domain) size (radius of 50km, 100km and 200km), both of which are the tuning parameters in LETKF. The result of the assimilation with different ensemble number 5, 10 and 15 shows that the larger the number of ensemble is, the smaller the relative error become. This is consistent with ensemble Kalman filter theory and imply that this assimilation system works properly. Also we found that assimilation system

  20. Characteristics of regional aerosols: Southern Arizona and eastern Pacific Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prabhakar, Gouri

    Atmospheric aerosols impact the quality of our life in many direct and indirect ways. Inhalation of aerosols can have harmful effects on human health. Aerosols also have climatic impacts by absorbing or scattering solar radiation, or more indirectly through their interactions with clouds. Despite a better understanding of several relevant aerosol properties and processes in the past years, they remain the largest uncertainty in the estimate of global radiative forcing. The uncertainties arise because although aerosols are ubiquitous in the Earth's atmosphere they are highly variable in space, time and their physicochemical properties. This makes in-situ measurements of aerosols vital in our effort towards reducing uncertainties in the estimate of global radiative forcing due to aerosols. This study is an effort to characterize atmospheric aerosols at a regional scale, in southern Arizona and eastern Pacific Ocean, based on ground and airborne observations of aerosols. Metals and metalloids in particles with aerodynamic diameter (Dp) smaller than 2.5 μm are found to be ubiquitous in southern Arizona. The major sources of the elements considered in the study are identified to be crustal dust, smelting/mining activities and fuel combustion. The spatial and temporal variability in the mass concentrations of these elements depend both on the source strength and meteorological conditions. Aircraft measurements of aerosol and cloud properties collected during various field campaigns over the eastern Pacific Ocean are used to study the sources of nitrate in stratocumulus cloud water and the relevant processes. The major sources of nitrate in cloud water in the region are emissions from ships and wildfires. Different pathways for nitrate to enter cloud water and the role of meteorology in these processes are examined. Observations of microphysical properties of ambient aerosols in ship plumes are examined. The study shows that there is an enhancement in the number

  1. Aerosol and monsoon climate interactions over Asia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Zhanqing; Lau, W. K.-M.; Ramanathan, V.; Wu, G.; Ding, Y.; Manoj, M. G.; Liu, J.; Qian, Y.; Li, J.; Zhou, T.; Fan, J.; Rosenfeld, D.; Ming, Y.; Wang, Y.; Huang, J.; Wang, B.; Xu, X.; Lee, S.-S.; Cribb, M.; Zhang, F.; Yang, X.; Zhao, C.; Takemura, T.; Wang, K.; Xia, X.; Yin, Y.; Zhang, H.; Guo, J.; Zhai, P. M.; Sugimoto, N.; Babu, S. S.; Brasseur, G. P.

    2016-12-01

    The increasing severity of droughts/floods and worsening air quality from increasing aerosols in Asia monsoon regions are the two gravest threats facing over 60% of the world population living in Asian monsoon regions. These dual threats have fueled a large body of research in the last decade on the roles of aerosols in impacting Asian monsoon weather and climate. This paper provides a comprehensive review of studies on Asian aerosols, monsoons, and their interactions. The Asian monsoon region is a primary source of emissions of diverse species of aerosols from both anthropogenic and natural origins. The distributions of aerosol loading are strongly influenced by distinct weather and climatic regimes, which are, in turn, modulated by aerosol effects. On a continental scale, aerosols reduce surface insolation and weaken the land-ocean thermal contrast, thus inhibiting the development of monsoons. Locally, aerosol radiative effects alter the thermodynamic stability and convective potential of the lower atmosphere leading to reduced temperatures, increased atmospheric stability, and weakened wind and atmospheric circulations. The atmospheric thermodynamic state, which determines the formation of clouds, convection, and precipitation, may also be altered by aerosols serving as cloud condensation nuclei or ice nuclei. Absorbing aerosols such as black carbon and desert dust in Asian monsoon regions may also induce dynamical feedback processes, leading to a strengthening of the early monsoon and affecting the subsequent evolution of the monsoon. Many mechanisms have been put forth regarding how aerosols modulate the amplitude, frequency, intensity, and phase of different monsoon climate variables. A wide range of theoretical, observational, and modeling findings on the Asian monsoon, aerosols, and their interactions are synthesized. A new paradigm is proposed on investigating aerosol-monsoon interactions, in which natural aerosols such as desert dust, black carbon from

  2. Impacts of Aerosol Direct Effects on the South Asian climate: Assessment of Radiative Feedback Processes Using Model Simulations and Satellite/surface Measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, S.; Gautam, R.; Lau, W. K.; Tsay, S.; Sun, W.; Kim, K.; Chern, J.; Colarco, P. R.; Hsu, N. C.; Lin, N.

    2011-12-01

    Current assessment of aerosol radiative effect is hindered by our incomplete knowledge of aerosol optical properties, especially absorption, and our current inability to quantify physical and microphysical processes. In this research, we investigate direct aerosol radiative effect over heavy aerosol loading areas (e.g., Indo-Gangetic Plains, South/East Asia) and its feedbacks on the South Asian climate during the pre-monsoon season (March-June) using the Purdue Regional Climate Model (PRCM) with prescribed aerosol data derived by the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS-5). Our modeling domain covers South and East Asia (60-140E and 0-50N) with spatial resolutions of 45 km in horizontal and 28 layers in vertical. The model is integrated from 15 February to 30 June 2008 continuously without nudging (i.e., only forced by initial/boundary conditions). Two numerical experiments are conducted with and without the aerosol-radiation effects. Both simulations are successful in reproducing the synoptic patterns on seasonal-to-interannual time scales and capturing a pre-monsoon feature of the northward rainfall propagation over Indian region in early June which shown in Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observation. Preliminary result suggests aerosol-radiation interactions mainly alter surface-atmosphere energetics and further result in an adjustment of the vertical temperature distribution in lower atmosphere (below 700 hPa). The modifications of temperature and associated rainfall and circulation feedbacks on the regional climate will be discussed in the presentation. In addition to modeling study, we will also present the most recent results on aerosol properties, regional aerosol absorption, and radiative forcing estimation based on NASA's operational satellite and ground-based remote sensing. Observational results show spatial gradients in aerosol loading and solar absorption accounting over Indo-Gangetic Plains during the pre-monsoon season. The

  3. Using High-Resolution Airborne Remote Sensing to Study Aerosol Near Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Levy, Robert; Munchak, Leigh; Mattoo, Shana; Marshak, Alexander; Wilcox, Eric; Gao, Lan; Yorks, John; Platnick, Steven

    2016-01-01

    The horizontal space in between clear and cloudy air is very complex. This so-called twilight zone includes activated aerosols that are not quite clouds, thin cloud fragments that are not easily observable, and dying clouds that have not quite disappeared. This is a huge challenge for satellite remote sensing, specifically for retrieval of aerosol properties. Identifying what is cloud versus what is not cloud is critically important for attributing radiative effects and forcings to aerosols. At the same time, the radiative interactions between clouds and the surrounding media (molecules, surface and aerosols themselves) will contaminate retrieval of aerosol properties, even in clear skies. Most studies on aerosol cloud interactions are relevant to moderate resolution imagery (e.g. 500 m) from sensors such as MODIS. Since standard aerosol retrieval algorithms tend to keep a distance (e.g. 1 km) from the nearest detected cloud, it is impossible to evaluate what happens closer to the cloud. During Studies of Emissions, Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS), the NASA ER-2 flew with the enhanced MODIS Airborne Simulator (eMAS), providing MODIS-like spectral observations at high (50 m) spatial resolution. We have applied MODIS-like aerosol retrieval for the eMAS data, providing new detail to characterization of aerosol near clouds. Interpretation and evaluation of these eMAS aerosol retrievals is aided by independent MODIS-like cloud retrievals, as well as profiles from the co-flying Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL). Understanding aerosolcloud retrieval at high resolution will lead to better characterization and interpretation of long-term, global products from lower resolution (e.g.MODIS) satellite retrievals.

  4. Cloud condensation nuclei closure study on summer arctic aerosol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, M.; Chang, R. Y.-W.; Sierau, B.; Sjogren, S.; Swietlicki, E.; Abbatt, J. P. D.; Leck, C.; Lohmann, U.

    2011-03-01

    We present an aerosol - cloud condensation nuclei CCN) closure study on summer high Arctic aerosol based on measurements that were carried out in summer 2008 during the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS) on board the Swedish ice breaker Oden. The data presented here were collected during a three-week time period in the pack ice (>85° N) when the icebreaker Oden was moored to an ice floe and drifted passively during the most biological active period into autumn freeze up conditions. CCN number concentrations were obtained using two CCN counters measuring at different supersaturations. The directly measured CCN number concentration is then compared with a CCN number concentration calculated using both bulk aerosol mass composition data from an aerosol mass spectrometer and aerosol number size distributions obtained from a differential mobility particle sizer, assuming κ-Köhler theory and an internally mixed aerosol. For the two highest measured supersaturations, 0.73 and 0.41%, closure could not be achieved with the investigated settings concerning hygroscopicity and density. The calculated CCN number concentration was always higher than the measured one. One possible explanation is that the smaller particles that activate at these supersaturations have a relative larger insoluble organic mass fraction and thus are less good CCN than the larger particles. At 0.20, 0.15 and 0.10% supersaturation, the measured CCN number can be represented with different parameters for the hygroscopicity and density of the particles. For the best agreement of the calculated CCNnumber concentration with the measured one the organic fraction of the aerosol needs to be nearly insoluble (қorg=0.02). However, this is not unambigious and қorg=0.2 is found as an upper limit at 0.1% supersaturation.

  5. The Aerosol/Cloud/Ecosystems Mission (ACE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schoeberl, Mark

    2008-01-01

    The goals and measurement strategy of the Aerosol/Cloud/Ecosystems Mission (ACE) are described. ACE will help to answer fundamental science questions associated with aerosols, clouds, air quality and global ocean ecosystems. Specifically, the goals of ACE are: 1) to quantify aerosol-cloud interactions and to assess the impact of aerosols on the hydrological cycle and 2) determine Ocean Carbon Cycling and other ocean biological processes. It is expected that ACE will: narrow the uncertainty in aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction and quantify the role of aerosols in climate change; measure the ocean ecosystem changes and precisely quantify ocean carbon uptake; and, improve air quality forecasting by determining the height and type of aerosols being transported long distances. Overviews are provided of the aerosol-cloud community measurement strategy, aerosol and cloud observations over South Asia, and ocean biology research goals. Instruments used in the measurement strategy of the ACE mission are also highlighted, including: multi-beam lidar, multiwavelength high spectra resolution lidar, the ocean color instrument (ORCA)--a spectroradiometer for ocean remote sensing, dual frequency cloud radar and high- and low-frequency micron-wave radiometer. Future steps for the ACE mission include refining measurement requirements and carrying out additional instrument and payload studies.

  6. Final Report: Process Models of the Equilibrium Size & State of Organic/Inorganic Aerosols for the Development of Large Scale Atmospheric Models & the Analysis of Field Data

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wexler, Anthony Stein; Clegg, Simon Leslie

    2013-10-26

    Our work addressed the following elements of the Call for Proposals: (i) “to improve the theoretical representation of aerosol processes studied in ASP laboratory or field studies”, (ii) “to enhance the incorporation of aerosol process information into modules suitable for large-scale or global atmospheric models”, and (iii) “provide systematic experimental validation of process model predictions ... using data from targeted laboratory and field experiments”. Achievements to the end of 2012 are described in four previous reports, and include: new models of densities and surface tensions of pure (single solute) and mixed aqueous solutions of typical aerosol composition under all atmosphericmore » conditions (0 to 100% RH and T > 150 K); inclusion of these models into the widely used Extended Aerosol Inorganics model (E-AIM, http://www.aim.env.uea.ac.uk/aim/aim.php); the addition of vapor pressure calculators for organic compounds to the E-AIM website; the ability of include user-defined organic compounds and/or lumped surrogates in gas/aerosol partitioning calculations; the development of new equations to represent the properties of soluble aerosols over the entire concentration range (using methods based upon adsorption isotherms, and derived using statistical mechanics), including systems at close to zero RH. These results are described in publications 1-6 at the end of this report, and on the “News” page of the E-AIM website (http://www.aim.env.uea.ac.uk/aim/info/news.html). During 2012 and 2013 we have collaborated in a combined observation and lab-based study of the water uptake of the organic component of atmospheric aerosols (PI Gannet Hallar, of the Desert Research Institute). The aerosol samples were analyzed using several complementary techniques (GC/MS, FT-ICR MS, and ion chromatography) to produce a very complete organic “speciation” including both polar and non-polar compounds. Hygroscopic growth factors of the samples were

  7. Effect of Dust and Anthropogenic Aerosols on Columnar Aerosol Optical Properties over Darjeeling (2200 m asl), Eastern Himalayas, India

    PubMed Central

    Chatterjee, Abhijit; Ghosh, Sanjay K.; Adak, Anandamay; Singh, Ajay K.; Devara, Panuganti C. S.; Raha, Sibaji

    2012-01-01

    Background The loading of atmospheric particulate matter (aerosol) in the eastern Himalaya is mainly regulated by the locally generated anthropogenic aerosols from the biomass burning and by the aerosols transported from the distance sources. These different types of aerosol loading not only affect the aerosol chemistry but also produce consequent signature on the radiative properties of aerosol. Methodology/Principal Findings An extensive study has been made to study the seasonal variations in aerosol components of fine and coarse mode aerosols and black carbon along with the simultaneous measurements of aerosol optical depth on clear sky days over Darjeeling, a high altitude station (2200 masl) at eastern Himalayas during the year 2008. We observed a heavy loading of fine mode dust component (Ca2+) during pre-monsoon (Apr – May) which was higher by 162% than its annual mean whereas during winter (Dec – Feb), the loading of anthropogenic aerosol components mainly from biomass burning (fine mode SO4 2− and black carbon) were higher (76% for black carbon and 96% for fine mode SO4 2−) from their annual means. These high increases in dust aerosols during pre-monsoon and anthropogenic aerosols during winter enhanced the aerosol optical depth by 25 and 40%, respectively. We observed that for every 1% increase in anthropogenic aerosols, AOD increased by 0.55% during winter whereas for every 1% increase in dust aerosols, AOD increased by 0.46% during pre-monsoon. Conclusion/Significance The natural dust transport process (during pre-monsoon) plays as important a role in the radiation effects as the anthropogenic biomass burning (during winter) and their differential effects (rate of increase of the AOD with that of the aerosol concentration) are also very similar. This should be taken into account in proper modeling of the atmospheric environment over eastern Himalayas. PMID:22792264

  8. Effect of dust and anthropogenic aerosols on columnar aerosol optical properties over Darjeeling (2200 m asl), eastern Himalayas, India.

    PubMed

    Chatterjee, Abhijit; Ghosh, Sanjay K; Adak, Anandamay; Singh, Ajay K; Devara, Panuganti C S; Raha, Sibaji

    2012-01-01

    The loading of atmospheric particulate matter (aerosol) in the eastern Himalaya is mainly regulated by the locally generated anthropogenic aerosols from the biomass burning and by the aerosols transported from the distance sources. These different types of aerosol loading not only affect the aerosol chemistry but also produce consequent signature on the radiative properties of aerosol. An extensive study has been made to study the seasonal variations in aerosol components of fine and coarse mode aerosols and black carbon along with the simultaneous measurements of aerosol optical depth on clear sky days over Darjeeling, a high altitude station (2200 masl) at eastern Himalayas during the year 2008. We observed a heavy loading of fine mode dust component (Ca(2+)) during pre-monsoon (Apr-May) which was higher by 162% than its annual mean whereas during winter (Dec-Feb), the loading of anthropogenic aerosol components mainly from biomass burning (fine mode SO(4)(2-) and black carbon) were higher (76% for black carbon and 96% for fine mode SO(4)(2-)) from their annual means. These high increases in dust aerosols during pre-monsoon and anthropogenic aerosols during winter enhanced the aerosol optical depth by 25 and 40%, respectively. We observed that for every 1% increase in anthropogenic aerosols, AOD increased by 0.55% during winter whereas for every 1% increase in dust aerosols, AOD increased by 0.46% during pre-monsoon. The natural dust transport process (during pre-monsoon) plays as important a role in the radiation effects as the anthropogenic biomass burning (during winter) and their differential effects (rate of increase of the AOD with that of the aerosol concentration) are also very similar. This should be taken into account in proper modeling of the atmospheric environment over eastern Himalayas.

  9. Primary aerosol and secondary inorganic aerosol budget over the Mediterranean Basin during 2012 and 2013

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guth, Jonathan; Marécal, Virginie; Josse, Béatrice; Arteta, Joaquim; Hamer, Paul

    2018-04-01

    In the frame of the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx), we analyse the budget of primary aerosols and secondary inorganic aerosols over the Mediterranean Basin during the years 2012 and 2013. To do this, we use two year-long numerical simulations with the chemistry-transport model MOCAGE validated against satellite- and ground-based measurements. The budget is presented on an annual and a monthly basis on a domain covering 29 to 47° N latitude and 10° W to 38° E longitude. The years 2012 and 2013 show similar seasonal variations. The desert dust is the main contributor to the annual aerosol burden in the Mediterranean region with a peak in spring, and sea salt being the second most important contributor. The secondary inorganic aerosols, taken as a whole, contribute a similar level to sea salt. The results show that all of the considered aerosol types, except for sea salt aerosols, experience net export out of our Mediterranean Basin model domain, and thus this area should be considered as a source region for aerosols globally. Our study showed that 11 % of the desert dust, 22.8 to 39.5 % of the carbonaceous aerosols, 35 % of the sulfate and 9 % of the ammonium emitted or produced into the study domain are exported. The main sources of variability for aerosols between 2012 and 2013 are weather-related variations, acting on emissions processes, and the episodic import of aerosols from North American fires. In order to assess the importance of the anthropogenic emissions of the marine and the coastal areas which are central for the economy of the Mediterranean Basin, we made a sensitivity test simulation. This simulation is similar to the reference simulation but with the removal of the international shipping emissions and the anthropogenic emissions over a 50 km wide band inland along the coast. We showed that around 30 % of the emissions of carbonaceous aerosols and 35 to 60 % of the exported carbonaceous aerosols originates from the marine and

  10. Aerosolization Characteristics of Dry Powder Inhaler Formulations for the Excipient Enhanced Growth (EEG) Application: Effect of Spray Drying Process Conditions on Aerosol Performance

    PubMed Central

    Son, Yoen-Ju; Longest, P. Worth; Hindle, Michael

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a spray dried submicrometer powder formulation suitable for the excipient enhanced growth (EEG) application. Combination particles were prepared using the Buchi Nano spray dryer B-90. A number of spray drying and formulation variables were investigated with the aims of producing dry powder formulations that were readily dispersed upon aerosolization and maximizing the fraction of submicrometer particles. Albuterol sulfate, mannitol, L-leucine, and poloxamer 188 were selected as a model drug, hygroscopic excipient, dispersibility enhancer and surfactant, respectively. Formulations were assessed by scanning electron microscopy and aerosol performance following aerosolization using an Aerolizer® dry powder inhaler (DPI). In vitro drug deposition was studied using a realistic mouth-throat (MT) model. Based on the in vitro aerosolization results, the best performing submicrometer powder formulation consisted of albuterol sulfate, mannitol, L-leucine and poloxamer 188 in a ratio of 30:48:20:2, containing 0.5% solids in a water:ethanol (80:20% v/v) solution which was spray dried at 70 °C. The submicrometer particle fraction (FPF1μm/ED) of this final formulation was 28.3% with more than 80% of the capsule contents being emitted during aerosolization. This formulation also showed 4.1% MT deposition. The developed combination formulation delivered a powder aerosol developed for the EEG application with high dispersion efficiency and low MT deposition from a convenient DPI device platform. PMID:23313343

  11. Antarctic aerosols - A review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shaw, Glenn E.

    1988-02-01

    Tropospheric aerosols with the diameter range of half a micron reside in the atmosphere for tens of days and teleconnect Antarctica with other regions by transport that reaches planetary scales of distances; thus, the aerosol on the Antarctic ice represents 'memory modules' of events that took place at regions separated from Antarctica by tens of thousands of kilometers. In terms of aerosol mass, the aerosol species include insoluble crustal products (less than 5 percent), transported sea-salt residues (highly variable but averaging about 10 percent), Ni-rich meteoric material, and anomalously enriched material with an unknown origin. Most (70-90 percent by mass) of the aerosol over the Antarctic ice shield, however, is the 'natural acid sulfate aerosol', apparently deriving from biological processes taking place in the surrounding oceans.

  12. Aerosol processing in mixed-phase clouds in ECHAM5-HAM: Model description and comparison to observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoose, C.; Lohmann, U.; Stier, P.; Verheggen, B.; Weingartner, E.

    2008-04-01

    The global aerosol-climate model ECHAM5-HAM has been extended by an explicit treatment of cloud-borne particles. Two additional modes for in-droplet and in-crystal particles are introduced, which are coupled to the number of cloud droplet and ice crystal concentrations simulated by the ECHAM5 double-moment cloud microphysics scheme. Transfer, production, and removal of cloud-borne aerosol number and mass by cloud droplet activation, collision scavenging, aqueous-phase sulfate production, freezing, melting, evaporation, sublimation, and precipitation formation are taken into account. The model performance is demonstrated and validated with observations of the evolution of total and interstitial aerosol concentrations and size distributions during three different mixed-phase cloud events at the alpine high-altitude research station Jungfraujoch (Switzerland). Although the single-column simulations cannot be compared one-to-one with the observations, the governing processes in the evolution of the cloud and aerosol parameters are captured qualitatively well. High scavenged fractions are found during the presence of liquid water, while the release of particles during the Bergeron-Findeisen process results in low scavenged fractions after cloud glaciation. The observed coexistence of liquid and ice, which might be related to cloud heterogeneity at subgrid scales, can only be simulated in the model when assuming nonequilibrium conditions.

  13. Impact of Aerosols on Convective Clouds and Precipitation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chen, Jen-Ping; Li, Zhanqing; Wang, Chien; Zhang, Chidong; Li, Xiaowen

    2012-01-01

    Aerosols are a critical.factor in the atmospheric hydrological cycle and radiation budget. As a major agent for clouds to form and a significant attenuator of solar radiation, aerosols affect climate in several ways. Current research suggests that aerosols have a major impact on the dynamics, microphysics, and electrification properties of continental mixed-phase convective clouds. In addition, high aerosol concentrations in urban environments could affect precipitation variability by providing a significant source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Such pollution . effects on precipitation potentially have enormous climatic consequences both in terms of feedbacks involving the land surface via rainfall as well as the surface energy budget and changes in latent heat input to the atmosphere. Basically, aerosol concentrations can influence cloud droplet size distributions, the warm-rain process, the cold-rain process, cloud-top heights, the depth of the mixed-phase region, and the occurrence of lightning. Recently, many cloud resolution models (CRMs) have been used to examine the role of aerosols on mixed-phase convective clouds. These modeling studies have many differences in terms of model configuration (two- or three-dimensional), domain size, grid spacing (150-3000 m), microphysics (two-moment bulk, simple or sophisticated spectral-bin), turbulence (1st or 1.5 order turbulent kinetic energy (TKE)), radiation, lateral boundary conditions (i.e., closed, radiative open or cyclic), cases (isolated convection, tropical or midlatitude squall lines) and model integration time (e.g., 2.5 to 48 hours). Among these modeling studies, the most striking difference is that cumulative precipitation can either increase or decrease in response to higher concentrations of CCN. In this presentation, we review past efforts and summarize our current understanding of the effect of aerosols on convective precipitation processes. Specifically, this paper addresses the following topics

  14. Improving aerosol vertical retrieval for NWP application: Studying the impact of IR-sensed aerosol on data assimilation systems.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oyola, Mayra; Marquis, Jared; Ruston, Benjamin; Campbell, James; Baker, Nancy; Westphal, Douglas; Zhang, Jianglong; Hyer, Edward

    2017-04-01

    Radiometric measurements from passive infrared (IR) sensors are important in numerical weather prediction (NWP) because they are sensitive to surface temperatures and atmospheric temperature profiles. However, these measurements are also sensitive to absorbing and scattering constituents in the atmosphere. Dust aerosols absorb in the IR and are found over many global regions with irregular spatial and temporal frequency. Retrievals of temperature using IR data are thus vulnerable to dust-IR radiance biases, most notably over tropical oceans where accurate surface and atmospheric temperatures are critical to accurate prediction of tropical cyclone development. Previous studies have shown that dust aerosols can bias retrieved brightness temperatures (BT) by up to 10K in some IR channels that are assimilated to constrain atmospheric temperature and water vapor profiles. Other BT-derived parameters such as sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are susceptible to negative biases of at least 1K or higher, which conflicts with the accuracy requirement for most research and operational applications (i.e., +/- 0.3 K). This problem is not limited to just satellite retrievals. BT bias also impacts the incorporation of background fields from NWP analyses in data assimilation (DA) systems. The effect of aerosols on IR fluxes at the ocean surface is a function of both aerosol loading and vertical profile. Therefore, knowledge of the aerosol vertical distribution, and understanding of how well this distribution is captured by NWP models, is necessary to ensuring proper treatment of aerosol-affected radiances in both retrieval and data assimilation. This understanding can be achieved by conducting modeling studies and by the exploitation of a robust observational dataset, such as satellite-based lidar profiling, which can be used to characterize aerosol type and distribution. In this talk, we describe such an application using the Navy Aerosol Analysis Prediction System (NAAPS) and

  15. GCM Simulations of the Aerosol Indirect Effect: Sensitivity to Cloud Parameterization and Aerosol Burden

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Menon, Surabi; DelGenio, Anthony D.; Koch, Dorothy; Tselioudis, George; Hansen, James E. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    We describe the coupling of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM) to an online sulfur chemistry model and source models for organic matter and sea-salt that is used to estimate the aerosol indirect effect. The cloud droplet number concentration is diagnosed empirically from field experiment datasets over land and ocean that observe droplet number and all three aerosol types simultaneously; corrections are made for implied variations in cloud turbulence levels. The resulting cloud droplet number is used to calculate variations in droplet effective radius, which in turn allows us to predict aerosol effects on cloud optical thickness and microphysical process rates. We calculate the aerosol indirect effect by differencing the top-of-the-atmosphere net cloud radiative forcing for simulations with present-day vs. pre-industrial emissions. Both the first (radiative) and second (microphysical) indirect effects are explored. We test the sensitivity of our results to cloud parameterization assumptions that control the vertical distribution of cloud occurrence, the autoconversion rate, and the aerosol scavenging rate, each of which feeds back significantly on the model aerosol burden. The global mean aerosol indirect effect for all three aerosol types ranges from -1.55 to -4.36 W m(exp -2) in our simulations. The results are quite sensitive to the pre-industrial background aerosol burden, with low pre-industrial burdens giving strong indirect effects, and to a lesser extent to the anthropogenic aerosol burden, with large burdens giving somewhat larger indirect effects. Because of this dependence on the background aerosol, model diagnostics such as albedo-particle size correlations and column cloud susceptibility, for which satellite validation products are available, are not good predictors of the resulting indirect effect.

  16. GCM Simulations of the Aerosol Indirect Effect: Sensitivity to Cloud Parameterization and Aerosol Burden

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Menon, Surabi; DelGenio, Anthony D.; Koch, Dorothy; Tselioudis, George; Hansen, James E. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    We describe the coupling of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM) to an online sulfur chemistry model and source models for organic matter and sea-salt that is used to estimate the aerosol indirect effect. The cloud droplet number concentration is diagnosed empirically from field experiment datasets over land and ocean that observe droplet number and all three aerosol types simultaneously; corrections are made for implied variations in cloud turbulence levels. The resulting cloud droplet number is used to calculate variations in droplet effective radius, which in turn allows us to predict aerosol effects on cloud optical thickness and microphysical process rates. We calculate the aerosol indirect effect by differencing the top-of-the-atmosphere net cloud radiative forcing for simulations with present-day vs. pre-industrial emissions. Both the first (radiative) and second (microphysical) indirect effects are explored. We test the sensitivity of our results to cloud parameterization assumptions that control the vertical distribution of cloud occurrence, the autoconversion rate, and the aerosol scavenging rate, each of which feeds back significantly on the model aerosol burden. The global mean aerosol indirect effect for all three aerosol types ranges from -1.55 to -4.36 W/sq m in our simulations. The results are quite sensitive to the pre-industrial background aerosol burden, with low pre-industrial burdens giving strong indirect effects, and to a lesser extent to the anthropogenic aerosol burden, with large burdens giving somewhat larger indirect effects. Because of this dependence on the background aerosol, model diagnostics such as albedo-particle size correlations and column cloud susceptibility, for which satellite validation products are available, are not good predictors of the resulting indirect effect.

  17. Aplication of LIRIC algorithm to study aerosol transport over Belsk, Poland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pietruczuk, Aleksander; Posyniak, Michał

    2015-04-01

    In this work synergy of measurements done by of a LIDAR and a sun-sky scanning photometer is presented. The LIdar-Radiometer Inversion Code (LIRIC) was applied to study periodic events of increased values of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) observed at Belsk (Poland). Belsk is a background site located in a rural area around 50 km south from Warsaw. Events of increased AOD occur mainly during spring and they coincide with events of elevated concentrations of particulate matter (PM10). This phenomenon is observed in all eastern Europe, e.g. in Minsk, and is caused by long range aerosol transport. Our previous work showed aerosol transport from the border between Belarus, Ukraine and Russia in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), and from north Africa in the free troposphere. The LIRIC algorithm, which uses optical and microphysical properties of the aerosol derived from photometric measurements and LIDAR profiles, was applied to study vertical distribution of fine and coarse modes of aerosol. The analysis of the airmass backward trajectories and models results (DREAM and NAAPS)was also used to determine a possible aerosol type and its source region. This study proved our previous findings. Most of events with increased AODs are observed during spring. In this season the fine mode aerosol is mainly present in the PBL. On the basis of the trajectory analysis and the NAAPS results we presume that it is the absorbing aerosol originating from the regions of seasonal biomass burning in eastern Europe, i.e. the area mentioned above. The events with increased AODs were also found during summer. In this case the fine mode aerosol is transported in the PBL a like to spring season. However, our analysis of trajectories and model results indicated western Europe as a source region. It is probably urban/industrial aerosol. The coarse mode aerosol is transported mainly in the free troposphere as separate layers. The analysis of backward trajectories indicates northern Africa as a

  18. Intercomparison and closure calculations using measurements of aerosol species and optical properties during the Yosemite Aerosol Characterization Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malm, William C.; Day, Derek E.; Carrico, Christian; Kreidenweis, Sonia M.; Collett, Jeffrey L.; McMeeking, Gavin; Lee, Taehyoung; Carrillo, Jacqueline; Schichtel, Bret

    2005-07-01

    Physical and optical properties of inorganic aerosols have been extensively studied, but less is known about carbonaceous aerosols, especially as they relate to the non-urban settings such as our nation's national parks and wilderness areas. Therefore an aerosol characterization study was conceived and implemented at one national park that is highly impacted by carbonaceous aerosols, Yosemite. The primary objective of the study was to characterize the physical, chemical, and optical properties of a carbon-dominated aerosol, including the ratio of total organic matter weight to organic carbon, organic mass scattering efficiencies, and the hygroscopic characteristics of a carbon-laden ambient aerosol, while a secondary objective was to evaluate a variety of semi-continuous monitoring systems. Inorganic ions were characterized using 24-hour samples that were collected using the URG and Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) monitoring systems, the micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI) cascade impactor, as well as the semi-continuous particle-into-liquid sampler (PILS) technology. Likewise, carbonaceous material was collected over 24-hour periods using IMPROVE technology along with the thermal optical reflectance (TOR) analysis, while semi-continuous total carbon concentrations were measured using the Rupprecht and Patashnick (R&P) instrument. Dry aerosol number size distributions were measured using a differential mobility analyzer (DMA) and optical particle counter, scattering coefficients at near-ambient conditions were measured with nephelometers fitted with PM10 and PM2.5 inlets, and "dry" PM2.5 scattering was measured after passing ambient air through Perma Pure Nafion® dryers. In general, the 24-hour "bulk" measurements of various aerosol species compared more favorably with each other than with the semi-continuous data. Semi-continuous sulfate measurements correlated well with the 24-hour measurements, but were biased low by

  19. Advantages and Challenges in using Multi-Sensor Data for Studying Aerosols from Space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leptoukh, Gregory

    We are living now in the golden era of numerous sensors measuring aerosols from space, e.g., MODIS, MISR, MERIS, OMI, POLDER, etc. Data from multiple sensors provide a more complete coverage of physical phenomena than data from a single sensor. These sensors are rather different from each other, are sensitive to various parts of the atmosphere, use different aerosol models and treat surface differently when retrieving aerosols. However, they complement each other thus providing more information about spatial, vertical and temporal distribution of aerosols. In addition to differences in instrumentation, retrieval algorithms and calibration, there are quite substantial differences in processing algorithms from Level 0 up to Level 3 and 4. Some of these differences in processing steps, at times not well documented and not widely known by users, can lead to quite significant differences in final products. Without documenting all the steps leading to the final product, data users will not trust the data and/or may use data incorrectly. Data by themselves without quality assessment and provenance are not sufficient to make accurate scientific conclusions. In this paper we provide examples of striking differences between aerosol optical depth data from MODIS, MISR, and MERIS that can be attributed to differences in a certain threshold, aggregation methods, and the dataday definition. We talk about challenges in developing processing provenance. Also, we address issues of harmonization of data, quality and provenance that is needed to guide the multi-sensor data usage and avoid apples-to-oranges comparison and fusion.

  20. Seasonality of Aerosols the Southeastern United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ford, B. J.; Heald, C. L.

    2012-12-01

    Previous studies have suggested that increases in atmospheric aerosols of biogenic origin may have caused regional cooling over the southeastern United States in recent decades. Understanding the sources and behaviors of these aerosols is important for determining their role in a changing climate and managing their air quality impacts. In this study, we investigate the strong seasonality in aerosol optical depth (AOD) observed by MODIS, MISR, and CALIOP instruments over the southeastern United States and show that this is not simulated by a chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem). However, the model does reproduce surface PM 2.5 concentrations in the region as reported by the IMPROVE and Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization (SEARCH) networks, as well as the muted seasonality of these concentrations. In addition, these surface measurements show that organic aerosol makes up a small fraction of total PM 2.5 and has relatively little seasonality, which calls into question the importance of biogenic aerosol as a driver for climate change in the region. Sounding profiles and ground observations of relative humidity suggest that the magnitude of seasonality in AOD cannot be explained by seasonal differences in the hygroscopic growth of aerosols. CALIOP measurements of the vertical profile of aerosol extinction confirm that the likely reconciliation of the differences in seasonality between the surface PM 2.5 and AOD observations is the formation of aerosol aloft, a process not captured by the model. These findings provide initial insights for the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) campaign in 2013 which aims to investigate the anthropogenic influence on biogenic aerosol formation in the Southeastern US and elucidate the impact on regional climate and air quality.

  1. Unveiling aerosol-cloud interactions - Part 2: Minimising the effects of aerosol swelling and wet scavenging in ECHAM6-HAM2 for comparison to satellite data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neubauer, David; Christensen, Matthew W.; Poulsen, Caroline A.; Lohmann, Ulrike

    2017-11-01

    Aerosol-cloud interactions (ACIs) are uncertain and the estimates of the ACI effective radiative forcing (ERFaci) magnitude show a large variability. Within the Aerosol_cci project the susceptibility of cloud properties to changes in aerosol properties is derived from the high-resolution AATSR (Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer) data set using the Cloud-Aerosol Pairing Algorithm (CAPA) (as described in our companion paper) and compared to susceptibilities from the global aerosol climate model ECHAM6-HAM2 and MODIS-CERES (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer - Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System) data. For ECHAM6-HAM2 the dry aerosol is analysed to mimic the effect of CAPA. Furthermore the analysis is done for different environmental regimes. The aerosol-liquid water path relationship in ECHAM6-HAM2 is systematically stronger than in AATSR-CAPA data and cannot be explained by an overestimation of autoconversion when using diagnostic precipitation but rather by aerosol swelling in regions where humidity is high and clouds are present. When aerosol water is removed from the analysis in ECHAM6-HAM2 the strength of the susceptibilities of liquid water path, cloud droplet number concentration and cloud albedo as well as ERFaci agree much better with those of AATSR-CAPA or MODIS-CERES. When comparing satellite-derived to model-derived susceptibilities, this study finds it more appropriate to use dry aerosol in the computation of model susceptibilities. We further find that the statistical relationships inferred from different satellite sensors (AATSR-CAPA vs. MODIS-CERES) as well as from ECHAM6-HAM2 are not always of the same sign for the tested environmental conditions. In particular the susceptibility of the liquid water path is negative in non-raining scenes for MODIS-CERES but positive for AATSR-CAPA and ECHAM6-HAM2. Feedback processes like cloud-top entrainment that are missing or not well represented in the model are therefore not well

  2. Reallocation in modal aerosol models: impacts on predicting aerosol radiative effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Korhola, T.; Kokkola, H.; Korhonen, H.; Partanen, A.-I.; Laaksonen, A.; Lehtinen, K. E. J.; Romakkaniemi, S.

    2013-08-01

    In atmospheric modelling applications the aerosol particle size distribution is commonly represented by modal approach, in which particles in different size ranges are described with log-normal modes within predetermined size ranges. Such method includes numerical reallocation of particles from a mode to another for example during particle growth, leading to potentially artificial changes in the aerosol size distribution. In this study we analysed how this reallocation affects climatologically relevant parameters: cloud droplet number concentration, aerosol-cloud interaction coefficient and light extinction coefficient. We compared these parameters between a modal model with and without reallocation routines, and a high resolution sectional model that was considered as a reference model. We analysed the relative differences of the parameters in different experiments that were designed to cover a wide range of dynamic aerosol processes occurring in the atmosphere. According to our results, limiting the allowed size ranges of the modes and the following numerical remapping of the distribution by reallocation, leads on average to underestimation of cloud droplet number concentration (up to 100%) and overestimation of light extinction (up to 20%). The analysis of aerosol first indirect effect is more complicated as the ACI parameter can be either over- or underestimated by the reallocating model, depending on the conditions. However, for example in the case of atmospheric new particle formation events followed by rapid particle growth, the reallocation can cause around average 10% overestimation of the ACI parameter. Thus it is shown that the reallocation affects the ability of a model to estimate aerosol climate effects accurately, and this should be taken into account when using and developing aerosol models.

  3. Multi-sensor cloud and aerosol retrieval simulator and remote sensing from model parameters - Part 2: Aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wind, Galina; da Silva, Arlindo M.; Norris, Peter M.; Platnick, Steven; Mattoo, Shana; Levy, Robert C.

    2016-07-01

    operational remote-sensing algorithms.Specifically, the MCARS-computed radiances are input into the processing chain used to produce the MODIS Data Collection 6 aerosol product (M{O/Y}D04). The M{O/Y}D04 product is of course normally produced from M{O/Y}D021KM MODIS Level-1B radiance product directly acquired by the MODIS instrument. MCARS matches the format and metadata of a M{O/Y}D021KM product. The resulting MCARS output can be directly provided to MODAPS (MODIS Adaptive Processing System) as input to various operational atmospheric retrieval algorithms. Thus the operational algorithms can be tested directly without needing to make any software changes to accommodate an alternative input source.We show direct application of this synthetic product in analysis of the performance of the MOD04 operational algorithm. We use biomass-burning case studies over Amazonia employed in a recent Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE)-sponsored study of aerosol impacts on numerical weather prediction (Freitas et al., 2015). We demonstrate that a known low bias in retrieved MODIS aerosol optical depth appears to be due to a disconnect between actual column relative humidity and the value assumed by the MODIS aerosol product.

  4. Multi-Sensor Cloud and Aerosol Retrieval Simulator and Remote Sensing from Model Parameters . Part 2; Aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wind, Galina; Da Silva, Arlindo M.; Norris, Peter M.; Platnick, Steven; Mattoo, Shana; Levy, Robert C.

    2016-01-01

    operational remote-sensing algorithms. Specifically, the MCARS-computed radiances are input into the processing chain used to produce the MODIS Data Collection 6 aerosol product (MOYD04). TheMOYD04 product is of course normally produced from MOYD021KM MODIS Level-1B radiance product directly acquired by the MODIS instrument. MCARS matches the format and metadata of a MOYD021KM product. The resulting MCARS output can be directly provided to MODAPS (MODIS Adaptive Processing System) as input to various operational atmospheric retrieval algorithms. Thus the operational algorithms can be tested directly without needing to make any software changes to accommodate an alternative input source. We show direct application of this synthetic product in analysis of the performance of the MOD04 operational algorithm. We use biomass-burning case studies over Amazonia employed in a recent Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE)-sponsored study of aerosol impacts on numerical weather prediction (Freitas et al., 2015). We demonstrate that a known low bias in retrieved MODIS aerosol optical depth appears to be due to a disconnect between actual column relative humidity and the value assumed by the MODIS aerosol product.

  5. Using satellites and global models to investigate aerosol-cloud interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gryspeerdt, E.; Quaas, J.; Goren, T.; Sourdeval, O.; Mülmenstädt, J.

    2017-12-01

    Aerosols are known to impact liquid cloud properties, through both microphysical and radiative processes. Increasing the number concentration of aerosol particles can increase the cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC). Through impacts on precipitation processes, this increase in CDNC may also be able to impact the cloud fraction (CF) and the cloud liquid water path (LWP). Several studies have looked into the effect of aerosols on the CDNC, but as the albedo of a cloudy scene depends much more strongly on LWP and CF, an aerosol influence on these properties could generate a significant radiative forcing. While the impact of aerosols on cloud properties can be seen in case studies involving shiptracks and volcanoes, producing a global estimate of these effects remains challenging due to the confounding effect of local meteorology. For example, relative humidity significantly impacts the aerosol optical depth (AOD), a common satellite proxy for CCN, as well as being a strong control on cloud properties. This can generate relationships between AOD and cloud properties, even when there is no impact of aerosol-cloud interactions. In this work, we look at how aerosol-cloud interactions can be distinguished from the effect of local meteorology in satellite studies. With a combination global climate models and multiple sources of satellite data, we show that the choice of appropriate mediating variables and case studies can be used to develop constraints on the aerosol impact on CF and LWP. This will lead to improved representations of clouds in global climate models and help to reduce the uncertainty in the global impact of anthropogenic aerosols on cloud properties.

  6. Radiative Importance of Aerosol-Cloud Interaction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tsay, Si-Chee

    1999-01-01

    Aerosol particles are input into the troposphere by biomass burning, among other sources. These aerosol palls cover large expanses of the earth's surface. Aerosols may directly scatter solar radiation back to space, thus increasing the earth's albedo and act to cool the earth's surface and atmosphere. Aerosols also contribute to the earth's energy balance indirectly. Hygroscopic aerosol act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and thus affects cloud properties. In 1977, Twomey theorized that additional available CCN would create smaller but more numerous cloud droplets in a cloud with a given amount of liquid water. This in turn would increase the cloud albedo which would scatter additional radiation back to space and create a similar cooling pattern as the direct aerosol effect. Estimates of the magnitude of the aerosol indirect effect on a global scale range from 0.0 to -4.8 W/sq m. Thus the indirect effect can be of comparable magnitude and opposite in sign to the estimates of global greenhouse gas forcing Aerosol-cloud interaction is not a one-way process. Just as aerosols have an influence on clouds through the cloud microphysics, clouds have an influence on aerosols. Cloud droplets are solutions of liquid water and CCN, now dissolved. When the cloud droplet evaporates it leaves behind an aerosol particle. This new particle does not have to have the same properties as the original CCN. In fact, studies show that aerosol particles that result from cloud processing are larger in size than the original CCN. Optical properties of aerosol particles are dependent on the size of the particles. Larger particles have a smaller backscattering fraction, and thus less incoming solar radiation will be backscattered to space if the aerosol particles are larger. Therefore, we see that aerosols and clouds modify each other to influence the radiative balance of the earth. Understanding and quantifying the spatial and seasonal patterns of the aerosol indirect forcing may have

  7. Aerosol studies during the ESCOMPTE experiment: an overview

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cachier, Hélène; Aulagnier, Fabien; Sarda, Roland; Gautier, François; Masclet, Pierre; Besombes, Jean-Luc; Marchand, Nicolas; Despiau, Serge; Croci, Delphine; Mallet, Marc; Laj, Paolo; Marinoni, Angela; Deveau, Pierre-Alexandre; Roger, Jean-Claude; Putaud, Jean-Philippe; Van Dingenen, Rita; Dell'Acqua, Alessandro; Viidanoja, Jyrkki; Martins-Dos Santos, Sebastiao; Liousse, Cathy; Cousin, Frédéric; Rosset, Robert; Gardrat, Eric; Galy-Lacaux, Corinne

    2005-03-01

    The "Expérience sur Site pour COntraindre les Modèles de Pollution atmosphérique et de Transport d'Emissions" (ESCOMPTE) experiment took place in the Southern part of France in the Marseilles/Fos-Berre region during 6 weeks in June and July 2001. One task was to document the regional sources of atmospheric particles and to gain some insight into the aerosol transformations in the atmosphere. For this purpose, seven sites were chosen and equipped with the same basic instrumentation to obtain the chemical closure of the bulk aerosol phase and size-segregated samples. Some specific additional experiments were conducted for the speciation of the organic matter and the aerosol size distribution in number. Finally, four multiwavelength sun-photometers were also deployed during the experiment. Interestingly, in this region, three intense aerosol sources (urban, industrial and biogenic) are very active, and data show consistent results, enlightening an important background of particles over the whole ESCOMPTE domain. Notable is the overwhelming importance of the carbonaceous fraction (comprising primary and secondary particles), which is always more abundant than sulphates. Particle size studies show that, on average, more than 90% of the mean regional aerosol number is found on a size range smaller than 300 nm in diameter. The most original result is the evidence of the rapid formation of secondary aerosols occurring in the whole ESCOMPTE domain. This formation is much more important than that usually observed at these latitudes since two thirds of the particulate mass collected off source zones is estimated to be generated during atmospheric transport. On the other hand, the marine source has poor influence in the region, especially during the overlapping pollution events of Intensive Observation Periods (IOP). Preliminary results from the 0D and 3D versions of the MesoNH-aerosol model show that, with optimised gas and particle sources, the model accounts

  8. Impact of varying lidar measurement and data processing techniques in evaluating cirrus cloud and aerosol direct radiative effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lolli, Simone; Madonna, Fabio; Rosoldi, Marco; Campbell, James R.; Welton, Ellsworth J.; Lewis, Jasper R.; Gu, Yu; Pappalardo, Gelsomina

    2018-03-01

    In the past 2 decades, ground-based lidar networks have drastically increased in scope and relevance, thanks primarily to the advent of lidar observations from space and their need for validation. Lidar observations of aerosol and cloud geometrical, optical and microphysical atmospheric properties are subsequently used to evaluate their direct radiative effects on climate. However, the retrievals are strongly dependent on the lidar instrument measurement technique and subsequent data processing methodologies. In this paper, we evaluate the discrepancies between the use of Raman and elastic lidar measurement techniques and corresponding data processing methods for two aerosol layers in the free troposphere and for two cirrus clouds with different optical depths. Results show that the different lidar techniques are responsible for discrepancies in the model-derived direct radiative effects for biomass burning (0.05 W m-2 at surface and 0.007 W m-2 at top of the atmosphere) and dust aerosol layers (0.7 W m-2 at surface and 0.85 W m-2 at top of the atmosphere). Data processing is further responsible for discrepancies in both thin (0.55 W m-2 at surface and 2.7 W m-2 at top of the atmosphere) and opaque (7.7 W m-2 at surface and 11.8 W m-2 at top of the atmosphere) cirrus clouds. Direct radiative effect discrepancies can be attributed to the larger variability of the lidar ratio for aerosols (20-150 sr) than for clouds (20-35 sr). For this reason, the influence of the applied lidar technique plays a more fundamental role in aerosol monitoring because the lidar ratio must be retrieved with relatively high accuracy. In contrast, for cirrus clouds, with the lidar ratio being much less variable, the data processing is critical because smoothing it modifies the aerosol and cloud vertically resolved extinction profile that is used as input to compute direct radiative effect calculations.

  9. Physico-chemical properties of aerosols in Sao Paulo, Brazil and mechanisms of secondary organic aerosol formation.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Artaxo, Paulo; Ferreira de Brito, Joel; Varanda Rizzo, Luciana; Luiza Godoy, Maria; Godoy, Jose Marcus

    2013-04-01

    Megacities emissions are increasingly becoming a global issue, where emissions from the transportation sector play an increasingly important role. Sao Paulo is a megacity with a population of about 18 million people, 7 million cars and large-scale industrial emissions. As a result of the vehicular and industrial emissions, the air quality in Sao Paulo is bellow WMO standards for aerosol particles and ozone. Many uncertainties are found on gas- and particulate matter vehicular emission factors and their following atmospheric processes, e.g. secondary organic aerosol formation. Due to the uniqueness of the vehicular fuel in Brazil, largely based on ethanol use, such characterization currently holds further uncertainties. To improve the understanding of the role of this unique emission characteristics, we are running a source apportionment study in Sao Paulo focused on the mechanisms of organic aerosol formation. One of the goals of this study is a quantitative aerosol source apportionment focused on vehicular emissions, including ethanol and gasohol (both fuels used by light-duty vehicles). This study comprises four sampling sites with continuous measurements for one year, where trace elements and organic aerosol are being measured for PM2.5 and PM10 along with real-time NOx, O3, PM10 and CO measurements. Aerosol optical properties and size distribution are being measured on a rotation basis between sampling stations. Furthermore, a Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS) and an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) are used to measure in real time VOCs and aerosol composition, respectively. Trace elements were measured using XRF and OC/EC analysis was determined with a Sunset OC/EC instrument. A TSI Nephelometer with 3 wavelengths measure light scattering and a MAAP measure black carbon. Results show aerosol number concentrations ranging between 10,000 and 35,000 cm-3, mostly concentrated in the nucleation and Aitken modes, with a peak in size at 80

  10. Global aerosol effects on convective clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wagner, Till; Stier, Philip

    2013-04-01

    Atmospheric aerosols affect cloud properties, and thereby the radiation balance of the planet and the water cycle. The influence of aerosols on clouds is dominated by increase of cloud droplet and ice crystal numbers (CDNC/ICNC) due to enhanced aerosols acting as cloud condensation and ice nuclei. In deep convective clouds this increase in CDNC/ICNC is hypothesised to increase precipitation because of cloud invigoration through enhanced freezing and associated increased latent heat release caused by delayed warm rain formation. Satellite studies robustly show an increase of cloud top height (CTH) and precipitation with increasing aerosol optical depth (AOD, as proxy for aerosol amount). To represent aerosol effects and study their influence on convective clouds in the global climate aerosol model ECHAM-HAM, we substitute the standard convection parameterisation, which uses one mean convective cloud for each grid column, with the convective cloud field model (CCFM), which simulates a spectrum of convective clouds, each with distinct values of radius, mixing ratios, vertical velocity, height and en/detrainment. Aerosol activation and droplet nucleation in convective updrafts at cloud base is the primary driver for microphysical aerosol effects. To produce realistic estimates for vertical velocity at cloud base we use an entraining dry parcel sub cloud model which is triggered by perturbations of sensible and latent heat at the surface. Aerosol activation at cloud base is modelled with a mechanistic, Köhler theory based, scheme, which couples the aerosols to the convective microphysics. Comparison of relationships between CTH and AOD, and precipitation and AOD produced by this novel model and satellite based estimates show general agreement. Through model experiments and analysis of the model cloud processes we are able to investigate the main drivers for the relationship between CTH / precipitation and AOD.

  11. Simulating Aqueous-Phase Isoprene-Epoxydiol (IEPOX) Secondary Organic Aerosol Production During the 2013 Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The lack of statistically robust relationships between IEPOX (isoprene epoxydiol)-derived SOA (IEPOX SOA) and aerosol liquid water and pH observed during the 2013 Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) emphasizes the importance of modeling the whole system to understand the co...

  12. Dissolved organic matter in sea spray: a transfer study from marine surface water to aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmitt-Kopplin, P.; Liger-Belair, G.; Koch, B. P.; Flerus, R.; Kattner, G.; Harir, M.; Kanawati, B.; Lucio, M.; Tziotis, D.; Hertkorn, N.; Gebefügi, I.

    2012-04-01

    Atmospheric aerosols impose direct and indirect effects on the climate system, for example, by absorption of radiation in relation to cloud droplets size, on chemical and organic composition and cloud dynamics. The first step in the formation of Organic primary aerosols, i.e. the transfer of dissolved organic matter from the marine surface into the atmosphere, was studied. We present a molecular level description of this phenomenon using the high resolution analytical tools of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Our experiments confirm the chemoselective transfer of natural organic molecules, especially of aliphatic compounds from the surface water into the atmosphere via bubble bursting processes. Transfer from marine surface water to the atmosphere involves a chemical gradient governed by the physicochemical properties of the involved molecules when comparing elemental compositions and differentiating CHO, CHNO, CHOS and CHNOS bearing compounds. Typical chemical fingerprints of compounds enriched in the aerosol phase were CHO and CHOS molecular series, smaller molecules of higher aliphaticity and lower oxygen content, and typical surfactants. A non-targeted metabolomics analysis demonstrated that many of these molecules corresponded to homologous series of oxo-, hydroxy-, methoxy-, branched fatty acids and mono-, di- and tricarboxylic acids as well as monoterpenes and sugars. These surface active biomolecules were preferentially transferred from surface water into the atmosphere via bubble bursting processes to form a significant fraction of primary organic aerosols. This way of sea spray production leaves a selective biological signature of the surface water in the corresponding aerosol that may be transported into higher altitudes up to the lower atmosphere, thus contributing to the formation of secondary organic aerosol on a global scale or transported laterally with

  13. Global direct radiative forcing by process-parameterized aerosol optical properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    KirkevâG, Alf; Iversen, Trond

    2002-10-01

    A parameterization of aerosol optical parameters is developed and implemented in an extended version of the community climate model version 3.2 (CCM3) of the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research. Direct radiative forcing (DRF) by monthly averaged calculated concentrations of non-sea-salt sulfate and black carbon (BC) is estimated. Inputs are production-specific BC and sulfate from [2002] and background aerosol size distribution and composition. The scheme interpolates between tabulated values to obtain the aerosol single scattering albedo, asymmetry factor, extinction coefficient, and specific extinction coefficient. The tables are constructed by full calculations of optical properties for an array of aerosol input values, for which size-distributed aerosol properties are estimated from theory for condensation and Brownian coagulation, assumed distribution of cloud-droplet residuals from aqueous phase oxidation, and prescribed properties of the background aerosols. Humidity swelling is estimated from the Köhler equation, and Mie calculations finally yield spectrally resolved aerosol optical parameters for 13 solar bands. The scheme is shown to give excellent agreement with nonparameterized DRF calculations for a wide range of situations. Using IPCC emission scenarios for the years 2000 and 2100, calculations with an atmospheric global cliamte model (AFCM) yield a global net anthropogenic DRF of -0.11 and 0.11 W m-2, respectively, when 90% of BC from biomass burning is assumed anthropogenic. In the 2000 scenario, the individual DRF due to sulfate and BC has separately been estimated to -0.29 and 0.19 W m-2, respectively. Our estimates of DRF by BC per BC mass burden are lower than earlier published estimates. Some sensitivity tests are included to investigate to what extent uncertain assumptions may influence these results.

  14. Secondary Inorganic Aerosols over an Urban Location in North-Western Himalayan Region: Seasonal Variation in Composition and Formation Process(es)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaushal, D.; Tandon, A.

    2017-12-01

    Oxidative photo-chemical transformation of precursor gases, mainly of anthropogenic origin, produces secondary aerosols. Secondary inorganic aerosols constitute a significant fraction of total aerosol load over urban locations especially high altitude in wet-temperate climatic set-up. Towns situated in North-Western Himalayan region (NWHR) with sizable population and attractive tourist destinations have been facing ever increasing problem of gaseous and particulate air pollution from exponential increase in vehicular traffic and other anthropogenic emissions. The present study has been planned to investigate the seasonal variations in atmospheric processes responsible for the formation of Secondary Inorganic Aerosols (SIA) and to estimate contribution of SIA to PM­10 load over an Urban location, Dharamshala, in Dhauladhar region of NWHR. Twenty four hourly PM10 aerosol samples were collected, on quartz micro fibre filters in Dharamshala (1350 amsl) on weekly basis for complete one year time-period (February 2015 - January 2016). These samples were analyzed for Water Soluble Inorganic Ions (WSII) using Ion-Chromatographic System. On annual basis, SO42- ions contributed maximum (52%) followed by NO3- (13%) and NH4+ (12%) to WSII. Based upon Principal Component Analysis (PCA), dominant sources contributing to PM10 associated WSII were identified as: Fossil-Fuel and Bio-mass burning, Vehicular (mainly diesel) emissions and gaseous emissions from the microbial degradation of dead bio-mass. Throughout the year, significantly high proportion of SO42- and considerable thermodynamic stability of (NH4)2SO2 at ambient temperatures, made it the major contributor to SIA over NH4NO3 and NH4Cl. On seasonal basis, maximum contribution of SIA to PM10 was observed in monsoon followed by the winter season. Low ambient temperature in winter season favoured formation of NH4NO3 with significant contribution to SIA. It could be concluded that observed variability in the composition and

  15. Stable carbon isotopic compositions of total carbon, dicarboxylic acids and glyoxylic acid in the tropical Indian aerosols: Implications for sources and photochemical processing of organic aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pavuluri, Chandra Mouli; Kawamura, Kimitaka; Swaminathan, T.; Tachibana, Eri

    2011-09-01

    The tropical Indian aerosols (PM10) collected on day- and nighttime bases in winter and summer, 2007 from Chennai (13.04°N; 80.17°E) were studied for stable carbon isotopic compositions (δ13C) of total carbon (TC), individual dicarboxylic acids (C2-C9) and glyoxylic acid (ωC2). δ13C values of TC ranged from -23.9‰ to -25.9‰ (-25.0 ± 0.6‰; n = 49). Oxalic (C2) (-17.1 ± 2.5‰), malonic (C3) (-20.8 ± 1.8‰), succinic (C4) (-22.5 ± 1.5‰) and adipic (C6) (-20.6 ± 4.1‰) acids and ωC2 acid (-22.4 ± 5.5‰) were found to be more enriched with 13C compared to TC. In contrast, suberic (C8) (-29.4 ± 1.8‰), phthalic (Ph) (-30.1 ± 3.5‰) and azelaic (C9) (-28.4 ± 5.8‰) acids showed smaller δ13C values than TC. Based on comparisons of δ13C values of TC in Chennai aerosols to those (-24.7 ± 2.2‰) found in unburned cow-dung samples collected from Chennai and isotopic signatures of the particles emitted from point sources, we found that biofuel/biomass burning are the major sources of carbonaceous aerosols in South and Southeast Asia. The decrease in δ13C values of C9 diacid by about 5‰ from winter to summer suggests that tropical plant emissions also significantly contribute to organic aerosol in this region. Significant increase in δ13C values from C4 to C2 diacids in Chennai aerosols could be attributed for their photochemical processing in the tropical atmosphere during long-range transport from source regions.

  16. Biology of the Coarse Aerosol Mode: Insights Into Urban Aerosol Ecology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dueker, E.; O'Mullan, G. D.; Montero, A.

    2015-12-01

    Microbial aerosols have been understudied, despite implications for climate studies, public health, and biogeochemical cycling. Because viable bacterial aerosols are often associated with coarse aerosol particles, our limited understanding of the coarse aerosol mode further impedes our ability to develop models of viable bacterial aerosol production, transport, and fate in the outdoor environment, particularly in crowded urban centers. To address this knowledge gap, we studied aerosol particle biology and size distributions in a broad range of urban and rural settings. Our previously published findings suggest a link between microbial viability and local production of coarse aerosols from waterways, waste treatment facilities, and terrestrial systems in urban and rural environments. Both in coastal Maine and in New York Harbor, coarse aerosols and viable bacterial aerosols increased with increasing wind speeds above 4 m s-1, a dynamic that was observed over time scales ranging from minutes to hours. At a New York City superfund-designated waterway regularly contaminated with raw sewage, aeration remediation efforts resulted in significant increases of coarse aerosols and bacterial aerosols above that waterway. Our current research indicates that bacterial communities in aerosols at this superfund site have a greater similarity to bacterial communities in the contaminated waterway with wind speeds above 4 m s-1. Size-fractionated sampling of viable microbial aerosols along the urban waterfront has also revealed significant shifts in bacterial aerosols, and specifically bacteria associated with coarse aerosols, when wind direction changes from onshore to offshore. This research highlights the key connections between bacterial aerosol viability and the coarse aerosol fraction, which is important in assessments of production, transport, and fate of bacterial contamination in the urban environment.

  17. Evaluating WRF-Chem multi-scale model in simulating aerosol radiative properties over the tropics – A case study over India

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Seethala, C.; Pandithurai, G.; Fast, Jerome D.

    We utilized WRF-Chem multi-scale model to simulate the regional distribution of aerosols, optical properties and its effect on radiation over India for a winter month. The model is evaluated using measurements obtained from upper-air soundings, AERONET sun photometers, various satellite instruments, and pyranometers operated by the Indian Meteorological Department. The simulated downward shortwave flux was overestimated when the effect of aerosols on radiation and clouds was neglected. Downward shortwave radiation from a simulation that included aerosol-radiation interaction processes was 5 to 25 Wm{sup -2} closer to the observations, while a simulation that included aerosol-cloud interaction processes were another 1 tomore » 20 Wm{sup -2} closer to the observations. For the few observations available, the model usually underestimated particulate concentration. This is likely due to turbulent mixing, transport errors and the lack of secondary organic aerosol treatment in the model. The model efficiently captured the broad regional hotspots such as high aerosol optical depth over Indo-Gangetic basin as well as the northwestern and southern part of India. The regional distribution of aerosol optical depth compares well with AVHRR aerosol optical depth and the TOMS aerosol index. The magnitude and wavelength-dependence of simulated aerosol optical depth was also similar to the AERONET observations across India. Differences in surface shortwave radiation between simulations that included and neglected aerosol-radiation interactions were as high as -25 Wm{sup -2}, while differences in surface shortwave radiation between simulations that included and neglect aerosol-radiation-cloud interactions were as high as -30 Wm{sup -2}. The spatial variations of these differences were also compared with AVHRR observation. This study suggests that the model is able to qualitatively simulate the impact of aerosols on radiation over India; however, additional measurements of

  18. Unexpectedly high ultrafine aerosol concentrations above East Antarctic sea-ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Humphries, R. S.; Klekociuk, A. R.; Schofield, R.; Keywood, M.; Ward, J.; Wilson, S. R.

    2015-10-01

    The effect of aerosols on clouds and their radiative properties is one of the largest uncertainties in our understanding of radiative forcing. A recent study has concluded that better characterisation of pristine, natural aerosol processes leads to the largest reduction in these uncertainties. Antarctica, being far from anthropogenic activities, is an ideal location for the study of natural aerosol processes. Aerosol measurements in Antarctica are often limited to boundary layer air-masses at spatially sparse coastal and continental research stations, with only a handful of studies in the sea ice region. In this paper, the first observational study of sub-micron aerosols in the East Antarctic sea ice region is presented. Measurements were conducted aboard the ice-breaker Aurora Australis in spring 2012 and found that boundary layer condensation nuclei (CN3) concentrations exhibited a five-fold increase moving across the Polar Front, with mean Polar Cell concentrations of 1130 cm-3 - higher than any observed elsewhere in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean region. The absence of evidence for aerosol growth suggested that nucleation was unlikely to be local. Air parcel trajectories indicated significant influence from the free troposphere above the Antarctic continent, implicating this as the likely nucleation region for surface aerosol, a similar conclusion to previous Antarctic aerosol studies. The highest aerosol concentrations were found to correlate with low pressure systems, suggesting that the passage of cyclones provided an accelerated pathway, delivering air-masses quickly from the free-troposphere to the surface. After descent from the Antarctic free troposphere, trajectories suggest that sea ice boundary layer air-masses travelled equator-ward into the low albedo Southern Ocean region, transporting with them emissions and these aerosol nuclei where, after growth, may potentially impact on the region's radiative balance. The high aerosol concentrations and

  19. Constructing An Event Based Aerosol Product Under High Aerosol Loading Conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levy, R. C.; Shi, Y.; Mattoo, S.; Remer, L. A.; Zhang, J.

    2016-12-01

    High aerosol loading events, such as the Indonesia's forest fire in Fall 2015 or the persistent wintertime haze near Beijing, gain tremendous interests due to their large impact on regional visibility and air quality. Understanding the optical properties of these events and further being able to simulate and predict these events are beneficial. However, it is a great challenge to consistently identify and then retrieve aerosol optical depth (AOD) from passive sensors during heavy aerosol events. Some reasons include:1). large differences between optical properties of high-loading aerosols and those under normal conditions, 2) spectral signals of optically thick aerosols can be mistaken with surface depending on aerosol types, and 3) Extremely optically thick aerosol plumes can also be misidentified as clouds due to its high optical thickness. Thus, even under clear-sky conditions, the global distribution of extreme aerosol events is not well captured in datasets such as the MODIS Dark-Target (DT) aerosol product. In this study, with the synthetic use of OMI Aerosol Index, MODIS cloud product, and operational DT product, the heavy smoke events over the seven sea region are identified and retrieved over the dry season. An event based aerosol product that would compensate the standard "global" aerosol retrieval will be created and evaluated. The impact of missing high AOD retrievals on the regional aerosol climatology will be studied using this newly developed research product.

  20. Development of a global aerosol model using a two-dimensional sectional method: 1. Model design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsui, H.

    2017-08-01

    This study develops an aerosol module, the Aerosol Two-dimensional bin module for foRmation and Aging Simulation version 2 (ATRAS2), and implements the module into a global climate model, Community Atmosphere Model. The ATRAS2 module uses a two-dimensional (2-D) sectional representation with 12 size bins for particles from 1 nm to 10 μm in dry diameter and 8 black carbon (BC) mixing state bins. The module can explicitly calculate the enhancement of absorption and cloud condensation nuclei activity of BC-containing particles by aging processes. The ATRAS2 module is an extension of a 2-D sectional aerosol module ATRAS used in our previous studies within a framework of a regional three-dimensional model. Compared with ATRAS, the computational cost of the aerosol module is reduced by more than a factor of 10 by simplifying the treatment of aerosol processes and 2-D sectional representation, while maintaining good accuracy of aerosol parameters in the simulations. Aerosol processes are simplified for condensation of sulfate, ammonium, and nitrate, organic aerosol formation, coagulation, and new particle formation processes, and box model simulations show that these simplifications do not substantially change the predicted aerosol number and mass concentrations and their mixing states. The 2-D sectional representation is simplified (the number of advected species is reduced) primarily by the treatment of chemical compositions using two interactive bin representations. The simplifications do not change the accuracy of global aerosol simulations. In part 2, comparisons with measurements and the results focused on aerosol processes such as BC aging processes are shown.

  1. Preliminary results of the aerosol optical depth retrieval in Johor, Malaysia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lim, H. Q.; Kanniah, K. D.; Lau, A. M. S.

    2014-02-01

    Monitoring of atmospheric aerosols over the urban area is important as tremendous amounts of pollutants are released by industrial activities and heavy traffic flow. Air quality monitoring by satellite observation provides better spatial coverage, however, detailed aerosol properties retrieval remains a challenge. This is due to the limitation of aerosol retrieval algorithm on high reflectance (bright surface) areas. The aim of this study is to retrieve aerosol optical depth over urban areas of Iskandar Malaysia; the main southern development zone in Johor state, using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 500 m resolution data. One of the important steps is the aerosol optical depth retrieval is to characterise different types of aerosols in the study area. This information will be used to construct a Look Up Table containing the simulated aerosol reflectance and corresponding aerosol optical depth. Thus, in this study we have characterised different aerosol types in the study area using Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) data. These data were processed using cluster analysis and the preliminary results show that the area is consisting of coastal urban (65%), polluted urban (27.5%), dust particles (6%) and heavy pollution (1.5%) aerosols.

  2. Identifying Aerosol Type/Mixture from Aerosol Absorption Properties Using AERONET

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Giles, D. M.; Holben, B. N.; Eck, T. F.; Sinyuk, A.; Dickerson, R. R.; Thompson, A. M.; Slutsker, I.; Li, Z.; Tripathi, S. N.; Singh, R. P.; hide

    2010-01-01

    Aerosols are generated in the atmosphere through anthropogenic and natural mechanisms. These sources have signatures in the aerosol optical and microphysical properties that can be used to identify the aerosol type/mixture. Spectral aerosol absorption information (absorption Angstrom exponent; AAE) used in conjunction with the particle size parameterization (extinction Angstrom exponent; EAE) can only identify the dominant absorbing aerosol type in the sample volume (e.g., black carbon vs. iron oxides in dust). This AAE/EAE relationship can be expanded to also identify non-absorbing aerosol types/mixtures by applying an absorption weighting. This new relationship provides improved aerosol type distinction when the magnitude of absorption is not equal (e.g, black carbon vs. sulfates). The Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) data provide spectral aerosol optical depth and single scattering albedo - key parameters used to determine EAE and AAE. The proposed aerosol type/mixture relationship is demonstrated using the long-term data archive acquired at AERONET sites within various source regions. The preliminary analysis has found that dust, sulfate, organic carbon, and black carbon aerosol types/mixtures can be determined from this AAE/EAE relationship when applying the absorption weighting for each available wavelength (Le., 440, 675, 870nm). Large, non-spherical dust particles absorb in the shorter wavelengths and the application of 440nm wavelength absorption weighting produced the best particle type definition. Sulfate particles scatter light efficiently and organic carbon particles are small near the source and aggregate over time to form larger less absorbing particles. Both sulfates and organic carbon showed generally better definition using the 870nm wavelength absorption weighting. Black carbon generation results from varying combustion rates from a number of sources including industrial processes and biomass burning. Cases with primarily black carbon showed

  3. Applying super-droplets as a compact representation of warm-rain microphysics for aerosol-cloud-aerosol interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arabas, S.; Jaruga, A.; Pawlowska, H.; Grabowski, W. W.

    2012-12-01

    Clouds may influence aerosol characteristics of their environment. The relevant processes include wet deposition (rainout or washout) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) recycling through evaporation of cloud droplets and drizzle drops. Recycled CCN physicochemical properties may be altered if the evaporated droplets go through collisional growth or irreversible chemical reactions (e.g. SO2 oxidation). The key challenge of representing these processes in a numerical cloud model stems from the need to track properties of activated CCN throughout the cloud lifecycle. Lack of such "memory" characterises the so-called bulk, multi-moment as well as bin representations of cloud microphysics. In this study we apply the particle-based scheme of Shima et al. 2009. Each modelled particle (aka super-droplet) is a numerical proxy for a multiplicity of real-world CCN, cloud, drizzle or rain particles of the same size, nucleus type,and position. Tracking cloud nucleus properties is an inherent feature of the particle-based frameworks, making them suitable for studying aerosol-cloud-aerosol interactions. The super-droplet scheme is furthermore characterized by linear scalability in the number of computational particles, and no numerical diffusion in the condensational and in the Monte-Carlo type collisional growth schemes. The presentation will focus on processing of aerosol by a drizzling stratocumulus deck. The simulations are carried out using a 2D kinematic framework and a VOCALS experiment inspired set-up (see http://www.rap.ucar.edu/~gthompsn/workshop2012/case1/).

  4. Understanding the impact of saharan dust aerosols on tropical cyclones

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naeger, Aaron

    Genesis of Tropical Cyclones (TCs) in the main development region for Atlantic hurricanes is tied to convection initiated by African easterly waves (AEWs) during Northern hemisphere summer and fall seasons. The main development region is also impacted by dust aerosols transported from the Sahara. It has been hypothesized that dust aerosols can modulate the development of TCs through aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interaction processes. In this study, we investigate the impact of dust aerosols on TC development using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem). We first develop a technique to constrain the WRF-Chem model with a realistic three-dimensional spatial distribution of dust aerosols. The horizontal distribution of dust is specified using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) derived aerosol products and output from the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model. The vertical distribution of dust is constrained using the Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO). We validate our technique through in situ aircraft measurements where both showed aerosol number concentrations from 20-30 cm-3 in the atmosphere for Saharan dust moving over the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Then, we use the satellite data constraint technique to nudge the WRF-Chem aerosol fields throughout the simulation of TC Florence developing over the eastern Atlantic Ocean during September 2006. Three different experiments are conducted where the aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interaction processes are either activated or deactivated in the model while all other model options are identical between the experiments. By comparing the model experiment results, the impact of the aerosol interaction processes on TC development can be understood. The results indicate that dust aerosols can delay or prevent the development of a TC as the minimum sea level pressure of TC Florence was 13 h

  5. Field Studies Measuring the aerosolization of Endotoxin ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Endotoxin is a component of the cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria and is known to be present in biosolids. Endotoxins have been shown to be a potent stimulator of the innate immune response causing airway irritation and shortness of breath. Class B biosolids are routinely applied to agricultural lands in the US to enhance soil properties and can be used as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. This study investigated the aerosolized endotoxin produced during the land application of Class B biosolids from various wastewater treatment plants on agricultural land and a concrete surface at two sites in Colorado, USA. Aerosolized endotoxin was captured using HiVol sampler fitted with glass fiber filter, polycarbonate filter cassette (both open and closed), and BioSampler impinger air samplers. Endotoxins were also measured in the bulk biosolids to allow for correlating bulk biosolids concentrations with aerosol emission rates. Endotoxin concentrations in biosolids, impinger solutions, and filter extracts were determined using the kinetic Limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Aerosolized endotoxin concentration was detected from all sites with levels ranging from 0.5 to 642 EU/m3. The four types of sampling apparatus were compared and the HiVol and open-faced cassette samplers used produced higher TWA measurements (EU/m3) than the impinger and closed cassette samplers. Ambient wind speed at the sites was found to be the variable best describing the results wit

  6. Studying Diurnal Variations of Aerosols with NASA MERRA-2 Reanalysis Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shen, Suhung; Ostrenga, Dana M.; Zeng, Jian; Vollmer, Bruce E.

    2018-01-01

    Aerosols play an important role in atmospheric dynamics, climate variations, and Earth's energy cycle by altering the radiation balance in the atmosphere through interaction with clouds, providing fertilizer for forests and canopy, and as a supply of iron to the ocean over long time periods. Studies suggest that much of the feedback between dust aerosols and dynamics is associated with diurnal and synoptic scale variability. However, the lack of sub-daily resolution of aerosols from satellite observations makes it difficult to study the diurnal characteristics, especially over tropical and subtropical regions. Investigation of this topic utilizes over 37 years of simulated global aerosol products from NASA atmospheric reanalysis, in the second Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2) data set, available from NASA Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC). MERRA-2 covers the period 1980-present, and is continuing as an ongoing climate analysis. Aerosol assimilation is included throughout the period, using data from MODIS, MISR, AERONET, and AVHRR (in the pre-EOS period). The aerosols are assimilated using the MERRA-2 aerosol model, which interacts directly with radiation parameterization, and is radiatively coupled with atmospheric model dynamics in the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5 (GEOS-5). Hourly, monthly, and monthly diurnal data are available at spatial resolution of 0.5o x 0.625o (latitude x longitude). By using MERRA-2 hourly and monthly diurnal products, different aerosol diurnal variabilities are observed over North America, Africa, Asia, and Australia, that may be due to different meteorological conditions and aerosol sources. The presentation will also provide an overview of MERRA-2 data services at GES DISC, such as how to find and download data, and how to quickly visualize and analyze data online with Giovanni.

  7. Aerosol Processing in Mixed-Phase Clouds in ECHAM5-HAM: Comparison of Single-Column Model Simulations to Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoose, C.; Lohmann, U.; Stier, P.; Verheggen, B.; Weingartner, E.; Herich, H.

    2007-12-01

    The global aerosol-climate model ECHAM5-HAM (Stier et al., 2005) has been extended by an explicit treatment of cloud-borne particles. Two additional modes for in-droplet and in-crystal particles are introduced, which are coupled to the number of cloud droplet and ice crystal concentrations simulated by the ECHAM5 double-moment cloud microphysics scheme (Lohmann et al., 2007). Transfer, production and removal of cloud-borne aerosol number and mass by cloud droplet activation, collision scavenging, aqueous-phase sulfate production, freezing, melting, evaporation, sublimation and precipitation formation are taken into account. The model performance is demonstrated and validated with observations of the evolution of total and interstitial aerosol concentrations and size distributions during three different mixed-phase cloud events at the alpine high-altitude research station Jungfraujoch (Switzerland) (Verheggen et al, 2007). Although the single-column simulations can not be compared one-to-one with the observations, the governing processes in the evolution of the cloud and aerosol parameters are captured qualitatively well. High scavenged fractions are found during the presence of liquid water, while the release of particles during the Bergeron-Findeisen process results in low scavenged fractions after cloud glaciation. The observed coexistence of liquid and ice, which might be related to cloud heterogeneity at subgrid scales, can only be simulated in the model when forcing non-equilibrium conditions. References: U. Lohmann et al., Cloud microphysics and aerosol indirect effects in the global climate model ECHAM5-HAM, Atmos. Chem. Phys. 7, 3425-3446 (2007) P. Stier et al., The aerosol-climate model ECHAM5-HAM, Atmos. Chem. Phys. 5, 1125-1156 (2005) B. Verheggen et al., Aerosol partitioning between the interstitial and the condensed phase in mixed-phase clouds, Accepted for publication in J. Geophys. Res. (2007)

  8. A satellite view of aerosols in the climate system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kaufman, Yoram J.; Tanre, Didier; Boucher, Olivier

    2002-01-01

    Anthropogenic aerosols are intricately linked to the climate system and to the hydrologic cycle. The net effect of aerosols is to cool the climate system by reflecting sunlight. Depending on their composition, aerosols can also absorb sunlight in the atmosphere, further cooling the surface but warming the atmosphere in the process. These effects of aerosols on the temperature profile, along with the role of aerosols as cloud condensation nuclei, impact the hydrologic cycle, through changes in cloud cover, cloud properties and precipitation. Unravelling these feedbacks is particularly difficult because aerosols take a multitude of shapes and forms, ranging from desert dust to urban pollution, and because aerosol concentrations vary strongly over time and space. To accurately study aerosol distribution and composition therefore requires continuous observations from satellites, networks of ground-based instruments and dedicated field experiments. Increases in aerosol concentration and changes in their composition, driven by industrialization and an expanding population, may adversely affect the Earth's climate and water supply.

  9. Field Studies of Broadband Aerosol Optical Extinction in the Ultraviolet Spectral Region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Washenfelder, R. A.; Attwood, A.; Brock, C. A.; Brown, S. S.

    2013-12-01

    Aerosols influence the Earth's radiative budget by scattering and absorbing incoming solar radiation. The optical properties of aerosols vary as a function of wavelength, but few measurements have reported the wavelength dependence of aerosol extinction cross sections and complex refractive indices. In the case of brown carbon, its wavelength-dependent absorption in the ultraviolet spectral region has been suggested as an important component of aerosol radiative forcing. We describe a new field instrument to measure aerosol optical extinction as a function of wavelength, using cavity enhanced spectroscopy with a broadband light source. The instrument consists of two broadband channels which span the 360-390 and 385-420 nm spectral regions using two light emitting diodes (LED) and a grating spectrometer with charge-coupled device (CCD) detector. We deployed this instrument during the Fire Lab at Missoula Experiment during Fall 2012 to measure biomass burning aerosol, and again during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study in summer 2013 to measure organic aerosol in the Southeastern U.S. In both field experiments, we determined aerosol optical extinction as a function of wavelength and can interpret this together with size distribution and composition measurements to characterize the aerosol optical properties and radiative forcing.

  10. Characterization of Aerosols of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Following Three Generation Methods Using an Optimized Aerosolization System Designed for Experimental Inhalation Studies

    PubMed Central

    Pujalté, Igor; Serventi, Alessandra; Noël, Alexandra; Dieme, Denis; Haddad, Sami; Bouchard, Michèle

    2017-01-01

    Nanoparticles (NPs) can be released in the air in work settings, but various factors influence the exposure of workers. Controlled inhalation experiments can thus be conducted in an attempt to reproduce real-life exposure conditions and assess inhalation toxicology. Methods exist to generate aerosols, but it remains difficult to obtain nano-sized and stable aerosols suitable for inhalation experiments. The goal of this work was to characterize aerosols of titanium dioxide (TiO2) NPs, generated using a novel inhalation system equipped with three types of generators—a wet collision jet nebulizer, a dry dust jet and an electrospray aerosolizer—with the aim of producing stable aerosols with a nano-diameter average (<100 nm) and monodispersed distribution for future rodent exposures and toxicological studies. Results showed the ability of the three generation systems to provide good and stable dispersions of NPs, applicable for acute (continuous up to 8 h) and repeated (21-day) exposures. In all cases, the generated aerosols were composed mainly of small aggregates/agglomerates (average diameter <100 nm) with the electrospray producing the finest (average diameter of 70–75 mm) and least concentrated aerosols (between 0.150 and 2.5 mg/m3). The dust jet was able to produce concentrations varying from 1.5 to 150 mg/m3, and hence, the most highly concentrated aerosols. The nebulizer collision jet aerosolizer was the most versatile generator, producing both low (0.5 mg/m3) and relatively high concentrations (30 mg/m3). The three optimized generators appeared suited for possible toxicological studies of inhaled NPs. PMID:29051446

  11. A study of 15-year aerosol optical thickness and direct shortwave aerosol radiative effect trends using MODIS, MISR, CALIOP and CERES

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alfaro-Contreras, Ricardo; Zhang, Jianglong; Reid, Jeffrey S.; Christopher, Sundar

    2017-11-01

    By combining Collection 6 Moderate Resolution and Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Version 22 Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) aerosol products with Cloud and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) flux products, the aerosol optical thickness (AOT, at 0.55 µm) and shortwave (SW) aerosol radiative effect (SWARE) trends are studied over ocean for the near-full Terra (2000-2015) and Aqua (2002-2015) data records. Despite differences in sampling methods, regional SWARE and AOT trends are highly correlated with one another. Over global oceans, weak SWARE (cloud-free SW flux) and AOT trends of 0.5-0.6 W m-2 (-0.5 to -0.6 W m-2) and 0.002 AOT decade-1 are found using Terra data. Near-zero AOT and SWARE trends are also found for using Aqua data, regardless of the angular distribution models (ADMs) used. Regionally, positive AOT and cloud-free SW flux (negative SWARE) trends are found over the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, the Arabian/Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, while statistically significant negative trends are derived over the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern US coast. In addition, the global mean instantaneous SW aerosol direct forcing efficiencies are found to be ˜ -60 W m-2 AOT-1, with corresponding SWARE values of ˜ -7 W m-2 from both Aqua and Terra data, again regardless of CERES ADMs used. Regionally, SW aerosol direct forcing efficiency values of ˜ -40 W m-2 AOT-1 are found over the southwest coast of Africa where smoke aerosol particles dominate in summer. Larger (in magnitude) SW aerosol direct forcing efficiency values of -50 to -80 W m-2 AOT-1 are found over several other dust- and pollutant-aerosol-dominated regions. Lastly, the AOT and SWARE trends from this study are also intercompared with aerosol trends (such as active-based ones) from several previous studies. Findings suggest that a cohesive understanding of the changing aerosol skies can be achieved through the analysis of observations from both passive- and active

  12. Interactive coupling of regional climate and sulfate aerosol models over eastern Asia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qian, Yun; Giorgi, Filippo

    1999-03-01

    The NCAR regional climate model (RegCM) is interactively coupled to a simple radiatively active sulfate aerosol model over eastern Asia. Both direct and indirect aerosol effects are represented. The coupled model system is tested for two simulation periods, November 1994 and July 1995, with aerosol sources representative of present-day anthropogenic sulfur emissions. The model sensitivity to the intensity of the aerosol source is also studied. The main conclusions from our work are as follows: (1) The aerosol distribution and cycling processes show substantial regional spatial variability, and temporal variability varying on a range of scales, from the diurnal scale of boundary layer and cumulus cloud evolution to the 3-10 day scale of synoptic scale events and the interseasonal scale of general circulation features; (2) both direct and indirect aerosol forcings have regional effects on surface climate; (3) the regional climate response to the aerosol forcing is highly nonlinear, especially during the summer, due to the interactions with cloud and precipitation processes; (4) in our simulations the role of the aerosol indirect effects is dominant over that of direct effects; (5) aerosol-induced feedback processes can affect the aerosol burdens at the subregional scale. This work constitutes the first step in a long term research project aimed at coupling a hierarchy of chemistry/aerosol models to the RegCM over the eastern Asia region.

  13. Determination of the solubility and size distribution of radioactive aerosols in the uranium processing plant at NRCN.

    PubMed

    Kravchik, T; Oved, S; Paztal-Levy, O; Pelled, O; Gonen, R; German, U; Tshuva, A

    2008-01-01

    Inhalation is the main route of internal exposure to radioactive aerosols in the nuclear industry. To assess the radiation dose from the intake of these aerosols, it is necessary to know their physical (aerodynamic diameter distribution) and chemical (dissolution rate in extracellular lung fluid) characteristics. Air samples were taken from the uranium processing plant at the Nuclear Research Center, Negev. Measurements of aerodynamic diameter distribution using a cascade impactor indicated an average activity median aerodynamic diameter value close to 5 microm, in accordance with the recent recommended values of International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) model. Solubility profiles of these aerosols were determined by performing in vitro solubility tests over 100 d in a simultant solution of the extracellular fluid. The tests indicated that the uranium aerosols should be assigned to an absorption between Types M and S (as defined by the ICRP Publication 66 model).

  14. CCN activation and efficiency of nucleation and impaction removal process of biomass burning aerosols in Brazil: preliminary results.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sánchez Gácita, Madeleine; Longo, Karla M.; Freitas, Saulo R.; Martin, Scot T.

    2015-04-01

    The biomass burning activity constitutes an important source of aerosols and trace gases to the atmosphere globally. In South America, during the dry season, aerosols prevenient from biomass burning are typically transported to long distances from its sources before being removed though contributing significantly to the aerosol budget on a continental scale. The uncertainties in the magnitude of the impacts on the hydrological cycle, the radiation budget and the biogeochemical cycles on a continental scale are still noteworthy. The still unknowns on the efficiency of biomass burning aerosol to act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and the effectiveness of the nucleation and impaction scavenging mechanisms in removing them from the atmosphere contribute to such uncertainties. In the present work, the explicit modelling of the early stages of cloud development using a parcel model for the typical conditions of the dry season and dry-to-wet transition periods in Amazonia allowed an estimation of the efficiency of nucleation scavenging process and the ability of South American biomass burning aerosol to act as CCN. Additionally, the impaction scavenging was simulated for the same aerosol population following a method based on the widely used concept of the efficiency of collision between a raindrop and an aerosol particle. DMPS and H-TDMA data available in the literature for biomass burning aerosol population in the region indicated the presence of a nearly hydrophobic fraction (on average, with specific hygroscopic parameter κ=0.04, and relative abundance of 73 %) and nearly hygroscopic fraction (κ=0.13, 27 %), externally mixed. The hygroscopic parameters and relative abundances of each hygroscopic group, as well as the weighted average specific hygroscopic parameter for the entire population κ=0.06, were used in calculations of aerosol activation and population mass and number concentration scavenged by nucleation. Results from both groups of simulations are

  15. Predicting the mineral composition of dust aerosols – Part 2: Model evaluation and identification of key processes with observations

    DOE PAGES

    Perlwitz, J. P.; Perez Garcia-Pando, C.; Miller, R. L.

    2015-10-21

    A global compilation of nearly sixty measurement studies is used to evaluate two methods of simulating the mineral composition of dust aerosols in an Earth system model. Both methods are based upon a Mean Mineralogical Table (MMT) that relates the soil mineral fractions to a global atlas of arid soil type. The Soil Mineral Fraction (SMF) method assumes that the aerosol mineral fractions match the fractions of the soil. The MMT is based upon soil measurements after wet sieving, a process that destroys aggregates of soil particles that would have been emitted from the original, undisturbed soil. The second methodmore » approximately reconstructs the emitted aggregates. This model is referred to as the Aerosol Mineral Fraction (AMF) method because the mineral fractions of the aerosols differ from those of the wet-sieved parent soil, partly due to reaggregation. The AMF method remedies some of the deficiencies of the SMF method in comparison to observations. Only the AMF method exhibits phyllosilicate mass at silt sizes, where they are abundant according to observations. In addition, the AMF quartz fraction of silt particles is in better agreement with measured values, in contrast to the overestimated SMF fraction. Measurements at distinct clay and silt particle sizes are shown to be more useful for evaluation of the models, in contrast to the sum over all particles sizes that is susceptible to compensating errors, as illustrated by the SMF experiment. Model errors suggest that allocation of the emitted silt fraction of each mineral into the corresponding transported size categories is an important remaining source of uncertainty. Evaluation of both models and the MMT is hindered by the limited number of size-resolved measurements of mineral content that sparsely sample aerosols from the major dust sources. In conclusion, the importance of climate processes dependent upon aerosol mineral composition shows the need for global and routine mineral measurements.« less

  16. DETROIT EXPOSURE AND AEROSOL RESEARCH STUDY (DEARS)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) is a residential and personal exposure field monitoring study that is being conducted in Detroit MI over a three-year period from 2004 to 2007. The primary goal of the study is to evaluate and describe the relationship betw...

  17. Criteria pollutant and acid aerosol characterization study, Catano, Puerto Rico

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Edgerton, E.S.; Harlos, D.P.; Sune, J.M.

    1995-07-01

    The primary objective of the Catano Criteria Pollutant and Acid Aerosol Characterization Study (CPAACS) was to measure criteria pollutant concentrations and acid aerosol concentrations in and around the Ward of Catano, Puerto Rico, during the summer of 1994. Continuous air sampling for criteria pollutants was performed at three fixed stations and one moobile station that was deployed to four locations. Air samples for acid aerosol analyses and particulate matter measurements were collected at three sites. Semicontinuous sulfate analysis was performed at the primary site. Continuous measurements of wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and relative humidity were also made at eachmore » site. The study was conducted from June 1 through September 30, 1994.« less

  18. Laboratory Experiments and Modeling for Interpreting Field Studies of Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation Using an Oxidation Flow Reactor

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jimenez, Jose-Luis

    2016-02-01

    This grant was originally funded for deployment of a suite of aerosol instrumentation by our group in collaboration with other research groups and DOE/ARM to the Ganges Valley in India (GVAX) to study aerosols sources and processing. Much of the first year of this grant was focused on preparations for GVAX. That campaign was cancelled due to political reasons and with the consultation with our program manager, the research of this grant was refocused to study the applications of oxidation flow reactors (OFRs) for investigating secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and organic aerosol (OA) processing in the field and laboratorymore » through a series of laboratory and modeling studies. We developed a gas-phase photochemical model of an OFR which was used to 1) explore the sensitivities of key output variables (e.g., OH exposure, O 3, HO 2/OH) to controlling factors (e.g., water vapor, external reactivity, UV irradiation), 2) develop simplified OH exposure estimation equations, 3) investigate under what conditions non-OH chemistry may be important, and 4) help guide design of future experiments to avoid conditions with undesired chemistry for a wide range of conditions applicable to the ambient, laboratory, and source studies. Uncertainties in the model were quantified and modeled OH exposure was compared to tracer decay measurements of OH exposure in the lab and field. Laboratory studies using OFRs were conducted to explore aerosol yields and composition from anthropogenic and biogenic VOC as well as crude oil evaporates. Various aspects of the modeling and laboratory results and tools were applied to interpretation of ambient and source measurements using OFR. Additionally, novel measurement methods were used to study gas/particle partitioning. The research conducted was highly successful and details of the key results are summarized in this report through narrative text, figures, and a complete list of publications acknowledging this grant.« less

  19. Comparison of five bacteriophages as models for viral aerosol studies.

    PubMed

    Turgeon, Nathalie; Toulouse, Marie-Josée; Martel, Bruno; Moineau, Sylvain; Duchaine, Caroline

    2014-07-01

    Bacteriophages are perceived to be good models for the study of airborne viruses because they are safe to use, some of them display structural features similar to those of human and animal viruses, and they are relatively easy to produce in large quantities. Yet, only a few studies have investigated them as models. It has previously been demonstrated that aerosolization, environmental conditions, and sampling conditions affect viral infectivity, but viral infectivity is virus dependent. Thus, several virus models are likely needed to study their general behavior in aerosols. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of aerosolization and sampling on the infectivity of five tail-less bacteriophages and two pathogenic viruses: MS2 (a single-stranded RNA [ssRNA] phage of the Leviviridae family), Φ6 (a segmented double-stranded RNA [dsRNA] phage of the Cystoviridae family), ΦX174 (a single-stranded DNA [ssDNA] phage of the Microviridae family), PM2 (a double-stranded DNA [dsDNA] phage of the Corticoviridae family), PR772 (a dsDNA phage of the Tectiviridae family), human influenza A virus H1N1 (an ssRNA virus of the Orthomyxoviridae family), and the poultry virus Newcastle disease virus (NDV; an ssRNA virus of the Paramyxoviridae family). Three nebulizers and two nebulization salt buffers (with or without organic fluid) were tested, as were two aerosol sampling devices, a liquid cyclone (SKC BioSampler) and a dry cyclone (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health two-stage cyclone bioaerosol sampler). The presence of viruses in collected air samples was detected by culture and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Our results showed that these selected five phages behave differently when aerosolized and sampled. RNA phage MS2 and ssDNA phage ΦX174 were the most resistant to aerosolization and sampling. The presence of organic fluid in the nebulization buffer protected phages PR772 and Φ6 throughout the aerosolization and sampling with dry cyclones. In this

  20. Comparison of Five Bacteriophages as Models for Viral Aerosol Studies

    PubMed Central

    Turgeon, Nathalie; Toulouse, Marie-Josée; Martel, Bruno; Moineau, Sylvain

    2014-01-01

    Bacteriophages are perceived to be good models for the study of airborne viruses because they are safe to use, some of them display structural features similar to those of human and animal viruses, and they are relatively easy to produce in large quantities. Yet, only a few studies have investigated them as models. It has previously been demonstrated that aerosolization, environmental conditions, and sampling conditions affect viral infectivity, but viral infectivity is virus dependent. Thus, several virus models are likely needed to study their general behavior in aerosols. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of aerosolization and sampling on the infectivity of five tail-less bacteriophages and two pathogenic viruses: MS2 (a single-stranded RNA [ssRNA] phage of the Leviviridae family), Φ6 (a segmented double-stranded RNA [dsRNA] phage of the Cystoviridae family), ΦX174 (a single-stranded DNA [ssDNA] phage of the Microviridae family), PM2 (a double-stranded DNA [dsDNA] phage of the Corticoviridae family), PR772 (a dsDNA phage of the Tectiviridae family), human influenza A virus H1N1 (an ssRNA virus of the Orthomyxoviridae family), and the poultry virus Newcastle disease virus (NDV; an ssRNA virus of the Paramyxoviridae family). Three nebulizers and two nebulization salt buffers (with or without organic fluid) were tested, as were two aerosol sampling devices, a liquid cyclone (SKC BioSampler) and a dry cyclone (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health two-stage cyclone bioaerosol sampler). The presence of viruses in collected air samples was detected by culture and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Our results showed that these selected five phages behave differently when aerosolized and sampled. RNA phage MS2 and ssDNA phage ΦX174 were the most resistant to aerosolization and sampling. The presence of organic fluid in the nebulization buffer protected phages PR772 and Φ6 throughout the aerosolization and sampling with dry cyclones. In this

  1. Constraining Carbonaceous Aerosol Climate Forcing by Bridging Laboratory, Field and Modeling Studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dubey, M. K.; Aiken, A. C.; Liu, S.; Saleh, R.; Cappa, C. D.; Williams, L. R.; Donahue, N. M.; Gorkowski, K.; Ng, N. L.; Mazzoleni, C.; China, S.; Sharma, N.; Yokelson, R. J.; Allan, J. D.; Liu, D.

    2014-12-01

    Biomass and fossil fuel combustion emits black (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) aerosols that absorb sunlight to warm climate and organic carbon (OC) aerosols that scatter sunlight to cool climate. The net forcing depends strongly on the composition, mixing state and transformations of these carbonaceous aerosols. Complexities from large variability of fuel types, combustion conditions and aging processes have confounded their treatment in models. We analyse recent laboratory and field measurements to uncover fundamental mechanism that control the chemical, optical and microphysical properties of carbonaceous aerosols that are elaborated below: Wavelength dependence of absorption and the single scattering albedo (ω) of fresh biomass burning aerosols produced from many fuels during FLAME-4 was analysed to determine the factors that control the variability in ω. Results show that ω varies strongly with fire-integrated modified combustion efficiency (MCEFI)—higher MCEFI results in lower ω values and greater spectral dependence of ω (Liu et al GRL 2014). A parameterization of ω as a function of MCEFI for fresh BB aerosols is derived from the laboratory data and is evaluated by field data, including BBOP. Our laboratory studies also demonstrate that BrC production correlates with BC indicating that that they are produced by a common mechanism that is driven by MCEFI (Saleh et al NGeo 2014). We show that BrC absorption is concentrated in the extremely low volatility component that favours long-range transport. We observe substantial absorption enhancement for internally mixed BC from diesel and wood combustion near London during ClearFlo. While the absorption enhancement is due to BC particles coated by co-emitted OC in urban regions, it increases with photochemical age in rural areas and is simulated by core-shell models. We measure BrC absorption that is concentrated in the extremely low volatility components and attribute it to wood burning. Our results support

  2. Photochemistry of Glyoxal in Wet Aerosols: Smog Chamber Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lim, Y. B.; Kim, H.; Turpin, B. J.

    2015-12-01

    Aqueous chemistry is an important pathway for the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Reaction vessel studies provide evidence that in the aqueous phase photooxidation of water soluble organic compounds (e.g., glyoxal, methylglyoxal) form multifunctional organic products and oligomers. In this work, we extend this bulk-phase chemistry to the condensed-phase chemistry that occurs in/on aerosols by conducting smog chamber experiments — photooxidation of ammonium sulfate and sulfuric acid aerosols containing glyoxal and hydrogen peroxide in the presence of NOx under dry/humid conditions. Particles were analyzed using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). In the irradiated chamber, photooxidation products of glyoxal as seen in reaction vessel experiments (e.g., oxalic acids and tartaric acids) were also formed in both ammonium sulfate aerosols and sulfuric acid aerosols at humid and even dry conditions. However, the major products were organosulfurs (CHOS), organonitrogens (CHON), and nitrooxy-organosulfates (CHONS), which were also dominantly formed in the dark chamber. These products were formed via non-radical reactions, which depend on acidity and humidity. However, the real-time profiles in the dark chamber and the irradiated chamber were very different, suggesting photochemistry substantially affects non-radical formation in the condensed phase.

  3. A Study of Aerosol Direct Radiative Effect and Its Impacts on Global Terrestrial Ecosystem Cycles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, J.; Shao, S.; Zhou, L.

    2017-12-01

    Aerosols can absorb and scatter solar radiation, thus cause the total solar radiation reaching the surface to drop and the fraction of diffuse radiation to increase, which influence the surface radiation budget. The global surface radiation with and without consideration of aerosols are calculated by the Fu-Liou atmospheric radiative transfer model based on the MODIS aerosol products, CERES cloud products and other remote sensing data. The aerosol direct radiative effect is calculated based on the two scenarios of aerosols. Our calculation showed that in 2007, aerosols decreased the global total radiation by 9.16 W m-2 on average. Large decrease generally occurred in places with high AOD. As for the diffuse radiation, aerosol-induced changes were either positive or negative. Large increase generally occurred in places with high surface albedo, while large decrease generally occurred in places with high cloud fraction. The global aerosol-induced diffuse radiation change averaged 8.17 W m-2 in 2007. The aerosol direct radiative effect causes the photosynthetic active radiation to increase, and its influences on the global carbon cycle of terrestrial ecosystem are studied by using the Community Land Model (CLM). Calculations show that the aerosol direct radiative effects caused the global averages of terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP), net primary productivity (NPP), heterotrophic respiration (RH), autotrophic respiration (RA), and net ecosystem productivity (Reco) to increase in 2007, with significant spatial variations however. The global average changes of GPP, NPP, NEP, RA, RH and Reco in 2007 were +6.47 gC m-2, +2.23 gC m-2, +0.34 gC m-2, +4.24 gC m-2, +1.89 gC m-2, +6.13 gC m-2, respectively. Examinations of the carbon fluxes show that the aerosol direct radiative effects influence the terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycles via the following two approaches: First, the diffuse fertilization effect, i.e. more diffuse radiation absorbed by vegetation shade

  4. MAC-v1: A new global aerosol climatology for climate studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kinne, Stefan; O'Donnel, Declan; Stier, Philip; Kloster, Silvia; Zhang, Kai; Schmidt, Hauke; Rast, Sebastian; Giorgetta, Marco; Eck, Tom F.; Stevens, Bjorn

    2013-12-01

    The Max-Planck-Institute Aerosol Climatology version 1 (MAC-v1) is introduced. It describes the optical properties of tropospheric aerosols on monthly timescales and with global coverage at a spatial resolution of 1° in latitude and longitude. By providing aerosol radiative properties for any wavelength of the solar (or shortwave) and of the terrestrial (or longwave) radiation spectrum, as needed in radiative transfer applications, this MAC-v1 data set lends itself to simplified and computationally efficient representations of tropospheric aerosol in climate studies. Estimates of aerosol radiative properties are provided for both total and anthropogenic aerosol in annual time steps from preindustrial times (i.e., starting with year 1860) well into the future (until the year 2100). Central to the aerosol climatology is the merging of monthly statistics of aerosol optical properties for current (year 2000) conditions. Hereby locally sparse but trusted high-quality data by ground-based sun-photometer networks are merged onto complete background maps defined by central data from global modeling with complex aerosol modules. This merging yields 0.13 for the global annual midvisible aerosol optical depth (AOD), with 0.07 attributed to aerosol sizes larger than 1 µm in diameter and 0.06 of attributed to aerosol sizes smaller than 1 µm in diameter. Hereby larger particles are less absorbing with a single scattering albedo (SSA) of 0.98 compared to 0.93 for smaller sizes. Simulation results of a global model are applied to prescribe the vertical distribution and to estimate anthropogenic contributions to the smaller size AOD as a function of time, with a 0.037 value for current conditions. In a demonstration application, the associated aerosol direct radiative effects are determined. For current conditions, total aerosol is estimated to reduce the combined shortwave and longwave net-flux balance at the top of the atmosphere by about -1.6 W/m2 from which -0.5 W/m2 (with

  5. Classifying aerosol type using in situ surface spectral aerosol optical properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmeisser, Lauren; Andrews, Elisabeth; Ogren, John A.; Sheridan, Patrick; Jefferson, Anne; Sharma, Sangeeta; Kim, Jeong Eun; Sherman, James P.; Sorribas, Mar; Kalapov, Ivo; Arsov, Todor; Angelov, Christo; Mayol-Bracero, Olga L.; Labuschagne, Casper; Kim, Sang-Woo; Hoffer, András; Lin, Neng-Huei; Chia, Hao-Ping; Bergin, Michael; Sun, Junying; Liu, Peng; Wu, Hao

    2017-10-01

    Knowledge of aerosol size and composition is important for determining radiative forcing effects of aerosols, identifying aerosol sources and improving aerosol satellite retrieval algorithms. The ability to extrapolate aerosol size and composition, or type, from intensive aerosol optical properties can help expand the current knowledge of spatiotemporal variability in aerosol type globally, particularly where chemical composition measurements do not exist concurrently with optical property measurements. This study uses medians of the scattering Ångström exponent (SAE), absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) and single scattering albedo (SSA) from 24 stations within the NOAA/ESRL Federated Aerosol Monitoring Network to infer aerosol type using previously published aerosol classification schemes.Three methods are implemented to obtain a best estimate of dominant aerosol type at each station using aerosol optical properties. The first method plots station medians into an AAE vs. SAE plot space, so that a unique combination of intensive properties corresponds with an aerosol type. The second typing method expands on the first by introducing a multivariate cluster analysis, which aims to group stations with similar optical characteristics and thus similar dominant aerosol type. The third and final classification method pairs 3-day backward air mass trajectories with median aerosol optical properties to explore the relationship between trajectory origin (proxy for likely aerosol type) and aerosol intensive parameters, while allowing for multiple dominant aerosol types at each station.The three aerosol classification methods have some common, and thus robust, results. In general, estimating dominant aerosol type using optical properties is best suited for site locations with a stable and homogenous aerosol population, particularly continental polluted (carbonaceous aerosol), marine polluted (carbonaceous aerosol mixed with sea salt) and continental dust/biomass sites

  6. A study of photochemical againg of ambient air using Potential Aerosol Mass (PAM) chamber under the different sources and types of emissions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, T.; Son, J.; Kim, J.; Kim, S.; Sung, K.; Park, G.; Link, M.; Park, T.; Kim, K.; Kang, S.; Ban, J.; Kim, D. S.

    2016-12-01

    Recent research proposed that Secondary Aerosol (SA) is important class of predicting future climate change scenarios, health effect, and a general air quality. However, there has been lack of studies to investigate SA formation all over the world. This study tried to focus on understanding potential secondary aerosol formation and its local impact by the photochemical aging of inorganic and organic aerosols in the ambient air using the Potential Aerosol Mass (PAM) chamber under the different sources and types of emissions. PAM chamber manufactured by Aerodyne make an oxidizing environment that simulates oxidation processes on timescales of 12-15 hrs in the atmosphere. Chemical compositions of ambient aerosol and aerosol that was aged in the PAM chamber were alternately measured every 2-minutes using the High Resolution-Time of Flight-Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). HR-ToF-AMS provides non-refractory aerosol mass concentrations including nitrate, sulfate, hydrocarbon-like and oxygenated organic aerosol in real time. This study includes a residence area of mixture of sources, a forest site of dominant source of biogenic VOCs, an underground parking lot of dominant vehicle emission, and laboratory experiment of vehicle emissions under different fuels and speeds using the chassis dynamometer. As a result, it was revealed that gasoline and LPG vehicle relatively made more potential SA than diesel vehicle.

  7. Minimum aerosol layer detection sensitivities and their subsequent impacts on aerosol optical thickness retrievals in CALIPSO level 2 data products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Toth, Travis D.; Campbell, James R.; Reid, Jeffrey S.; Tackett, Jason L.; Vaughan, Mark A.; Zhang, Jianglong; Marquis, Jared W.

    2018-01-01

    Due to instrument sensitivities and algorithm detection limits, level 2 (L2) Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) 532 nm aerosol extinction profile retrievals are often populated with retrieval fill values (RFVs), which indicate the absence of detectable levels of aerosol within the profile. In this study, using 4 years (2007-2008 and 2010-2011) of CALIOP version 3 L2 aerosol data, the occurrence frequency of daytime CALIOP profiles containing all RFVs (all-RFV profiles) is studied. In the CALIOP data products, the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) of any all-RFV profile is reported as being zero, which may introduce a bias in CALIOP-based AOT climatologies. For this study, we derive revised estimates of AOT for all-RFV profiles using collocated Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Dark Target (DT) and, where available, AErosol RObotic NEtwork (AERONET) data. Globally, all-RFV profiles comprise roughly 71 % of all daytime CALIOP L2 aerosol profiles (i.e., including completely attenuated profiles), accounting for nearly half (45 %) of all daytime cloud-free L2 aerosol profiles. The mean collocated MODIS DT (AERONET) 550 nm AOT is found to be near 0.06 (0.08) for CALIOP all-RFV profiles. We further estimate a global mean aerosol extinction profile, a so-called noise floor, for CALIOP all-RFV profiles. The global mean CALIOP AOT is then recomputed by replacing RFV values with the derived noise-floor values for both all-RFV and non-all-RFV profiles. This process yields an improvement in the agreement of CALIOP and MODIS over-ocean AOT.

  8. Are ship tracks useful analogs for studying the aerosol indirect effect?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Christensen, M.; Toll, V.; Stephens, G. L.

    2017-12-01

    Vessels transiting the ocean sometimes leave their mark on the clouds - leaving behind reflective cloud lines, known as ship tracks. Ship tracks have been looked upon by some as a possible Rosetta Stone connecting the effects of changing aerosol over the ocean and cloud albedo effects on climate (Porch et al. 1990, Atmos. Enviorn., 1051-1059). In this research, we establish whether ship tracks, and volcano tracks - a natural analog, can be used to relate these cloud-scale perturbations to the aerosol effects occurring at larger regional-scales. Two databases containing over 1,500 ship and 900 volcano tracks, all carefully hand-selected from satellite imagery, are utilized; showing that ship tracks exhibit very similar cloud albedo effect responses to that of volcano tracks. For comparison, our global dataset utilises over 7 million CloudSat profiles consisting of single-layer marine warm cloud in which the retrievals are co-located with the MODerate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) product so that statistical relationships between aerosol and cloud can be computed over 4x4 degree regions. All datasets show the same key physical processes that govern the cloud-aerosol indirect effect, namely, the strong negative responses in cloud droplet size and the bidirectional responses in liquid water path and cloud albedo depending on the meteorological conditions. Finally, this analysis is extended to a comparison against several general circulation models where it is suggested that key processes such as cloud-top entrainment and evaporation that regulates against strong liquid water path responses are likely underrepresented in most models.

  9. Reactive Heterogeneous Chemistry on Organic Aerosols: Two Case Studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abbatt, J.; Braban, C.; Broekhuizen, K.; Thornberry, T.; Thornton, J.

    2003-12-01

    Two sets of laboratory studies will be discussed to illustrate the impact that heterogeneous chemistry involving tropospheric organic aerosols may have on both the gas-phase composition of the atmosphere and the chemical nature of the particles themselves. In the first case, the reactive uptake coefficient for the hydrolysis of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) on organic aerosols has been measured in an entrained aerosol flow tube coupled to a Chemical-Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIMS). The general observation is that the reaction on aqueous malonic acid aerosols behaves in an analogous manner to that on aqueous inorganic salts, i.e. the uptake coefficient shows a linear dependence on the particle water content up to 50% relative humidity (RH), at which point the effect saturates. In addition, there is evidence for the kinetics being dependent on both the size of the particles and the levels of dissolved nitrate. By contrast, the N2O5 hydrolysis kinetics on solid azelaic acid particles are too slow to be atmospherically significant, even at 85% RH. In the second case, the kinetics and product yields from the oxidation of liquid oleic acid by ozone have been studied in considerable detail, with emphasis on the quantification of gas-phase products (nonanal) by CIMS and water-soluble species by HPLC/Electrospray-Ionization Mass Spectrometry (azelaic acid, nonanoic acid). The atmospheric importance of these results will be discussed, in particular with respect to the role of organic aerosol oxidation as a source of cloud condensation nuclei.

  10. SAGE II Measurements of Stratospheric Aerosol Properties at Non-Volcanic Levels

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thomason, Larry W.; Burton, Sharon P.; Luo, Bei-Ping; Peter, Thomas

    2008-01-01

    Since 2000, stratospheric aerosol levels have been relatively stable and at the lowest levels observed in the historical record. Given the challenges of making satellite measurements of aerosol properties at these levels, we have performed a study of the sensitivity of the product to the major components of the processing algorithm used in the production of SAGE II aerosol extinction measurements and the retrieval process that produces the operational surface area density (SAD) product. We find that the aerosol extinction measurements, particularly at 1020 nm, remain robust and reliable at the observed aerosol levels. On the other hand, during background periods, the SAD operational product has an uncertainty of at least a factor of 2 during due to the lack of sensitivity to particles with radii less than 100 nm.

  11. Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) as a Component of AERONET

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smirnov, A.; Holben, B. N.; Slutsker, I.; Giles, D. M.; McClain, C. R.; Eck, T. F.; Sakerin, S. M.; Macke, A.; Croot, P.; Zibordi, G.; hide

    2008-01-01

    The World Ocean produces a large amount of natural aerosols that have all impact on the Earth's albedo and climate. Sea-salt is the major contributor to aerosol optical depth over the oceans. [Mahowald et al. 2006; Chin et al. 2002; Satheesh et al. 1999; Winter and Chylek, 1997] and therefore affects the radiative balance over the ocean through the direct [Haywood et al. 1999] and indirect aerosol effect [O'Dowd et al. 1999]. Aerosols over the oceans (produced marine and advected from land sources) are important for various atmospheric processes [Lewis and Schwartz, 2004] and remote sensing studies [Gordon, 1997].

  12. Apportionment of Primary and Secondary Organic Aerosols in Southern California During the 2005 Study of Organic Aerosols in Riverside (SOAR-1)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Ambient sampling was conducted in Riverside, California during the 2005 Study of Organic Aerosols in Riverside to characterize the composition and sources of organic aerosol using a variety of state-of-the-art instrumentation and source apportionment techniques.

  13. Spatial and temporal variations of aerosols around Beijing in summer 2006: 2. Local and column aerosol optical properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matsui, H.; Koike, M.; Kondo, Y.; Takegawa, N.; Fast, J. D.; PöSchl, U.; Garland, R. M.; Andreae, M. O.; Wiedensohler, A.; Sugimoto, N.; Zhu, T.

    2010-11-01

    Model calculations were conducted using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with chemistry (WRF-chem) for the region around Beijing, China, in the summer of 2006, when the CAREBeijing-2006 intensive campaign was conducted. In this paper, we interpret aerosol optical properties in terms of aerosol mass concentrations and their chemical compositions by linking model calculations with measurements. The model calculations generally captured the observed variability of various surface and column aerosol optical parameters in and around Beijing. At the surface, the spatial and temporal variations of aerosol absorption and scattering coefficients corresponded well to those of elemental carbon and sulfate mass concentrations, respectively, and were controlled by local-scale (<100 km and <24 hours) and regional-scale (<500 km and <3 days) emissions, respectively. The contribution of secondary aerosols and their water uptake increased with altitude within the planetary boundary layer. This variation led to a considerable increase in column aerosol optical depth and was responsible for the differences in regional and temporal variations between surface and column aerosol optical properties around Beijing. These processes are expected to be common in other megacity regions as well. Model calculations, however, underestimated or overestimated the absolute levels of aerosol optical properties in and around Beijing by up to 60%. Sensitivity studies showed that these discrepancies were mostly due to the uncertainties in aerosol mixing state and aerosol density (affecting mass extinction efficiency) in the model calculations. Good agreement with measurements is achieved when these aerosol properties are accurately predicted or assumed; however, significant bias can result when these properties are inadequately treated, even if total aerosol mass concentrations are reproduced well in the model calculations.

  14. Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign: The Impact of Arctic Aerosols on Clouds

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McFarquhar, Greg; Ghan, Steven J.; Verlinde, J.

    2011-02-01

    A comprehensive dataset of microphysical and radiative properties of aerosols and clouds in the arctic boundary layer in the vicinity of Barrow, Alaska was collected in April 2008 during the Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC) sponsored by the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) and Atmospheric Science Programs. The primary aim of ISDAC was to examine indirect effects of aerosols on clouds that contain both liquid and ice water. The experiment utilized the ARM permanent observational facilities at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) in Barrow. These include a cloud radar, a polarized micropulse lidar, and an atmosphericmore » emitted radiance interferometer as well as instruments specially deployed for ISDAC measuring aerosol, ice fog, precipitation and spectral shortwave radiation. The National Research Council of Canada Convair-580 flew 27 sorties during ISDAC, collecting data using an unprecedented 42 cloud and aerosol instruments for more than 100 hours on 12 different days. Data were obtained above, below and within single-layer stratus on 8 April and 26 April 2008. These data enable a process-oriented understanding of how aerosols affect the microphysical and radiative properties of arctic clouds influenced by different surface conditions. Observations acquired on a heavily polluted day, 19 April 2008, are enhancing this understanding. Data acquired in cirrus on transit flights between Fairbanks and Barrow are improving our understanding of the performance of cloud probes in ice. Ultimately the ISDAC data will be used to improve the representation of cloud and aerosol processes in models covering a variety of spatial and temporal scales, and to determine the extent to which long-term surface-based measurements can provide retrievals of aerosols, clouds, precipitation and radiative heating in the Arctic.« less

  15. Towards climatological study on the characteristics of aerosols in Central Africa and Mediterranean sites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benkhalifa, Jamel; Chaabane, Mabrouk

    2016-02-01

    The atmosphere contains molecules, clouds and aerosols that are sub-millimeter particles having a large variability in size, shape, chemical composition, lifetime and contents. The aerosols concentration depends greatly on the geographical situation, meteorological and environmental conditions, which makes aerosol climatology difficult to assess. Setting up a solar photometer (automatic, autonomous and portable instrument) on a given site allows carrying out the necessary measurements for aerosol characterization. The particle microphysical and optical properties are obtained from photometric measurements. The objective of this study is to analyze the spatial variability of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) in several Mediterranean regions and Central Africa, we considered a set of simultaneous data in the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) from six sites, two of which are located in Central Africa (Banizoumbou and Zinder Airport) and the rest are Mediterranean sites (Barcelona, Malaga, Lampedusa, and Forth Crete). The results have shown that the physical properties of aerosols are closely linked to the climate nature of the studied site. The optical thickness, single scattering albedo and aerosols size distribution can be due to the aging of the dust aerosol as they are transported over the Mediterranean basin.

  16. Electronic cigarette solutions and resultant aerosol profiles.

    PubMed

    Herrington, Jason S; Myers, Colton

    2015-10-30

    Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are growing in popularity exponentially. Despite their ever-growing acceptance, their aerosol has not been fully characterized. The current study focused on evaluating e-cigarette solutions and their resultant aerosol for potential differences. A simple sampling device was developed to draw e-cigarette aerosol into a multi-sorbent thermal desorption (TD) tube, which was then thermally extracted and analyzed via a gas chromatography (GC) mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. This novel application provided detectable levels of over one hundred fifteen volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) from a single 40mL puff. The aerosol profiles from four commercially available e-cigarettes were compared to their respective solution profiles with the same GC-MS method. Solution profiles produced upwards of sixty four unidentified and identified (some only tentatively) constituents and aerosol profiles produced upwards of eighty two compounds. Results demonstrated distinct analyte profiles between liquid and aerosol samples. Most notably, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, and siloxanes were found in the aerosol profiles; however, these compounds were never present in the solutions. These results implicate the aerosolization process in the formation of compounds not found in solutions; have potential implications for human health; and stress the need for an emphasis on electronic cigarette aerosol testing. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Quantifying the effect of organic aerosol aging and intermediate-volatility emissions on regional-scale aerosol pollution in China

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Bin; Wang, Shuxiao; Donahue, Neil M.; Jathar, Shantanu H.; Huang, Xiaofeng; Wu, Wenjing; Hao, Jiming; Robinson, Allen L.

    2016-01-01

    Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is one of the least understood constituents of fine particles; current widely-used models cannot predict its loadings or oxidation state. Recent laboratory experiments demonstrated the importance of several new processes, including aging of SOA from traditional precursors, aging of primary organic aerosol (POA), and photo-oxidation of intermediate volatility organic compounds (IVOCs). However, evaluating the effect of these processes in the real atmosphere is challenging. Most models used in previous studies are over-simplified and some key reaction trajectories are not captured, and model parameters are usually phenomenological and lack experimental constraints. Here we comprehensively assess the effect of organic aerosol (OA) aging and intermediate-volatility emissions on regional-scale OA pollution with a state-of-the-art model framework and experimentally constrained parameters. We find that OA aging and intermediate-volatility emissions together increase OA and SOA concentrations in Eastern China by about 40% and a factor of 10, respectively, thereby improving model-measurement agreement significantly. POA and IVOCs both constitute over 40% of OA concentrations, and IVOCs constitute over half of SOA concentrations; this differs significantly from previous apportionment of SOA sources. This study facilitates an improved estimate of aerosol-induced climate and health impacts, and implies a shift from current fine-particle control policies. PMID:27350423

  18. The Influence of Chemical Composition and Relative Humidity on the Optical Properties of Aerosols During the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Attwood, A. R.; Washenfelder, R. A.; Brock, C. A.; Brown, S. S.; Hu, W.; Campuzano Jost, P.; Day, D. A.; Palm, B. B.; Simoes de Sa, S.; Jimenez, J. L.

    2013-12-01

    Atmospheric particles are produced from a wide variety of both anthropogenic and natural sources and play an important role in the Earth's radiative budget by direct scattering and absorption of radiation. To address this impact, in situ measurements of aerosol optical, chemical and hygroscopic properties were performed during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS), which took place in the summer of 2013. Ground based measurements of sub-micron aerosol in the southeastern United States were made to investigate the influence of chemical composition and hygroscopicity on aerosol optical properties. We report the wavelength dependence of aerosol extinction cross sections measured with a novel broadband cavity enhanced spectrometer covering a wavelength range of 360-420 nm using two light emitting diodes (LED) and a separate cavity ring down (CRDS) channel. The sensitivity of the relative humidity dependence of extinction based on the type of aerosol present is examined and we show that the optical properties and hygroscopicity of aerosols are greatly influenced by the fraction of sulfate and organics within the particles. Additional data analysis from the SOAS campaign will be presented. The results, thus far, illustrate that the variability in aerosol chemical composition can impact visibility and climate forcing in this region.

  19. Detecting Aerosol Effect on Deep Precipitation Systems: A Modeling Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, X.; Tao, W.; Khain, A.; Kummerow, C.; Simpson, J.

    2006-05-01

    Urban cities produce high concentrations of anthropogenic aerosols. These aerosols are generally hygroscopic and may serve as Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN). This study focuses on the aerosol indirect effect on the deep convective systems over the land. These deep convective systems contribute to the majority of the summer time rainfall and are important for local hydrological cycle and weather forecast. In a companion presentation (Tao et al.) in this session, the mechanisms of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in deep convective systems are explored using cloud-resolving model simulations. Here these model results will be analyzed to provide guidance to the detection of the impact of aerosols as CCN on summer time, deep convections using the currently available observation methods. The two-dimensional Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model with an explicit microphysical scheme has been used to simulate the aerosol effect on deep precipitation systems. This model simulates the size distributions of aerosol particles, as well as cloud, rain, ice crystals, snow, graupel, and hail explicitly. Two case studies are analyzed: a midlatitude summer time squall in Oklahoma, and a sea breeze convection in Florida. It is shown that increasing the CCN number concentration does not affect the rainfall structure and rain duration in these two cases. The total surface rainfall rate is reduced in the squall case, but remains essentially the same in the sea breeze case. For the long-lived squall system with a significant portion of the stratiform rain, the surface rainfall PDF (probability density function) distribution is more sensitive to the change of the initial CCN concentrations compared with the total surface rainfall. The possibility of detecting the aerosol indirect effect in deep precipitation systems from the space is also studied in this presentation. The hydrometeors fields from the GCE model simulations are used as inputs to a microwave radiative transfer model

  20. Toward Investigating Optically Trapped Organic Aerosols with CARS Microspectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Voss, L. F.

    2009-12-01

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change notes the huge uncertainty in the effect that atmospheric aerosols play in determining overall global temperature, specifically in their ability to nucleate clouds. To better understand aerosol chemistry, the novel coupling of gradient force optical trapping with broad bandwidth coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy is being developed to study single particles suspended in air. Building on successful designs employed separately for the techniques, this hybrid technology will be used to explain how the oxidation of organic compounds changes the chemical and physical properties of aerosols. By trapping the particles, an individual aerosol can be studied for up to several days. Using a broad bandwidth pulse for one of the incident beams will result in a Raman vibrational spectrum from every laser pulse. Combined with signal enhancement due to resonance and coherence of nonlinear CARS spectroscopy, this technique will allow for acquisition of data on the millisecond time scale, facilitating the study of dynamic processes. This will provide insights on how aerosols react with and absorb species from the gas phase. These experiments will increase understanding of aerosol oxidation and growth mechanisms and the effects that aerosols have on our atmosphere and climate. Progress in efforts developing this novel technique to study model systems is presented.

  1. Indirect estimation of absorption properties for fine aerosol particles using AATSR observations: a case study of wildfires in Russia in 2010

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodriguez, E.; Kolmonen, P.; Virtanen, T. H.; Sogacheva, L.; Sundstrom, A.-M.; de Leeuw, G.

    2015-08-01

    The Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) on board the ENVISAT satellite is used to study aerosol properties. The retrieval of aerosol properties from satellite data is based on the optimized fit of simulated and measured reflectances at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). The simulations are made using a radiative transfer model with a variety of representative aerosol properties. The retrieval process utilizes a combination of four aerosol components, each of which is defined by their (lognormal) size distribution and a complex refractive index: a weakly and a strongly absorbing fine-mode component, coarse mode sea salt aerosol and coarse mode desert dust aerosol). These components are externally mixed to provide the aerosol model which in turn is used to calculate the aerosol optical depth (AOD). In the AATSR aerosol retrieval algorithm, the mixing of these components is decided by minimizing the error function given by the sum of the differences between measured and calculated path radiances at 3-4 wavelengths, where the path radiances are varied by varying the aerosol component mixing ratios. The continuous variation of the fine-mode components allows for the continuous variation of the fine-mode aerosol absorption. Assuming that the correct aerosol model (i.e. the correct mixing fractions of the four components) is selected during the retrieval process, also other aerosol properties could be computed such as the single scattering albedo (SSA). Implications of this assumption regarding the ratio of the weakly/strongly absorbing fine-mode fraction are investigated in this paper by evaluating the validity of the SSA thus obtained. The SSA is indirectly estimated for aerosol plumes with moderate-to-high AOD resulting from wildfires in Russia in the summer of 2010. Together with the AOD, the SSA provides the aerosol absorbing optical depth (AAOD). The results are compared with AERONET data, i.e. AOD level 2.0 and SSA and AAOD inversion products. The RMSE

  2. Using the OMI Aerosol Index and Absorption Aerosol Optical Depth to evaluate the NASA MERRA Aerosol Reanalysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buchard, V.; da Silva, A. M.; Colarco, P. R.; Darmenov, A.; Randles, C. A.; Govindaraju, R.; Torres, O.; Campbell, J.; Spurr, R.

    2014-12-01

    A radiative transfer interface has been developed to simulate the UV Aerosol Index (AI) from the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) aerosol assimilated fields. The purpose of this work is to use the AI and Aerosol Absorption Optical Depth (AAOD) derived from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) measurements as independent validation for the Modern Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Aerosol Reanalysis (MERRAero). MERRAero is based on a version of the GEOS-5 model that is radiatively coupled to the Goddard Chemistry, Aerosol, Radiation, and Transport (GOCART) aerosol module and includes assimilation of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor. Since AI is dependent on aerosol concentration, optical properties and altitude of the aerosol layer, we make use of complementary observations to fully diagnose the model, including AOD from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), aerosol retrievals from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and attenuated backscatter coefficients from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) mission to ascertain potential misplacement of plume height by the model. By sampling dust, biomass burning and pollution events in 2007 we have compared model produced AI and AAOD with the corresponding OMI products, identifying regions where the model representation of absorbing aerosols was deficient. As a result of this study over the Saharan dust region, we have obtained a new set of dust aerosol optical properties that retains consistency with the MODIS AOD data that were assimilated, while resulting in better agreement with aerosol absorption measurements from OMI. The analysis conducted over the South African and South American biomass burning regions indicates that revising the spectrally-dependent aerosol absorption properties in the near-UV region improves the modeled-observed AI comparisons

  3. Using the OMI aerosol index and absorption aerosol optical depth to evaluate the NASA MERRA Aerosol Reanalysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buchard, V.; da Silva, A. M.; Colarco, P. R.; Darmenov, A.; Randles, C. A.; Govindaraju, R.; Torres, O.; Campbell, J.; Spurr, R.

    2015-05-01

    A radiative transfer interface has been developed to simulate the UV aerosol index (AI) from the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System version 5 (GEOS-5) aerosol assimilated fields. The purpose of this work is to use the AI and aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) derived from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) measurements as independent validation for the Modern Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Aerosol Reanalysis (MERRAero). MERRAero is based on a version of the GEOS-5 model that is radiatively coupled to the Goddard Chemistry, Aerosol, Radiation, and Transport (GOCART) aerosol module and includes assimilation of aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor. Since AI is dependent on aerosol concentration, optical properties and altitude of the aerosol layer, we make use of complementary observations to fully diagnose the model, including AOD from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), aerosol retrievals from the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) and attenuated backscatter coefficients from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) mission to ascertain potential misplacement of plume height by the model. By sampling dust, biomass burning and pollution events in 2007 we have compared model-produced AI and AAOD with the corresponding OMI products, identifying regions where the model representation of absorbing aerosols was deficient. As a result of this study over the Saharan dust region, we have obtained a new set of dust aerosol optical properties that retains consistency with the MODIS AOD data that were assimilated, while resulting in better agreement with aerosol absorption measurements from OMI. The analysis conducted over the southern African and South American biomass burning regions indicates that revising the spectrally dependent aerosol absorption properties in the near-UV region improves the modeled-observed AI comparisons

  4. Impacts of aerosol pollutant mitigation on lowland rice yields in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Tianyi; Li, Tao; Yue, Xu; Yang, Xiaoguang

    2017-10-01

    Aerosol pollution in China is significantly altering radiative transfer processes and is thereby potentially affecting rice photosynthesis and yields. However, the response of rice photosynthesis to aerosol-induced radiative perturbations is still not well understood. Here, we employ a process-based modelling approach to simulate changes in incoming radiation (RAD) and the diffuse radiation fraction (DF) with aerosol mitigation in China and their associated impacts on rice yields. Aerosol reduction has the positive effect of increasing RAD and the negative effect of decreasing DF on rice photosynthesis and yields. In rice production areas where the average RAD during the growing season is lower than 250 W m-2, aerosol reduction is beneficial for higher rice yields, whereas in areas with RAD>250 W m-2, aerosol mitigation causes yield declines due to the associated reduction in the DF, which decreases the light use efficiency. As a net effect, rice yields were estimated to significantly increase by 0.8%-2.6% with aerosol concentrations reductions from 20 to 100%, which is lower than the estimates obtained in earlier studies that only considered the effects of RAD. This finding suggests that both RAD and DF are important processes influencing rice yields and should be incorporated into future assessments of agricultural responses to variations in aerosol-induced radiation under climate change.

  5. Effects of Aerosol Pollution on Clouds over Megacities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sechrist, B.; Jacobson, M. Z.

    2013-12-01

    The correlation between aerosol optical depth (AOD) and cloud properties - principally cloud fraction and cloud optical depth (COD) - is examined using satellite retrievals from the MODIS satellites over Los Angeles and Beijing. Ten Hoeve et al. (2011, Atmos. Chem. Phys, 11(7), 3021-3036) used satellite data to examine the impact of aerosols on warm clouds around Rondonia, Brazil, during the biomass burning season. They found that the COD-AOD relationship exhibits a 'boomerang' shape in which COD initially increases with increasing AOD but then decreases as AOD continues to increase beyond some critical level. This result is thought to reflect the balance between the microphysical and radiative components of a cloud's response to aerosols. The microphysical process dominates at low AOD, while the radiative process dominates at high AOD. This study is analogous to Ten Hoeve et al., but for aerosols derived primarily from fossil fuel combustion rather than biomass burning. Preliminary results will be presented.

  6. Aerosol Data Assimilation at GMAO

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    da Silva, Arlindo M.; Buchard, Virginie

    2017-01-01

    This presentation presents an overview of the aerosol data assimilation work performed at GMAO. The GMAO Forward Processing system and the biomass burning emissions from QFED are first presented. Then, the current assimilation of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), performed by means of the analysis splitting method is briefly described, followed by some results on the quality control of observations using a Neural Network trained using AERONET AOD. Some applications are shown such as the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1991 using the MERRA-2 aerosol dataset. Finally preliminary results on the EnKF implementation for aerosol assimilation are presented.

  7. Relationship between fluid bed aerosol generator operation and the aerosol produced

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Carpenter, R.L.; Yerkes, K.

    1980-12-01

    The relationships between bed operation in a fluid bed aerosol generator and aerosol output were studied. A two-inch diameter fluid bed aerosol generator (FBG) was constructed using stainless steel powder as a fluidizing medium. Fly ash from coal combustion was aerosolized and the influence of FBG operating parameters on aerosol mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD), geometric standard deviation (sigma/sub g/) and concentration was examined. In an effort to extend observations on large fluid beds to small beds using fine bed particles, minimum fluidizing velocities and elutriation constant were computed. Although FBG minimum fluidizing velocity agreed well with calculations, FBG elutriationmore » constant did not. The results of this study show that the properties of aerosols produced by a FBG depend on fluid bed height and air flow through the bed after the minimum fluidizing velocity is exceeded.« less

  8. CATS Aerosol Typing and Future Directions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McGill, Matt; Yorks, John; Scott, Stan; Palm, Stephen; Hlavka, Dennis; Hart, William; Nowottnick, Ed; Selmer, Patrick; Kupchock, Andrew; Midzak, Natalie; hide

    2016-01-01

    The Cloud Aerosol Transport System (CATS), launched in January of 2015, is a lidar remote sensing instrument that will provide range-resolved profile measurements of atmospheric aerosols and clouds from the International Space Station (ISS). CATS is intended to operate on-orbit for at least six months, and up to three years. Status of CATS Level 2 and Plans for the Future:Version. 1. Aerosol Typing (ongoing): Mode 1: L1B data released later this summer; L2 data released shortly after; Identify algorithm biases (ex. striping, FOV (field of view) biases). Mode 2: Processed Released Currently working on correcting algorithm issues. Version 2 Aerosol Typing (Fall, 2016): Implementation of version 1 modifications Integrate GEOS-5 aerosols for typing guidance for non spherical aerosols. Version 3 Aerosol Typing (2017): Implementation of 1-D Var Assimilation into GEOS-5 Dynamic lidar ratio that will evolve in conjunction with simulated aerosol mixtures.

  9. Atmosphere aerosol satellite project Aerosol-UA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Milinevsky, Gennadi; Yatskiv, Yaroslav; Syniavskyi, Ivan; Bovchaliuk, Andrii; Degtyaryov, Oleksandr; Sosonkin, Mikhail; Mishchenko, Michael; Danylevsky, Vassyl; Ivanov, Yury; Oberemok, Yevgeny; Masley, Volodymyr; Rosenbush, Vera; Moskalev, Sergii

    2017-04-01

    channels of the MSIP are the intensity channels that serve to obtain images in eight spectral wavebands to retrieve the aerosol optical depth. The main feature of the each MSIP channel is the splitting of the image by a special prism-splitter to four images on the same CCD detector. In that way we can simultaneously measure four polarization components at 0°, 45°, 90° and 135° as images in each of three polarization channels. One of the special features of ScanPol/MSIP concept is calibration of the MSIP using ScanPol data in the same field-of-view with 1% expected polarization accuracy. The Aerosol-UA experiment is planned to be launched in 2020 at the new satellite platform YuzhSat developed in the Yuzhnoye Design Office. The GRASP algorithm (Dubovik et al. 2014, doi: 10.1117/2.1201408.005558) is planned for Aerosol-UA data processing and AERONET sun photometers observations for validation. Acknowledgements. The work was partly supported by the Special Complex Program for Space Research 2012-2016 of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, by the project 16BF051-02 of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, and by the grant of the State Fund for Fundamental Research, project F73/115-2016.

  10. Global Survey of Submicron Aerosol Acidity (pH)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nault, B.; Day, D. A.; Campuzano Jost, P.; Hu, W.; Schroder, J. C.; Bian, H.; Chin, M.; Clegg, S. L.; Colarco, P. R.; Dibb, J. E.; Kim, M. J.; Kodros, J.; Marais, E. A.; Pierce, J. R.; Scheuer, E. M.; Wennberg, P. O.; Jimenez, J. L.

    2017-12-01

    Aerosol acidity (H+, often expressed as "pH" defined in various ways) is an important property that influences uptake and partitioning of gases, and homogeneous and surface aqueous reactions of key inorganic and organic compounds. As there is currently no rapid method to measure ambient aerosol acidity, a thermodynamic model, constrained by both inorganic aerosol species (e.g., NH4, NO3, SO4, Cl) and at least one inorganic gas (HNO3, NH3, or HCl), are currently understood to lead to the most reliable estimates of aerosol acidity. In this study, we calculated submicron (less than PM1) aerosol pH from the NASA ATom, "pole-to-pole," flights that covers both the Pacific and Atlantic ocean basins. The E-AIM thermodynamic model was used with measurements by an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol-mass-spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) of inorganic aerosol species, along with inorganic gas measurements from other mass spectrometers and ion chromatography. We compare the results with those for the NASA KORUS-AQ, SEAC4RS, DC3, and ARCTAS campaigns, as well as several ground-based campaigns and recently-published studies. This provides an opportunity to compare the aerosol acidity in urban, rural, and remote regions, by season, and between the boundary layer and free troposphere. In addition, we compare the submicron aerosol acidity from these various localities with results from global models, such as GEOS-Chem, in order to investigate the ability of the global models to simulate aerosol acidity, and the processes it affects, such as nitrate, ammonium, and MSA partitioning.

  11. A Monte-Carlo Analysis of Organic Aerosol Volatility with Aerosol Microphysics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, C. Y.; Tsigaridis, K.; Bauer, S. E.

    2016-12-01

    A newly developed box model scheme, MATRIX-VBS, includes the volatility-basis set (VBS) framework in an aerosol microphysical scheme MATRIX (Multiconfiguration Aerosol TRacker of mIXing state), which resolves aerosol mass and number concentrations and aerosol mixing state. The new scheme advanced the representation of organic aerosols in Earth system models by improving the traditional and simplistic treatment of organic aerosols as non-volatile and with a fixed size distribution. Further development includes adding the condensation of organics on coarse mode aerosols - dust and sea salt, thus making all organics in the system semi-volatile. To test and simplify the model, a Monte-Carlo analysis is performed to pin point which processes affect organics the most under which chemical and meteorological conditions. Since the model's parameterizations have the ability to capture a very wide range of conditions, from very clean to very polluted and for a wide range of meteorological conditions, all possible scenarios on Earth across the whole parameter space, including temperature, location, emissions and oxidant levels, are examined. The Monte-Carlo simulations provide quantitative information on the sensitivity of the newly developed model and help us understand how organics are affecting the size distribution, mixing state and volatility distribution at varying levels of meteorological conditions and pollution levels. In addition, these simulations give information on which parameters play a critical role in the aerosol distribution and evolution in the atmosphere and which do not, that will facilitate the simplification of the box model, an important step in its implementation in the global model.

  12. Aerosol modelling and validation during ESCOMPTE 2001

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cousin, F.; Liousse, C.; Cachier, H.; Bessagnet, B.; Guillaume, B.; Rosset, R.

    The ESCOMPTE 2001 programme (Atmospheric Research. 69(3-4) (2004) 241) has resulted in an exhaustive set of dynamical, radiative, gas and aerosol observations (surface and aircraft measurements). A previous paper (Atmospheric Research. (2004) in press) has dealt with dynamics and gas-phase chemistry. The present paper is an extension to aerosol formation, transport and evolution. To account for important loadings of primary and secondary aerosols and their transformation processes in the ESCOMPTE domain, the ORISAM aerosol module (Atmospheric Environment. 35 (2001) 4751) was implemented on-line in the air-quality Meso-NH-C model. Additional developments have been introduced in ORganic and Inorganic Spectral Aerosol Module (ORISAM) to improve the comparison between simulations and experimental surface and aircraft field data. This paper discusses this comparison for a simulation performed during one selected day, 24 June 2001, during the Intensive Observation Period IOP2b. Our work relies on BC and OCp emission inventories specifically developed for ESCOMPTE. This study confirms the need for a fine resolution aerosol inventory with spectral chemical speciation. BC levels are satisfactorily reproduced, thus validating our emission inventory and its processing through Meso-NH-C. However, comparisons for reactive species generally denote an underestimation of concentrations. Organic aerosol levels are rather well simulated though with a trend to underestimation in the afternoon. Inorganic aerosol species are underestimated for several reasons, some of them have been identified. For sulphates, primary emissions were introduced. Improvement was obtained too for modelled nitrate and ammonium levels after introducing heterogeneous chemistry. However, no modelling of terrigeneous particles is probably a major cause for nitrates and ammonium underestimations. Particle numbers and size distributions are well reproduced, but only in the submicrometer range. Our work points out

  13. Sensitivity of nephelometric method for the investigation of condensation processes in submicron aerosol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Panchenko, Mikhail V.; Sviridenkov, Mikhail A.; Terpugova, Svetlana A.

    2004-02-01

    The possiblities to study the aerosol transformation with the artificial change fo the relative humidity, using the data of polarization and nephelometer measurements are discussed. It is shown that the set of parameters, measured by FAN nephelometer enable to retrieve the aerosol size distribution at different stages of humidification in the size range from 0.07 to 0.6-0.8 μm. The uncertainty in the estimation of the refractive index is within 0.02.

  14. The impact of aerosol vertical distribution on aerosol optical depth retrieval using CALIPSO and MODIS data: Case study over dust and smoke regions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Yerong; de Graaf, Martin; Menenti, Massimo

    2017-08-01

    Global quantitative aerosol information has been derived from MODerate Resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS) observations for decades since early 2000 and widely used for air quality and climate change research. However, the operational MODIS Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) products Collection 6 (C6) can still be biased, because of uncertainty in assumed aerosol optical properties and aerosol vertical distribution. This study investigates the impact of aerosol vertical distribution on the AOD retrieval. We developed a new algorithm by considering dynamic vertical profiles, which is an adaptation of MODIS C6 Dark Target (C6_DT) algorithm over land. The new algorithm makes use of the aerosol vertical profile extracted from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) measurements to generate an accurate top of the atmosphere (TOA) reflectance for the AOD retrieval, where the profile is assumed to be a single layer and represented as a Gaussian function with the mean height as single variable. To test the impact, a comparison was made between MODIS DT and Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) AOD, over dust and smoke regions. The results show that the aerosol vertical distribution has a strong impact on the AOD retrieval. The assumed aerosol layers close to the ground can negatively bias the retrievals in C6_DT. Regarding the evaluated smoke and dust layers, the new algorithm can improve the retrieval by reducing the negative biases by 3-5%.

  15. Implementation of warm-cloud processes in a source-oriented WRF/Chem model to study the effect of aerosol mixing state on fog formation in the Central Valley of California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, H.-H.; Chen, S.-H.; Kleeman, M. J.; Zhang, H.; DeNero, S. P.; Joe, D. K.

    2015-11-01

    The source-oriented Weather Research and Forecasting chemistry model (SOWC) was modified to include warm cloud processes and applied to investigate how aerosol mixing states influence fog formation and optical properties in the atmosphere. SOWC tracks a 6-dimensional chemical variable (X, Z, Y, Size Bins, Source Types, Species) through an explicit simulation of atmospheric chemistry and physics. A source-oriented cloud condensation nuclei module was implemented into the SOWC model to simulate warm clouds using the modified two-moment Purdue Lin microphysics scheme. The Goddard shortwave and longwave radiation schemes were modified to interact with source-oriented aerosols and cloud droplets so that aerosol direct and indirect effects could be studied. The enhanced SOWC model was applied to study a fog event that occurred on 17 January 2011, in the Central Valley of California. Tule fog occurred because an atmospheric river effectively advected high moisture into the Central Valley and nighttime drainage flow brought cold air from mountains into the valley. The SOWC model produced reasonable liquid water path, spatial distribution and duration of fog events. The inclusion of aerosol-radiation interaction only slightly modified simulation results since cloud optical thickness dominated the radiation budget in fog events. The source-oriented mixture representation of particles reduced cloud droplet number relative to the internal mixture approach that artificially coats hydrophobic particles with hygroscopic components. The fraction of aerosols activating into CCN at a supersaturation of 0.5 % in the Central Valley decreased from 94 % in the internal mixture model to 80 % in the source-oriented model. This increased surface energy flux by 3-5 W m-2 and surface temperature by as much as 0.25 K in the daytime.

  16. Implementation of warm-cloud processes in a source-oriented WRF/Chem model to study the effect of aerosol mixing state on fog formation in the Central Valley of California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Hsiang-He; Chen, Shu-Hua; Kleeman, Michael J.; Zhang, Hongliang; DeNero, Steven P.; Joe, David K.

    2016-07-01

    The source-oriented Weather Research and Forecasting chemistry model (SOWC) was modified to include warm cloud processes and was applied to investigate how aerosol mixing states influence fog formation and optical properties in the atmosphere. SOWC tracks a 6-D chemical variable (X, Z, Y, size bins, source types, species) through an explicit simulation of atmospheric chemistry and physics. A source-oriented cloud condensation nuclei module was implemented into the SOWC model to simulate warm clouds using the modified two-moment Purdue Lin microphysics scheme. The Goddard shortwave and long-wave radiation schemes were modified to interact with source-oriented aerosols and cloud droplets so that aerosol direct and indirect effects could be studied. The enhanced SOWC model was applied to study a fog event that occurred on 17 January 2011, in the Central Valley of California. Tule fog occurred because an atmospheric river effectively advected high moisture into the Central Valley and nighttime drainage flow brought cold air from mountains into the valley. The SOWC model produced reasonable liquid water path, spatial distribution and duration of fog events. The inclusion of aerosol-radiation interaction only slightly modified simulation results since cloud optical thickness dominated the radiation budget in fog events. The source-oriented mixture representation of particles reduced cloud droplet number relative to the internal mixture approach that artificially coats hydrophobic particles with hygroscopic components. The fraction of aerosols activating into cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) at a supersaturation of 0.5 % in the Central Valley decreased from 94 % in the internal mixture model to 80 % in the source-oriented model. This increased surface energy flux by 3-5 W m-2 and surface temperature by as much as 0.25 K in the daytime.

  17. Improving Aerosol Simulation over South Asia for Climate and Air Quality Studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pan, Xiaohua; Chin, Mian; Bian, Huisheng; Gautam, Ritesh

    2014-01-01

    Atmospheric pollution over South Asia attracts special attention due to its effects on regional climate, the water cycle, and human health. These effects are potentially growing owing to rising trends of anthropogenic aerosol emissions found there. However, it has been proved quite challenging to adequately represent the aerosol spatial distribution and magnitude over this critical region in global models (Pan et al. 2014), with the surface concentrations, aerosol optical depth (AOD), and absorbing AOD (AAOD) significantly underestimated, especially in October-January when the agricultural waste burning and anthropogenic aerosol dominate over dust aerosol. In this study, we aim to investigate the causes for such discrepancy in winter by conducting sets of model experiments with NASA's GEOS-5 in terms of (1) spatial resolution, (2) emission amount, and (3) meteorological fields.

  18. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.

    2004-01-01

    Cloud microphysics are inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles (i.e., pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail). Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e. 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions. A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep cloud systems in the west Pacific warm pool region, in the sub-tropics (Florida) and in the mid-latitude using identical thermodynamic conditions but with different concentrations of CCN: a low 'clean' concentration and a high 'dirty' concentration.

  19. Study of the efficacy of aerosol versus nonaerosol laundry products. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Boggs, R.R.; Belmont, B.

    1987-10-01

    The California Air Resources Board estimates that 6.6 tons of photochemically reactive organic compounds (PROC) are released into the environment in California every day because of the use of aerosol laundry products. The project studied the efficacy, ease of product use, and PROC content for three major brands of pre-wash stain removers in available product forms and for five starch products in their available product forms. Efficacy of pre-wash products was generally found to be limited. They were particularly useful for oil and ball point ink removal. Aerosols were found to be slightly superior. PROC content varied from 16-76% onmore » aerosols; none was found in nonaerosols. Aerosols were found to be slightly easier to use by the laboratory investigator. For starches, on synthetic fabrics Faultless aerosol was found to be superior. For natural fabrics, results were mixed. Efficacy per unit cost was found to be high for bulk starches. PROC content for the two aerosols was 5.8% for Faultless and 8.5% for Niagra. Aerosols were easiest to use and bulk products rather difficult to use.« less

  20. Narrowing the Gap in Quantification of Aerosol-Cloud Radiative Effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feingold, G.; McComiskey, A. C.; Yamaguchi, T.; Kazil, J.; Johnson, J. S.; Carslaw, K. S.

    2016-12-01

    Despite large advances in our understanding of aerosol and cloud processes over the past years, uncertainty in the aerosol-cloud radiative effect/forcing is still of major concern. In this talk we will advocate a methodology for quantifying the aerosol-cloud radiative effect that considers the primacy of fundamental cloud properties such as cloud amount and albedo alongside the need for process level understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions. We will present a framework for quantifying the aerosol-cloud radiative effect, regime-by-regime, through process-based modelling and observations at the large eddy scale. We will argue that understanding the co-variability between meteorological and aerosol drivers of the radiative properties of the cloud system may be as important an endeavour as attempting to untangle these drivers.

  1. Influence of Oxygen Partial Pressure during Processing on the Thermoelectric Properties of Aerosol-Deposited CuFeO₂.

    PubMed

    Stöcker, Thomas; Exner, Jörg; Schubert, Michael; Streibl, Maximilian; Moos, Ralf

    2016-03-24

    In the field of thermoelectric energy conversion, oxide materials show promising potential due to their good stability in oxidizing environments. Hence, the influence of oxygen partial pressure during synthesis on the thermoelectric properties of Cu-Delafossites at high temperatures was investigated in this study. For these purposes, CuFeO₂ powders were synthetized using a conventional mixed-oxide technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies were conducted to determine the crystal structures of the delafossites associated with the oxygen content during the synthesis. Out of these powders, films with a thickness of about 25 µm were prepared by the relatively new aerosol-deposition (AD) coating technique. It is based on a room temperature impact consolidation process (RTIC) to deposit dense solid films of ceramic materials on various substrates without using a high-temperature step during the coating process. On these dense CuFeO₂ films deposited on alumina substrates with electrode structures, the Seebeck coefficient and the electrical conductivity were measured as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure. We compared the thermoelectric properties of both standard processed and aerosol deposited CuFeO₂ up to 900 °C and investigated the influence of oxygen partial pressure on the electrical conductivity, on the Seebeck coefficient and on the high temperature stability of CuFeO₂. These studies may not only help to improve the thermoelectric material in the high-temperature case, but may also serve as an initial basis to establish a defect chemical model.

  2. Model analysis of secondary organic aerosol formation by glyoxal in laboratory studies: the case for photoenhanced chemistry.

    PubMed

    Sumner, Andrew J; Woo, Joseph L; McNeill, V Faye

    2014-10-21

    The reactive uptake of glyoxal by atmospheric aerosols is believed to be a significant source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Several recent laboratory studies have been performed with the goal of characterizing this process, but questions remain regarding the effects of photochemistry on SOA growth. We applied GAMMA (McNeill et al. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2012, 46, 8075-8081), a photochemical box model with coupled gas-phase and detailed aqueous aerosol-phase chemistry, to simulate aerosol chamber studies of SOA formation by the uptake of glyoxal by wet aerosol under dark and irradiated conditions (Kroll et al. J. Geophys. Res. 2005, 110 (D23), 1-10; Volkamer et al. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 2009, 9, 1907-1928; Galloway et al. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 2009, 9, 3331- 306 3345 and Geophys. Res. Lett. 2011, 38, L17811). We find close agreement between simulated SOA growth and the results of experiments conducted under dark conditions using values of the effective Henry's Law constant of 1.3-5.5 × 10(7) M atm(-1). While irradiated conditions led to the production of some organic acids, organosulfates, and other oxidation products via well-established photochemical mechanisms, these additional product species contribute negligible aerosol mass compared to the dark uptake of glyoxal. Simulated results for irradiated experiments therefore fell short of the reported SOA mass yield by up to 92%. This suggests a significant light-dependent SOA formation mechanism that is not currently accounted for by known bulk photochemistry, consistent with recent laboratory observations of SOA production via photosensitizer chemistry.

  3. THE DETROIT EXPOSURE AND AEROSOL RESEARCH STUDY (DEARS)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Field data collections for the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) have completed one-half of the planned study design. The DEARS is collecting personal, residential indoor, residential outdoor and central community monitoring data involving particulate matter, v...

  4. Cloud condensation nuclei closure study on summer arctic aerosol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, M.; Chang, R. Y.-W.; Sierau, B.; Sjogren, S.; Swietlicki, E.; Abbatt, J. P. D.; Leck, C.; Lohmann, U.

    2011-11-01

    We present an aerosol - cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) closure study on summer high Arctic aerosol based on measurements that were carried out in 2008 during the Arctic Summer Cloud Ocean Study (ASCOS) on board the Swedish ice breaker Oden. The data presented here were collected during a three-week time period in the pack ice (>85° N) when the icebreaker Oden was moored to an ice floe and drifted passively during the most biological active period into autumn freeze up conditions. CCN number concentrations were obtained using two CCN counters measuring at different supersaturations. The directly measured CCN number concentration was then compared with a CCN number concentration calculated using both bulk aerosol mass composition data from an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) and aerosol number size distributions obtained from a differential mobility particle sizer, assuming κ-Köhler theory, surface tension of water and an internally mixed aerosol. The last assumption was supported by measurements made with a hygroscopic tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA) for particles >70 nm. For the two highest measured supersaturations, 0.73 and 0.41%, closure could not be achieved with the investigated settings concerning hygroscopicity and density. The calculated CCN number concentration was always higher than the measured one for those two supersaturations. This might be caused by a relative larger insoluble organic mass fraction of the smaller particles that activate at these supersaturations, which are thus less good CCN than the larger particles. On average, 36% of the mass measured with the AMS was organic mass. At 0.20, 0.15 and 0.10% supersaturation, closure could be achieved with different combinations of hygroscopic parameters and densities within the uncertainty range of the fit. The best agreement of the calculated CCN number concentration with the observed one was achieved when the organic fraction of the aerosol was treated as nearly water insoluble

  5. Rapid Measurements of Aerosol Ionic Composition and 3-10 nm Particle Size Distributions On The NASA P3 To Better Quantify Processes Affecting Aerosols Advected From East Asia

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weber, Rodney J.

    2004-01-01

    The Particle Into Liquid Sample (PILS) was deployed on the NASA P3 for airborne measurements of fine particle ionic chemical composition. The data have been quality assured and reside in the NASA data archive. We have analyzed our data to characterize the sources and atmospheric processing of fine aerosol particles advected from the region during the experiments. Fine particle water-soluble potassium was found to serve as a useful aerosol tracer for biomass smoke. Ratios of PILS potassium to sulfate are used as a means of estimating the percent contribution of biomass burning to fine particle mass in mixed plumes advecting from Asia. The high correlations between K+ and NO3(sup -) and NH4(sup +)' indicated that biomass burning was a significant source of these aerosol compounds in the region. It is noteworthy that the air mass containing the highest concentrations of fine particles recorded in all of ACE-Asia and TRACE-P appeared to be advecting from the Bejing/Tientsin urban region and also had the highest K(+), NO3(sup -) and NH4(sup +) concentrations of both studies. Based on K+/SO4(sup 2-) ratio's, we estimated that the plume was composed of approx. 60% biomass burning emissions, possibly from the use of bio-fuels in the urban regions.

  6. Process-model simulations of cloud albedo enhancement by aerosols in the Arctic.

    PubMed

    Kravitz, Ben; Wang, Hailong; Rasch, Philip J; Morrison, Hugh; Solomon, Amy B

    2014-12-28

    A cloud-resolving model is used to simulate the effectiveness of Arctic marine cloud brightening via injection of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), either through geoengineering or other increased sources of Arctic aerosols. An updated cloud microphysical scheme is employed, with prognostic CCN and cloud particle numbers in both liquid and mixed-phase marine low clouds. Injection of CCN into the marine boundary layer can delay the collapse of the boundary layer and increase low-cloud albedo. Albedo increases are stronger for pure liquid clouds than mixed-phase clouds. Liquid precipitation can be suppressed by CCN injection, whereas ice precipitation (snow) is affected less; thus, the effectiveness of brightening mixed-phase clouds is lower than for liquid-only clouds. CCN injection into a clean regime results in a greater albedo increase than injection into a polluted regime, consistent with current knowledge about aerosol-cloud interactions. Unlike previous studies investigating warm clouds, dynamical changes in circulation owing to precipitation changes are small. According to these results, which are dependent upon the representation of ice nucleation processes in the employed microphysical scheme, Arctic geoengineering is unlikely to be effective as the sole means of altering the global radiation budget but could have substantial local radiative effects. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  7. Carbonaceous aerosols from prescribed burning of a boreal forest ecosystem

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mazurek, Monica A.; Cofer, Wesley R., III; Levine, Joel S.

    1991-01-01

    During the boreal forest burn studied, the ambient concentrations for the particle carbon smoke aerosol are highest for the full-fire burn conditions and vary significantly throughout the burn. Collection strategies must accordingly define ranges in the smoke aerosol concentrations produced. While the highest elemental C concentrations are observed during full-fire conditions, the great majority of smoke aerosol particles are in the form of organic C particles irrespective of fire temperature. The formation of organic C light-scattering particles was a significant process in the burn studied.

  8. Constraining Upper Troposphere/Lower Stratosphere Aerosol Physical Processes with High-Altitude Aircraft Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jensen, Eric; Rosenlof, Karen H.; Thornberry, Troy

    2018-01-01

    Interest in a more complete understanding of the sources, composition and microphysics of stratospheric aerosol particles has intensified during recent years for several reasons: (1) small volcanic eruptions have been recognized as a driver of short-term changes in climate forcing; (2) emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and other aerosol precursors have shifted to south Asia and other low latitude regions with intense vertical transport; (3) organic material has been recognized as a key contributor to lower stratospheric aerosol mass; and (4) interest in possible solar radiation management (geoengineering) through significant enhancements in stratospheric aerosols has intensified. To address stratospheric aerosol science issues, we are proposing a NASA Earth Ventures mission to NASA to provide extensive high-altitude aircraft measurements of critical gas-phase and aerosol properties at multiple locations across the planet. In this presentation, we will discuss the objectives of the proposed campaign, the measurements provided, the sampling strategy, and the modeling and analysis approaches that would be used to address specific science questions.

  9. Global Atmospheric Aerosol Modeling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hendricks, Johannes; Aquila, Valentina; Righi, Mattia

    2012-01-01

    Global aerosol models are used to study the distribution and properties of atmospheric aerosol particles as well as their effects on clouds, atmospheric chemistry, radiation, and climate. The present article provides an overview of the basic concepts of global atmospheric aerosol modeling and shows some examples from a global aerosol simulation. Particular emphasis is placed on the simulation of aerosol particles and their effects within global climate models.

  10. A study on the relationship between mass concentrations, chemistry and number size distribution of urban fine aerosols in Milan, Barcelona and London

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodríguez, S.; van Dingenen, R.; Putaud, J.-P.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Pey, J.; Querol, X.; Alastuey, A.; Chenery, S.; Ho, K.-F.; Harrison, R.; Tardivo, R.; Scarnato, B.; Gemelli, V.

    2007-05-01

    A physicochemical characterization, including aerosol number size distribution, chemical composition and mass concentrations, of the urban fine aerosol captured in MILAN, BARCELONA and LONDON is presented in this article. The objective is to obtain a comprehensive picture of the microphysical processes involved in aerosol dynamics during the: 1) regular evolution of the urban aerosol (daily, weekly and seasonal basis) and in the day-to-day variations (from clean-air to pollution-events), and 2) the link between "aerosol chemistry and mass concentrations" with the "number size distribution". The mass concentrations of the fine PM2.5 aerosol exhibit a high correlation with the number concentration of >100 nm particles N>100 (nm) ("accumulation mode particles") which only account for <20% of the total number concentration N of fine aerosols; but do not correlate with the number of <100 nm particles ("ultrafine particles"), which accounts for >80% of fine particles number concentration. Organic matter and black-carbon are the only aerosol components showing a significant correlation with the ultrafine particles, attributed to vehicles exhausts emissions; whereas ammonium-nitrate, ammonium-sulphate and also organic matter and black-carbon correlate with N>100 (nm) and attributed to condensation mechanisms, other particle growth processes and some primary emissions. Time series of the aerosol DpN diameter (dN/dlogD mode), mass PM2.5 concentrations and number N>100 (nm) concentrations exhibit correlated day-to-day variations, which point to a significant involvement of condensation of semi-volatile compounds during urban pollution events. This agrees with the observation that ammonium-nitrate is the component exhibiting the highest increases from mid-to-high pollution episodes, when the highest DpN increases are observed. The results indicates that "fine PM2.5 particles urban pollution events" tend to occur when condensation processes have made particles grow large enough

  11. Simplified aerosol modeling for variational data assimilation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huneeus, N.; Boucher, O.; Chevallier, F.

    2009-11-01

    We have developed a simplified aerosol model together with its tangent linear and adjoint versions for the ultimate aim of optimizing global aerosol and aerosol precursor emission using variational data assimilation. The model was derived from the general circulation model LMDz; it groups together the 24 aerosol species simulated in LMDz into 4 species, namely gaseous precursors, fine mode aerosols, coarse mode desert dust and coarse mode sea salt. The emissions have been kept as in the original model. Modifications, however, were introduced in the computation of aerosol optical depth and in the processes of sedimentation, dry and wet deposition and sulphur chemistry to ensure consistency with the new set of species and their composition. The simplified model successfully manages to reproduce the main features of the aerosol distribution in LMDz. The largest differences in aerosol load are observed for fine mode aerosols and gaseous precursors. Differences between the original and simplified models are mainly associated to the new deposition and sedimentation velocities consistent with the definition of species in the simplified model and the simplification of the sulphur chemistry. Furthermore, simulated aerosol optical depth remains within the variability of monthly AERONET observations for all aerosol types and all sites throughout most of the year. Largest differences are observed over sites with strong desert dust influence. In terms of the daily aerosol variability, the model is less able to reproduce the observed variability from the AERONET data with larger discrepancies in stations affected by industrial aerosols. The simplified model however, closely follows the daily simulation from LMDz. Sensitivity analyses with the tangent linear version show that the simplified sulphur chemistry is the dominant process responsible for the strong non-linearity of the model.

  12. On the validity of the Poisson assumption in sampling nanometer-sized aerosols

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Damit, Brian E; Wu, Dr. Chang-Yu; Cheng, Mengdawn

    2014-01-01

    A Poisson process is traditionally believed to apply to the sampling of aerosols. For a constant aerosol concentration, it is assumed that a Poisson process describes the fluctuation in the measured concentration because aerosols are stochastically distributed in space. Recent studies, however, have shown that sampling of micrometer-sized aerosols has non-Poissonian behavior with positive correlations. The validity of the Poisson assumption for nanometer-sized aerosols has not been examined and thus was tested in this study. Its validity was tested for four particle sizes - 10 nm, 25 nm, 50 nm and 100 nm - by sampling from indoor air withmore » a DMA- CPC setup to obtain a time series of particle counts. Five metrics were calculated from the data: pair-correlation function (PCF), time-averaged PCF, coefficient of variation, probability of measuring a concentration at least 25% greater than average, and posterior distributions from Bayesian inference. To identify departures from Poissonian behavior, these metrics were also calculated for 1,000 computer-generated Poisson time series with the same mean as the experimental data. For nearly all comparisons, the experimental data fell within the range of 80% of the Poisson-simulation values. Essentially, the metrics for the experimental data were indistinguishable from a simulated Poisson process. The greater influence of Brownian motion for nanometer-sized aerosols may explain the Poissonian behavior observed for smaller aerosols. Although the Poisson assumption was found to be valid in this study, it must be carefully applied as the results here do not definitively prove applicability in all sampling situations.« less

  13. Aerosol composition, oxidation properties, and sources in Beijing: results from the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, W. Q.; Sun, Y. L.; Chen, C.; Du, W.; Han, T. T.; Wang, Q. Q.; Fu, P. Q.; Wang, Z. F.; Zhao, X. J.; Zhou, L. B.; Ji, D. S.; Wang, P. C.; Worsnop, D. R.

    2015-12-01

    degrees during the aging processes were further illustrated in a case study of a severe haze episode. Our results elucidated a complex response of aerosol chemistry to emission controls, which has significant implications that emission controls over regional scales can substantially reduce secondary particulates. However, stricter emission controls for local source emissions are needed for further mitigating air pollution in the megacity of Beijing.

  14. Atmo-metabolomics: a new measurement approach for investigating aerosol composition and ecosystem functioning.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rivas-Ubach, A.; Liu, Y.; Sardans, J.; Tfaily, M. M.; Kim, Y. M.; Bourrianne, E.; Paša-Tolić, L.; Penuelas, J.; Guenther, A. B.

    2016-12-01

    Aerosols play crucial roles in the processes controlling the composition of the atmosphere and the functioning of ecosystems. Gaining a deeper understanding of the chemical composition of aerosols is one of the major challenges for atmospheric and climate scientists and is beginning to be recognized as important for ecological research. Better comprehension of aerosol chemistry can potentially provide valuable information on atmospheric processes such as oxidation of organics and the production of cloud condensation nuclei as well as provide an approximation of the general status of an ecosystem through the measurement of certain stress biomarkers. In this study, we describe an efficient aerosol sampling method, the metabolite extraction and the analytical procedures for the chemical characterization of aerosols, namely, the atmo-metabolome. We used mass spectrometry (MS) coupled to liquid chromatography (LC-MS), gas chromatography (GC-MS) and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR-MS) to characterize the atmo-metabolome of two marked seasons; spring and summer. Our sampling and extraction methods demonstrated to be suitable for aerosol chemical characterization with any of the analytical platforms used in this study. The atmo-metabolome between spring and summer showed overall statistically differences. We identified several metabolites that can be attributed to pollen and other plant-related aerosols. Spring aerosols exhibit higher concentrations of metabolites linked to higher plant activity while summer samples had higher concentrations of metabolites that may reflect certain oxidative stresses in primary producers. Moreover, the elemental composition of aerosols showed clear different between seasons. Summer aerosols were generally higher in molecular weight and with higher O/C ratios, indicating higher oxidation levels and condensation of compounds relative to spring. Our method represents an advanced approach for characterizing the composition of

  15. Compact Layers of Hybrid Halide Perovskites Fabricated via the Aerosol Deposition Process-Uncoupling Material Synthesis and Layer Formation.

    PubMed

    Panzer, Fabian; Hanft, Dominik; Gujar, Tanaji P; Kahle, Frank-Julian; Thelakkat, Mukundan; Köhler, Anna; Moos, Ralf

    2016-04-08

    We present the successful fabrication of CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite layers by the aerosol deposition method (ADM). The layers show high structural purity and compactness, thus making them suitable for application in perovskite-based optoelectronic devices. By using the aerosol deposition method we are able to decouple material synthesis from layer processing. Our results therefore allow for enhanced and easy control over the fabrication of perovskite-based devices, further paving the way for their commercialization.

  16. Photoacoustic measurements of photokinetics in single optically trapped aerosol droplets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Covert, Paul; Cremer, Johannes; Signorell, Ruth; Thaler, Klemens; Haisch, Christoph

    2017-04-01

    It is well established that interaction of light with atmospheric aerosols has a large impact on the Earth's climate. However, uncertainties in the magnitude of this impact remain large, due in part to broad distributions of aerosol size, composition, and chemical reactivity. In this context, photoacoustic spectroscopy is commonly used to measure light absorption by aerosols. Here, we present photoacoustic measurements of single, optically-trapped nanodroplets to reveal droplet size-depencies of photochemical and physical processes. Theoretical considerations have pointed to a size-dependence in the magnitude and phase of the photoacoustic response from aerosol droplets. This dependence is thought to originate from heat transfer processes that are slow compared to the acoustic excitation frequency. In the case of a model aerosol, our measurements of single particle absorption cross-section versus droplet size confirm these theoretical predictions. In a related study, using the same model aerosol, we also demonstrate a droplet size-dependence of photochemical reaction rates [1]. Within sub-micron sized particles, photolysis rates were observed to be an order of magnitude greater than those observed in larger droplets. [1] J. W. Cremer, K. M. Thaler, C. Haisch, and R. Signorell. Photoacoustics of single laser-trapped nanodroplets for the direct observation of nanofocusing in aerosol photokinetics. Nat. Commun., 7:10941, 2016.

  17. Study of aerosol direct and indirect effects and auto-conversion processes over the West African monsoon region using a regional climate model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salah, Zeinab; Shalaby, Ahmed; Steiner, Allison L.; Zakey, Ashraf S.; Gautam, Ritesh; Abdel Wahab, Mohamed M.

    2018-02-01

    This study assesses the direct and indirect effects of natural and anthropogenic aerosols (e.g., black carbon and sulfate) over West and Central Africa during the West African monsoon (WAM) period (June-July-August). We investigate the impacts of aerosols on the amount of cloudiness, the influences on the precipitation efficiency of clouds, and the associated radiative forcing (direct and indirect). Our study includes the implementation of three new formulations of auto-conversion parameterization [namely, the Beheng (BH), Tripoli and Cotton (TC) and Liu and Daum (R6) schemes] in RegCM4.4.1, besides the default model's auto-conversion scheme (Kessler). Among the new schemes, BH reduces the precipitation wet bias by more than 50% over West Africa and achieves a bias reduction of around 25% over Central Africa. Results from detailed sensitivity experiments suggest a significant path forward in terms of addressing the long-standing issue of the characteristic wet bias in RegCM. In terms of aerosol-induced radiative forcing, the impact of the various schemes is found to vary considerably (ranging from -5 to -25 W m-2).

  18. Study on the surfactants present in atmospheric aerosols collected in the Okinawa Japan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamegawa, A.; Kasaba, T.; Shimabukuro, W.; Arakaki, T.

    2017-12-01

    The main constituent of atmospheric aerosols is organic substances, which occupy 20 to 70% of the mass. Organic matters in the aerosols contain organic acids, protein and humic acid, which behave similar to surfactants. Since surfactants contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic functional groups in the molecule, they can play important roles in cloud formation and can affect climate change, but detailed mechanisms and magnitude are not well understood. In addition, surfactants can cause asthma, allergy, dry eye and so on. In this study, our aim is to characterize surfactants in the aerosols collected in different seasons in Okinawa, Japan. Atmospheric aerosols were collected at Cape Hedo Atmosphere and Aerosol Monitoring Station (CHAAMS) during Sep. 2013 and July 2014. Surfactants in the environment are comprised of artificially synthesized compounds and naturally derived organics so we only differentiate them into anionic and cationic surfactants. Colorimetric methods were used to determine the concentrations of anionic surfactants as methylene blue active substance (MBAS). Cationic surfactants were also measured by colorimetric method as disulfine blue active substance (DBAS) and showed always below detection limit. Thus, we only discuss anionic surfactants measured as MBAS. Water soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and metal concentrations were also measured for the same aerosol samples. Concentrations of MBAS in the studied samples were 2-3 times higher in spring, fall and winter than those collected in summer. MBAS concentration in the aerosols showed strong correlation with sulfate ion and WSOC, and slightly weaker correlation with nss-sulfate ion. Among the metals, only sodium ion showed a relatively strong correlation with MBAS concentrations. It is suggested that the anionic surfactants in the studied aerosols are mainly derived from marine sources.

  19. Aerosols and lightning activity: The effect of vertical profile and aerosol type

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Proestakis, E.; Kazadzis, S.; Lagouvardos, K.; Kotroni, V.; Amiridis, V.; Marinou, E.; Price, C.; Kazantzidis, A.

    2016-12-01

    The Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) instrument on board the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite has been utilized for the first time in a study regarding lightning activity modulation due to aerosols. Lightning activity observations, obtained by the ZEUS long range Lightning Detection Network, European Centre for Medium range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) data and Cloud Fraction (CF) retrieved by MODIS on board Aqua satellite have been combined with CALIPSO CALIOP data over the Mediterranean basin and for the period March to November, from 2007 to 2014. The results indicate that lightning activity is enhanced during days characterized by higher Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) values, compared to days with no lightning. This study contributes to existing studies on the link between lightning activity and aerosols, which have been based just on columnar AOD satellite retrievals, by performing a deeper analysis into the effect of aerosol profiles and aerosol types. Correlation coefficients of R = 0.73 between the CALIPSO AOD and the number of lightning strikes detected by ZEUS and of R = 0.93 between ECMWF CAPE and lightning activity are obtained. The analysis of extinction coefficient values at 532 nm indicates that at an altitudinal range exists, between 1.1 km and 2.9 km, where the values for extinction coefficient of lightning-active and non-lightning-active cases are statistically significantly different. Finally, based on the CALIPSO aerosol subtype classification, we have investigated the aerosol conditions of lightning-active and non-lightning-active cases. According to the results polluted dust aerosols are more frequently observed during non-lightning-active days, while dust and smoke aerosols are more abundant in the atmosphere during the lightning-active days.

  20. Individual aerosol particles in and below clouds along a Mt. Fuji slope: Modification of sea-salt-containing particles by in-cloud processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ueda, S.; Hirose, Y.; Miura, K.; Okochi, H.

    2014-02-01

    Sizes and compositions of atmospheric aerosol particles can be altered by in-cloud processing by absorption/adsorption of gaseous and particulate materials and drying of aerosol particles that were formerly activated as cloud condensation nuclei. To elucidate differences of aerosol particles before and after in-cloud processing, aerosols were observed along a slope of Mt. Fuji, Japan (3776 m a.s.l.) during the summer in 2011 and 2012 using a portable laser particle counter (LPC) and an aerosol sampler. Aerosol samples for analyses of elemental compositions were obtained using a cascade impactor at top-of-cloud, in-cloud, and below-cloud altitudes. To investigate composition changes via in-cloud processing, individual particles (0.5-2 μm diameter) of samples from five cases (days) collected at different altitudes under similar backward air mass trajectory conditions were analyzed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer. For most cases (four cases), most particles at all altitudes mainly comprised sea salts: mainly Na with some S and/or Cl. Of those, in two cases, sea-salt-containing particles with Cl were found in below-cloud samples, although sea-salt-containing particles in top-of-cloud samples did not contain Cl. This result suggests that Cl in the sea salt was displaced by other cloud components. In the other two cases, sea-salt-containing particles on samples at all altitudes were without Cl. However, molar ratios of S to Na (S/Na) of the sea-salt-containing particles of top-of-cloud samples were higher than those of below-cloud samples, suggesting that sulfuric acid or sulfate was added to sea-salt-containing particles after complete displacement of Cl by absorption of SO2 or coagulation with sulfate. The additional volume of sulfuric acid in clouds for the two cases was estimated using the observed S/Na values of sea-salt-containing particles. The estimation revealed that size changes by in

  1. Recent advances in understanding secondary organic aerosol: Implications for global climate forcing: Advances in Secondary Organic Aerosol

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shrivastava, Manish; Cappa, Christopher D.; Fan, Jiwen

    Anthropogenic emissions and land use changes have modified atmospheric aerosol concentrations and size distributions over time. Understanding preindustrial conditions and changes in organic aerosol due to anthropogenic activities is important because these features (1) influence estimates of aerosol radiative forcing and (2) can confound estimates of the historical response of climate to increases in greenhouse gases. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA), formed in the atmosphere by oxidation of organic gases, represents a major fraction of global submicron-sized atmospheric organic aerosol. Over the past decade, significant advances in understanding SOA properties and formation mechanisms have occurred through measurements, yet current climate modelsmore » typically do not comprehensively include all important processes. Our review summarizes some of the important developments during the past decade in understanding SOA formation. We also highlight the importance of some processes that influence the growth of SOA particles to sizes relevant for clouds and radiative forcing, including formation of extremely low volatility organics in the gas phase, acid-catalyzed multiphase chemistry of isoprene epoxydiols, particle-phase oligomerization, and physical properties such as volatility and viscosity. Several SOA processes highlighted in this review are complex and interdependent and have nonlinear effects on the properties, formation, and evolution of SOA. Current global models neglect this complexity and nonlinearity and thus are less likely to accurately predict the climate forcing of SOA and project future climate sensitivity to greenhouse gases. Efforts are also needed to rank the most influential processes and nonlinear process-related interactions, so that these processes can be accurately represented in atmospheric chemistry-climate models.« less

  2. Recent advances in understanding secondary organic aerosol: Implications for global climate forcing: Advances in Secondary Organic Aerosol

    DOE PAGES

    Shrivastava, Manish; Cappa, Christopher D.; Fan, Jiwen; ...

    2017-06-15

    Anthropogenic emissions and land use changes have modified atmospheric aerosol concentrations and size distributions over time. Understanding preindustrial conditions and changes in organic aerosol due to anthropogenic activities is important because these features (1) influence estimates of aerosol radiative forcing and (2) can confound estimates of the historical response of climate to increases in greenhouse gases. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA), formed in the atmosphere by oxidation of organic gases, represents a major fraction of global submicron-sized atmospheric organic aerosol. Over the past decade, significant advances in understanding SOA properties and formation mechanisms have occurred through measurements, yet current climate modelsmore » typically do not comprehensively include all important processes. Our review summarizes some of the important developments during the past decade in understanding SOA formation. We also highlight the importance of some processes that influence the growth of SOA particles to sizes relevant for clouds and radiative forcing, including formation of extremely low volatility organics in the gas phase, acid-catalyzed multiphase chemistry of isoprene epoxydiols, particle-phase oligomerization, and physical properties such as volatility and viscosity. Several SOA processes highlighted in this review are complex and interdependent and have nonlinear effects on the properties, formation, and evolution of SOA. Current global models neglect this complexity and nonlinearity and thus are less likely to accurately predict the climate forcing of SOA and project future climate sensitivity to greenhouse gases. Efforts are also needed to rank the most influential processes and nonlinear process-related interactions, so that these processes can be accurately represented in atmospheric chemistry-climate models.« less

  3. Parameterizations of Cloud Microphysics and Indirect Aerosol Effects

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo

    1. OVERVIEW Aerosols and especially their effect on clouds are one of the key components of the climate system and the hydrological cycle [Ramanathan et al., 2001]. Yet, the aerosol effect on clouds remains largely unknown and the processes involved not well understood. A recent report published by the National Academy of Science states "The greatest uncertainty about the aerosol climate forcing - indeed, the largest of all the uncertainties about global climate forcing - is probably the indirect effect of aerosols on clouds [NRC, 2001]." The aerosol effect on clouds is often categorized into the traditional "first indirect (i.e.,more » Twomey)" effect on the cloud droplet sizes for a constant liquid water path [Twomey, 1977] and the "semi-direct" effect on cloud coverage [e.g., Ackerman et al., 2000]. Enhanced aerosol concentrations can also suppress warm rain processes by producing a narrow droplet spectrum that inhibits collision and coalescence processes [e.g., Squires and Twomey, 1961; Warner and Twomey, 1967; Warner, 1968; Rosenfeld, 1999]. The aerosol effect on precipitation processes, also known as the second type of aerosol indirect effect [Albrecht, 1989], is even more complex, especially for mixed-phase convective clouds. Table 1 summarizes the key observational studies identifying the microphysical properties, cloud characteristics, thermodynamics and dynamics associated with cloud systems from high-aerosol continental environments. For example, atmospheric aerosol concentrations can influence cloud droplet size distributions, warm-rain process, cold-rain process, cloud-top height, the depth of the mixed phase region, and occurrence of lightning. In addition, high aerosol concentrations in urban environments could affect precipitation variability by providing an enhanced source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Hypotheses have been developed to explain the effect of urban regions on convection and precipitation [van den Heever and Cotton, 2007 and

  4. Characterization of Florida red tide aerosol and the temporal profile of aerosol concentration.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Yung Sung; Zhou, Yue; Pierce, Richard H; Henry, Mike; Baden, Daniel G

    2010-05-01

    Red tide aerosols containing aerosolized brevetoxins are produced during the red tide bloom and transported by wind to coastal areas of Florida. This study reports the characterization of Florida red tide aerosols in human volunteer studies, in which an asthma cohort spent 1h on Siesta Beach (Sarasota, Florida) during aerosolized red tide events and non-exposure periods. Aerosol concentrations, brevetoxin levels, and particle size distribution were measured. Hourly filter samples were taken and analyzed for brevetoxin and NaCl concentrations. In addition, the aerosol mass concentration was monitored in real time. The results indicated that during a non-exposure period in October 2004, no brevetoxin was detected in the water, resulting in non-detectable levels of brevetoxin in the aerosol. In March 2005, the time-averaged concentrations of brevetoxins in water samples were moderate, in the range of 5-10 microg/L, and the corresponding brevetoxin level of Florida red tide aerosol ranged between 21 and 39 ng/m(3). The temporal profiles of red tide aerosol concentration in terms of mass, NaCl, and brevetoxin were in good agreement, indicating that NaCl and brevetoxins are components of the red tide aerosol. By continuously monitoring the marine aerosol and wind direction at Siesta Beach, we observed that the marine aerosol concentration varied as the wind direction changed. The temporal profile of the Florida red tide aerosol during a sampling period could be explained generally with the variation of wind direction. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP) Field Campaign Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Berg, Larry K

    This study included the deployment of the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Mobile Facility (AMF), ARM Mobile Aerosol Observing System (MAOS) and the ARM Aerial Facility (AAF). The study was a collaborative effort involving scientists from DOE national laboratories, NOAA, NASA, and universities. The AAF and MAOS were deployed for two approximately month-long Intensive Operational Periods (IOPs) conducted in June 2012 and February 2013. Seasonal differences in the aerosol chemical and optical properties observed using the AMF, AAF, and MAOS are presented in this report. The total mass loading of aerosol is found tomore » be much greater in the summer than in the winter, with the difference associated with greater amounts of organic aerosol. The mass fraction of organic aerosol is much reduced in the winter, when sulfate is the dominant aerosol type. Surprisingly, very little sea-salt aerosol was observed in the summer. In contrast, much more sea salt aerosol was observed in the winter. The mass loading of black carbon is nearly the same in both seasons. These differences lead to a relative increase in the aerosol light absorption in the winter and an associated decrease in observed single-scattering albedo. Measurements of aerosol mixing state were made using a single-particle mass spectrometer, which showed that the majority of the summertime aerosol consisted of organic compounds mixed with various amounts of sulfate. A number of other findings are also summarized in the report, including: impact of aerosol layers aloft on the column aerosol optical depth; documentation of the aerosol properties at the AMF; differences in the aerosol properties associated with both columns, which are not systematic but reflect the complicated meteorological and chemical processes that impact aerosol as it is advected away from North America; and new instruments and data-processing techniques for measuring both

  6. Pulmonary aerosol delivery and the importance of growth dynamics.

    PubMed

    Haddrell, Allen E; Lewis, David; Church, Tanya; Vehring, Reinhard; Murnane, Darragh; Reid, Jonathan P

    2017-12-01

    Aerosols are dynamic systems, responding to variations in the surrounding environmental conditions by changing in size, composition and phase. Although, widely used in inhalation therapies, details of the processes occurring on aerosol generation and during inhalation have received little attention. Instead, research has focused on improvements to the formulation of the drug prior to aerosolization and the resulting clinical efficacy of the treatment. Here, we highlight the processes that occur during aerosol generation and inhalation, affecting aerosol disposition when deposited and, potentially, impacting total and regional doses. In particular, we examine the response of aerosol particles to the humid environment of the respiratory tract, considering both the capacity of particles to grow by absorbing moisture and the timescale for condensation to occur. [Formula: see text].

  7. Combined observational and modeling efforts of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions over Southeast Asia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loftus, Adrian; Tsay, Si-Chee; Nguyen, Xuan Anh

    2016-04-01

    Low-level stratocumulus (Sc) clouds cover more of the Earth's surface than any other cloud type rendering them critical for Earth's energy balance, primarily via reflection of solar radiation, as well as their role in the global hydrological cycle. Stratocumuli are particularly sensitive to changes in aerosol loading on both microphysical and macrophysical scales, yet the complex feedbacks involved in aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions remain poorly understood. Moreover, research on these clouds has largely been confined to marine environments, with far fewer studies over land where major sources of anthropogenic aerosols exist. The aerosol burden over Southeast Asia (SEA) in boreal spring, attributed to biomass burning (BB), exhibits highly consistent spatiotemporal distribution patterns, with major variability due to changes in aerosol loading mediated by processes ranging from large-scale climate factors to diurnal meteorological events. Downwind from source regions, the transported BB aerosols often overlap with low-level Sc cloud decks associated with the development of the region's pre-monsoon system, providing a unique, natural laboratory for further exploring their complex micro- and macro-scale relationships. Compared to other locations worldwide, studies of springtime biomass-burning aerosols and the predominately Sc cloud systems over SEA and their ensuing interactions are underrepresented in scientific literature. Measurements of aerosol and cloud properties, whether ground-based or from satellites, generally lack information on microphysical processes; thus cloud-resolving models are often employed to simulate the underlying physical processes in aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions. The Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) cloud model has recently been enhanced with a triple-moment (3M) bulk microphysics scheme as well as the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) version 6 aerosol module. Because the aerosol burden not only affects cloud

  8. Long-term Aerosol Lidar Measurements At CNR-IMAA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mona, L.; Amodeo, A.; D'Amico, G.; Pandolfi, M.; Pappalardo, G.

    2006-12-01

    PBL and the free troposphere region, in order to study influences of aerosol modification/transportation processes on its values and its variability. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The financial support of this work by the European Commission under grant RICA-025991 is gratefully acknowledged.

  9. Fog and Cloud Induced Aerosol Modification Observed by AERONET

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eck, T. F.; Holben, B. N.; Reid, J. S.; Giles, D. M.; Rivas, M. A.; Singh, R. P.; Tripathi, S. N.; Bruegge, C. J.; Platnick, S. E.; Arnold, G. T.; hide

    2011-01-01

    Large fine mode (sub-micron radius) dominated aerosols in size distributions retrieved from AERONET have been observed after fog or low-altitude cloud dissipation events. These column-integrated size distributions have been obtained at several sites in many regions of the world, typically after evaporation of low altitude cloud such as stratocumulus or fog. Retrievals with cloud processed aerosol are sometimes bimodal in the accumulation mode with the larger size mode often approx.0.4 - 0.5 microns radius (volume distribution); the smaller mode typically approx.0.12 to aprrox.0.20 microns may be interstitial aerosol that were not modified by incorporation in droplets and/or aerosol that are less hygroscopic in nature. Bimodal accumulation mode size distributions have often been observed from in situ measurements of aerosols that have interacted with clouds, and AERONET size distribution retrievals made after dissipation of cloud or fog are in good agreement with particle sizes measured by in situ techniques for cloud-processed aerosols. Aerosols of this type and large size range (in lower concentrations) may also be formed by cloud processing in partly cloudy conditions and may contribute to the shoulder of larger size particles in the accumulation mode retrievals, especially in regions where sulfate and other soluble aerosol are a significant component of the total aerosol composition. Observed trends of increasing aerosol optical depth (AOD) as fine mode radius increased suggests higher AOD in the near cloud environment and therefore greater aerosol direct radiative forcing than typically obtained from remote sensing, due to bias towards sampling at low cloud fraction.

  10. Advancing Littoral Zone Aerosol Prediction via Holistic Studies in Regime-Dependent Flows: August 3-9, 2016 Middle East Dust Event

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Solbrig, J. E.; Miller, S. D.; van den Heever, S. C.; Kreidenweis, S. M.; Oo, M. M.; Zupanski, M.; Zhang, J.; Wang, J.; Holz, R.; Albers, S. C.; Grasso, L. D.; Kliewer, A.; Bukowski, J.; Park, J.; Saleeby, S. M.; Wu, T. C.

    2017-12-01

    Coastal regions represent a complex environment for meteorological processes, their effect on aerosol distributions, and the resulting impacts of those aerosols. These regions are rife with discontinuities that make dynamical processes difficult to predict and confound optical retrieval algorithms with highly variable and poorly characterized backgrounds. Local dynamics can be complicated by interactions between maritime and continental airmasses and the presence of coastal terrain. Additionally, coastal shallow water and high-turbidity produce backgrounds with high water leaving radiance which biases results from remote sensing retrievals. Here we present the highlights of the first two years of work from a Multi-disciplinary University Research Initiative entitled Holistic Analysis of Aerosol in Littoral Environments (HAALE-MURI) with specific focus on a dust event that occurred during the period of August 3-9 2016. During this period, two large dust plumes were observed advecting across the Arabian Peninsula. The first, embedded in a dry airmass, moved across the peninsula from north-west to south-east. This plume eventually stalls as it encounters a moist airmass, likely driven by the sea breeze. Embedded in the moist airmass is a second dust plume lofted from Oman, which then advects northwards over the Persian Gulf. This case presents significant challenges for forecasting, remote sensing, and data assimilation due to a complex meteorological environment and variable coastal bright-water backgrounds. The project team, who endeavor to advance our fundamental understanding of the factors that govern aerosol distribution, optical properties, and microphysical properties in the coastal regions, have focused on this case as our first in-depth case study. We demonstrate new retrieval techniques during both day and night including retrievals over bright coastal waters, a novel approach to in-line data assimilation of aerosol properties including AOT, and the results

  11. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.; Johnson, D.; Li, X.; Remer, L.

    2003-01-01

    Cloud microphysics are inevitable affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distribution parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effect of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensembel (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bim microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e., pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), groupel and frozen drops/hall] Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e., 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions.A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep cloud systems in the west Pacific warm pool region and in the mid-latitude using identical thermodynamic conditions but with different concentrations of CCN: a low "clean" concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. Besides the initial differences in aerosol concentration, preliminary results indicate that the low CCN concentration case produces rainfall at the surface sooner than the high CCN case but has less cloud water mass aloft. Because the spectral-bim model explicitly calculates and allows for the examination of both the mass and number concentration of cpecies in each size category, a detailed analysis of the instantaneous size spectrum can be obtained for the two cases. It is shown that since the low

  12. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.; Johnson, D.; Li, X.; Remer, L.

    2003-01-01

    Cloud microphysics are inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e.,pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e. 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions.A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep tropical clouds in the west Pacific warm pool region using identical thermodynamic conditions but with different concentrations of CCN: a low "clean" concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. Besides the initial differences in aerosol concentration, preliminary results indicate that the low CCN concentration case produces rainfall at the surface sooner than the high CCN case but has less cloud water mass aloft. Because the spectral-bin model explicitly calculates and allows for the examination of both the mass and number concentration of species in each size categor, a detailed analysis of the instantaneous size spectrum can be obtained for the two cases. It is shown that since the low CCN case

  13. Effects of Aerosol on Atmospheric Dynamics and Hydrologic Processes During Boreal Spring and Summer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lau, William K. M.; Kim, M. K.; Kim, K. M.; Chin, Mian

    2005-01-01

    Global and regional climate impacts of present-day aerosol loading during boreal spring are investigated using the NASA finite volume General Circulation Model (fvGCM). Three-dimensional distributions of loadings of five species of tropospheric aerosols, i.e., sulfate, black carbon, organic carbon, soil dust, and sea salt are prescribed from outputs of the Goddard Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport model (GOCART). The aerosol loadings are used to calculate the extinction coefficient, single scattering albedo, and asymmetric factor at eleven spectral wavelengths in the radiative transfer code. We find that aerosol-radiative forcing during boreal spring excites a wavetrain-like pattern in tropospheric temperature and geopotential height that emanates from Northern Africa, through Eurasia, to northeastern Pacific. Associated with the teleconnection is strong surface cooling over regions with large aerosol loading, i.e., China, India, and Africa. Low-to-mid tropospheric heating due to shortwave absorption is found in regions with large loading of dust (Northern Africa, and central East Asia), and black carbon (South and East Asia). In addition pronounced surface cooling is found over the Caspian Sea and warming over Eurasian and northeastern Asia, where aerosol loadings are relatively low. These warming and cooling are components of teleconnection pattern produced primarily by atmospheric heating from absorbing aerosols, i.e., dust from North Africa and black carbon from South and East Asia. Effects of aerosols on atmospheric hydrologic cycle in the Asian monsoon region are also investigated. Results show that absorbing aerosols, i.e., black carbon and dust, induce large-scale upper-level heating anomaly over the Tibetan Plateau in April and May, ushering in an early onset of the Indian summer monsoon. Absorbing aerosols also enhance lower-level heating and anomalous ascent over northern India, intensifying the Indian monsoon. Overall, the aerosol

  14. Effects of Aerosol on Atmospheric Dynamics and Hydrologic Processes during Boreal Spring and Summer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lau, William K. M.; Kim, M. K.; Chin, Mian; Kim, K. M.

    2005-01-01

    Global and regional climate impacts of present-day aerosol loading during boreal spring are investigated using the NASA finite volume General Circulation Model (fvGCM). Three-dimensional distributions of loadings of five species of tropospheric aerosols, i.e., sulfate, black carbon, organic carbon, soil dust, and sea salt are prescribed from outputs of the Goddard Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport model (GOCART). The aerosol loadings are used to calculate the extinction coefficient, single scattering albedo, and asymmetric factor at eleven spectral wavelengths in the radiative transfer code. We find that aerosol-radiative forcing during boreal spring excites a wavetrain-like pattern in tropospheric temperature and geopotential height that emanates from Northern Africa, through Eurasia, to northeastern Pacific. Associated with the teleconnection is strong surface cooling over regions with large aerosol loading, i.e., China, India, and Africa. Low-to-mid tropospheric heating due to shortwave absorption is found in regions with large loading of dust (Northern Africa, and central East Asia), and black carbon (South and East Asia). In addition pronounced surface cooling is found over the Caspian Sea and warming over Eurasian and northeastern Asia, where aerosol loadings are relatively low. These warming and cooling are components of teleconnection pattern produced primarily by atmospheric heating from absorbing aerosols, i.e., dust from North Africa and.black carbon from South and East Asia. Effects of aerosols on atmospheric hydrologic cycle in the Asian monsoon region are also investigated. Results show that absorbing aerosols, i.e., black carbon and dust, induce large-scale upper-level heating anomaly over the Tibetan Plateau in April and May, ushering in an early onset of the Indian summer monsoon. Absorbing aerosols also enhance lower-level heating and anomalous ascent over northern India, intensifying the Indian monsoon. Overall, the aerosol

  15. Aerosol and snow transfer processes: An investigation on the behavior of water-soluble organic compounds and ionic species.

    PubMed

    Barbaro, Elena; Zangrando, Roberta; Padoan, Sara; Karroca, Ornela; Toscano, Giuseppa; Cairns, Warren R L; Barbante, Carlo; Gambaro, Andrea

    2017-09-01

    The concentrations of water-soluble compounds (ions, carboxylic acids, amino acids, sugars, phenolic compounds) in aerosol and snow have been determined at the coastal Italian base "Mario Zucchelli" (Antarctica) during the 2014-2015 austral summer. The main aim of this research was to investigate the air-snow transfer processes of a number of classes of chemical compounds and investigate their potential as tracers for specific sources. The composition and particle size distribution of Antarctic aerosol was measured, and water-soluble compounds accounted for 66% of the PM 10 total mass concentration. The major ions Na + , Mg 2+ , Cl - and SO 4 2- made up 99% of the total water soluble compound concentration indicating that sea spray input was the main source of aerosol. These ionic species were found mainly in the coarse fraction of the aerosol resulting in enhanced deposition, as reflected by the snow composition. Biogenic sources were identified using chemical markers such as carboxylic acids, amino acids, sugars and phenolic compounds. This study describes the first characterization of amino acids and sugar concentrations in surface snow. High concentrations of amino acids were found after a snowfall event, their presence is probably due to the degradation of biological material scavenged during the snow event. Alcohol sugars increased in concentration after the snow event, suggesting a deposition of primary biological particles, such as airborne fungal spores. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE CLIMATE IMPACT OF SECONDARY ORGANIC AEROSOLS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    O'Donnell, D.; Feichter, J.

    2009-12-01

    Atmospheric aerosols influence the Earth’s climate by absorbing and scattering solar radiation (the direct effect) and by altering the properties of clouds (indirect effects). Measurements have shown that a substantial fraction of the tropospheric aerosol burden consists of organic compounds. Hundreds of different organic species have been identified. While progress has been made in the understanding of the role of certain aerosol types in the climate system, that of organic aerosols remains poorly understood and the climate influences resulting from their presence poorly constrained. Organic aerosols are emitted directly from the surface (primary organic aerosols, POA) and are also formed in the atmosphere from gaseous precursors by oxidation reactions (secondary organic aerosols, SOA). Both biogenic and anthropogenic precursors have been identified. Biogenic emissions of aerosol precursors are known to be climate-dependent. Thus, a bi-directional dependency exists between the biosphere and the atmosphere, whereby aerosols of biogenic origin influence the climate system, which in turn affects biogenic aerosol precursor production. This study builds upon the global aerosol-climate model ECHAM5/HAM and adds techniques to model SOA as well as the necessary global emission inventories. Emission of biogenic precursors is calculated online. Formation of SOA is modeled by the well-known two-product model of SOA formation. SOA is subject to the same aerosol microphysics and sink processes as other modeled species (sulphate, black carbon, primary organic carbon, sea salt and dust). The aerosol radiative effects are calculated on a size resolved basis, and the aerosol scheme is coupled to the model cloud microphysics, permitting estimation of both direct and indirect aerosol effects. The following results will be discussed: (i) Estimation of the direct and indirect effects of biogenic and anthropogenic SOA, (ii) Estimation of the sign and magnitude of the biospheric

  17. Influences of upwind emission sources and atmospheric processing on aerosol chemistry and properties at a rural location in the Northeastern U.S.

    DOE PAGES

    Zhou, Shan; Collier, Sonya; Xu, Jianzhong; ...

    2016-05-19

    Continuous real-time measurements of atmospheric aerosol with an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer coupled with a fast temperature-stepping thermodenuder were carried out in summer 2011 at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL, 40.871°N, 72.89°W) during the Department of Energy Aerosol Life Cycle Intensive Operational Period campaign. BNL was frequently downwind of emissions from the New York metropolitan area and was exposed to various combinations of anthropogenic, biogenic, and marine emissions based on air mass history. The average concentration of submicrometer aerosol (PM1) during this study was 12.6 µg m –3 with 64% of the mass being organic. Organic aerosol (OA) atmore » BNL was found to be overwhelmingly secondary, consisting of (1) a fresher, semivolatile oxygenated organic aerosol (SV-OOA; oxygen-to-carbon ratio (O/C) = 0.54; 63% of OA mass) that was strongly influenced by transported urban plumes; (2) a regional, more aged, low-volatility OOA (LV-OOA; O/C = 0.97; 29% of OA mass) influenced by aqueous-phase processing; and (3) a nitrogen-enriched OA (NOA; nitrogen-to-carbon ratio (N/C) = 0.185; 8% of OA mass) likely composed of amine salts formed from acid-base reactions in industrial emissions. Urban emissions from the New York metropolitan areas to the W and SW in particular led to elevated PM1 mass concentration and altered aerosol composition at BNL. Transported urban plumes and local biogenic emissions likely interacted to enhance secondary organic aerosol production, primarily represented by SV-OOA. Lastly, these results suggest an important role that urban anthropogenic emissions play in affecting ambient PM concentration, composition, and physical-chemical properties at rural areas in the Northeast U.S.« less

  18. Influences of upwind emission sources and atmospheric processing on aerosol chemistry and properties at a rural location in the Northeastern U.S.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhou, Shan; Collier, Sonya; Xu, Jianzhong

    Continuous real-time measurements of atmospheric aerosol with an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer coupled with a fast temperature-stepping thermodenuder were carried out in summer 2011 at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL, 40.871°N, 72.89°W) during the Department of Energy Aerosol Life Cycle Intensive Operational Period campaign. BNL was frequently downwind of emissions from the New York metropolitan area and was exposed to various combinations of anthropogenic, biogenic, and marine emissions based on air mass history. The average concentration of submicrometer aerosol (PM1) during this study was 12.6 µg m –3 with 64% of the mass being organic. Organic aerosol (OA) atmore » BNL was found to be overwhelmingly secondary, consisting of (1) a fresher, semivolatile oxygenated organic aerosol (SV-OOA; oxygen-to-carbon ratio (O/C) = 0.54; 63% of OA mass) that was strongly influenced by transported urban plumes; (2) a regional, more aged, low-volatility OOA (LV-OOA; O/C = 0.97; 29% of OA mass) influenced by aqueous-phase processing; and (3) a nitrogen-enriched OA (NOA; nitrogen-to-carbon ratio (N/C) = 0.185; 8% of OA mass) likely composed of amine salts formed from acid-base reactions in industrial emissions. Urban emissions from the New York metropolitan areas to the W and SW in particular led to elevated PM1 mass concentration and altered aerosol composition at BNL. Transported urban plumes and local biogenic emissions likely interacted to enhance secondary organic aerosol production, primarily represented by SV-OOA. Lastly, these results suggest an important role that urban anthropogenic emissions play in affecting ambient PM concentration, composition, and physical-chemical properties at rural areas in the Northeast U.S.« less

  19. Investigating the role of chemical and physical processes on organic aerosol modelling with CAMx in the Po Valley during a winter episode

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meroni, A.; Pirovano, G.; Gilardoni, S.; Lonati, G.; Colombi, C.; Gianelle, V.; Paglione, M.; Poluzzi, V.; Riva, G. M.; Toppetti, A.

    2017-12-01

    Traditional aerosol mechanisms underestimate the observed organic aerosol concentration, especially due to the lack of information on secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and processing. In this study we evaluate the chemical and transport model CAMx during a one-month in winter (February 2013) over a 5 km resolution domain, covering the whole Po valley (Northern Italy). This works aims at investigating the effects of chemical and physical atmospheric processing on modelling results and, in particular, to evaluate the CAMx sensitivity to organic aerosol (OA) modelling schemes: we will compare the recent 1.5D-VBS algorithm (CAMx-VBS) with the traditional Odum 2-product model (CAMx-SOAP). Additionally, the thorough diagnostic analysis of the reproduction of meteorology, precursors and aerosol components was intended to point put strength and weaknesses of the modelling system and address its improvement. Firstly, we evaluate model performance for criteria PM concentration. PM10 concentration was underestimated both by CAMx-SOAP and even more by CAMx-VBS, with the latter showing a bias ranging between -4.7 and -7.1 μg m-3. PM2.5 model performance was to some extent better than PM10, showing a mean bias ranging between -0.5 μg m-3 at rural sites and -5.5 μg m-3 at urban and suburban sites. CAMx performance for OA was clearly worse than for the other PM compounds (negative bias ranging between -40% and -75%). The comparisons of model results with OA sources (identified by PMF analysis) shows that the VBS scheme underestimates freshly emitted organic aerosol while SOAP overestimates. The VBS scheme correctly reproduces biomass burning (BBOA) contributions to primary OA concentrations (POA). In contrast VBS slightly underestimates the contribution from fossil-fuel combustion (HOA), indicating that POA emissions related to road transport are either underestimated or associated to higher volatility classes. The VBS scheme under-predictes the SOA too, but to a lesser

  20. Aerosol counterflow two-jets unit for continuous measurement of the soluble fraction of atmospheric aerosols.

    PubMed

    Mikuska, Pavel; Vecera, Zbynek

    2005-09-01

    A new type of aerosol collector employing a liquid at laboratory temperature for continuous sampling of atmospheric particles is described. The collector operates on the principle of a Venturi scrubber. Sampled air flows at high linear velocity through two Venturi nozzles "atomizing" the liquid to form two jets of a polydisperse aerosol of fine droplets situated against each other. Counterflow jets of droplets collide, and within this process, the aerosol particles are captured into dispersed liquid. Under optimum conditions (air flow rate of 5 L/min and water flow rate of 2 mL/min), aerosol particles down to 0.3 microm in diameter are quantitatively collected in the collector into deionized water while the collection efficiency of smaller particles decreases. There is very little loss of fine aerosol within the aerosol counterflow two-jets unit (ACTJU). Coupling of the aerosol collector with an annular diffusion denuder located upstream of the collector ensures an artifact-free sampling of atmospheric aerosols. Operation of the ACTJU in combination with on-line detection devices allows in situ automated analysis of water-soluble aerosol species (e.g., NO2-, NO3-)with high time resolution (as high as 1 s). Under the optimum conditions, the limit of detection for particulate nitrite and nitrate is 28 and 77 ng/m(3), respectively. The instrument is sufficiently rugged for its application at routine monitoring of aerosol composition in the real time.

  1. Aqueous aerosol SOA formation: impact on aerosol physical properties.

    PubMed

    Woo, Joseph L; Kim, Derek D; Schwier, Allison N; Li, Ruizhi; McNeill, V Faye

    2013-01-01

    Organic chemistry in aerosol water has recently been recognized as a potentially important source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) material. This SOA material may be surface-active, therefore potentially affecting aerosol heterogeneous activity, ice nucleation, and CCN activity. Aqueous aerosol chemistry has also been shown to be a potential source of light-absorbing products ("brown carbon"). We present results on the formation of secondary organic aerosol material in aerosol water and the associated changes in aerosol physical properties from GAMMA (Gas-Aerosol Model for Mechanism Analysis), a photochemical box model with coupled gas and detailed aqueous aerosol chemistry. The detailed aerosol composition output from GAMMA was coupled with two recently developed modules for predicting a) aerosol surface tension and b) the UV-Vis absorption spectrum of the aerosol, based on our previous laboratory observations. The simulation results suggest that the formation of oligomers and organic acids in bulk aerosol water is unlikely to perturb aerosol surface tension significantly. Isoprene-derived organosulfates are formed in high concentrations in acidic aerosols under low-NO(x) conditions, but more experimental data are needed before the potential impact of these species on aerosol surface tension may be evaluated. Adsorption of surfactants from the gas phase may further suppress aerosol surface tension. Light absorption by aqueous aerosol SOA material is driven by dark glyoxal chemistry and is highest under high-NO(x) conditions, at high relative humidity, in the early morning hours. The wavelength dependence of the predicted absorption spectra is comparable to field observations and the predicted mass absorption efficiencies suggest that aqueous aerosol chemistry can be a significant source of aerosol brown carbon under urban conditions.

  2. Analysis of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions based on MODIS data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Feng; Zhang, Jiahua; He, Junliang; Zha, Yong; Li, Qiannan; Li, Yunmei

    2017-01-01

    Aerosols exert an indirect impact on climate change via its impact on clouds by altering its radiative and optical properties which, in turn, changes the process of precipitation. Over recent years how to study the indirect climate effect of aerosols has become an important research topic. In this study we attempted to understand the complex mutual interactions among aerosols, clouds and precipitation through analysis of the spatial correlation between aerosol optical depth (AOD), cloud effective radius (CER) and precipitation during 2000-2012 in central-eastern China that has one of the highest concentrations of aerosols globally. With the assistance of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived aerosol and cloud product data, this analysis focuses on regional differentiation and seasonal variation of the correlation in which in situ observed precipitation was incorporated. On the basis of the achieved results, we proposed four patterns depicting the mutual interactions between aerosols, clouds and precipitation. They characterize the indirect effects of aerosols on the regional scale. These effects can be summarized as complex seasonal variations and north-south regional differentiation over the study area. The relationship between AOD and CER is predominated mostly by the first indirect effect (the negative correlation between AOD and CER) in the north of the study area in the winter and spring seasons, and over the entire study area in the summer season. The relationship between CER and precipitation is dominated chiefly by the second indirect effect (the positive correlation between CER and precipitation) in the northern area in summer and over the entire study area in autumn. It must be noted that aerosols are not the factor affecting clouds and rainfall singularly. It is the joint effect of aerosols with other factors such as atmospheric dynamics that governs the variation in clouds and rainfall.

  3. Influence of aerosols on surface reaching spectral irradiance and introduction to a new technique for estimating aerosol radiative forcing from spectral flux measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rao, R. R.

    2015-12-01

    Aerosol radiative forcing estimates with high certainty are required in climate change studies. The approach in estimating the aerosol radiative forcing by using the chemical composition of aerosols is not effective as the chemical composition data with radiative properties are not widely available. In this study we look into the approach where ground based spectral radiation flux measurements along with an RT model is used to estimate radiative forcing. Measurements of spectral flux were made using an ASD spectroradiometer with 350 - 1050 nm wavelength range and 3nm resolution for around 54 clear-sky days during which AOD range was around 0.1 to 0.7. Simultaneous measurements of black carbon were also made using Aethalometer (Magee Scientific) which ranged from around 1.5 ug/m3 to 8 ug/m3. All the measurements were made in the campus of Indian Institute of Science which is in the heart of Bangalore city. The primary study involved in understanding the sensitivity of spectral flux to change in the mass concentration of individual aerosol species (Optical properties of Aerosols and Clouds -OPAC classified aerosol species) using the SBDART RT model. This made us clearly distinguish the region of influence of different aerosol species on the spectral flux. Following this, a new technique has been introduced to estimate an optically equivalent mixture of aerosol species for the given location. The new method involves an iterative process where the mixture of aerosol species are changed in OPAC model and RT model is run as long as the mixture which mimics the measured spectral flux within 2-3% deviation from measured spectral flux is obtained. Using the optically equivalent aerosol mixture and RT model aerosol radiative forcing is estimated. The new method is limited to clear sky scenes and its accuracy to derive an optically equivalent aerosol mixture reduces when diffuse component of flux increases. Our analysis also showed that direct component of spectral flux is

  4. A cloud-resolving model study of aerosol-cloud correlation in a pristine maritime environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nishant, Nidhi; Sherwood, Steven C.

    2017-06-01

    In convective clouds, satellite-observed deepening or increased amount of clouds with increasing aerosol concentration has been reported and is sometimes interpreted as aerosol-induced invigoration of the clouds. However, such correlations can be affected by meteorological factors that affect both aerosol and clouds, as well as observational issues. In this study, we examine the behavior in a 660 × 660 km2 region of the South Pacific during June 2007, previously found by Koren et al. (2014) to show strong correlation between cloud fraction, cloud top pressure, and aerosols, using a cloud-resolving model with meteorological boundary conditions specified from a reanalysis. The model assumes constant aerosol loading, yet reproduces vigorous clouds at times of high real-world aerosol concentrations. Days with high- and low-aerosol loading exhibit deep-convective and shallow clouds, respectively, in both observations and the simulation. Synoptic analysis shows that vigorous clouds occur at times of strong surface troughs, which are associated with high winds and advection of boundary layer air from the Southern Ocean where sea-salt aerosol is abundant, thus accounting for the high correlation. Our model results show that aerosol-cloud relationships can be explained by coexisting but independent wind-aerosol and wind-cloud relationships and that no cloud condensation nuclei effect is required.

  5. Aerosol Lidar and MODIS Satellite Comparisons for Future Aerosol Loading Forecast

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    DeYoung, Russell; Szykman, James; Severance, Kurt; Chu, D. Allen; Rosen, Rebecca; Al-Saadi, Jassim

    2006-01-01

    Knowledge of the concentration and distribution of atmospheric aerosols using both airborne lidar and satellite instruments is a field of active research. An aircraft based aerosol lidar has been used to study the distribution of atmospheric aerosols in the California Central Valley and eastern US coast. Concurrently, satellite aerosol retrievals, from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites, were take over the Central Valley. The MODIS Level 2 aerosol data product provides retrieved ambient aerosol optical properties (e.g., optical depth (AOD) and size distribution) globally over ocean and land at a spatial resolution of 10 km. The Central Valley topography was overlaid with MODIS AOD (5x5 sq km resolution) and the aerosol scattering vertical profiles from a lidar flight. Backward air parcel trajectories for the lidar data show that air from the Pacific and northern part of the Central Valley converge confining the aerosols to the lower valley region and below the mixed layer. Below an altitude of 1 km, the lidar aerosol and MODIS AOD exhibit good agreement. Both data sets indicate a high presence of aerosols near Bakersfield and the Tehachapi Mountains. These and other results to be presented indicate that the majority of the aerosols are below the mixed layer such that the MODIS AOD should correspond well with surface measurements. Lidar measurements will help interpret satellite AOD retrievals so that one day they can be used on a routine basis for prediction of boundary layer aerosol pollution events.

  6. Case study of modeled aerosol optical properties during the SAFARI 2000 campaign

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kuzmanoski, Maja; Box, Michael A.; Schmid, Beat

    2007-08-01

    We present modeled aerosol optical properties (single scattering albedo, asymmetry parameter, and lidar ratio) in two layers with different aerosol loadings and particle sizes, observed during the Southern African Regional Science Initiative 2000 (SAFARI 2000) campaign. The optical properties were calculated from aerosol size distributions retrieved from aerosol layer optical thickness spectra, measured using the NASA Ames airborne tracking 14-channel sunphotometer (AATS-14) and the refractive index based on the available information on aerosol chemical composition. The study focuses on sensitivity of modeled optical properties in the 0.3–1.5 μm wavelength range to assumptions regarding the mixing scenario. We considered two modelsmore » for the mixture of absorbing and nonabsorbing aerosol components commonly used to model optical properties of biomass burning aerosol: a layered sphere with absorbing core and nonabsorbing shell and the Maxwell–Garnett effective medium model. In addition, comparisons of modeled optical properties with the measurements are discussed. We also estimated the radiative effect of the difference in aerosol absorption implied by the large difference between the single scattering albedo values (~0.1 at midvisible wavelengths) obtained from different measurement methods for the case with a high amount of biomass burning particles. For that purpose, the volume fraction of black carbon was varied to obtain a range of single scattering albedo values (0.81–0.91 at λ=0.50 μm). Finally, the difference in absorption resulted in a significant difference in the instantaneous radiative forcing at the surface and the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and can result in a change of the sign of the aerosol forcing at TOA from negative to positive.« less

  7. Feasibility study for GCOM-C/SGLI: Retrieval algorithms for carbonaceous aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mukai, Sonoyo; Sano, Itaru; Yasumoto, Masayoshi; Fujito, Toshiyuki; Nakata, Makiko; Kokhanovsky, Alexander

    2016-04-01

    possibility of GCOM-C1 / SGLI related to remote sensing for aerosols and/or clouds can be examined. [1] Mukai, S., M. Yasumoto and M. Nakata, 2014: Estimation of biomass burning influence on air pollution around Beijing from an aerosol retrieval model. The Scientific World Journal, Article ID 649648. [2] Mukai, S., M. Nakata, M. Yasumoto, I. Sano and A. Kokhanovsky, 2015:A study of aerosol pollution episode due to agriculture biomass burning in the east-central China using satellite data, Front. Environ. Sci., 3:57, doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2015.00057.

  8. Perspectives of Future Satellite Observations for Studying Aerosol-Cloud Interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vane, D. G.; Stephens, G. L.

    2008-12-01

    There are many studies that examine the effects of aerosol on clouds and the consequence of these effects for climate. Much of the focus of these interactions revolve around two types of indirect effects. Using the A- Train as a resource for studying these interactions as a way of defining the requirements for future new missions, we find that the sensitivity of the cloud albedo, as observed by CERES, to aerosol varies according to these various conditions and does not simply correlate with decreased particle size as is typically assumed. It is clear that these effects require more in-depth information about cloud water path, and the occurrence and amount of precipitation and the environmental conditions in which the interactions take place. Information about the motions in clouds, the depths of clouds and more resolved microphysical details on cloud and drizzle are essential to study these effects. Perhaps more important than indirect effects on cloud albedo are the possible effects of aerosol on precipitation. There is much speculation about such influences and the A-Train observations are beginning to reveal much insight on such effects. These observations appear to suggest that the effects on shallow clouds is to delay precipitation production and reduce rainfall as has been speculated. The effects of aerosol on the precipitation falling from deep convection is less clear and more difficult to observe, although many model studies consistently suggest that the effects might be even more pronounced than on shallow convection through, among other mechanisms, the invigoration of storms via freezing of elevated water contents in updrafts. Such studies are now clearly pointing to the need to define the water contents and microphysics of hydrometeors in convective updrafts. This talk draws on these results as a way of framing the definition of the cloud-aerosol and precipitation component of the ACE mission of the decadal survey. This mission represents the follow

  9. Variability in morphology, hygroscopicity, and optical properties of soot aerosols during atmospheric processing

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Renyi; Khalizov, Alexei F.; Pagels, Joakim; Zhang, Dan; Xue, Huaxin; McMurry, Peter H.

    2008-01-01

    The atmospheric effects of soot aerosols include interference with radiative transfer, visibility impairment, and alteration of cloud formation and are highly sensitive to the manner by which soot is internally mixed with other aerosol constituents. We present experimental studies to show that soot particles acquire a large mass fraction of sulfuric acid during atmospheric aging, considerably altering their properties. Soot particles exposed to subsaturated sulfuric acid vapor exhibit a marked change in morphology, characterized by a decreased mobility-based diameter but an increased fractal dimension and effective density. These particles experience large hygroscopic size and mass growth at subsaturated conditions (<90% relative humidity) and act efficiently as cloud-condensation nuclei. Coating with sulfuric acid and subsequent hygroscopic growth enhance the optical properties of soot aerosols, increasing scattering by ≈10-fold and absorption by nearly 2-fold at 80% relative humidity relative to fresh particles. In addition, condensation of sulfuric acid is shown to occur at a similar rate on ambient aerosols of various types of a given mobility size, regardless of their chemical compositions and microphysical structures. Representing an important mechanism of atmospheric aging, internal mixing of soot with sulfuric acid has profound implications on visibility, human health, and direct and indirect climate forcing. PMID:18645179

  10. Impact of Aerosols on Convective Clouds and Precipitation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chen, Jen-Ping; Li, Zhanqing; Wang, Chien; Zhang, Chidong

    2012-01-01

    Aerosols are a critical factor in the atmospheric hydrological cycle and radiation budget. As a major agent for clouds to form and a significant attenuator of solar radiation, aerosols affect climate in several ways. Current research suggests that aerosol effects on clouds could further extend to precipitation, both through the formation of cloud particles and by exerting persistent radiative forcing on the climate system that disturbs dynamics. However, the various mechanisms behind these effects, in particular the ones connected to precipitation, are not yet well understood. The atmospheric and climate communities have long been working to gain a better grasp of these critical effects and hence to reduce the significant uncertainties in climate prediction resulting from such a lack of adequate knowledge. Here we review past efforts and summarize our current understanding of the effect of aerosols on convective precipitation processes from theoretical analysis of microphysics, observational evidence, and a range of numerical model simulations. In addition, the discrepancy between results simulated by models, as well as that between simulations and observations, are presented. Specifically, this paper addresses the following topics: (1) fundamental theories of aerosol effects on microphysics and precipitation processes, (2) observational evidence of the effect of aerosols on precipitation processes, (3) signatures of the aerosol impact on precipitation from largescale analyses, (4) results from cloud-resolving model simulations, and (5) results from large-scale numerical model simulations. Finally, several future research directions for gaining a better understanding of aerosol--cloud-precipitation interactions are suggested.

  11. Evaluation of liquid aerosol transport through porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hall, R.; Murdoch, L.; Falta, R.; Looney, B.; Riha, B.

    2016-07-01

    Application of remediation methods in contaminated vadose zones has been hindered by an inability to effectively distribute liquid- or solid-phase amendments. Injection as aerosols in a carrier gas could be a viable method for achieving useful distributions of amendments in unsaturated materials. The objectives of this work were to characterize radial transport of aerosols in unsaturated porous media, and to develop capabilities for predicting results of aerosol injection scenarios at the field-scale. Transport processes were investigated by conducting lab-scale injection experiments with radial flow geometry, and predictive capabilities were obtained by developing and validating a numerical model for simulating coupled aerosol transport, deposition, and multi-phase flow in porous media. Soybean oil was transported more than 2 m through sand by injecting it as micron-scale aerosol droplets. Oil saturation in the sand increased with time to a maximum of 0.25, and decreased with radial distance in the experiments. The numerical analysis predicted the distribution of oil saturation with only minor calibration. The results indicated that evolution of oil saturation was controlled by aerosol deposition and subsequent flow of the liquid oil, and simulation requires including these two coupled processes. The calibrated model was used to evaluate field applications. The results suggest that amendments can be delivered to the vadose zone as aerosols, and that gas injection rate and aerosol particle size will be important controls on the process.

  12. Optical extinction of highly porous aerosol following atmospheric freeze drying

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adler, Gabriela; Haspel, Carynelisa; Moise, Tamar; Rudich, Yinon

    2014-06-01

    Porous glassy particles are a potentially significant but unexplored component of atmospheric aerosol that can form by aerosol processing through the ice phase of high convective clouds. The optical properties of porous glassy aerosols formed from a freeze-dry cycle simulating freezing and sublimation of ice particles were measured using a cavity ring down aerosol spectrometer (CRD-AS) at 532 nm and 355 nm wavelength. The measured extinction efficiency was significantly reduced for porous organic and mixed organic-ammonium sulfate particles as compared to the extinction efficiency of the homogeneous aerosol of the same composition prior to the freeze-drying process. A number of theoretical approaches for modeling the optical extinction of porous aerosols were explored. These include effective medium approximations, extended effective medium approximations, multilayer concentric sphere models, Rayleigh-Debye-Gans theory, and the discrete dipole approximation. Though such approaches are commonly used to describe porous particles in astrophysical and atmospheric contexts, in the current study, these approaches predicted an even lower extinction than the measured one. Rather, the best representation of the measured extinction was obtained with an effective refractive index retrieved from a fit to Mie scattering theory assuming spherical particles with a fixed void content. The single-scattering albedo of the porous glassy aerosols was derived using this effective refractive index and was found to be lower than that of the corresponding homogeneous aerosol, indicating stronger relative absorption at the wavelengths measured. The reduced extinction and increased absorption may be of significance in assessing direct, indirect, and semidirect forcing in regions where porous aerosols are expected to be prevalent.

  13. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.; Johnson, D.; Remer, L.

    2004-01-01

    Cloud microphysics is inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, rainfall production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensembel (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e. pristine ice crystals (columnar and plate-like), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e. 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size distribution functions. A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep tropical clouds in the west Pacific warm pool region and in the mid-latitude continent with different concentrations of CCN: a low "c1ean"concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. In addition, differences and similarities between bulk microphysics and spectral-bin microphysical schemes will be examined and discussed.

  14. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, X.; Khain, A.; Simpson, S.; Johnson, D.; Remer, L.

    2004-01-01

    Cloud microphysics is inevitably affected by the smoke particle (CCN, cloud condensation nuclei) size distributions below the clouds. Therefore, size distributions parameterized as spectral bin microphysics are needed to explicitly study the effects of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud development, r d a U production, and rainfall rates for convective clouds. Recently, two detailed spectral-bin microphysical schemes were implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensembe1 (GCE) model. The formulation for the explicit spectral-bin microphysical processes is based on solving stochastic kinetic equations for the size distribution functions of water droplets (i.e., cloud droplets and raindrops), and several types of ice particles [i.e. pristine ice crystals (columnar and platelike), snow (dendrites and aggregates), graupel and frozen drops/hail]. Each type is described by a special size distribution function containing many categories (i.e. 33 bins). Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions. A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep tropical clouds in the west Pacific warm pool region and in the mid-latitude continent with different concentrations of CCN: a low "c1ean"concentration and a high "dirty" concentration. In addition, differences and similarities between bulk microphysics and spectral-bin microphysical schemes will be examined and discussed.

  15. The Sectional Stratospheric Sulfate Aerosol module (S3A-v1) within the LMDZ general circulation model: description and evaluation against stratospheric aerosol observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kleinschmitt, Christoph; Boucher, Olivier; Bekki, Slimane; Lott, François; Platt, Ulrich

    2017-09-01

    Stratospheric aerosols play an important role in the climate system by affecting the Earth's radiative budget as well as atmospheric chemistry, and the capabilities to simulate them interactively within global models are continuously improving. It is important to represent accurately both aerosol microphysical and atmospheric dynamical processes because together they affect the size distribution and the residence time of the aerosol particles in the stratosphere. The newly developed LMDZ-S3A model presented in this article uses a sectional approach for sulfate particles in the stratosphere and includes the relevant microphysical processes. It allows full interaction between aerosol radiative effects (e.g. radiative heating) and atmospheric dynamics, including e.g. an internally generated quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the stratosphere. Sulfur chemistry is semi-prescribed via climatological lifetimes. LMDZ-S3A reasonably reproduces aerosol observations in periods of low (background) and high (volcanic) stratospheric sulfate loading, but tends to overestimate the number of small particles and to underestimate the number of large particles. Thus, it may serve as a tool to study the climate impacts of volcanic eruptions, as well as the deliberate anthropogenic injection of aerosols into the stratosphere, which has been proposed as a method of geoengineering to abate global warming.

  16. Follow the Carbon: Isotopic Labeling Studies of Early Earth Aerosol.

    PubMed

    Hicks, Raea K; Day, Douglas A; Jimenez, Jose L; Tolbert, Margaret A

    2016-11-01

    Despite the faint young Sun, early Earth might have been kept warm by an atmosphere containing the greenhouse gases CH 4 and CO 2 in mixing ratios higher than those found on Earth today. Laboratory and modeling studies suggest that an atmosphere containing these trace gases could lead to the formation of organic aerosol haze due to UV photochemistry. Chemical mechanisms proposed to explain haze formation rely on CH 4 as the source of carbon and treat CO 2 as a source of oxygen only, but this has not previously been verified experimentally. In the present work, we use isotopically labeled precursor gases and unit-mass resolution (UMR) and high-resolution (HR) aerosol mass spectrometry to examine the sources of carbon and oxygen to photochemical aerosol formed in a CH 4 /CO 2 /N 2 atmosphere. UMR results suggest that CH 4 contributes 70-100% of carbon in the aerosol, while HR results constrain the value from 94% to 100%. We also confirm that CO 2 contributes approximately 10% of the total mass to the aerosol as oxygen. These results have implications for the geochemical interpretations of inclusions found in Archean rocks on Earth and for the astrobiological potential of other planetary atmospheres. Key Words: Atmosphere-Early Earth-Planetary atmospheres-Carbon dioxide-Methane. Astrobiology 16, 822-830.

  17. Ice nucleating particle concentration during a combustion aerosol event

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adams, Mike; O'Sullivan, Daniel; Porter, Grace; Sanchez-Marroquin, Alberto; Tarn, Mark; Harrison, Alex; McQuaid, Jim; Murray, Benjamin

    2017-04-01

    The formation of ice in supercooled clouds is important for cloud radiative properties, their lifetime and the formation of precipitation. Cloud water droplets can supercool to below -33oC, but in the presence of Ice Nucleating Particles (INPs) freezing can be initiated at much higher temperatures. The concentration of atmospheric aerosols that are active as INPs depends on a number of factors, such as temperature and aerosol composition and concentration. However, our knowledge of which aerosol types serve as INPs is limited. For example, there has been much discussion over whether aerosol from combustion processes are important as INP. This is significant because combustion aerosol have increased in concentration dramatically since pre-industrial times and therefore have the potential to exert a significant anthropogenic impact on clouds and climate. In this study we made measurements of INP concentrations in Leeds over a specific combustion aerosol event in order to test if there was a correlation between INP concentrations and combustion aerosol. The combustion aerosol event was on the 5th November which is a major bonfire and firework event celebrated throughout the UK. During the event we observed a factor of five increase in aerosol and a factor of 10 increase in black carbon, but observed no significant increase in INP concentration. This implies that black carbon and combustion aerosol did not compete with the background INP during this event.

  18. Impacts of aerosol mitigation on Chinese rice photosynthesis: An integrated modeling approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, T.; Li, T.; Yue, X.; Yang, X.

    2017-12-01

    Aerosol pollution in China is significantly altering radiative transfer processes and is thereby potentially affecting rice photosynthesis. However, the response of rice photosynthesis to aerosol-induced radiative perturbations is still not well understood. Here, we employ an integrated process-based modeling approach to simulate changes in incoming radiation (RAD) and the diffuse radiation fraction (DF) with aerosol mitigation in China and their associated impacts on rice yields. Aerosol reduction has the positive effect of increasing RAD and the negative effect of decreasing DF on rice photosynthesis and yields. In rice production areas where the average RAD during the growing season is lower than 250 W m-2, aerosol reduction is beneficial for higher rice yields, whereas in areas with RAD>250 W m-2, aerosol mitigation causes yield declines due to the associated reduction in the DF, which decreases the light use efficiency. This response pattern and threshold are similar with observations, even through more data are needed in future investigation. As a net effect, rice yields were estimated to significantly increase by 0.8-2.6% with aerosol concentrations reductions from 20 to 100%, which is lower than the estimates obtained in earlier studies that only considered the effects of RAD. This finding suggests that both RAD and DF are important processes influencing rice yields and should be incorporated into future assessments of agricultural responses to variations in aerosol-induced radiation under climate change.

  19. Characterization of Cooking-Related Aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Niedziela, R. F.; Blanc, L. E.

    2010-12-01

    The temperatures at which food is cooked are usually high enough to drive oils and other organic compounds out of materials which are being prepared for consumption. As these compounds move away from the hot cooking surface and into the atmosphere, they can participate in chemical reactions or condense to form particles. Given the high concentration of cooking in urban areas, cooking-related aerosols likely contribute to the overall amount of particulate matter on a local scale. Reported here are results for the mid-infrared optical characterization of aerosols formed during the cooking of several meat and vegetable samples in an inert atmosphere. The samples were heated in a novel aerosol generator that is designed to collect particles formed immediately above the cooking surface and inject them into a laminar aerosol flow cell. Preliminary results for the chemical processing of cooking-related aerosols in synthetic air will also be presented.

  20. Study of Aerosol Optical Properties Over Two Sites in the Foothills of the Central Himalayas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rupakheti, D.; Kang, S.; Cong, Z.; Rupakheti, M.; Tripathee, L.; Panday, A. K.; Holben, B.

    2018-04-01

    Atmospheric aerosol possesses impacts on climate system and ecological environments, human health and agricultural productivity. The environment over Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau region are continuously degraded due to the transport of pollution from the foothills of the Himalayas; mostly the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). Thus, analysis of aerosol optical properties over two sites; Lumbini and Kathmandu (the southern slope of central Himalayas) using AERONET's CIMEL sun photometer were conducted in this study. Aerosol optical depth (AOD at 500 nm), angstrom exponent (α or AE), volume size distribution (VSD), single scattering albedo (SSA) and asymmetry parameter (AP) were studied for 2013-2014 and the average AOD was found to be: 0.64 ± 0.41 (Lumbini) and 0.45 ± 0.30 (Kathmandu). The average AE was found to be: 1.25 ± 0.24 and 1.26 ± 0.18 respectively for two sites. The relation between AOD and AE was used to discriminate the aerosol types over these sites which indicated anthropogenic, mixed and biomass burning origin aerosol constituted the major aerosol types in Lumbini and Kathmandu. A clear bi-modal distribution of aerosol volume size was observed with highest volume concentration during the post-monsoon season in fine mode and pre-monsoon season in coarse mode (Lumbini) and highest value over both modes during pre-monsoon season in Kathmandu. The single scattering albedo (SSA) and asymmetry parameter (AP) analyses suggested aerosols over the Himalayan foothills sites are dominated by absorbing and anthropogenic aerosols from urban and industrial activities and biomass burning. Long-term studies are essential to understand and characterize the nature of aerosol over this research gap zone.

  1. Giant aerosol observations with cloud radar: methodology and effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guma Claramunt, Pilar; Madonna, Fabio; Amodeo, Aldo; Bauer-Pfundstein, Matthias; Papagiannopoulos, Nikolaos; Pappalardo, Gelsomina

    2017-04-01

    Giant aerosol particles can act as Giant Cloud Condensation Nuclei (GCCN), and determine the droplet concentration at the cloud formation, the clouds albedo and lifetime, and the precipitation formation. In addition, depending on their composition, they can also act as IN. It is not yet clear if they can also expedite rain processes. The main techniques used nowadays in measuring aerosols, which are lidar and sun photometer, cannot retrieve aerosol microphysical properties for particles bigger than a few microns, which means that they do not account for giant aerosols. Therefore, the distribution and impact in the atmosphere and climate of these particles is not well known and the aerosol transport models largely underestimate them. Recent studies have demonstrated that cloud radars are able to detect ultragiant volcanic aerosols also at a large distance from the source. In this study, an innovative methodology for the observation of giant aerosols using the millimeter wavelength radar has been developed and applied to 6 years of measurements carried out at CNR-IMAA Atmospheric Observatory (CIAO), in Potenza, South Italy, finding more than 40 giant aerosol events per year and a good agreement with the aerosol climatologic data. Besides, the effects of giant aerosols in the local and regional meteorology have been studied by correlating several atmospheric variables in the time period following the observation of giant particles. The meteorological situation has been assessed through the data classification into cases characterized by different pressure vertical velocities at the upper atmosphere (400 hPa), Giant aerosols are correlated to lower values of the Cloud Optical Depth (COD) in presence of stable or unstable atmospheric conditions while higher values are found for an intermediate stability. The giant aerosols effects on the Liquid Water Path (LWP) are closely linked to those in the Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOD). The highest increases in the LWP occurs

  2. The Two-Column Aerosol Project: Phase I - Overview and Impact of Elevated Aerosol Layers on Aerosol Optical Depth

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Berg, Larry K.; Fast, Jerome D.; Barnard, James C.

    2016-01-08

    The Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP), which was conducted from June 2012 through June 2013, was a unique field study that was designed to provide a comprehensive data set that can be used to investigate a number of important climate science questions, including those related to aerosol mixing state and aerosol radiative forcing. The study was designed to sample the atmosphere at a number of altitudes, from near the surface to as high as 8 km, within two atmospheric columns; one located near the coast of North America (over Cape Cod, MA) and a second over the Atlantic Ocean several hundredmore » kilometers from the coast. TCAP included the yearlong deployment of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF) that was located at the base of the Cape Cod column, as well as summer and winter aircraft intensive observation periods of the ARM Aerial Facility. One important finding from TCAP is the relatively common occurrence (on four of six nearly cloud-free flights) of elevated aerosol layers in both the Cape Cod and maritime columns that were detected using the nadir pointing second-generation NASA high-spectral resolution lidar (HSRL-2). These layers contributed up to 60% of the total aerosol optical depth (AOD) observed in the column. Many of these layers were also intercepted by the aircraft configured for in situ sampling, and the aerosol in the layers was found to have increased amounts of biomass burning aerosol and nitrate compared to the aerosol found near the surface.« less

  3. The Two-Column Aerosol Project: Phase I-Overview and impact of elevated aerosol layers on aerosol optical depth

    DOE PAGES

    Berg, Larry K.; Fast, Jerome D.; Barnard, James C.; ...

    2016-01-08

    The Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP), conducted from June 2012 through June 2013, was a unique study designed to provide a comprehensive data set that can be used to investigate a number of important climate science questions, including those related to aerosol mixing state and aerosol radiative forcing. The study was designed to sample the atmosphere between and within two atmospheric columns; one fixed near the coast of North America (over Cape Cod, MA) and a second moveable column over the Atlantic Ocean several hundred kilometers from the coast. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facilitymore » (AMF) was deployed at the base of the Cape Cod column, and the ARM Aerial Facility was utilized for the summer and winter intensive observation periods. One important finding from TCAP is that four of six nearly cloud-free flight days had aerosol layers aloft in both the Cape Cod and maritime columns that were detected using the nadir pointing second-generation NASA high-spectral resolution lidar (HSRL-2). In addition, these layers contributed up to 60% of the total observed aerosol optical depth (AOD). Many of these layers were also intercepted by the aircraft configured for in situ sampling, and the aerosol in the layers was found to have increased amounts of biomass burning material and nitrate compared to aerosol found near the surface. Lastly, while there was a great deal of spatial and day-to-day variability in the aerosol chemical composition and optical properties, no systematic differences between the two columns were observed.« less

  4. The Two-Column Aerosol Project: Phase I - Overview and Impact of Elevated Aerosol Layers on Aerosol Optical Depth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Berg, Larry K.; Fast, Jerome D.; Barnard, James C.; Burton, Sharon P.; Cairns, Brian; Chand, Duli; Comstock, Jennifer M.; Dunagan, Stephen; Ferrare, Richard A.; Flynn, Connor J.; hide

    2015-01-01

    The Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP), conducted from June 2012 through June 2013, was a unique study designed to provide a comprehensive data set that can be used to investigate a number of important climate science questions, including those related to aerosol mixing state and aerosol radiative forcing. The study was designed to sample the atmosphere be tween and within two atmospheric columns; one fixed near the coast of North America (over Cape Cod, MA) and a second moveable column over the Atlantic Ocean several hundred kilometers from the coast. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF) was deployed at the base of the Cape Cod column, and the ARM Aerial Facility was utilized for the summer and winter intensive observation periods. One important finding from TCAP is that four of six nearly cloud-free flight days had aerosol layers aloft in both the Cape Cod and maritime columns that were detected using the nadir pointing second-generation NASA high-spectral resolution lidar (HSRL-2).These layer s contributed up to 60 of the total observed aerosol optical depth (AOD). Many of these layers were also intercepted by the aircraft configured for in situ sampling, and the aerosol in the layers was found to have increased amounts of biomass burning material and nitrate compared to aerosol found near the surface. In addition, while there was a great deal of spatial and day-to-day variability in the aerosol chemical composition and optical properties, no systematic differences between the two columns were observed.

  5. The Two-Column Aerosol Project: Phase I—Overview and impact of elevated aerosol layers on aerosol optical depth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berg, Larry K.; Fast, Jerome D.; Barnard, James C.; Burton, Sharon P.; Cairns, Brian; Chand, Duli; Comstock, Jennifer M.; Dunagan, Stephen; Ferrare, Richard A.; Flynn, Connor J.; Hair, Johnathan W.; Hostetler, Chris A.; Hubbe, John; Jefferson, Anne; Johnson, Roy; Kassianov, Evgueni I.; Kluzek, Celine D.; Kollias, Pavlos; Lamer, Katia; Lantz, Kathleen; Mei, Fan; Miller, Mark A.; Michalsky, Joseph; Ortega, Ivan; Pekour, Mikhail; Rogers, Ray R.; Russell, Philip B.; Redemann, Jens; Sedlacek, Arthur J.; Segal-Rosenheimer, Michal; Schmid, Beat; Shilling, John E.; Shinozuka, Yohei; Springston, Stephen R.; Tomlinson, Jason M.; Tyrrell, Megan; Wilson, Jacqueline M.; Volkamer, Rainer; Zelenyuk, Alla; Berkowitz, Carl M.

    2016-01-01

    The Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP), conducted from June 2012 through June 2013, was a unique study designed to provide a comprehensive data set that can be used to investigate a number of important climate science questions, including those related to aerosol mixing state and aerosol radiative forcing. The study was designed to sample the atmosphere between and within two atmospheric columns; one fixed near the coast of North America (over Cape Cod, MA) and a second moveable column over the Atlantic Ocean several hundred kilometers from the coast. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF) was deployed at the base of the Cape Cod column, and the ARM Aerial Facility was utilized for the summer and winter intensive observation periods. One important finding from TCAP is that four of six nearly cloud-free flight days had aerosol layers aloft in both the Cape Cod and maritime columns that were detected using the nadir pointing second-generation NASA high-spectral resolution lidar (HSRL-2). These layers contributed up to 60% of the total observed aerosol optical depth (AOD). Many of these layers were also intercepted by the aircraft configured for in situ sampling, and the aerosol in the layers was found to have increased amounts of biomass burning material and nitrate compared to aerosol found near the surface. In addition, while there was a great deal of spatial and day-to-day variability in the aerosol chemical composition and optical properties, no systematic differences between the two columns were observed.

  6. A sensitivity analysis of volcanic aerosol dispersion in the stratosphere. [Mt. Fuego, Guatemala eruptions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Butler, C. F.

    1979-01-01

    A computer sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the uncertainties involved in the calculation of volcanic aerosol dispersion in the stratosphere using a 2 dimensional model. The Fuego volcanic event of 1974 was used. Aerosol dispersion processes that were included are: transport, sedimentation, gas phase sulfur chemistry, and aerosol growth. Calculated uncertainties are established from variations in the stratospheric aerosol layer decay times at 37 latitude for each dispersion process. Model profiles are also compared with lidar measurements. Results of the computer study are quite sensitive (factor of 2) to the assumed volcanic aerosol source function and the large variations in the parameterized transport between 15 and 20 km at subtropical latitudes. Sedimentation effects are uncertain by up to a factor of 1.5 because of the lack of aerosol size distribution data. The aerosol chemistry and growth, assuming that the stated mechanisms are correct, are essentially complete in several months after the eruption and cannot explain the differences between measured and modeled results.

  7. A study of remotely sensed aerosol properties from ground-based sun and sky scanning radiometers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giles, David M.

    Aerosol particles impact human health by degrading air quality and affect climate by heating or cooling the atmosphere. The Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) of Northern India, one of the most populous regions in the world, produces and is impacted by a variety of aerosols including pollution, smoke, dust, and mixtures of them. The NASA Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) mesoscale distribution of Sun and sky-pointing instruments in India was established to measure aerosol characteristics at sites across the IGP and around Kanpur, India, a large urban and industrial center in the IGP, during the 2008 pre-monsoon (April-June). This study focused on detecting spatial and temporal variability of aerosols, validating satellite retrievals, and classifying the dominant aerosol mixing states and origins. The Kanpur region typically experiences high aerosol loading due to pollution and smoke during the winter and high aerosol loading due to the addition of dust to the pollution and smoke mixture during the pre-monsoon. Aerosol emissions in Kanpur likely contribute up to 20% of the aerosol loading during the pre-monsoon over the IGP. Aerosol absorption also increases significantly downwind of Kanpur indicating the possibility of the black carbon emissions from aerosol sources such as coal-fired power plants and brick kilns. Aerosol retrievals from satellite show a high bias when compared to the mesoscale distributed instruments around Kanpur during the pre-monsoon with few high quality retrievals due to imperfect aerosol type and land surface characteristic assumptions. Aerosol type classification using the aerosol absorption, size, and shape properties can identify dominant aerosol mixing states of absorbing dust and black carbon particles. Using 19 long-term AERONET sites near various aerosol source regions (Dust, Mixed, Urban/Industrial, and Biomass Burning), aerosol absorption property statistics are expanded upon and show significant differences when compared to previous work

  8. Identifying Metals as Marker for Waste Burning Aerosol Particles in New Delhi

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Sudhanshu

    2012-07-01

    {Identifying Metals as Marker for Waste Burning Aerosol Particles in New Delhi } Tracing of aerosol sources is an important task helpful for making control strategy, and for climate change study. However, it is a difficult job as aerosols have several sources, involve in complex atmospheric processing, degradation and removal processes. Several approaches have been used for this task, e.g., models, which are based on the input of chemical species; stable- and radio-isotope compositions of certain species; chemical markers in which trace metals are the better options because they persist in atmosphere until the life of a particle. For example, K and Hg are used for biomass and coal burning tracings, respectively. Open waste burning has recently been believed to be a considerable source of aerosols in several mega cities in India and China. To better understand this source contribution in New Delhi aerosols, we have conducted aerosol sampling at a landfill site (Okhla), and in proximity (within 1 km distance) of this site. Aerosol filter samples were acid digested in microwave digestion system and analyzed using inductively coupled plasma -- high resolution mass spectrometry (ICP-HRMS) for getting metal signatures in particles. The metals, e.g., Sn, Sb and As those are found almost negligible in remote aerosols, are maximized in these waste burning aerosols. Sample collected in other location of New Delhi also shows the considerable presence of these metals in particles. Preliminary studies of isotopic ratios of these metals suggested that these metals, especially Sn can be used as marker for tracing the open waste burning sources of aerosols in New Delhi.

  9. A New WRF-Chem Treatment for Studying Regional Scale Impacts of Cloud-Aerosol Interactions in Parameterized Cumuli

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Berg, Larry K.; Shrivastava, ManishKumar B.; Easter, Richard C.

    A new treatment of cloud-aerosol interactions within parameterized shallow and deep convection has been implemented in WRF-Chem that can be used to better understand the aerosol lifecycle over regional to synoptic scales. The modifications to the model to represent cloud-aerosol interactions include treatment of the cloud dropletnumber mixing ratio; key cloud microphysical and macrophysical parameters (including the updraft fractional area, updraft and downdraft mass fluxes, and entrainment) averaged over the population of shallow clouds, or a single deep convective cloud; and vertical transport, activation/resuspension, aqueous chemistry, and wet removal of aerosol and trace gases in warm clouds. Thesechanges have beenmore » implemented in both the WRF-Chem chemistry packages as well as the Kain-Fritsch cumulus parameterization that has been modified to better represent shallow convective clouds. Preliminary testing of the modified WRF-Chem has been completed using observations from the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS) as well as a high-resolution simulation that does not include parameterized convection. The simulation results are used to investigate the impact of cloud-aerosol interactions on the regional scale transport of black carbon (BC), organic aerosol (OA), and sulfate aerosol. Based on the simulations presented here, changes in the column integrated BC can be as large as -50% when cloud-aerosol interactions are considered (due largely to wet removal), or as large as +35% for sulfate in non-precipitating conditions due to the sulfate production in the parameterized clouds. The modifications to WRF-Chem version 3.2.1 are found to account for changes in the cloud drop number concentration (CDNC) and changes in the chemical composition of cloud-drop residuals in a way that is consistent with observations collected during CHAPS. Efforts are currently underway to port the changes described here to WRF-Chem version 3.5, and it is anticipated

  10. Host Model Uncertainty in Aerosol Radiative Effects: the AeroCom Prescribed Experiment and Beyond

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stier, Philip; Schutgens, Nick; Bian, Huisheng; Boucher, Olivier; Chin, Mian; Ghan, Steven; Huneeus, Nicolas; Kinne, Stefan; Lin, Guangxing; Myhre, Gunnar; Penner, Joyce; Randles, Cynthia; Samset, Bjorn; Schulz, Michael; Yu, Hongbin; Zhou, Cheng; Bellouin, Nicolas; Ma, Xiaoyan; Yu, Fangqun; Takemura, Toshihiko

    2013-04-01

    Anthropogenic and natural aerosol radiative effects are recognized to affect global and regional climate. Multi-model "diversity" in estimates of the aerosol radiative effect is often perceived as a measure of the uncertainty in modelling aerosol itself. However, current aerosol models vary considerably in model components relevant for the calculation of aerosol radiative forcings and feedbacks and the associated "host-model uncertainties" are generally convoluted with the actual uncertainty in aerosol modelling. In the AeroCom Prescribed intercomparison study we systematically isolate and quantify host model uncertainties on aerosol forcing experiments through prescription of identical aerosol radiative properties in eleven participating models. Host model errors in aerosol radiative forcing are largest in regions of uncertain host model components, such as stratocumulus cloud decks or areas with poorly constrained surface albedos, such as sea ice. Our results demonstrate that host model uncertainties are an important component of aerosol forcing uncertainty that require further attention. However, uncertainties in aerosol radiative effects also include short-term and long-term feedback processes that will be systematically explored in future intercomparison studies. Here we will present an overview of the proposals for discussion and results from early scoping studies.

  11. Impact of Asian Aerosols on Precipitation Over California: An Observational and Model Based Approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Naeger, Aaron R.; Molthan, Andrew L.; Zavodsky, Bradley T.; Creamean, Jessie M.

    2015-01-01

    Dust and pollution emissions from Asia are often transported across the Pacific Ocean to over the western United States. Therefore, it is essential to fully understand the impact of these aerosols on clouds and precipitation forming over the eastern Pacific and western United States, especially during atmospheric river events that account for up to half of California's annual precipitation and can lead to widespread flooding. In order for numerical modeling simulations to accurately represent the present and future regional climate of the western United States, we must account for the aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions associated with Asian dust and pollution aerosols. Therefore, we have constructed a detailed study utilizing multi-sensor satellite observations, NOAA-led field campaign measurements, and targeted numerical modeling studies where Asian aerosols interacted with cloud and precipitation processes over the western United States. In particular, we utilize aerosol optical depth retrievals from the NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-11), and Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) to effectively detect and monitor the trans-Pacific transport of Asian dust and pollution. The aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals are used in assimilating the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) in order to provide the model with an accurate representation of the aerosol spatial distribution across the Pacific. We conduct WRF-Chem model simulations of several cold-season atmospheric river events that interacted with Asian aerosols and brought significant precipitation over California during February-March 2011 when the NOAA CalWater field campaign was ongoing. The CalWater field campaign consisted of aircraft and surface measurements of aerosol and precipitation processes that help extensively validate our WRF

  12. Sensitivity of Homogeneous Ice Nucleation to Aerosol Perturbations and Its Implications for Aerosol Indirect Effects Through Cirrus Clouds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, X.; Shi, X.

    2018-02-01

    The magnitude and sign of anthropogenic aerosol impacts on cirrus clouds through ice nucleation are still very uncertain. In this study, aerosol sensitivity (ηα), defined as the sensitivity of the number concentration (Ni) of ice crystals formed from homogeneous ice nucleation to aerosol number concentration (Na), is examined based on simulations from a cloud parcel model. The model represents the fundamental process of ice crystal formation that results from homogeneous nucleation. We find that the geometric dispersion (σ) of the aerosol size distribution used in the model is a key factor for ηα. For a monodisperse size distribution, ηα is close to zero in vertical updrafts (V < 50 cm s-1) typical of cirrus clouds. However, ηα increases to 0.1-0.3 (i.e., Ni increases by a factor of 1.3-2.0 for a tenfold increase in Na) if aerosol particles follow lognormal size distributions with a σ of 1.6-2.3 in the upper troposphere. By varying the input aerosol and environmental parameters, our model reproduces a large range of ηα values derived from homogeneous ice nucleation parameterizations widely used in global climate models (GCMs). The differences in ηα from these parameterizations can translate into a range of anthropogenic aerosol longwave indirect forcings through cirrus clouds from 0.05 to 0.36 W m-2 with a GCM. Our study suggests that a larger ηα (0.1-0.3) is more plausible and the homogeneous nucleation parameterizations should include a realistic aerosol size distribution to accurately quantify anthropogenic aerosol indirect effects.

  13. Impacts of Combustion Conditions and Photochemical Processing on the Light Absorption of Biomass Combustion Aerosol.

    PubMed

    Martinsson, J; Eriksson, A C; Nielsen, I Elbæk; Malmborg, V Berg; Ahlberg, E; Andersen, C; Lindgren, R; Nyström, R; Nordin, E Z; Brune, W H; Svenningsson, B; Swietlicki, E; Boman, C; Pagels, J H

    2015-12-15

    The aim was to identify relationships between combustion conditions, particle characteristics, and optical properties of fresh and photochemically processed emissions from biomass combustion. The combustion conditions included nominal and high burn rate operation and individual combustion phases from a conventional wood stove. Low temperature pyrolysis upon fuel addition resulted in "tar-ball" type particles dominated by organic aerosol with an absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) of 2.5-2.7 and estimated Brown Carbon contributions of 50-70% to absorption at the climate relevant aethalometer-wavelength (520 nm). High temperature combustion during the intermediate (flaming) phase was dominated by soot agglomerates with AAE 1.0-1.2 and 85-100% of absorption at 520 nm attributed to Black Carbon. Intense photochemical processing of high burn rate flaming combustion emissions in an oxidation flow reactor led to strong formation of Secondary Organic Aerosol, with no or weak absorption. PM1 mass emission factors (mg/kg) of fresh emissions were about an order of magnitude higher for low temperature pyrolysis compared to high temperature combustion. However, emission factors describing the absorption cross section emitted per kg of fuel consumed (m(2)/kg) were of similar magnitude at 520 nm for the diverse combustion conditions investigated in this study. These results provide a link between biomass combustion conditions, emitted particle types, and their optical properties in fresh and processed plumes which can be of value for source apportionment and balanced mitigation of biomass combustion emissions from a climate and health perspective.

  14. Impact of aerosol size representation on modeling aerosol-cloud interactions

    DOE PAGES

    Zhang, Y.; Easter, R. C.; Ghan, S. J.; ...

    2002-11-07

    In this study, we use a 1-D version of a climate-aerosol-chemistry model with both modal and sectional aerosol size representations to evaluate the impact of aerosol size representation on modeling aerosol-cloud interactions in shallow stratiform clouds observed during the 2nd Aerosol Characterization Experiment. Both the modal (with prognostic aerosol number and mass or prognostic aerosol number, surface area and mass, referred to as the Modal-NM and Modal-NSM) and the sectional approaches (with 12 and 36 sections) predict total number and mass for interstitial and activated particles that are generally within several percent of references from a high resolution 108-section approach.more » The modal approach with prognostic aerosol mass but diagnostic number (referred to as the Modal-M) cannot accurately predict the total particle number and surface areas, with deviations from the references ranging from 7-161%. The particle size distributions are sensitive to size representations, with normalized absolute differences of up to 12% and 37% for the 36- and 12-section approaches, and 30%, 39%, and 179% for the Modal-NSM, Modal-NM, and Modal-M, respectively. For the Modal-NSM and Modal-NM, differences from the references are primarily due to the inherent assumptions and limitations of the modal approach. In particular, they cannot resolve the abrupt size transition between the interstitial and activated aerosol fractions. For the 12- and 36-section approaches, differences are largely due to limitations of the parameterized activation for non-log-normal size distributions, plus the coarse resolution for the 12-section case. Differences are larger both with higher aerosol (i.e., less complete activation) and higher SO2 concentrations (i.e., greater modification of the initial aerosol distribution).« less

  15. Incorporating radioactive decay into charging and coagulation of multicomponent radioactive aerosols

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kim, Yong-ha; Yiacoumi, Sotira; Nenes, Athanasios

    Compositional changes by the decay of radionuclides in radioactive aerosols can influence their charging state, coagulation frequency and size distribution throughout their atmospheric lifetime. The importance of such effects is unknown as they have not been considered in microphysical and global radioactivity transport studies to date. Here, we explore the effects of compositional changes on the charging efficiency and coagulation rates of aerosols using a set of kinetic equations that couple all relevant processes (decay, charging and coagulation) and their evolution over time. Compared to a coupled aggregation-tracer model for the prediction of the radioactive composition of particulates undergoing coagulation,more » our kinetic approach can provide similar results using much less central processing unit time. Altogether with other considerations, our approach is computational efficient enough to allow implementation in 3D atmospheric transport models. The decay of radionuclides and the production of decay products within radioactive aerosols may significantly affect the aerosol charging rates, and either hinder or promote the coagulation of multicomponent radioactive aerosols. Our results suggest that radiological phenomena occurring within radioactive aerosols, as well as subsequent effects on aerosol microphysics, should be considered in regional and global models to more accurately predict radioactivity transport in the atmosphere in case of a nuclear plant accident.« less

  16. Incorporating radioactive decay into charging and coagulation of multicomponent radioactive aerosols

    DOE PAGES

    Kim, Yong-ha; Yiacoumi, Sotira; Nenes, Athanasios; ...

    2017-09-29

    Compositional changes by the decay of radionuclides in radioactive aerosols can influence their charging state, coagulation frequency and size distribution throughout their atmospheric lifetime. The importance of such effects is unknown as they have not been considered in microphysical and global radioactivity transport studies to date. Here, we explore the effects of compositional changes on the charging efficiency and coagulation rates of aerosols using a set of kinetic equations that couple all relevant processes (decay, charging and coagulation) and their evolution over time. Compared to a coupled aggregation-tracer model for the prediction of the radioactive composition of particulates undergoing coagulation,more » our kinetic approach can provide similar results using much less central processing unit time. Altogether with other considerations, our approach is computational efficient enough to allow implementation in 3D atmospheric transport models. The decay of radionuclides and the production of decay products within radioactive aerosols may significantly affect the aerosol charging rates, and either hinder or promote the coagulation of multicomponent radioactive aerosols. Our results suggest that radiological phenomena occurring within radioactive aerosols, as well as subsequent effects on aerosol microphysics, should be considered in regional and global models to more accurately predict radioactivity transport in the atmosphere in case of a nuclear plant accident.« less

  17. Experimental investigation of aerosol composition and growth rates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wimmer, Daniela; Winkler, Paul; Kulmala, Markku; Petäjä, Tuukka

    2017-04-01

    Atmospheric aerosol particles have relevant influence on human lives. Human health is affected, as by breathing in the aerosol particles, they deposit in the lungs causing various health problems. Also they interfere indirectly and directly with sunlight, which affects the climate on Earth. Primary aerosol particles originate for example from anthropogenic sources, such as Diesel cars or natural sources such as dessert dust. Secondary aerosol particles are formed via condensation of low volatile gas phase compounds. First, small clusters consisting of a few gas molecules only are formed, which can then grow to bigger aerosol particles. These then form seeds for cloud droplets. The chemical composition of the cloud particles determines whether the cloud absorbs or scatters sunlight more. Intensive experimental and theoretical work has been put into understanding the details of the initial processes leading to the natural formation of these secondary aerosol particles. According to modelling studies, aerosol particles formed via the nucleation process are responsible for about 50% of the global cloud condensation nuclei concentration. With currently used methods, the chemical composition of small molecular clusters (up to 2nm in diameter) can be resolved. Also standard methods to determine aerosol particle composition at sizes >10 nm are available. Within this project, the aerosol particle composition in the 2-4 nm size range will be investigated experimentally. The setup will consist of a combination of an electrical method that allows determine the electrical mobility of the particles which then can be converted to a diameter. By letting the charged particles travel through a changing electrical field, they travel at different speeds according to their mobility. That allows to particles with certain mobilities, which then can be converted to a diameter. After the size selection, the particles are counted by means of optical detection. Condensation particle counters

  18. Impact of Transpacific Aerosol on Air Quality over the United States: A Perspective from Aerosol-Cloud-Radiation Interactions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Zhining; Yu, Hongbin; Chin, Mian

    2015-01-01

    Observations have well established that aerosols from various sources in Asia, Europe, and Africa can travel across the Pacific and reach the contiguous United States (U.S.) at least on episodic bases throughout a year, with a maximum import in spring. The imported aerosol not only can serve as an additional source to regional air pollution (e.g., direct input), but also can influence regional air quality through the aerosol-cloud-radiation (ACR) interactions that change local and regional meteorology. This study assessed impacts of the transpacific aerosol on air quality, focusing on surface ozone and PM2.5, over the U.S. using the NASA Unified Weather Research Forecast model. Based on the results of 3- month (April to June of 2010) simulations, the impact of direct input (as an additional source) of transpacific aerosol caused an increase of surface PM2.5 concentration by approximately 1.5 micro-g/cu m over the west coast and about 0.5 micro-g/cu m over the east coast of the U.S. By influencing key meteorological processes through the ACR interactions, the transpacific aerosol exerted a significant effect on both surface PM2.5 (+/-6 micro-g/cu m3) and ozone (+/-12 ppbv) over the central and eastern U.S. This suggests that the transpacific transport of aerosol could either improve or deteriorate local air quality and complicate local effort toward the compliance with the U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

  19. Photoacoustic absorption spectroscopy of single optically trapped aerosol droplets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Covert, Paul A.; Cremer, Johannes W.; Signorell, Ruth

    2017-08-01

    Photoacoustics have been widely used for the study of aerosol optical properties. To date, these studies have been performed on particle ensembles, with minimal ability to control for particle size. Here, we present our singleparticle photoacoustic spectrometer. The sensitivity and stability of the instrument is discussed, along with results from two experiments that illustrate the unique capabilities of this instrument. In the first experiment, we present a measurement of the particle size-dependence of the photoacoustic response. Our results confirm previous models of aerosol photoacoustics that had yet to be experimentally tested. The second set of results reveals a size-dependence of photochemical processes within aerosols that results from the nanofocusing of light within individual droplets.

  20. Dissemination of aerosol and splatter during ultrasonic scaling: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Veena, H R; Mahantesha, S; Joseph, Preethi A; Patil, Sudhir R; Patil, Suvarna H

    2015-01-01

    Routine dental procedures produce aerosol and splatter, which pose a potential risk to the clinician and dental personnel, as well as the immunocompromised patient. Reports indicate that the ultrasonic scaler is the greatest producer of aerosol and splatter. The study aimed to evaluate the contamination distance, contamination amount and contamination duration of aerosol produced during ultrasonic scaling. The study was performed on a mannequin fitted with phantom jaws on a dental chair. Mock scaling was done for 15 min using an auto-tuned magnetostrictive ultrasonic scaler with the simultaneous use of a low volume saliva ejector. An ultrafiltrate-containing fluorescent dye was used in the reservoir supplying the scaler unit. Filter paper discs were placed in different positions and distances in the operatory. Immediately following scaling, the filter paper discs were replaced with new ones. This was done every 30 min for a total duration of 90 min. Maximum contamination was found on the right arm of the operator and left arm of the assistant. Contamination was also found on the head, chest and inner surface of the face mask of the operator and of the assistant. The aerosol was found to remain in the air up to 30 min after scaling. The occupational health hazards of dental aerosols can be minimized by following simple, inexpensive precautions. Copyright © 2014 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. The climate impacts of absorbing aerosols on and within the Arctic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rasch, P.; Wang, H.; Ma, P.; Fast, J. D.; Wang, M.; Easter, R. C.; Liu, X.; Qian, Y.; Flanner, M. G.; Ghan, S.; Singh, B.

    2011-12-01

    Absorbing aerosols are receiving increasing attention as forcing agents in the climate system. By scattering and absorbing light they can reduce planetary albedo, particularly over bright surfaces (clouds, snow and ice). They also act as cloud condensation and/or ice nuclei, influencing the brightness, lifetime and precipitation properties of clouds. Atmospheric stability and primary circulation features respond to the changing vertical and horizontal patterns of heating, cooling, and surface fluxes produced by the aerosols, clouds and surface properties. These changes in meteorology have further impacts on aerosols and clouds producing a complex interplay between transport, forcings, and feedbacks involving absorbing aerosols and climate. The complexity of the processes and the interactions between them make it very challenging to represent aerosols realistically in large scale (global and regional) climate models. Simulations of important features of aerosols still contain easily identifiable biases. I will describe our efforts to identify the processes responsible for some of those biases and the deficiencies in model formulations that impede progress in treating aerosols and understanding their role in polar climate. I plan to summarize some studies performed with the NCAR CESM (global) and WRF-Chem (regional) Community models that examine the simulation sensitivity to treatments of physics, chemistry, and meteorology. Some of these simulations were allowed to evolve freely; others were strongly constrained to agree with observed meteorological fields. We have also altered the formulation of a number of the processes in the model to improve fidelity in the aerosol distributions. The parameterizations used in our global model have also been transferred to the regional model, allowing comparisons to be made between the simpler formulations used in the global model with more elaborate and costly formulations available in the regional model. The regional model can

  2. Aerosol-Jet-Printing silicone layers and electrodes for stacked dielectric elastomer actuators in one processing device

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reitelshöfer, Sebastian; Göttler, Michael; Schmidt, Philip; Treffer, Philipp; Landgraf, Maximilian; Franke, Jörg

    2016-04-01

    In this contribution we present recent findings of our efforts to qualify the so called Aerosol-Jet-Printing process as an additive manufacturing approach for stacked dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA). With the presented system we are able to print the two essential structural elements dielectric layer and electrode in one machine. The system is capable of generating RTV-2 silicone layers made of Wacker Elastosil P 7670. Therefore, two aerosol streams of both precursor components A and B are generated in parallel and mixed in one printing nozzle that is attached to a 4-axis kinematic. At maximum speed the printing of one circular Elastosil layer with a calculated thickness of 10 μm and a diameter of 1 cm takes 12 seconds while the process keeps stable for 4.5 hours allowing a quite high overall material output and the generation of numerous silicone layers. By adding a second printing nozzle and the infrastructure to generate a third aerosol, the system is also capable of printing inks with conductive particles in parallel to the silicone. We have printed a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) ink prepared in our lab to generate electrodes on VHB 4905, Elastosil foils and finally on Aerosol-Jet-Printed Elastosil layers. With rGO ink printed on Elastosil foil, layers with a 4-point measured sheet resistance as low as 4 kΩ can be realized leaving room for improving the electrode printing time, which at the moment is not as good as the quite good time-frame for printing the silicone layers. Up to now we have used the system to print a fully functional two-layer stacked DEA to demonstrate the principle of continuously 3D printing actuators.

  3. Feasibility of aerosol drug delivery to sleeping infants: a prospective observational study.

    PubMed

    Amirav, Israel; Newhouse, Michael T; Luder, Anthony; Halamish, Asaf; Omar, Hamza; Gorenberg, Miguel

    2014-03-26

    Delivery of inhaled medications to infants is usually very demanding and is often associated with crying and mask rejection. It has been suggested that aerosol administration during sleep may be an attractive alternative. Previous studies in sleeping children were disappointing as most of the children awoke and rejected the treatment. The SootherMask (SM) is a new, gentle and innovative approach for delivering inhaled medication to infants and toddlers. The present pilot study describes the feasibility of administering inhaled medications during sleep using the SM. Prospective observational study. Out patients. 13 sleeping infants with recurrent wheezing who regularly used pacifiers and were <12 months old. Participants inhaled technetium99mDTPA-labelled normal saline aerosol delivered via a Respimat Soft Mist Inhaler (SMI) (Boehringer-Ingelheim, Germany) and SM + InspiraChamber (IC; InspiRx Inc, New Jersey, USA). The two major outcomes were the acceptability of the treatment and the lung deposition (per cent of emitted dose). All infants who fulfilled the inclusion criteria successfully received the SM treatment during sleep without difficulty. Mean lung deposition (±SD) averaged 1.6±0.5% in the right lung. This study demonstrated that the combination of Respimat, IC and SM was able to administer aerosol therapy to all the sleeping infants who were regular pacifier users with good lung deposition. Administration of aerosols during sleep is advantageous since all the sleeping children accepted the mask and ensuing aerosol therapy under these conditions, in contrast to previous studies in which there was frequent mask rejection using currently available devices. NCT01120938.

  4. (PORTUGAL)THE DETROIT EXPOSURE AND AEROSOL RESEARCH STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) represents an intensive examination of personal, residential and community-based particulate matter and related co-pollutant measurements in Detroit, Michigan. Data from the DEARS will be used as inputs into air quality, la...

  5. Synergy of Satellite-Surface Observations for Studying the Properties of Absorbing Aerosols in Asia

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tsay, Si-Chee

    2010-01-01

    Through interaction with clouds and alteration of the Earth's radiation budget, atmospheric aerosols significantly influence our weather and climate. Monsoon rainfalls, for example, sustain the livelihood of more than half of the world's population. Thus, understanding the mechanism that drives the water cycle and freshwater distribution is high-lighted as one of the major near-term goals in NASA's Earth Science Enterprise Strategy. Every cloud droplet/ice-crystal that serves as an essential element in portraying water cycle and distributing freshwater contains atmospheric aerosols at its core. In addition, the spatial and temporal variability of atmospheric aerosol properties is complex due to their dynamic nature. In fact, the predictability of the tropical climate system is much reduced during the boreal spring, which is associated with the peak season of biomass burning activities and regional/long-range transport of dust aerosols. Therefore, to accurately assess the impact of absorbing aerosols on regional-to-global climate requires not only modeling efforts but also continuous observations from satellites, aircraft, networks of ground-based instruments and dedicated field experiments. Since 1997 NASA has been successfully launching a series of satellites the Earth Observing System - to intensively study, and gain a better understanding of, the Earth as an integrated system. Through participation in many satellite remote-sensing/retrieval and validation projects over the years, we have gradually developed and refined the SMART (Surface-sensing Measurements for Atmospheric Radiative Transfer) and COMMIT (Chemical, Optical & Microphysical Measurements of In-situ Troposphere) mobile observatories, a suite of surface remote sensing and in-situ instruments that proved to be vital in providing high temporal measurements, which complement the satellite observations. In this talk, we will present SMART-COMMIT which has played key roles, serving as network or supersite

  6. Impact of Aerosols on Convective Clouds and Precipitation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chen, Jen-Ping; Li, Zhanqing; Wang, Chien; Zhang, Chidong

    2011-01-01

    Aerosols are a critical factor in the atmospheric hydrological cycle and radiation budget. As a major reason for clouds to form and a significant attenuator of solar radiation, aerosols affect climate in several ways. Current research suggests that aerosol effects on clouds could further extend to precipitation, both through the formation of cloud particles and by exerting persistent radiative forcing on the climate system that disturbs dynamics. However, the various mechanisms behind these effects, in particular the ones connected to precipitation, are not yet well understood. The atmospheric and climate communities have long been working to gain a better grasp of these critical effects and hence to reduce the significant uncertainties in climate prediction resulting from such a lack of adequate knowledge. The central theme of this paper is to review past efforts and summarize our current understanding of the effect of aerosols on precipitation processes from theoretical analysis of microphysics, observational evidence, and a range of numerical model simulations. In addition, the discrepancy between results simulated by models, as well as that between simulations and observations will be presented. Specifically, this paper will address the following topics: (1) fundamental theories of aerosol effects on microphysics and precipitation processes, (2) observational evidence of the effect of aerosols on precipitation processes, (3) signatures of the aerosol impact on precipitation from large-scale analyses, (4) results from cloud-resolving model simulations, and (5) results from large-scale numerical model simulations. Finally, several future research directions on aerosol - precipitation interactions are suggested.

  7. Aerosol Classification from High Spectral Resolution Lidar Measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burton, S. P.; Hair, J. W.; Ferrare, R. A.; Hostetler, C. A.; Kahnert, M.; Vaughan, M. A.; Cook, A. L.; Harper, D. B.; Berkoff, T.; Seaman, S. T.; Collins, J. E., Jr.; Fenn, M. A.; Rogers, R. R.

    2015-12-01

    The NASA Langley airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidars, HSRL-1 and HSRL-2, have acquired large datasets of vertically resolved aerosol extinction, backscatter, and depolarization during >30 airborne field missions since 2006. The lidar measurements of aerosol intensive parameters like lidar ratio and color ratio embed information about intrinsic aerosol properties, and are combined to qualitatively classify HSRL aerosol measurements into aerosol types. Knowledge of aerosol type is important for assessing aerosol radiative forcing, and can provide useful information for source attribution studies. However, atmospheric aerosol is frequently not a single pure type, but instead is a mixture, which affects the optical and radiative properties of the aerosol. We show that aerosol intensive parameters measured by lidar can be understood using mixing rules for cases of external mixing. Beyond coarse classification and mixing between classes, variations in the lidar aerosol intensive parameters provide additional insight into aerosol processes and composition. This is illustrated by depolarization measurements at three wavelengths, 355 nm, 532 nm, and 1064 nm, made by HSRL-2. Particle depolarization ratio is an indicator of non-spherical particles. Three cases each have a significantly different spectral dependence of the depolarization ratio, related to the size of the depolarizing particles. For two dust cases, large non-spherical particles account for the depolarization of the lidar light. The spectral dependence reflects the size distribution of these particles and reveals differences in the transport histories of the two plumes. For a smoke case, the depolarization is inferred to be due to the presence of small coated soot aggregates. Interestingly, the depolarization at 355 nm is similar for this smoke case compared to the dust cases, having potential implications for the upcoming EarthCARE satellite, which will measure particle depolarization ratio only at 355 nm.

  8. Changing transport processes in the stratosphere by radiative heating of sulfate aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Niemeier, Ulrike; Schmidt, Hauke

    2017-12-01

    The injection of sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the stratosphere to form an artificial stratospheric aerosol layer is discussed as an option for solar radiation management. Sulfate aerosol scatters solar radiation and absorbs infrared radiation, which warms the stratospheric sulfur layer. Simulations with the general circulation model ECHAM5-HAM, including aerosol microphysics, show consequences of this warming, including changes of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the tropics. The QBO slows down after an injection of 4 Tg(S) yr-1 and completely shuts down after an injection of 8 Tg(S) yr-1. Transport of species in the tropics and sub-tropics depends on the phase of the QBO. Consequently, the heated aerosol layer not only impacts the oscillation of the QBO but also the meridional transport of the sulfate aerosols. The stronger the injection, the stronger the heating and the simulated impact on the QBO and equatorial wind systems. With increasing injection rate the velocity of the equatorial jet streams increases, and the less sulfate is transported out of the tropics. This reduces the global distribution of sulfate and decreases the radiative forcing efficiency of the aerosol layer by 10 to 14 % compared to simulations with low vertical resolution and without generated QBO. Increasing the height of the injection increases the radiative forcing only for injection rates below 10 Tg(S) yr-1 (8-18 %), a much smaller value than the 50 % calculated previously. Stronger injection rates at higher levels even result in smaller forcing than the injections at lower levels.

  9. Aerosol and Cloud Interaction Observed From High Spectral Resolution Lidar Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Su, Wenying; Schuster, Gregory L.; Loeb, Norman G.; Rogers, Raymond R.; Ferrare, Richard A.; Hostetler, Chris A.; Hair, Johnathan W.; Obland, Michael D.

    2008-01-01

    Recent studies utilizing satellite retrievals have shown a strong correlation between aerosol optical depth (AOD) and cloud cover. However, these retrievals from passive sensors are subject to many limitations, including cloud adjacency (or 3D) effects, possible cloud contamination, uncertainty in the AOD retrieval. Some of these limitations do not exist in High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) observations; for instance, HSRL observations are not a ected by cloud adjacency effects, are less prone to cloud contamination, and offer accurate aerosol property measurements (backscatter coefficient, extinction coefficient, lidar ratio, backscatter Angstrom exponent,and aerosol optical depth) at a neospatial resolution (less than 100 m) in the vicinity of clouds. Hence, the HSRL provides an important dataset for studying aerosol and cloud interaction. In this study, we statistically analyze aircraft-based HSRL profiles according to their distance from the nearest cloud, assuring that all profile comparisons are subject to the same large-scale meteorological conditions. Our results indicate that AODs from HSRL are about 17% higher in the proximity of clouds (approximately 100 m) than far away from clouds (4.5 km), which is much smaller than the reported cloud 3D effect on AOD retrievals. The backscatter and extinction coefficients also systematically increase in the vicinity of clouds, which can be explained by aerosol swelling in the high relative humidity (RH) environment and/or aerosol growth through in cloud processing (albeit not conclusively). On the other hand, we do not observe a systematic trend in lidar ratio; we hypothesize that this is caused by the opposite effects of aerosol swelling and aerosol in-cloud processing on the lidar ratio. Finally, the observed backscatter Angstrom exponent (BAE) does not show a consistent trend because of the complicated relationship between BAE and RH. We demonstrate that BAE should not be used as a surrogate for Angstrom

  10. Aerosol patterns and aerosol-cloud-interactions off the West African Coast based on the A-train formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fuchs, Julia; Bendix, Jörg; Cermak, Jan

    2013-04-01

    In this study, spatial and temporal aerosol patterns off the Western African coast are characterized and related to cloud properties, based on satellite data Atmospheric aerosols play a key role in atmospheric processes and influence our environmental system in a complex way. Their identification, characterization, transport patterns as well as their interactions with clouds pose major challenges. Especially the last aspect reveals major uncertainties in terms of the Earth's radiation budget as reported in the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC, 2007). Western and Southern Africa are dominated by two well-known source types of atmospheric aerosols. First, the Saharan Desert is the world's largest aeolian dust emitting source region. Second, biomass burning aerosol is commonly transported off-shore further south (Kaufman et al., 2005). Both aerosol types influence Earth's climate in different manners and can be detected by the MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectrometer) sensor onboard the EOS platforms as they propagate to the Central and Southern Atlantic. The motivation of this study was to reveal the seasonal pattern of the Saharan dust transport based on an observation period of 11 years and trying to explain the meteorological mechanisms. North African dust plumes are transported along a latitude of 19°N in July and 6°N in January. The seasonally fluctuating intensities adapt to the annual cycle of wind and precipitation regimes. A strong relationship is found between the spatial shift of the Azores High and the Saharan dust load over the middle Atlantic Ocean. Monthly Aerosol Optical Thickness products of Terra MODIS and NCEP-DOE (National Centers for Environmental Predictions) Reanalysis II data are used for this purpose. The relationship between aerosol and cloud droplet parameters is blurred by high sensitivities to aerosol size and composition (Feingold, 2003; McFiggans et al., 2006) as well as meteorological context (Ackerman et al., 2004

  11. Characterization of aerosol composition and sources in the greater Atlanta area by aerosol mass spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ng, N. L.; Xu, L.; Suresh, S.; Weber, R. J. J.; Baumann, K.; Edgerton, E. S.

    2014-12-01

    regional nature of aerosols in the Atlanta area. Taken together, results from these extensive field studies provide invaluable insights into the sources and processing of aerosols in the greater Atlanta area. The effects of anthropogenic emissions on biogenic SOA formation at multiple sites in the region and in different seasons will be discussed.

  12. Aerosol Absorption and Radiative Forcing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stier, Philip; Seinfeld, J. H.; Kinne, Stefan; Boucher, Olivier

    2007-01-01

    We present a comprehensive examination of aerosol absorption with a focus on evaluating the sensitivity of the global distribution of aerosol absorption to key uncertainties in the process representation. For this purpose we extended the comprehensive aerosol-climate model ECHAM5-HAM by effective medium approximations for the calculation of aerosol effective refractive indices, updated black carbon refractive indices, new cloud radiative properties considering the effect of aerosol inclusions, as well as by modules for the calculation of long-wave aerosol radiative properties and instantaneous aerosol forcing. The evaluation of the simulated aerosol absorption optical depth with the AERONET sun-photometer network shows a good agreement in the large scale global patterns. On a regional basis it becomes evident that the update of the BC refractive indices to Bond and Bergstrom (2006) significantly improves the previous underestimation of the aerosol absorption optical depth. In the global annual-mean, absorption acts to reduce the shortwave anthropogenic aerosol top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiative forcing clear-sky from -0.79 to -0.53 W m(sup -2) (33%) and all-sky from -0.47 to -0.13W m(sup -2 (72%). Our results confirm that basic assumptions about the BC refractive index play a key role for aerosol absorption and radiative forcing. The effect of the usage of more accurate effective medium approximations is comparably small. We demonstrate that the diversity in the AeroCom land-surface albedo fields contributes to the uncertainty in the simulated anthropogenic aerosol radiative forcings: the usage of an upper versus lower bound of the AeroCom land albedos introduces a global annual-mean TOA forcing range of 0.19W m(sup -2) (36%) clear-sky and of 0.12W m(sup -2) (92%) all-sky. The consideration of black carbon inclusions on cloud radiative properties results in a small global annual-mean all-sky absorption of 0.05W m(sup -2) and a positive TOA forcing perturbation of 0

  13. Characterization of urban aerosol in Cork city (Ireland) using aerosol mass spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dall'Osto, M.; Ovadnevaite, J.; Ceburnis, D.; Martin, D.; Healy, R. M.; O'Connor, I. P.; Kourtchev, I.; Sodeau, J. R.; Wenger, J. C.; O'Dowd, C.

    2013-05-01

    Ambient wintertime background urban aerosol in Cork city, Ireland, was characterized using aerosol mass spectrometry. During the three-week measurement study in 2009, 93% of the ca. 1 350 000 single particles characterized by an Aerosol Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (TSI ATOFMS) were classified into five organic-rich particle types, internally mixed to different proportions with elemental carbon (EC), sulphate and nitrate, while the remaining 7% was predominantly inorganic in nature. Non-refractory PM1 aerosol was characterized using a High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (Aerodyne HR-ToF-AMS) and was also found to comprise organic aerosol as the most abundant species (62%), followed by nitrate (15%), sulphate (9%) and ammonium (9%), and chloride (5%). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to the HR-ToF-AMS organic matrix, and a five-factor solution was found to describe the variance in the data well. Specifically, "hydrocarbon-like" organic aerosol (HOA) comprised 20% of the mass, "low-volatility" oxygenated organic aerosol (LV-OOA) comprised 18%, "biomass burning" organic aerosol (BBOA) comprised 23%, non-wood solid-fuel combustion "peat and coal" organic aerosol (PCOA) comprised 21%, and finally a species type characterized by primary {m/z} peaks at 41 and 55, similar to previously reported "cooking" organic aerosol (COA), but possessing different diurnal variations to what would be expected for cooking activities, contributed 18%. Correlations between the different particle types obtained by the two aerosol mass spectrometers are also discussed. Despite wood, coal and peat being minor fuel types used for domestic space heating in urban areas, their relatively low combustion efficiencies result in a significant contribution to PM1 aerosol mass (44% and 28% of the total organic aerosol mass and non-refractory total PM1, respectively).

  14. Estimating Marine Aerosol Particle Volume and Number from Maritime Aerosol Network Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sayer, A. M.; Smirnov, A.; Hsu, N. C.; Munchak, L. A.; Holben, B. N.

    2012-01-01

    As well as spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD), aerosol composition and concentration (number, volume, or mass) are of interest for a variety of applications. However, remote sensing of these quantities is more difficult than for AOD, as it is more sensitive to assumptions relating to aerosol composition. This study uses spectral AOD measured on Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) cruises, with the additional constraint of a microphysical model for unpolluted maritime aerosol based on analysis of Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) inversions, to estimate these quantities over open ocean. When the MAN data are subset to those likely to be comprised of maritime aerosol, number and volume concentrations obtained are physically reasonable. Attempts to estimate surface concentration from columnar abundance, however, are shown to be limited by uncertainties in vertical distribution. Columnar AOD at 550 nm and aerosol number for unpolluted maritime cases are also compared with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, for both the present Collection 5.1 and forthcoming Collection 6. MODIS provides a best-fitting retrieval solution, as well as the average for several different solutions, with different aerosol microphysical models. The average solution MODIS dataset agrees more closely with MAN than the best solution dataset. Terra tends to retrieve lower aerosol number than MAN, and Aqua higher, linked with differences in the aerosol models commonly chosen. Collection 6 AOD is likely to agree more closely with MAN over open ocean than Collection 5.1. In situations where spectral AOD is measured accurately, and aerosol microphysical properties are reasonably well-constrained, estimates of aerosol number and volume using MAN or similar data would provide for a greater variety of potential comparisons with aerosol properties derived from satellite or chemistry transport model data.

  15. Ground-based SMART-COMMIT Measurements for Studying Aerosol and Cloud Properties

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tsay, Si-Chee

    2008-01-01

    From radiometric principles, it is expected that the retrieved properties of extensive aerosols and clouds from reflected/emitted measurements by satellite (and/or aircraft) should be consistent with those retrieved from transmitted/emitted radiance observed at the surface. Although space-borne remote sensing observations cover large spatial domain, they are often plagued by contamination of surface signatures. Thus, ground-based in-situ and remote-sensing measurements, where signals come directly from atmospheric constituents, the sun, and/or the Earth-atmosphere interactions, provide additional information content for comparisons that confirm quantitatively the usefulness of the integrated surface, aircraft, and satellite data sets. The development and deployment of SMARTCOMMIT (Surface-sensing Measurements for Atmospheric Radiative Transfer - Chemical, Optical & Microphysical Measurements of In-situ Troposphere) mobile facilities are aimed for the optimal utilization of collocated ground-based observations as constraints to yield higher fidelity satellite retrievals and to determine any sampling bias due to target conditions. To quantify the energetics of the surface-atmosphere system and the atmospheric processes, SMART-COMMIT instruments fall into three categories: flux radiometer, radiance sensor and in-situ probe. In this paper, we will demonstrate the capability of SMART-COMMIT in recent field campaigns (e.g., CRYSTAL-FACE, UAE 2, BASEASIA, NAMMA) that were designed and executed to study the compelling variability in temporal scale of both anthropogenic and natural aerosols (e.g., biomass-burning smoke, airborne dust) and cirrus clouds. We envision robust approaches in which well-collocated ground-based measurements and space-borne observations will greatly advance our knowledge of extensive aerosols and clouds.

  16. Access to MISR Aerosol Data and Imagery for the GoMACCS Field Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ritchey, N.; Watkinson, T.; Davis, J.; Walter, J.; Protack, S.; Matthews, J.; Smyth, M.; Rheingans, B.; Gaitley, B.; Ferebee, M.; Haberer, S.

    2006-12-01

    NASA Langley Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Multi- angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) teams collaborated to provide special data products and images in an innovative approach for the Gulf of Mexico Atmospheric Composition and Climate Study (GoMACCS) field campaign. GoMACCS was an intensive field study focused on providing a better understanding of the sources and atmospheric processes responsible for the formation and distribution of ozone and aerosols in the atmosphere and the influence that these species have on the radiative forcing of regional and global climate, as well as their impact on human health and regional haze. The study area encompassed Texas and the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Numerous U. S. Government agencies, universities and commercial entities participated in the field campaign which occurred August through September 2006. Aerosol and meteorological measurements were provided by a network of instruments on land, buoys and ships, by airborne in situ and remote instruments, and by satellite retrievals. MISR's role in GoMACCS was to provide satellite retrievals of aerosols and cloud properties and imagery as quickly as possible after data acquisition. The diverse group of scientific participants created unique opportunities for ASDC and MISR to develop special data products and images that were easily accessible by all participants. Examples of the data products, images and access methods as well as the data and imagery flow will be presented. Additional information about ASDC and MISR is available from the following web sites, http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov and http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov/.

  17. Scattering and Absorption of E&M radiation by small particles-applications to study impact of biomass aerosols on climate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bililign, Solomon; Singh, Sujeeta; Fiddler, Marc; Smith, Damon

    2015-03-01

    The phenomena of scattering, absorption, and emission of light and other electromagnetic radiation by small particles are central to many science and engineering disciplines. Absorption of solar radiation by black carbon aerosols has a significant impact on the atmospheric energy distribution and hydrologic processes. By intercepting incoming solar radiation before it reaches the surface, aerosols heat the atmosphere and, in turn, cool the surface. The magnitude of the atmospheric forcing induced by anthropogenic absorbing aerosols, mainly black carbon (BC) emitted from biomass burning and combustion processes has been suggested to be comparable to the atmospheric forcing by all greenhouse gases (GHGs). Despite the global abundance of biomass burning for cooking, forests clearing for agriculture and wild fires, the optical properties of these aerosols have not been characterized at wide range of wavelengths. Our laboratory uses a combination of Cavity ring down spectroscopy and integrating nephelometry to measure optical properties of (extinction, absorption and scattering coefficients) of biomass aerosols. Preliminary results will be presented. Supported by the Department of Defense under Grant #W911NF-11-1-0188.

  18. Aerosol composition, oxidative properties, and sources in Beijing: results from the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, W. Q.; Sun, Y. L.; Chen, C.; Du, W.; Han, T. T.; Wang, Q. Q.; Fu, P. Q.; Wang, Z. F.; Zhao, X. J.; Zhou, L. B.; Ji, D. S.; Wang, P. C.; Worsnop, D. R.

    2015-08-01

    processes were further illustrated in a case study of a severe haze episode. Our results elucidated a complex response of aerosol chemistry to emission controls, which has significant implications that emission controls over regional scales can substantially reduce secondary particulates. However, stricter emission controls for local source emissions are needed for further mitigating air pollution in the megacity of Beijing.

  19. An Overview of the Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Russell, P. B.; Chan, K. Roland (Technical Monitor)

    1997-01-01

    Aerosol effects on atmospheric radiation are a leading source of uncertainty in predicting future climate. As a result, the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Program has established a Focus on Atmospheric Aerosols (IGAC/FAA) and endorsed a series of aerosol field campaigns. TARFOX, the second in the IGAC/FAA series, was designed to reduce this uncertainty by measuring aerosol properties and effects in the US eastern seaboard, where one of the world's major plumes of industrial haze moves from the continent over the Atlantic Ocean. TARFOX's objectives are to: 1. Make simultaneous measurements of: (a) aerosol effects on radiation fields, and (b) the chemical, physical, and optical properties of the aerosols causing those effects. 2. Perform a variety of closure studies by using overdetermined data sets to test the mutual consistency of measurements and calculations of a wide range of aerosol properties and effects. 3. Use the results of the closure studies to assess and reduce uncertainties in estimates of aerosol radiative forcing, as well as to guide future field programs. An important subset of the closure studies is tests and improvements of algorithms used to derive aerosol properties and radiative effects from satellite measurements. The TARFOX Intensive Field Period (IFP) was conducted July 10-31, 1996. It included coordinated measurements from four satellites (GOES-8, NOAA-14, ERS-2, LANDSAT), four aircraft (ER-2, C-130, C-131, and a modified Cessna), land sites, and ships. A variety of aerosol conditions was sampled, ranging from relatively clean behind frontal passages to moderately polluted with aerosol optical depths exceeding 0.5 at mid-visible wavelengths. The latter conditions included separate incidents of enhancements caused primarily by anthropogenic sources and another incident of enhancement apparently influenced by recent fog processing. Spatial gradients of aerosol optical thickness were sampled to aid in isolating aerosol effects from

  20. Temporal Variation of Aerosol Properties at a Rural Continental Site and Study of Aerosol Evolution through Growth Law Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, Jian; Collins, Don; Covert, David; Elleman, Robert; Ferrare, Richard A.; Gasparini, Roberto; Jonsson, Haflidi; Ogren, John; Sheridan, Patrick; Tsay, Si-Chee

    2006-01-01

    Aerosol size distributions were measured by a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) onboard the CIRPAS Twin Otter aircraft during 16 flights at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in northern central Oklahoma as part of the Aerosol Intensive Operation period in May, 2003. During the same period a second SMPS was deployed at a surface station and provided continuous measurements. Combined with trace gas measurements at the SGP site and back-trajectory analysis, the aerosol size distributions provided insights into the sources of aerosols observed at the SGP site. High particle concentrations, observed mostly during daytime, were well correlated with the sulfur dioxide (SO2) mixing ratios, suggesting nucleation involving sulfuric acid is likely the main source of newly formed particles at the SGP. Aerosols within plumes originating from wildfires in Central America were measured at the surface site. Vertically compact aerosol layers, which can be traced back to forest fires in East Asia, were intercepted at altitudes over 3000 meters. Analyses of size dependent particle growth rates for four periods during which high cloud coverage was observed indicate growth dominated by volume controlled reactions. Sulfate accounts for 50% to 72% of the increase in aerosol volume concentration; the rest of the volume concentration increase was likely due to secondary organic species. The growth law analyses and meteorological conditions indicate that the sulfate was produced mainly through aqueous oxidation of SO2 in clouds droplets and hydrated aerosol particles.

  1. Chemical characteristics of ambient aerosols contributed by cooking process at Noorpur village near Delhi (India)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, Sudha; Kumar, Bablu; Gupta, Gyan Prakash; Kulshrestha, U. C.

    2013-05-01

    Combustion of fuels such as wood, crop residue and dung cakes etc. is one of the major sources of air pollution in developing countries. These fuels are still used commonly for cooking purpose in rural India. This study investigates the chemical composition of the ambient aerosols during cooking hours at a village called Noorpur (28.470 N, 77.030 E) which lies near Delhi city. Aerosol sampling was carried out during August 2011-May 2012 by using handy sampler (Envirotech model APM 821) installed at the terrace of a building (˜6m). The samples were collected on 8 hourly basis using Teflon filters. The water extract of these filters was analyzed for major anions (F-, Cl-, NO3-, SO42-) and major cations (Na+, NH4+, K+, Ca2+ Mg2+) by ion chromatography (Metrohm 883 Basic IC Plus). Results highlighted that cooking process contributed significant amount of SO42- and K+ṡ. Biomass burning is considered as a potential source of K+ in air. The high concentration of SO42- might be due to oxidation of SO2 contributed by the combustion of dung cakes. Further, the detailed results will be discussed during the conference.

  2. 2-Hydroxyterpenylic acid: An oxygenated marker compound for a-pinene secondary organic aerosol in ambient fine aerosol

    EPA Science Inventory

    An oxygenated MW 188 compound is commonly observed in substantial abundance in atmospheric aerosol samples and was proposed in previous studies as an α-pinene-related marker compound that is associated with aging processes. Owing to difficulties in producing this compound in suff...

  3. Factors Affecting Aerosol Radiative Forcing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jingxu; Lin, Jintai; Ni, Ruijing

    2016-04-01

    Rapid industrial and economic growth has meant a large amount of aerosols in the atmosphere with strong radiative forcing (RF) upon the climate system. Over parts of the globe, the negative forcing of aerosols has overcompensated for the positive forcing of greenhouse gases. Aerosol RF is determined by emissions and various chemical-transport-radiative processes in the atmosphere, a multi-factor problem whose individual contributors have not been well quantified. In this study, we analyze the major factors affecting RF of secondary inorganic aerosols (SIOAs, including sulfate, nitrate and ammonium), primary organic aerosol (POA), and black carbon (BC). We analyze the RF of aerosols produced by 11 major regions across the globe, including but not limited to East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, North America, and Western Europe. Factors analyzed include population size, per capita gross domestic production (GDP), emission intensity (i.e., emissions per unit GDP), chemical efficiency (i.e., mass per unit emissions) and radiative efficiency (i.e., RF per unit mass). We find that among the 11 regions, East Asia produces the largest emissions and aerosol RF, due to relatively high emission intensity and a tremendous population size. South Asia produce the second largest RF of SIOA and BC and the highest RF of POA, in part due to its highest chemical efficiency among all regions. Although Southeast Asia also has large emissions, its aerosol RF is alleviated by its lowest chemical efficiency. The chemical efficiency and radiative efficiency of BC produced by the Middle East-North Africa are the highest across the regions, whereas its RF is lowered by a small per capita GDP. Both North America and Western Europe have low emission intensity, compensating for the effects on RF of large population sizes and per capita GDP. There has been a momentum to transfer industries to Southeast Asia and South Asia, and such transition is expected to continue in the coming years. The

  4. Factors Affecting Aerosol Radiative Forcing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, J.; Lin, J.; Ni, R.

    2016-12-01

    Rapid industrial and economic growth has meant large amount of aerosols in the atmosphere with strong radiative forcing (RF) upon the climate system. Over parts of the globe, the negative forcing of aerosols has overcompensated for the positive forcing of greenhouse gases. Aerosol RF is determined by emissions and various chemical-transport-radiative processes in the atmosphere, a multi-factor problem whose individual contributors have not been well quantified. In this study, we analyze the major factors affecting RF of secondary inorganic aerosols (SIOAs, including sulfate, nitrate and ammonium), primary organic aerosol (POA), and black carbon (BC). We analyze the RFof aerosols produced by 11 major regions across the globe, including but not limited to East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, North America, and Western Europe. Factors analyzed include population size, per capita gross domestic production (GDP), emission intensity (i.e., emissionsper unit GDP), chemical efficiency (i.e., mass per unit emissions) and radiative efficiency (i.e., RF per unit mass). We find that among the 11 regions, East Asia produces the largest emissions and aerosol RF, due to relatively high emission intensity and a tremendous population size.South Asia produce the second largest RF of SIOA and BC and the highest RF of POA, in part due to its highest chemical efficiency among all regions. Although Southeast Asia also has large emissions,its aerosol RF is alleviated by its lowest chemical efficiency.The chemical efficiency and radiative efficiency of BC produced by the Middle East-North Africa are the highest across the regions, whereas its RF is loweredbyasmall per capita GDP.Both North America and Western Europe have low emission intensity, compensating for the effects on RF of large population sizes and per capita GDP. There has been a momentum to transfer industries to Southeast Asia and South Asia, and such transition is expected to continue in the coming years. The resulting

  5. A kinetic study of the interaction between atomic oxygen and aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Akers, F. I.; Wightman, J. P.

    1976-01-01

    This study was concerned with the effects of NH4Cl and (NH4)2SO4 aerosols on the kinetics of disappearance of atomic oxygen. Atomic oxygen was generated by a 2.45-GHz microwave discharge and the kinetics of disappearance measured in a fast flow system using NO2 titration. Values of the recombination coefficient for heterogeneous wall recombination were determined for clean, H2SO4-coated, and (NH4)2SO4-coated Pyrex to be 0.000050, 0.000020, and 0.000019, respectively. A rapid exothermic chemical reaction was found to occur between atomic oxygen and an NH4Cl wall coating; the products were NH3, NO, H2O, and HCl. The NH4Cl aerosol was generated by gas phase reaction of NH3 with HCl. The aerosol particles were approximately spherical and nearly monodisperse with a mean diameter of 1.6 plus or minus 0.2 micron. The rate constant for the disappearance of atomic oxygen in the presence of NH4Cl aerosol was measured. No significant decrease was observed in the rate of disappearance of atomic oxygen in the presence of an (NH4)2SO4 aerosol at a concentration of 285 mg per cu m.

  6. 422nd Brookhaven Lecture. Aerosols, Clouds and Climate: From Micro to Micro

    ScienceCinema

    Yangang Liu

    2018-01-05

    As scientists who study aerosols, clouds, and precipitation know, particles in the atmosphere interact with one another and affect the Earth's climate through a myriad of complex processes. Learn more about this topic from Yangang Liu as he presents "Aerosols, Clouds, and Climate: From Micro to Macro."

  7. The 5-6 December 1991 FIRE IFO 2 Jet Stream Cirrus Case Study: Possible Influences of Volcanic Aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sassen, Kenneth; Starr, David OC.; Mace, Gerald G.; Poellot, Michael R.; Melfi, S. H.; Eberhard, Wynn L.; Spinhirne, James D.; Eloranta, E. W.; Hagen, Donald E.; Hallett, John

    1996-01-01

    In presenting an overview of the cirrus clouds comprehensively studied by ground based and airborne sensors from Coffeyville, Kansas, during the 5-6 December 1992 First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) intensive field observation (IFO) case study period, evidence is provided that volcanic aerosols from the June 1991 Pinatubo eruptions may have significantly influenced the formation and maintenance of the cirrus. Following the local appearance of a spur of stratospheric volcanic debris from the subtropics, a series of jet streaks subsequently conditioned the troposphere through tropopause foldings with sulfur based particles that became effective cloud forming nuclei in cirrus clouds. Aerosol and ozone measurements suggest a complicated history of stratospheric-tropospheric exchanges embedded with the upper level flow, and cirrus cloud formation was noted to occur locally at the boundaries of stratospheric aerosol enriched layers that became humidified through diffusion, precipitation, or advective processes. Apparent cirrus cloud alterations include abnormally high ice crystal concentrations (up to approximately 600 L(exp. 1)), complex radial ice crystal types, and relatively large haze particles in cirrus uncinus cell heads at temperatures between -40 and -50 degrees C. Implications for volcanic-cirrus cloud climate effects and unusual (nonvolcanic) aerosol jet stream cirrus cloud formation are discussed.

  8. Introducing Convective Cloud Microphysics to a Deep Convection Parameterization Facilitating Aerosol Indirect Effects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alapaty, K.; Zhang, G. J.; Song, X.; Kain, J. S.; Herwehe, J. A.

    2012-12-01

    Short lived pollutants such as aerosols play an important role in modulating not only the radiative balance but also cloud microphysical properties and precipitation rates. In the past, to understand the interactions of aerosols with clouds, several cloud-resolving modeling studies were conducted. These studies indicated that in the presence of anthropogenic aerosols, single-phase deep convection precipitation is reduced or suppressed. On the other hand, anthropogenic aerosol pollution led to enhanced precipitation for mixed-phase deep convective clouds. To date, there have not been many efforts to incorporate such aerosol indirect effects (AIE) in mesoscale models or global models that use parameterization schemes for deep convection. Thus, the objective of this work is to implement a diagnostic cloud microphysical scheme directly into a deep convection parameterization facilitating aerosol indirect effects in the WRF-CMAQ integrated modeling systems. Major research issues addressed in this study are: What is the sensitivity of a deep convection scheme to cloud microphysical processes represented by a bulk double-moment scheme? How close are the simulated cloud water paths as compared to observations? Does increased aerosol pollution lead to increased precipitation for mixed-phase clouds? These research questions are addressed by performing several WRF simulations using the Kain-Fritsch convection parameterization and a diagnostic cloud microphysical scheme. In the first set of simulations (control simulations) the WRF model is used to simulate two scenarios of deep convection over the continental U.S. during two summer periods at 36 km grid resolution. In the second set, these simulations are repeated after incorporating a diagnostic cloud microphysical scheme to study the impacts of inclusion of cloud microphysical processes. Finally, in the third set, aerosol concentrations simulated by the CMAQ modeling system are supplied to the embedded cloud microphysical

  9. Measurements of Gases and Aerosols during 2010Cal-Mex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, J.; Zhang, R.; Molina, L.

    2012-04-01

    The major goal of the collaborative Cal-Mex 2010 research project is to assess the sources and processing of emissions along the California-Mexico border region and their effects on regional air quality and climate in order to provide scientific information to decision makers of both nations when addressing these two inter-related issues. During the Cal-Mex 2010 field study, the TAMU teams have collected extensive data sets from Tijuana/San Diego border, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), gaseous sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and a suite set of physical and chemical parameters of aerosols. This comprehensive data set requires additional effort to process and analyze the measurements of gases and aerosols during Cal-Mex 2010. In this talk, preliminary data analysis of gases and aerosols will be presented, including VOCs and particle mixing states, morphology, and effective densities.

  10. Climate forcing by anthropogenic aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Charlson, R. J.; Schwartz, S. E.; Hales, J. M.; Cess, R. D.; Coakley, J. A., Jr.; Hansen, J. E.; Hofmann, D. J.

    1992-01-01

    Although long considered to be of marginal importance to global climate change, tropospheric aerosol contributes substantially to radiative forcing, and anthropogenic sulfate aerosol, in particular, has imposed a major perturbation to this forcing. Both the direct scattering of short-wavelength solar radiation and the modification of the shortwave reflective properties of clouds by sulfate aerosol particles increase planetary albedo, thereby exerting a cooling influence on the planet. Current climate forcing due to anthropogenic sulfate is estimated to be -1 to -2 watts per square meter, globally averaged. This perturbation is comparable in magnitude to current anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing but opposite in sign. Thus, the aerosol forcing has likely offset global greenhouse warming to a substantial degree. However, differences in geographical and seasonal distributions of these forcings preclude any simple compensation. Aerosol effects must be taken into account in evaluating anthropogenic influences on past, current, and projected future climate and in formulating policy regarding controls on emission of greenhouse gases and sulfur dioxide. Resolution of such policy issues requires integrated research on the magnitude and geographical distribution of aerosol climate forcing and on the controlling chemical and physical processes.

  11. Climate forcing by anthropogenic aerosols.

    PubMed

    Charlson, R J; Schwartz, S E; Hales, J M; Cess, R D; Coakley, J A; Hansen, J E; Hofmann, D J

    1992-01-24

    Although long considered to be of marginal importance to global climate change, tropospheric aerosol contributes substantially to radiative forcing, and anthropogenic sulfate aerosol in particular has imposed a major perturbation to this forcing. Both the direct scattering of shortwavelength solar radiation and the modification of the shortwave reflective properties of clouds by sulfate aerosol particles increase planetary albedo, thereby exerting a cooling influence on the planet. Current climate forcing due to anthropogenic sulfate is estimated to be -1 to -2 watts per square meter, globally averaged. This perturbation is comparable in magnitude to current anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing but opposite in sign. Thus, the aerosol forcing has likely offset global greenhouse warming to a substantial degree. However, differences in geographical and seasonal distributions of these forcings preclude any simple compensation. Aerosol effects must be taken into account in evaluating anthropogenic influences on past, current, and projected future climate and in formulating policy regarding controls on emission of greenhouse gases and sulfur dioxide. Resolution of such policy issues requires integrated research on the magnitude and geographical distribution of aerosol climate forcing and on the controlling chemical and physical processes.

  12. Simple aerosol correction technique based on the spectral relationships of the aerosol multiple-scattering reflectances for atmospheric correction over the oceans.

    PubMed

    Ahn, Jae-Hyun; Park, Young-Je; Kim, Wonkook; Lee, Boram

    2016-12-26

    An estimation of the aerosol multiple-scattering reflectance is an important part of the atmospheric correction procedure in satellite ocean color data processing. Most commonly, the utilization of two near-infrared (NIR) bands to estimate the aerosol optical properties has been adopted for the estimation of the effects of aerosols. Previously, the operational Geostationary Color Ocean Imager (GOCI) atmospheric correction scheme relies on a single-scattering reflectance ratio (SSE), which was developed for the processing of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) data to determine the appropriate aerosol models and their aerosol optical thicknesses. The scheme computes reflectance contributions (weighting factor) of candidate aerosol models in a single scattering domain then spectrally extrapolates the single-scattering aerosol reflectance from NIR to visible (VIS) bands using the SSE. However, it directly applies the weight value to all wavelengths in a multiple-scattering domain although the multiple-scattering aerosol reflectance has a non-linear relationship with the single-scattering reflectance and inter-band relationship of multiple scattering aerosol reflectances is non-linear. To avoid these issues, we propose an alternative scheme for estimating the aerosol reflectance that uses the spectral relationships in the aerosol multiple-scattering reflectance between different wavelengths (called SRAMS). The process directly calculates the multiple-scattering reflectance contributions in NIR with no residual errors for selected aerosol models. Then it spectrally extrapolates the reflectance contribution from NIR to visible bands for each selected model using the SRAMS. To assess the performance of the algorithm regarding the errors in the water reflectance at the surface or remote-sensing reflectance retrieval, we compared the SRAMS atmospheric correction results with the SSE atmospheric correction using both simulations and in situ match-ups with the

  13. pH Variance in Aerosols Undergoing Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eddingsaas, N. C.; Dallemagne, M.; Huang, X.

    2014-12-01

    The water content of aerosols is largely governed by relative humidity (RH). As the relative humidity decreases, and thus the water content of aerosols, a number of processes occur including the shrinking of aerosols, the increase in concentration of components, and potentially the formation of liquid liquid phase separation (llps) due to the salting out of inorganic salts. The most ubiquitous salt in atmospheric aerosols is ammonium sulfate which results in many aerosols to be at least mildly acidic. However, during llps, the pH of the different phases is not necessarily the same. Many reactions that take place within atmospheric aerosols are acid catalyzed so a better understanding of the pH of the individual phases as well as the interface between the phases is important to understanding aerosol processing and aging. Through the use of pH sensitive dyes and confocal microscopy we have directly measured the pH of micron sized model aerosols during high RH where the aerosols are in a single phase, at intermediate while the aerosols are in llps, and low RH where the aerosols consist of one liquid phase and one solid phase. We will discuss the variation in RH during these different phase states in the presence and absence of excess sulfuric acid. We will also discuss how this variation in pH affects aging of aerosols.

  14. Enhancement of PM2.5 Concentrations by Aerosol-Meteorology Interactions Over China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Xin; Zhang, Qiang; Hong, Chaopeng; Zheng, Yixuan; Geng, Guannan; Tong, Dan; Zhang, Yuxuan; Zhang, Xiaoye

    2018-01-01

    Aerosol-meteorology interactions can change surface aerosol concentrations via different mechanisms such as altering radiation budget or cloud microphysics. However, few studies investigated the impacts of different mechanisms on temporal and spatial distribution of PM2.5 concentrations over China. Here we used the fully coupled Weather Research and Forecasting model with online chemistry (WRF-Chem) to quantify the enhancement of PM2.5 concentrations by aerosol-meteorology feedback in China in 2014 for different seasons and separate the relative impacts of aerosol radiation interactions (ARIs) and aerosol-cloud interactions (ACIs). We found that ARIs and ACIs could increase population-weighted annual mean PM2.5 concentration over China by 4.0 μg/m3 and 1.6 μg/m3, respectively. We found that ARIs play a dominant role in aerosol-meteorology interactions in winter, while the enhancement of PM2.5 concentration by ARIs and ACIs is comparable in other three seasons. ARIs reduced the wintertime monthly mean wind speed and planetary boundary layer (PBL) height by up to 0.1 m/s and 160 m, respectively, but increased the relative humidity by up to 4%, leading to accumulation of pollutants within PBL. Also, ARIs reduced dry deposition velocity of aerosols by up to 20%, resulting in an increase in PM2.5 lifetime and concentrations. ARIs can increase wintertime monthly mean surface PM2.5 concentration by a maximum of 30 μg/m3 in Sichuan Basin. ACIs can also increase PM2.5 concentration with more significant impacts in wet seasons via reduced wet scavenging and enhanced in-cloud chemistry. Dominant processes in PM2.5 enhancement are also clarified in different seasons. Results show that physical process is more important than chemical processes in winter in ARIs, while chemical process of secondary inorganic aerosols production may be crucial in wet seasons via ACIs.

  15. Carbonaceous Aerosols and Radiative Effects Study (CARES), g1-aircraft, sedlacek sp2

    DOE Data Explorer

    Sedlacek, Art

    2011-08-30

    The primary objective of the Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) in 2010 was to investigate the evolution of carbonaceous aerosols of different types and their optical and hygroscopic properties in central California, with a focus on the Sacramento urban plume.

  16. Preliminary results of aerosols' properties studied with EPF measurements from the SPICAM/UV instrument

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Willame, Yannick; Carine Vandaele, Ann; Depiesse, Cedric; Gillotay, Didier; Kochenova, Svetlana; Montmessin, Franck

    2013-04-01

    Aerosols on Mars have an important impact on the radiative transfer properties of its atmosphere. Today their spectral properties and therefore their interaction with UV radiation are only poorly known. Improving the radiative transfer modeling requires a better knowledge of their characteristics, in particular of their opacity, phase function and single scattering albedo. Part of such information can be accessed by using EPF observations. The SPICAM instrument on board of the Mars-Express satellite is a 2 channel spectrometer. One channel operates in the ultraviolet (118-320 nm) and the second one in the infrared (1.0-1.7μm). SPICAM has been orbiting around the red planet since 2003 and has thus provided a large set of data. The instrument is capable of measuring under different geometries (nadir, limb, occultation) and one of them, called EPF (Emission Phase Function), can be a tool to study aerosols' properties. We have developed a new retrieval algorithm for nadir measurements based on the radiative transfer model LIDORT. This new code performs simulations of spectra taking into account gas absorption, surface reflection and scattering by aerosols and gases. The retrieval method, based on the optimal estimation, allows us up to now to deduce the ozone column density, the aerosols' optical depth and the surface albedo (with fixed wavelength dependencies). We are developing our model further in order to better study the aerosols' characteristics using EPF observations, which consist in looking at the same point on the planet while the satellite moves along the orbit. As the attempt to study all the aerosols' properties simultaneously was not convincing, we started studying their opacity and the influence of its altitude distribution with the other characteristics fixed. We will present preliminary results of our study on aerosols' properties using EPF data from SPICAM.

  17. A thermoluminescent method for aerosol characterization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Long, E. R., Jr.; Rogowski, R. S.

    1976-01-01

    A thermoluminescent method has been used to study the interactions of aerosols with ozone. The preliminary results show that ozone reacts with many compounds found in aerosols, and that the thermoluminescence curves obtained from ozonated aerosols are characteristic of the aerosol. The results suggest several important applications of the thermoluminescent method: development of a detector for identification of effluent sources; a sensitive experimental tool for study of heterogeneous chemistry; evaluation of importance of aerosols in atmospheric chemistry; and study of formation of toxic, electronically excited species in airborne particles.

  18. New capabilities for characterizing smoke and dust aerosol over land using MODIS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levy, R. C.; Remer, L. A.

    2006-12-01

    Smoke and dust aerosol have different chemical, optical and physical properties and both types affect many processes within the climate system. As earth's surface and atmosphere are continuously altered by natural and anthropogenic processes, the emission and presumably the effects of these aerosols are also changing. Thus it is necessary to observe and characterize aerosols on a global and climatic scale. While MODIS has been reporting characteristics of smoke and dust aerosol over land and ocean since shortly after Terra launch, the uncertainties in the over-land retrieval have been larger than expected. To better characterize different aerosol types closer to their source regions with greater accuracy, we have developed a new operational algorithm for retrieving aerosol properties over dark land surfaces from MODIS-observed visible (VIS) and infrared (IR) reflectance. Like earlier versions, this algorithm estimates the total loading (aerosol optical depth-τ) and relative weighting of fine (non-dust) and coarse (dust) -dominated aerosol to the total τ (fine weighting-η) over dark land surfaces. However, the fundamental mathematics and major assumptions have been overhauled. The new algorithm performs simultaneous multi-channel inversion that includes information about coarse aerosol in the IR channels, while assuming a fine-tuned relationship between VIS and IR surface reflectances, that is itself a function of scattering angle and vegetation condition. Finally, the suite of expected aerosol optical models described by the lookup table have been revised to closer resemble the AERONET climatology, including for smoke and dust aerosol. Beginning in April 2006, this algorithm has been used for forward processing and backward re- processing of the entire MODIS dataset observed from both Terra and Aqua. "Collection 5" products were completed for Aqua reprocessing by July 2006 and should be complete for Terra by December 2006. In this study, we used the complete

  19. Long term atmospheric aerosol characterization in the Amazon Basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Artaxo, Paulo; Gerab, Fábio; Yamasoe, Marcia A.

    This chapter presents a characterization of atmospheric aerosols collected in different places in the Amazon Basin. Both the biogenic aerosol emission from the forest and the particulate material which is emitted to the atmosphere due to the large scale man-made burns during the dry season were studied. The samples were collected during a three year period at three different locations in the Amazon (Cuiabá, Alta Floresta and Serra do Navio), using stacked filter units. Aerosol samples were also collected directly over fires of cerrado vegetation and tropical primary forest burns The samples were analyzed using several techniques for a number of elements. Gravimetric analyses were used to determine the total atmospheric aerosol concentration. Multivariate statistical analysis was used in order to identify and characterize the sources of the atmospheric aerosol present in the sampled regions. Cerrado burning emissions were enriched compared to forest ones, specially for Cl, K and Zn. High atmospheric aerosol concentrations were observed in large amazonian areas due to emissions from man-made burns in the period from June to September. The emissions from burns dominate the fine fraction of the atmospheric aerosol with characteristic high contents of black carbon, S and K. Aerosols emitted in biomass burning process are correlated to the increase in the aerosol optical thickness of the atmosphere during the Amazonian dry season. The Serra do Navio aerosol is characterized by biogenic emissions with strong marine influence. The presence of trace elements characteristic of soil particulate associated with this marine contribution indicates the existence of aerosol transport from Africa to South America. Similar composition characteristics were observed in the biogenic emission aerosols from Serra do Navio and Alta Floresta.

  20. Characterization of urban aerosol in Cork City (Ireland) using aerosol mass spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dall'Osto, M.; Ovadnevaite, J.; Ceburnis, D.; Martin, D.; Healy, R. M.; O'Connor, I. P.; Sodeau, J. R.; Wenger, J. C.; O'Dowd, C.

    2012-11-01

    Ambient wintertime background urban aerosol in Cork City, Ireland, was characterized using aerosol mass spectrometry. During the three-week measurement study in 2009, 93% of the 1 200 000 single particles characterized by an Aerosol Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (TSI ATOFMS) were classified into five organic-rich particle types, internally-mixed to different proportions with Elemental Carbon (EC), sulphate and nitrate while the remaining 7% was predominantly inorganic in nature. Non-refractory PM1 aerosol was also characterized using a High Resolution Time-Of-Flight Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) and was also found to comprise organic matter as the most abundant species (62%), followed by nitrate (15%), sulphate (9%) and ammonium (9%), and then chloride (5%). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to the HR-ToF-AMS organic matrix and a five-factor solution was found to describe the variance in the data well. Specifically, "Hydrocarbon-like" Organic Aerosol (HOA) comprised 19% of the mass, "Oxygenated low volatility" Organic Aerosols (LV-OOA) comprised 19%, "Biomass wood Burning" Organic Aerosol (BBOA) comprised 23%, non-wood solid-fuel combustion "Peat and Coal" Organic Aerosol (PCOA) comprised 21%, and finally, a species type characterized by primary m/z peaks at 41 and 55, similar to previously-reported "Cooking" Organic Aerosol (COA) but possessing different diurnal variations to what would be expected for cooking activities, contributed 18%. Despite wood, cool and peat being minor fuel types used for domestic space heating in urban areas, their relatively low combustion efficiencies result in a significant contribution to PM1 aerosol mass (44% and 28% of the total organic aerosols mass and non refractory PM1, respectively).

  1. Aerosols and Aerosol-related haze forecasting in China Meteorological Adminstration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Chunhong; Zhang, Xiaoye; Gong, Sunling; Liu, Hongli; Xue, Min

    2017-04-01

    CMA Unified Atmospheric Chemistry Environmental Forecasting System (CUACE) is a unified numerical chemical weather forecasting system with BC, OC, Sulfate, Nitrate, Ammonia, Dust and Sea-Salt aerosols and their sources, gas to particle processes, SOA, microphysics and transformation. With an open interface, CUACE has been online coupled to mesoscale model MM5 and the new NWP system GRAPES (Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction Enhanced System)min CMA. With Chinese Emissions from Cao and Zhang(2012 and 2013), a forecasting system called CUACE/Haze-fog has been running in real time in CMA and issue 5-days PM10, O3 and Visibility forecasts. A comprehensive ACI scheme has also been developed in CUACE Calculated by a sectional aerosol activation scheme based on the information of size and mass from CUACE and the thermal-dynamic and humid states from the weather model at each time step, the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) is fed online interactively into a two-moment cloud scheme (WDM6) and a convective parameterization to drive the cloud physics and precipitation formation processes. The results show that interactive aerosols with the WDM6 in CUACE obviously improve the clouds properties and the precipitation, showing 24% to 48% enhancements of TS scoring for 6-h precipitation .

  2. Influence of Oxygen Partial Pressure during Processing on the Thermoelectric Properties of Aerosol-Deposited CuFeO2

    PubMed Central

    Stöcker, Thomas; Exner, Jörg; Schubert, Michael; Streibl, Maximilian; Moos, Ralf

    2016-01-01

    In the field of thermoelectric energy conversion, oxide materials show promising potential due to their good stability in oxidizing environments. Hence, the influence of oxygen partial pressure during synthesis on the thermoelectric properties of Cu-Delafossites at high temperatures was investigated in this study. For these purposes, CuFeO2 powders were synthetized using a conventional mixed-oxide technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies were conducted to determine the crystal structures of the delafossites associated with the oxygen content during the synthesis. Out of these powders, films with a thickness of about 25 µm were prepared by the relatively new aerosol-deposition (AD) coating technique. It is based on a room temperature impact consolidation process (RTIC) to deposit dense solid films of ceramic materials on various substrates without using a high-temperature step during the coating process. On these dense CuFeO2 films deposited on alumina substrates with electrode structures, the Seebeck coefficient and the electrical conductivity were measured as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure. We compared the thermoelectric properties of both standard processed and aerosol deposited CuFeO2 up to 900 °C and investigated the influence of oxygen partial pressure on the electrical conductivity, on the Seebeck coefficient and on the high temperature stability of CuFeO2. These studies may not only help to improve the thermoelectric material in the high-temperature case, but may also serve as an initial basis to establish a defect chemical model. PMID:28773351

  3. Connecting Aerosol Size Distributions at Three Arctic Stations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Freud, E.; Krejci, R.; Tunved, P.; Barrie, L. A.

    2015-12-01

    Aerosols play an important role in Earth's energy balance mainly through interactions with solar radiation and cloud processes. There is a distinct annual cycle of arctic aerosols, with greatest mass concentrations in the spring and lowest in summer due to effective wet removal processes - allowing for new particles formation events to take place. Little is known about the spatial extent of these events as no previous studies have directly compared and linked aerosol measurements from different arctic stations during the same times. Although the arctic stations are hardly affected by local pollution, it is normally assumed that their aerosol measurements are indicative of a rather large area. It is, however, not clear if that assumption holds all the time, and how large may that area be. In this study, three different datasets of aerosol size distributions from Mt. Zeppelin in Svalbard, Station Nord in northern Greenland and Alert in the Canadian arctic, are analyzed for the measurement period of 2012-2013. All stations are 500 to 1000 km from each other, and the travel time from one station to the other is typically between 2 to 5 days. The meteorological parameters along the calculated trajectories are analyzed in order to estimate their role in the modification of the aerosol size distribution while the air is traveling from one field station to another. In addition, the exposure of the sampled air to open waters vs. frozen sea is assessed, due to the different fluxes of heat, moisture, gases and particles, that are expected to affect the aerosol size distribution. The results show that the general characteristics of the aerosol size distributions and their annual variation are not very different in all three stations, with Alert and Station Nord being more similar. This is more pronounced when looking into the cases for which the trajectory calculations indicated that the air traveled from one of the latter stations to the other. The probable causes for the

  4. High-efficiency particulate air filter test stand and aerosol generator for particle loading studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arunkumar, R.; Hogancamp, Kristina U.; Parsons, Michael S.; Rogers, Donna M.; Norton, Olin P.; Nagel, Brian A.; Alderman, Steven L.; Waggoner, Charles A.

    2007-08-01

    This manuscript describes the design, characterization, and operational range of a test stand and high-output aerosol generator developed to evaluate the performance of 30×30×29cm3 nuclear grade high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters under variable, highly controlled conditions. The test stand system is operable at volumetric flow rates ranging from 1.5to12standardm3/min. Relative humidity levels are controllable from 5%-90% and the temperature of the aerosol stream is variable from ambient to 150°C. Test aerosols are produced through spray drying source material solutions that are introduced into a heated stainless steel evaporation chamber through an air-atomizing nozzle. Regulation of the particle size distribution of the aerosol challenge is achieved by varying source solution concentrations and through the use of a postgeneration cyclone. The aerosol generation system is unique in that it facilitates the testing of standard HEPA filters at and beyond rated media velocities by consistently providing, into a nominal flow of 7standardm3/min, high mass concentrations (˜25mg/m3) of dry aerosol streams having count mean diameters centered near the most penetrating particle size for HEPA filters (120-160nm). Aerosol streams that have been generated and characterized include those derived from various concentrations of KCl, NaCl, and sucrose solutions. Additionally, a water insoluble aerosol stream in which the solid component is predominantly iron (III) has been produced. Multiple ports are available on the test stand for making simultaneous aerosol measurements upstream and downstream of the test filter. Types of filter performance related studies that can be performed using this test stand system include filter lifetime studies, filtering efficiency testing, media velocity testing, evaluations under high mass loading and high humidity conditions, and determination of the downstream particle size distributions.

  5. High-efficiency particulate air filter test stand and aerosol generator for particle loading studies.

    PubMed

    Arunkumar, R; Hogancamp, Kristina U; Parsons, Michael S; Rogers, Donna M; Norton, Olin P; Nagel, Brian A; Alderman, Steven L; Waggoner, Charles A

    2007-08-01

    This manuscript describes the design, characterization, and operational range of a test stand and high-output aerosol generator developed to evaluate the performance of 30 x 30 x 29 cm(3) nuclear grade high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters under variable, highly controlled conditions. The test stand system is operable at volumetric flow rates ranging from 1.5 to 12 standard m(3)/min. Relative humidity levels are controllable from 5%-90% and the temperature of the aerosol stream is variable from ambient to 150 degrees C. Test aerosols are produced through spray drying source material solutions that are introduced into a heated stainless steel evaporation chamber through an air-atomizing nozzle. Regulation of the particle size distribution of the aerosol challenge is achieved by varying source solution concentrations and through the use of a postgeneration cyclone. The aerosol generation system is unique in that it facilitates the testing of standard HEPA filters at and beyond rated media velocities by consistently providing, into a nominal flow of 7 standard m(3)/min, high mass concentrations (approximately 25 mg/m(3)) of dry aerosol streams having count mean diameters centered near the most penetrating particle size for HEPA filters (120-160 nm). Aerosol streams that have been generated and characterized include those derived from various concentrations of KCl, NaCl, and sucrose solutions. Additionally, a water insoluble aerosol stream in which the solid component is predominantly iron (III) has been produced. Multiple ports are available on the test stand for making simultaneous aerosol measurements upstream and downstream of the test filter. Types of filter performance related studies that can be performed using this test stand system include filter lifetime studies, filtering efficiency testing, media velocity testing, evaluations under high mass loading and high humidity conditions, and determination of the downstream particle size distributions.

  6. Algorithms for radiative transfer simulations for aerosol retrieval

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mukai, Sonoyo; Sano, Itaru; Nakata, Makiko

    2012-11-01

    Aerosol retrieval work from satellite data, i.e. aerosol remote sensing, is divided into three parts as: satellite data analysis, aerosol modeling and multiple light scattering calculation in the atmosphere model which is called radiative transfer simulation. The aerosol model is compiled from the accumulated measurements during more than ten years provided with the world wide aerosol monitoring network (AERONET). The radiative transfer simulations take Rayleigh scattering by molecules and Mie scattering by aerosols in the atmosphere, and reflection by the Earth surface into account. Thus the aerosol properties are estimated by comparing satellite measurements with the numerical values of radiation simulations in the Earth-atmosphere-surface model. It is reasonable to consider that the precise simulation of multiple light-scattering processes is necessary, and needs a long computational time especially in an optically thick atmosphere model. Therefore efficient algorithms for radiative transfer problems are indispensable to retrieve aerosols from space.

  7. Building America Case Study: Field Trial of an Aerosol-Based Enclosure Sealing Technology, Clovis, California

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    This report presents the results from several demonstrations of a new method for sealing building envelope air leaks using an aerosol sealing process developed by the Western Cooling Efficiency Center at UC Davis. The process involves pressurizing a building while applying an aerosol sealant to the interior. As air escapes through leaks in the building envelope, the aerosol particles are transported to the leaks where they collect and form a seal that blocks the leak. Standard blower door technology is used to facilitate the building pressurization, which allows the installer to track the sealing progress during the installation and automaticallymore » verify the final building tightness. Each aerosol envelope sealing installation was performed after drywall was installed and taped, and the process did not appear to interrupt the construction schedule or interfere with other trades working in the homes. The labor needed to physically seal bulk air leaks in typical construction will not be replaced by this technology. However, this technology is capable of bringing the air leakage of a building that was built with standard construction techniques and HERS-verified sealing down to levels that would meet DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes program requirements. When a developer is striving to meet a tighter envelope leakage specification, this technology could greatly reduce the cost to achieve that goal by providing a simple and relatively low cost method for reducing the air leakage of a building envelope with little to no change in their common building practices.« less

  8. Applications of Sunphotometry to Aerosol Extinction and Surface Anisotropy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tsay, S. C.; Holben, B. N.; Privette, J. L.

    2005-01-01

    Support cost-sharing of a newly developed sunphotometer in field deployment for aerosol studies. This is a cost-sharing research to deploy a newly developed sun-sky-surface photometer for studying aerosol extinction and surface anisotropy at the ARM SGP, TWP, and NSA-AAO CART sites and in many field campaigns. Atmospheric aerosols affect the radiative energy balance of the Earth, both directly by perturbing the incoming/outgoing radiation fields and indirectly by influencing the properties/processes of clouds and reactive greenhouse gases. The surface bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) also plays a crucial role in the radiative energy balance, since the BRDF is required to determine (1) the spectral and spectrally-averaged surface albedo, and (2) the top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) angular distribution of radiance field. Therefore, the CART sites provide an excellent, albeit unique, opportunity to collect long-term climatic data in characterizing aerosol properties and various types of surface anisotropy.

  9. The optical properties of absorbing aerosols with fractal soot aggregates: Implications for aerosol remote sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Tianhai; Gu, Xingfa; Wu, Yu; Chen, Hao; Yu, Tao

    2013-08-01

    Applying sphere aerosol models to replace the absorbing fine-sized dominated aerosols can potentially result in significant errors in the climate models and aerosol remote sensing retrieval. In this paper, the optical properties of absorbing fine-sized dominated aerosol were modeled, which are taking into account the fresh emitted soot particles (agglomerates of primary spherules), aged soot particles (semi-externally mixed with other weakly absorbing aerosols), and coarse aerosol particles (dust particles). The optical properties of the individual fresh and aged soot aggregates are calculated using the superposition T-matrix method. In order to quantify the morphology effect of absorbing aerosol models on the aerosol remote sensing retrieval, the ensemble averaged optical properties of absorbing fine-sized dominated aerosols are calculated based on the size distribution of fine aerosols (fresh and aged soot) and coarse aerosols. The corresponding optical properties of sphere absorbing aerosol models using Lorenz-Mie solutions were presented for comparison. The comparison study demonstrates that the sphere absorbing aerosol models underestimate the absorption ability of the fine-sized dominated aerosol particles. The morphology effect of absorbing fine-sized dominated aerosols on the TOA radiances and polarized radiances is also investigated. It is found that the sphere aerosol models overestimate the TOA reflectance and polarized reflectance by approximately a factor of 3 at wavelength of 0.865 μm. In other words, the fine-sized dominated aerosol models can cause large errors in the retrieved aerosol properties if satellite reflectance measurements are analyzed using the conventional Mie theory for spherical particles.

  10. Supercritical Fluid Extraction and Analysis of Tropospheric Aerosol Particles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hansen, Kristen J.

    different source and process components, and to examine concentration changes in groups of variables with respect to time of day and meteorological conditions. Seven orthogonal groups of variables resulted from the statistical analysis; the groups serve as molecular markers for different biologic and anthropogenic emission sources. In addition, the results of the statistical analysis were used to investigate how several emission source contributions vary with respect to local atmospheric dynamics. Field studies were conducted in the urban environment in and around Boulder, CO. to characterize the dynamics, chemistry, and emission sources which affect the composition and concentration of different size-fractions of aerosol particles in the Boulder air mass. Relationships between different size fractions of particles and some gas-phase pollutants were elucidated. These field studies included an investigation of seasonal variations in the organic content and concentration of aerosol particles, and how these characteristics are related to local meteorology and to the concentration of some gas-phase pollutants. The elemental and organic composition of aerosol particles was investigated according to particle size in preliminary studies of size-differentiated samples of aerosol particles. In order to aid in future studies of urban aerosol particles, samples were collected at a forest fire near Boulder. Molecular markers specific to wood burning processes will be useful indicators of residential wood burning activities in future field studies.

  11. Unexpectedly high ultrafine aerosol concentrations above East Antarctic sea ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Humphries, R. S.; Klekociuk, A. R.; Schofield, R.; Keywood, M.; Ward, J.; Wilson, S. R.

    2016-02-01

    Better characterisation of aerosol processes in pristine, natural environments, such as Antarctica, have recently been shown to lead to the largest reduction in uncertainties in our understanding of radiative forcing. Our understanding of aerosols in the Antarctic region is currently based on measurements that are often limited to boundary layer air masses at spatially sparse coastal and continental research stations, with only a handful of studies in the vast sea-ice region. In this paper, the first observational study of sub-micron aerosols in the East Antarctic sea ice region is presented. Measurements were conducted aboard the icebreaker Aurora Australis in spring 2012 and found that boundary layer condensation nuclei (CN3) concentrations exhibited a five-fold increase moving across the polar front, with mean polar cell concentrations of 1130 cm-3 - higher than any observed elsewhere in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean region. The absence of evidence for aerosol growth suggested that nucleation was unlikely to be local. Air parcel trajectories indicated significant influence from the free troposphere above the Antarctic continent, implicating this as the likely nucleation region for surface aerosol, a similar conclusion to previous Antarctic aerosol studies. The highest aerosol concentrations were found to correlate with low-pressure systems, suggesting that the passage of cyclones provided an accelerated pathway, delivering air masses quickly from the free troposphere to the surface. After descent from the Antarctic free troposphere, trajectories suggest that sea-ice boundary layer air masses travelled equatorward into the low-albedo Southern Ocean region, transporting with them emissions and these aerosol nuclei which, after growth, may potentially impact on the region's radiative balance. The high aerosol concentrations and their transport pathways described here, could help reduce the discrepancy currently present between simulations and observations of

  12. Aerosol chemical composition in cloud events by high resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Hao, Liqing; Romakkaniemi, Sami; Kortelainen, Aki; Jaatinen, Antti; Portin, Harri; Miettinen, Pasi; Komppula, Mika; Leskinen, Ari; Virtanen, Annele; Smith, James N; Sueper, Donna; Worsnop, Douglas R; Lehtinen, Kari E J; Laaksonen, Ari

    2013-03-19

    This study presents results of direct observations of aerosol chemical composition in clouds. A high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer was used to make measurements of cloud interstitial particles (INT) and mixed cloud interstitial and droplet residual particles (TOT). The differences between these two are the cloud droplet residuals (RES). Positive matrix factorization analysis of high-resolution mass spectral data sets and theoretical calculations were performed to yield distributions of chemical composition of the INT and RES particles. We observed that less oxidized hydrocarbon-like organic aerosols (HOA) were mainly distributed into the INT particles, whereas more oxidized low-volatile oxygenated OA (LVOOA) mainly in the RES particles. Nitrates existed as organic nitrate and in chemical form of NH(4)NO(3). Organic nitrates accounted for 45% of total nitrates in the INT particles, in clear contrast to 26% in the RES particles. Meanwhile, sulfates coexist in forms of acidic NH(4)HSO(4) and neutralized (NH(4))(2)SO(4). Acidic sulfate made up 64.8% of total sulfates in the INT particles, much higher than 10.7% in the RES particles. The results indicate a possible joint effect of activation ability of aerosol particles, cloud processing, and particle size effects on cloud formation.

  13. Maritime Aerosol Network as a Component of AERONET - First Results and Comparison with Global Aerosol Models and Satellite Retrievals

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smirnov, A.; Holben, B. N.; Giles, D. M.; Slutsker, I.; O'Neill, N. T.; Eck, T. F.; Macke, A.; Croot, P.; Courcoux, Y.; Sakerin, S. M.; hide

    2011-01-01

    The Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) has been collecting data over the oceans since November 2006. Over 80 cruises were completed through early 2010 with deployments continuing. Measurement areas included various parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Northern and Southern Pacific Ocean, the South Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and inland seas. MAN deploys Microtops handheld sunphotometers and utilizes a calibration procedure and data processing traceable to AERONET. Data collection included areas that previously had no aerosol optical depth (AOD) coverage at all, particularly vast areas of the Southern Ocean. The MAN data archive provides a valuable resource for aerosol studies in maritime environments. In the current paper we present results of AOD measurements over the oceans, and make a comparison with satellite AOD retrievals and model simulations.

  14. Maritime Aerosol Network as a component of AERONET - first results and comparison with global aerosol models and satellite retrievals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smirnov, A.; Holben, B. N.; Giles, D. M.; Slutsker, I.; O'Neill, N. T.; Eck, T. F.; Macke, A.; Croot, P.; Courcoux, Y.; Sakerin, S. M.; Smyth, T. J.; Zielinski, T.; Zibordi, G.; Goes, J. I.; Harvey, M. J.; Quinn, P. K.; Nelson, N. B.; Radionov, V. F.; Duarte, C. M.; Losno, R.; Sciare, J.; Voss, K. J.; Kinne, S.; Nalli, N. R.; Joseph, E.; Krishna Moorthy, K.; Covert, D. S.; Gulev, S. K.; Milinevsky, G.; Larouche, P.; Belanger, S.; Horne, E.; Chin, M.; Remer, L. A.; Kahn, R. A.; Reid, J. S.; Schulz, M.; Heald, C. L.; Zhang, J.; Lapina, K.; Kleidman, R. G.; Griesfeller, J.; Gaitley, B. J.; Tan, Q.; Diehl, T. L.

    2011-01-01

    The Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) has been collecting data over the oceans since November 2006. Over 80 cruises were completed through early 2010 with deployments continuing. Measurements areas included various parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Northern and Southern Pacific Ocean, the South Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and inland seas. MAN deploys Microtops hand-held sunphotometers and utilizes a calibration procedure and data processing traceable to AERONET. Data collection included areas that previously had no aerosol optical depth (AOD) coverage at all, particularly vast areas of the Southern Ocean. The MAN data archive provides a valuable resource for aerosol studies in maritime environments. In the current paper we present results of AOD measurements over the oceans, and make a comparison with satellite AOD retrievals and model simulations.

  15. Maritime aerosol network as a component of AERONET - first results and comparison with global aerosol models and satellite retrievals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smirnov, A.; Holben, B. N.; Giles, D. M.; Slutsker, I.; O'Neill, N. T.; Eck, T. F.; Macke, A.; Croot, P.; Courcoux, Y.; Sakerin, S. M.; Smyth, T. J.; Zielinski, T.; Zibordi, G.; Goes, J. I.; Harvey, M. J.; Quinn, P. K.; Nelson, N. B.; Radionov, V. F.; Duarte, C. M.; Losno, R.; Sciare, J.; Voss, K. J.; Kinne, S.; Nalli, N. R.; Joseph, E.; Krishna Moorthy, K.; Covert, D. S.; Gulev, S. K.; Milinevsky, G.; Larouche, P.; Belanger, S.; Horne, E.; Chin, M.; Remer, L. A.; Kahn, R. A.; Reid, J. S.; Schulz, M.; Heald, C. L.; Zhang, J.; Lapina, K.; Kleidman, R. G.; Griesfeller, J.; Gaitley, B. J.; Tan, Q.; Diehl, T. L.

    2011-03-01

    The Maritime Aerosol Network (MAN) has been collecting data over the oceans since November 2006. Over 80 cruises were completed through early 2010 with deployments continuing. Measurement areas included various parts of the Atlantic Ocean, the Northern and Southern Pacific Ocean, the South Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and inland seas. MAN deploys Microtops hand-held sunphotometers and utilizes a calibration procedure and data processing traceable to AERONET. Data collection included areas that previously had no aerosol optical depth (AOD) coverage at all, particularly vast areas of the Southern Ocean. The MAN data archive provides a valuable resource for aerosol studies in maritime environments. In the current paper we present results of AOD measurements over the oceans, and make a comparison with satellite AOD retrievals and model simulations.

  16. Aerosol Meteorology of Maritime Continent for the 2012 7SEAS Southwest Monsoon Intensive Study - Part 2: Philippine Receptor Observations of Fine-Scale Aerosol Behavior

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reid, Jeffrey S.; Lagrosas, Nofel D.; Jonsson, Haflidi H.; Reid, Elizabeth A.; Atwood, Samuel A.; Boyd, Thomas J.; Ghate, Virendra P.; Xian, Peng; Posselt, Derek J.; Simpas, James B.; hide

    2016-01-01

    The largest 7 Southeast Asian Studies (7SEAS) operations period within the Maritime Continent (MC) occurred in the August-September 2012 biomass burning season. Data included were observations aboard the MY Vasco, dispatched to the Palawan Archipelago and Sulu Sea of the Philippines for September 2012. At these locations, the Vasco observed MC smoke and pollution entering the southwest monsoon (SWM) monsoonal trough. Here we describe the research cruise findings and the finer-scale aerosol meteorology of this convectively active region. This 2012 cruise complemented a 2-week cruise in 2011 and was generally consistent with previous findings in terms of how smoke emission and transport related to monsoonal flows, tropical cyclones (TC), and the covariance between smoke transport events and the atmosphere's thermodynamic structure. Biomass burning plumes were usually mixed with significant amounts of anthropogenic pollution. Also key to aerosol behavior were squall lines and cold pools propagating across the South China Sea (SCS) and scavenging aerosol particles in their path. However, the 2012 cruise showed much higher modulation in aerosol frequency than its 2011 counterpart. Whereas in 2011 large synoptic-scale aerosol events transported high concentrations of smoke into the Philippines over days, in 2012 measured aerosol events exhibited a much shorter-term variation, sometimes only 312h. Strong monsoonal flow reversals were also experienced in 2012. Nucleation events in cleaner and polluted conditions, as well as in urban plumes, were observed. Perhaps most interestingly, several cases of squall lines preceding major aerosol events were observed, as opposed to 2011 observations where these lines largely scavenged aerosol particles from the marine boundary layer. Combined, these observations indicate pockets of high and low particle counts that are not uncommon in the region. These perturbations are difficult to observe by satellite and very difficult to model

  17. Aerosol meteorology of Maritime Continent for the 2012 7SEAS southwest monsoon intensive study - Part 2: Philippine receptor observations of fine-scale aerosol behavior

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reid, Jeffrey S.; Lagrosas, Nofel D.; Jonsson, Haflidi H.; Reid, Elizabeth A.; Atwood, Samuel A.; Boyd, Thomas J.; Ghate, Virendra P.; Xian, Peng; Posselt, Derek J.; Simpas, James B.; Uy, Sherdon N.; Zaiger, Kimo; Blake, Donald R.; Bucholtz, Anthony; Campbell, James R.; Chew, Boon Ning; Cliff, Steven S.; Holben, Brent N.; Holz, Robert E.; Hyer, Edward J.; Kreidenweis, Sonia M.; Kuciauskas, Arunas P.; Lolli, Simone; Oo, Min; Perry, Kevin D.; Salinas, Santo V.; Sessions, Walter R.; Smirnov, Alexander; Walker, Annette L.; Wang, Qing; Yu, Liya; Zhang, Jianglong; Zhao, Yongjing

    2016-11-01

    The largest 7 Southeast Asian Studies (7SEAS) operations period within the Maritime Continent (MC) occurred in the August-September 2012 biomass burning season. Data included were observations aboard the M/Y Vasco, dispatched to the Palawan Archipelago and Sulu Sea of the Philippines for September 2012. At these locations, the Vasco observed MC smoke and pollution entering the southwest monsoon (SWM) monsoonal trough. Here we describe the research cruise findings and the finer-scale aerosol meteorology of this convectively active region. This 2012 cruise complemented a 2-week cruise in 2011 and was generally consistent with previous findings in terms of how smoke emission and transport related to monsoonal flows, tropical cyclones (TC), and the covariance between smoke transport events and the atmosphere's thermodynamic structure. Biomass burning plumes were usually mixed with significant amounts of anthropogenic pollution. Also key to aerosol behavior were squall lines and cold pools propagating across the South China Sea (SCS) and scavenging aerosol particles in their path. However, the 2012 cruise showed much higher modulation in aerosol frequency than its 2011 counterpart. Whereas in 2011 large synoptic-scale aerosol events transported high concentrations of smoke into the Philippines over days, in 2012 measured aerosol events exhibited a much shorter-term variation, sometimes only 3-12 h. Strong monsoonal flow reversals were also experienced in 2012. Nucleation events in cleaner and polluted conditions, as well as in urban plumes, were observed. Perhaps most interestingly, several cases of squall lines preceding major aerosol events were observed, as opposed to 2011 observations where these lines largely scavenged aerosol particles from the marine boundary layer. Combined, these observations indicate pockets of high and low particle counts that are not uncommon in the region. These perturbations are difficult to observe by satellite and very difficult to model

  18. Overview of the Capstone Depleted Uranium Study of Aerosols from Impact with Armored Vehicles: Test Setup and Aerosol Generation, Characterization, and Application in Assessing Dose and Risk

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Parkhurst, MaryAnn; Guilmette, Raymond A.

    2009-03-01

    The Capstone Depleted Uranium (DU) Aerosol Characterization and Risk Assessment Study was conducted to generate data about DU aerosols generated during the perforation of armored combat vehicles with large-caliber DU penetrators, and to apply the data in assessments of human health risks to personnel exposed to these aerosols, primarily through inhalation, during the 1991 Gulf War or in future military operations. The Capstone study consisted of two components: 1) generating, sampling and characterizing DU aerosols by firing at and perforating combat vehicles and 2) applying the source-term quantities and characteristics of the aerosols to the evaluation of doses and risks.more » This paper reviews the background of the study including the bases for the study, previous reviews of DU particles and health assessments from DU used by the U.S. military, the objectives of the study components, the participants and oversight teams, and the types of exposures it was intended to evaluate. It then discusses exposure scenarios used in the dose and risk assessment and provides an overview of how the field tests and dose and risk assessments were conducted.« less

  19. Cloud processing of gases and aerosols in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model: Impacts of extended chemistry

    EPA Science Inventory

    Clouds and fogs can significantly impact the concentration and distribution of atmospheric gases and aerosols through chemistry, scavenging, and transport. This presentation summarizes the representation of cloud processes in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling ...

  20. Study on Interaction Between Diurnal Tide and Atmospheric Aerosols Observed by Mars Climate Sounder

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Z.; Li, T.

    2016-12-01

    The increased local time coverage observed by Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) on board Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) can enable direct extraction of thermal tides in Mars middle atmosphere with reduced aliasing. Using temperature profiles from Mars year (MY) 30 to 32, we study the latitudinal and seasonal variations of tides and stationary planetary waves with zonal wave numbers s = 1-3. The amplitude of the migrating diurnal tide (DW1) has strong semiannual variations both in the equatorial region and in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) middle latitudes. Aerosols widely distributed in the atmosphere of Mars, namely, dust and water ice also show apparent diurnal variations, which may be caused by a dynamical process of tidal vertical wind. Tidal response in dust abundance indicates an annual variation with maximum amplitude in aphelion seasons while the background abundance of dust peaks in perihelion seasons when global dust storm occurs frequently, which suggests that extremely large abundance of dust may restrain its own tidal response. Water ice abundance in the middle latitudes has a semiannual variation which is similar to the thermal diurnal tide. In addition, the diurnal heating rate of aerosols is calculated and Hough decomposition is performed to estimate the radiative effect of aerosols on diurnal tide.

  1. Vertical separation of the atmospheric aerosol components by using poliphon retrieval in polarized micro pulse lidar (P-MPL) measurements: case studies of specific climate-relevant aerosol types

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Córdoba-Jabonero, Carmen; Sicard, Michaël; Ansmann, Albert; Águila, Ana del; Baars, Holger

    2018-04-01

    POLIPHON (POlarization-LIdar PHOtometer Networking) retrieval consists in the vertical separation of two/three particle components in aerosol mixtures, highlighting their relative contributions in terms of the optical properties and mass concentrations. This method is based on the specific particle linear depolarization ratio given for different types of aerosols, and is applied to the new polarized Micro-Pulse Lidar (P-MPL). Case studies of specific climate-relevant aerosols (dust particles, fire smoke, and pollen aerosols, including a clean case as reference) observed over Barcelona (Spain) are presented in order to evaluate firstly the potential of P-MPLs measurements in combination with POLIPHON for retrieving the vertical separation of those particle components forming aerosol mixtures and their properties.

  2. The global aerosol-climate model ECHAM-HAM, version 2: sensitivity to improvements in process representations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, K.; O'Donnell, D.; Kazil, J.; Stier, P.; Kinne, S.; Lohmann, U.; Ferrachat, S.; Croft, B.; Quaas, J.; Wan, H.; Rast, S.; Feichter, J.

    2012-10-01

    This paper introduces and evaluates the second version of the global aerosol-climate model ECHAM-HAM. Major changes have been brought into the model, including new parameterizations for aerosol nucleation and water uptake, an explicit treatment of secondary organic aerosols, modified emission calculations for sea salt and mineral dust, the coupling of aerosol microphysics to a two-moment stratiform cloud microphysics scheme, and alternative wet scavenging parameterizations. These revisions extend the model's capability to represent details of the aerosol lifecycle and its interaction with climate. Nudged simulations of the year 2000 are carried out to compare the aerosol properties and global distribution in HAM1 and HAM2, and to evaluate them against various observations. Sensitivity experiments are performed to help identify the impact of each individual update in model formulation. Results indicate that from HAM1 to HAM2 there is a marked weakening of aerosol water uptake in the lower troposphere, reducing the total aerosol water burden from 75 Tg to 51 Tg. The main reason is the newly introduced κ-Köhler-theory-based water uptake scheme uses a lower value for the maximum relative humidity cutoff. Particulate organic matter loading in HAM2 is considerably higher in the upper troposphere, because the explicit treatment of secondary organic aerosols allows highly volatile oxidation products of the precursors to be vertically transported to regions of very low temperature and to form aerosols there. Sulfate, black carbon, particulate organic matter and mineral dust in HAM2 have longer lifetimes than in HAM1 because of weaker in-cloud scavenging, which is in turn related to lower autoconversion efficiency in the newly introduced two-moment cloud microphysics scheme. Modification in the sea salt emission scheme causes a significant increase in the ratio (from 1.6 to 7.7) between accumulation mode and coarse mode emission fluxes of aerosol number concentration. This

  3. Chemical composition of size-segregated aerosol collected all year-round at Concordia Station (Dome C, Antarctica). Transport processes and climatic implications.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Udisti, Roberto; Becagli, Silvia; Frosini, Daniele; Galli, Gaia; Ghedini, Costanza; Rugi, Francesco; Severi, Mirko; Traversi, Rita

    2010-05-01

    Ice-core stratigraphies of chemical components of atmospheric gases and aerosols trapped in the snow layers by scavenging processes are a powerful tool in understanding past climatic and environmental changes. The deep ice core drilled at Dome C in the framework of the EPICA project allowed reconstructing the last 8 glacial-interglacial cycles and highlightened the complex relationships between climatic forcings and environmental feedback processes. In interpreting ice core records as a function of past climatic variations, some difficulties arise from uncertainties in considering selected chemical species as reliable markers of climatic and environmental processes and in attributing the different load and composition of aerosols over Antarctica to changes in source intensity (such as aridity, wind strength, emersion of continental platform by sea-level lowering etc..) and/or to variations in atmospheric processes (such as meridional and zonal atmospheric circulation, polar vortex intensity, scavenging efficiency, transport pathways etc..). Besides, two new aspects are actually under discussions: the possible use of Na as sea-ice cover marker (via frost flower formation on the sea-ice surface during the pack-ice formation) and the identification of continental source areas for mineral dust reaching internal regions of Antarctica during glacial and interglacial periods. In order to better address such controversial issues, since 2005 a continuous, high temporal resolution size-segregated aerosol and surface snow sampling has been performed at Dome C (central East Antarctic Plateau, 75° 06' S, 123° 23' E), in the framework of "Station Concordia" Project (a Italian PNRA- French IPEV joint program). The chemical analysis of size-segregated aerosol and daily superficial snow samples, collected all year-round for more than 4 years, can contribute to clarify some of the above mentioned topics. In particular: the possible seasonal pattern of sea spray aerosol could be

  4. Overview of the aerosol measurements in the UTLS during the POSIDON campaign

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, R. S.; Liu, S.; Thornberry, T. D.; Rollins, A. W.; Yu, P.; Woods, S.; Bui, T. V.

    2017-12-01

    The tropical tropopause layer (TTL) is the main gateway for transport of aerosols from the troposphere to the stratosphere. Studies of aerosol properties in the TTL, however, are very limited. During the NASA Pacific Oxidants, Sulfur, Ice, Dehydration, and cONvection (POSIDON) Experiment in Guam in October 2016, we measured aerosol size distributions onboard the NASA WB-57F high altitude research aircraft up to 19 km. Multiple aerosol vertical profiles showed a robust enhancement of aerosols as a function of altitude between 15 and 19 km, with the aerosol number and mass concentrations of 10 cm-3 and 0.1 µg m-3, respectively, for particles in the size range of 140-3000 nm at 17 km altitude. Simulation using a global sectional aerosol model coupled with the Community Earth System Model generally agreed with aerosol observations, suggesting that the aerosol enhancement was likely due to in-situ particle formation and growth. Concurrent SO2 measurement showed that conversion of SO2 to sulfuric acid alone cannot explain the enhanced aerosol layer at TTL, indicating that other precursors or formation pathways exist for efficient aerosol formation. Using the measured mass concentration and an average vertical air velocity, the aerosol mass flux at the tropopause has been estimated. In addition, we investigated the potential aerosol removal processes and found no evidence for aerosol scavenging by ice.

  5. Global Aerosol Observations

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2013-04-19

    ... atmosphere, directly influencing global climate and human health. Ground-based networks that accurately measure column aerosol amount and ... being used to improve Air Quality Models and for regional health studies. To assess the human-health impact of chronic aerosol exposure, ...

  6. Aerosol growth in Titan's ionosphere.

    PubMed

    Lavvas, Panayotis; Yelle, Roger V; Koskinen, Tommi; Bazin, Axel; Vuitton, Véronique; Vigren, Erik; Galand, Marina; Wellbrock, Anne; Coates, Andrew J; Wahlund, Jan-Erik; Crary, Frank J; Snowden, Darci

    2013-02-19

    Photochemically produced aerosols are common among the atmospheres of our solar system and beyond. Observations and models have shown that photochemical aerosols have direct consequences on atmospheric properties as well as important astrobiological ramifications, but the mechanisms involved in their formation remain unclear. Here we show that the formation of aerosols in Titan's upper atmosphere is directly related to ion processes, and we provide a complete interpretation of observed mass spectra by the Cassini instruments from small to large masses. Because all planetary atmospheres possess ionospheres, we anticipate that the mechanisms identified here will be efficient in other environments as well, modulated by the chemical complexity of each atmosphere.

  7. Ambient Aerosol in Southeast Asia: High Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer Measurements Over Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Phillips, G.; Dimarco, C.; Misztal, P.; Nemitz, E.; Farmer, D.; Kimmel, J.; Jimenez, J.

    2008-12-01

    The emission of organic compounds in the troposphere is important factor in the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). A very large proportion of organic material emitted globally is estimated to arise from biogenic sources, with almost half coming from tropical and sub-tropical forests. Preliminary analyses of leave cuvette emission studies suggest that oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a significantly larger source of isoprene than tropical forest. Much larger sources of isoprene over oil palm allied with a larger anthropogenic component of local emissions contrast greatly with the remote tropical forest environment and therefore the character of SOA formed may differ significantly. These issues, allied with the high price of palm oil on international markets leading to increased use of land for oil palm production, could give rise to rapidly changing chemical and aerosol regimes in the tropics. It is therefore important to understand the current emissions and composition of organic aerosol over all important land-uses in the tropical environment. This in turn will lead to a greater understanding of the present, and to an improvement in predictive capacity for the future system. To help address these issues, a high resolution time of flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) was deployed in the Sabahmas (PPB OIL) oil palm plantation near Lahad Datu, in Eastern Sabah, as part of the field component of the Aerosol Coupling in the Earth System (ACES) project, part of the UK NERC APPRAISE program. This project was allied closely with measurements made of similar chemical species and aerosol components at a forest site in the Danum Valley as part of the UK Oxidant and Particle Photochemical Processes above a Southeast Asian tropical rainforest (OP3) project. Measurements of submicron non- refractory aerosol composition are presented along with some preliminary analysis of chemically resolved aerosol fluxes made with a new eddy covariance system, based on the

  8. Insight into Chemistry on Cloud/Aerosol Water Surfaces.

    PubMed

    Zhong, Jie; Kumar, Manoj; Francisco, Joseph S; Zeng, Xiao Cheng

    2018-05-15

    Cloud/aerosol water surfaces exert significant influence over atmospheric chemical processes. Atmospheric processes at the water surface are observed to follow mechanisms that are quite different from those in the gas phase. This Account summarizes our recent findings of new reaction pathways on the water surface. We have studied these surface reactions using Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations. These studies provide useful information on the reaction time scale, the underlying mechanism of surface reactions, and the dynamic behavior of the product formed on the aqueous surface. According to these studies, the aerosol water surfaces confine the atmospheric species into a specific orientation depending on the hydrophilicity of atmospheric species or the hydrogen-bonding interactions between atmospheric species and interfacial water. As a result, atmospheric species are activated toward a particular reaction on the aerosol water surface. For example, the simplest Criegee intermediate (CH 2 OO) exhibits high reactivity toward the interfacial water and hydrogen sulfide, with the reaction times being a few picoseconds, 2-3 orders of magnitude faster than that in the gas phase. The presence of interfacial water molecules induces proton-transfer-based stepwise pathways for these reactions, which are not possible in the gas phase. The strong hydrophobicity of methyl substituents in larger Criegee intermediates (>C1), such as CH 3 CHOO and (CH 3 ) 2 COO, blocks the formation of the necessary prereaction complexes for the Criegee-water reaction to occur at the water droplet surface, which lowers their proton-transfer ability and hampers the reaction. The aerosol water surface provides a solvent medium for acids (e.g., HNO 3 and HCOOH) to participate in reactions via mechanisms that are different from those in the gas and bulk aqueous phases. For example, the anti-CH 3 CHOO-HNO 3 reaction in the gas phase follows a direct reaction between anti-CH 3 CHOO and HNO 3

  9. Utilization of AERONET polarimetric measurements for improving retrieval of aerosol microphysics: GSFC, Beijing and Dakar data analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fedarenka, Anton; Dubovik, Oleg; Goloub, Philippe; Li, Zhengqiang; Lapyonok, Tatyana; Litvinov, Pavel; Barel, Luc; Gonzalez, Louis; Podvin, Thierry; Crozel, Didier

    2016-08-01

    The study presents the efforts on including the polarimetric data to the routine inversion of the radiometric ground-based measurements for characterization of the atmospheric aerosols and analysis of the obtained advantages in retrieval results. First, to operationally process the large amount of polarimetric data the data preparation tool was developed. The AERONET inversion code adapted for inversion of both intensity and polarization measurements was used for processing. Second, in order to estimate the effect from utilization of polarimetric information on aerosol retrieval results, both synthetic data and the real measurements were processed using developed routine and analyzed. The sensitivity study has been carried out using simulated data based on three main aerosol models: desert dust, urban industrial and urban clean aerosols. The test investigated the effects of utilization of polarization data in the presence of random noise, bias in measurements of optical thickness and angular pointing shift. The results demonstrate the advantage of polarization data utilization in the cases of aerosols with pronounced concentration of fine particles. Further, the extended set of AERONET observations was processed. The data for three sites have been used: GSFC, USA (clean urban aerosol dominated by fine particles), Beijing, China (polluted industrial aerosol characterized by pronounced mixture of both fine and coarse modes) and Dakar, Senegal (desert dust dominated by coarse particles). The results revealed considerable advantage of polarimetric data applying for characterizing fine mode dominated aerosols including industrial pollution (Beijing). The use of polarization corrects particle size distribution by decreasing overestimated fine mode and increasing the coarse mode. It also increases underestimated real part of the refractive index and improves the retrieval of the fraction of spherical particles due to high sensitivity of polarization to particle shape

  10. Occurrence of pristine aerosol environments on a polluted planet.

    PubMed

    Hamilton, Douglas S; Lee, Lindsay A; Pringle, Kirsty J; Reddington, Carly L; Spracklen, Dominick V; Carslaw, Kenneth S

    2014-12-30

    Natural aerosols define a preindustrial baseline state from which the magnitude of anthropogenic aerosol effects on climate are calculated and are a major component of the large uncertainty in anthropogenic aerosol-cloud radiative forcing. This uncertainty would be reduced if aerosol environments unperturbed by air pollution could be studied in the present--day atmosphere, but the pervasiveness of air pollution makes identification of unperturbed regions difficult. Here, we use global model simulations to define unperturbed aerosol regions in terms of two measures that compare 1750 and 2000 conditions-the number of days with similar aerosol concentrations and the similarity of the aerosol response to perturbations in model processes and emissions. The analysis shows that the aerosol system in many present-day environments looks and behaves like it did in the preindustrial era. On a global annual mean, unperturbed aerosol regions cover 12% of the Earth (16% of the ocean surface and 2% of the land surface). There is a strong seasonal variation in unperturbed regions of between 4% in August and 27% in January, with the most persistent conditions occurring over the equatorial Pacific. About 90% of unperturbed regions occur in the Southern Hemisphere, but in the Northern Hemisphere, unperturbed conditions are transient and spatially patchy. In cloudy regions with a radiative forcing relative to 1750, model results suggest that unperturbed aerosol conditions could still occur on a small number of days per month. However, these environments are mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, potentially limiting the usefulness in reducing Northern Hemisphere forcing uncertainty.

  11. Uptake of Organic Vapors by Sulfate Aerosols: Physical and Chemical Processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Michelsen, R. R.; Ashbourn, S. F. M.; Iraci, L.T.; Staton, S. J. R.

    2003-01-01

    While it is known that upper tropospheric sulfate particles contain a significant amount of organic matter, both the source of the organic fraction and its form in solution are unknown. These studies explore how the chemical characteristics of the molecules and surfaces in question affect heterogeneous interactions. The solubilities of acetaldehyde [CH3CHO] and ethanol [CH3CH20H] in cold, aqueous sulfuric acid solutions have been measured by Knudsen cell studies. Henry's law solubility coefficients range from 10(exp 2) to 10(exp 5) M/atm for acetaldehyde, and from 10(exp 4) to 10(exp 9) M/atm for ethanol under upper tropospheric conditions (210-240 K, 40-80 wt. % H2S04). The multiple solvation pathways (protonation, enolization, etc.) available to these compounds in acidic aqueous environments will be discussed. Preliminary results from the interaction of acetaldehyde with solutions of formaldehyde in sulfuric acid will be presented as well. The physical and chemical processes that affect organic uptake by aqueous aerosols will be explored, with the aim of evaluating organic species not yet studied in low temperature aqueous sulfuric acid.

  12. Experimental Characterization of Radiation Forcing due to Atmospheric Aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sreenivas, K. R.; Singh, D. K.; Ponnulakshmi, V. K.; Subramanian, G.

    2011-11-01

    Micro-meteorological processes in the nocturnal atmospheric boundary layer (NBL) including the formation of radiation-fog and the development of inversion layers are controlled by heat transfer and the vertical temperature distribution close to the ground. In a recent study, it has been shown that the temperature profile close to the ground in stably-stratified, NBL is controlled by the radiative forcing due to suspended aerosols. Estimating aerosol forcing is also important in geo-engineering applications to evaluate the use of aerosols to mitigate greenhouse effects. Modeling capability in the above scenarios is limited by our knowledge of this forcing. Here, the design of an experimental setup is presented which can be used for evaluating the IR-radiation forcing on aerosols under either Rayleigh-Benard condition or under conditions corresponding to the NBL. We present results indicating the effect of surface emissivities of the top and bottom boundaries and the aerosol concentration on the temperature profiles. In order to understand the observed enhancement of the convection-threshold, we have determined the conduction-radiation time constant of an aerosol laden air layer. Our results help to explain observed temperature profiles in the NBL, the apparent stability of such profiles and indicate the need to account for the effect of aerosols in climatic/weather models.

  13. Uncertainties of simulated aerosol optical properties induced by assumptions on aerosol physical and chemical properties: an AQMEII-2 perspective

    EPA Science Inventory

    The calculation of aerosol optical properties from aerosol mass is a process subject to uncertainty related to necessary assumptions on the treatment of the chemical species mixing state, density, refractive index, and hygroscopic growth. In the framework of the AQMEII-2 model in...

  14. Assessment of aerosol optics, microphysics, and transport process of biomass-burning haze over northern SE Asia: 7-SEAS AERONET observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, S.; Giles, D. M.; Eck, T. F.; Lin, N.; Tsay, S.; Holben, B. N.

    2013-12-01

    Initiated in 2007, the Seven South East Asian Studies (7-SEAS) is aimed to facilitate an interdisciplinary research on the aerosol environment in SE Asia (SEA) as a whole, promote international collaboration, and further enhance scientific understanding of the impact of biomass burning on clouds, atmospheric radiation, hydrological cycle, and region climates. One of the key measurements proposed in the 7-SEAS is the NASA/AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) observation, which provides helpful information on columnar aerosol optical properties and allows us consistently to examine biomass-burning aerosols across northern SEA from ground-based remote-sensing point of view. In this presentation, we will focus on the two 7-SEAS field deployments, i.e. the 2012 Son La Experiment and the 2013 BASELInE (Biomass-burning Aerosols & Stratocumulus Environment: Lifecycles and Interactions Experiment). We analyze the daytime variation of aerosol by using consistent measurements from 15 of AERONET sites over Indochina, the South China Sea, and Taiwan. Spatiotemporal characteristics of aerosol optical properties (e.g., aerosol optical depth (AOD), fine/coarse mode AOD, single-scattering albedo, asymmetry factor) will be discussed. Strong diurnal variation of aerosol optical properties was observed to be attributed to planetary boundary layer (PBL) dynamics. A comparison between aerosol loading (i.e. AOD) and surface PM2.5 concentration will be presented. Our results demonstrate that smoke aerosols emitted from agriculture burning that under certain meteorological conditions can degrade regional air quality 3000 km from the source region, with additional implications for aerosol radiative forcing and regional climate change over northern SE Asia.

  15. Characterization of urban aerosol using aerosol mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cleveland, M. J.; Ziemba, L. D.; Griffin, R. J.; Dibb, J. E.; Anderson, C. H.; Lefer, B.; Rappenglück, B.

    2012-07-01

    Particulate matter was measured during August and September of 2006 in Houston as part of the Texas Air Quality Study II Radical and Aerosol Measurement Project. Aerosol size and composition were determined using an Aerodyne quadrupole aerosol mass spectrometer. Aerosol was dominated by sulfate (4.1 ± 2.6 μg m-3) and organic material (5.5 ± 4.0 μg m-3), with contributions of organic material from both primary (˜32%) and secondary (˜68%) sources. Secondary organic aerosol appears to be formed locally. In addition, 29 aerosol filter samples were analyzed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy to determine relative concentrations of organic functional groups. Houston aerosols are less oxidized than those observed elsewhere, with smaller relative contributions of carbon-oxygen double bonds. These particles do not fit 1H NMR source apportionment fingerprints for identification of secondary, marine, and biomass burning organic aerosol, suggesting that a new fingerprint for highly urbanized and industrially influenced locations be established.

  16. Impacts of different aerosol climatologies on the European climate during the last decades

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schultze, Markus; Rockel, Burkhardt

    2015-04-01

    As summarized in the 5th Assessment Report of the IPCC, the effects of aerosols on the Earth's energy budget are one of the largest uncertainties in a changing climate. Despite a better understanding of aerosol processes since the previous report, it remains unclear to which degree of complexity these processes need to be represented within the climate models to consider their effects in a sufficient manner. Within the nonhydrostatic regional climate model COSMO-CLM, the aerosol climatology of Tanre from 1984 is widely used to simulate the direct effect of aerosols on radiative processes. Apart from a very low spatial resolution and a missing temporal variability, this climatology is dominated by high values of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) over Northern Africa, caused by an overestimation of Saharan dust. To investigate the impacts of different aerosol distributions on the European climate, the Tanre aerosol climatology is replaced by the more realistic climatologies of Tegen from 1997 and AEROCOM from 2006 with constant annual cycles of AOD. In addition a control simulation without any aerosol feedbacks was performed. The simulations cover a period of 30 years from 1980 to 2010. In parts of the regions surveyed, we found a near surface cooling, which is strongly linked to AOD, and a broad mid-troposphere warming for all simulations in comparison to the control simulation. A decrease in convective precipitation is mainly caused by stabilization of stratification and by less evapotranspiration resulting from surface cooling. The horizontal differing mid-troposphere warming induces a drop in surface pressure and therefore leads to changes in circulation patterns which are still under investigation. The largest impacts of direct and semi direct aerosol effects was found in summer season. As next step, pre-calculated transient aerosol data will be used to compile an up-to-date aerosol climatology including temporal changes. One main focus of the study will be to

  17. Impact of the Bergeron-Findeisen process on the release of aerosol particles during the evolution of cloud ice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schwarzenböck, A.; Mertes, S.; Heintzenberg, J.; Wobrock, W.; Laj, P.

    The paper focuses on the redistribution of aerosol particles (APs) during the artificial nucleation and subsequent growth of ice crystals in a supercooled cloud. A significant number of the supercooled cloud droplets during icing periods (seeding agents: C 3H 8, CO 2) did not freeze as was presumed prior to the experiment but instead evaporated. The net mass flux of water vapour from the evaporating droplets to the nucleating ice crystals (Bergeron-Findeisen mechanism) led to the release of residual particles that simultaneously appeared in the interstitial phase. The strong decrease of the droplet residuals confirms the nucleation of ice particles on seeding germs without natural aerosol particles serving as ice nuclei. As the number of residual particles during the seedings did not drop to zero, other processes such as heterogeneous ice nucleation, spontaneous freezing, entrainment of supercooled droplets and diffusion to the created particle-free ice germs must have contributed to the experimental findings. During the icing periods, residual mass concentrations in the condensed phase dropped by a factor of 1.1-6.7, as compared to the unperturbed supercooled cloud. As the Bergeron-Findeisen process also occurs without artificial seeding in the atmosphere, this study demonstrated that the hydrometeors in mixed-phase clouds might be much cleaner than anticipated for the simple freezing process of supercooled droplets in tropospheric mid latitude clouds.

  18. Stratospheric aerosols and precursor gases

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    Measurements were made of the aerosol size, height and geographical distribution, their composition and optical properties, and their temporal variation with season and following large volcanic eruptions. Sulfur-bearing gases were measured in situ in the stratosphere, and studied of the chemical and physical processes which control gas-to-particle conversion were carried out in the laboratory.

  19. A smog chamber study coupling a photoionization aerosol electron/ion spectrometer to VUV synchrotron radiation: organic and inorganic-organic mixed aerosol analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baeza-Romero, María Teresa; Gaie-Levrel, Francois; Mahjoub, Ahmed; López-Arza, Vicente; Garcia, Gustavo A.; Nahon, Laurent

    2016-07-01

    A reaction chamber was coupled to a photoionization aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer based on an electron/ion coincidence scheme and applied for on-line analysis of organic and inorganic-organic mixed aerosols using synchrotron tunable vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photons as the ionization source. In this proof of principle study, both aerosol and gas phase were detected simultaneously but could be differentiated. Present results and perspectives for improvement for this set-up are shown in the study of ozonolysis ([O3] = 0.13-3 ppm) of α-pinene (2-3 ppm), and the uptake of glyoxal upon ammonium sulphate. In this work the ozone concentration was monitored in real time, together with the particle size distributions and chemical composition, the latter taking advantage of the coincidence spectrometer and the tuneability of the synchrotron radiation as a soft VUV ionization source.

  20. Laboratory studies of stratospheric aerosol chemistry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Molina, Mario J.

    1996-01-01

    In this report we summarize the results of the two sets of projects funded by the NASA grant NAG2-632, namely investigations of various thermodynamic and nucleation properties of the aqueous acid system which makes up stratospheric aerosols, and measurements of reaction probabilities directly on ice aerosols with sizes corresponding to those of polar stratospheric cloud particles. The results of these investigations are of importance for the assessment of the potential stratospheric effects of future fleets of supersonic aircraft. In particular, the results permit to better estimate the effects of increased amounts of water vapor and nitric acid (which forms from nitrogen oxides) on polar stratospheric clouds and on the chemistry induced by these clouds.

  1. An aerosol climatology for a rapidly growing arid region (southern Arizona): Major aerosol species and remotely sensed aerosol properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sorooshian, Armin; Wonaschütz, Anna; Jarjour, Elias G.; Hashimoto, Bryce I.; Schichtel, Bret A.; Betterton, Eric A.

    2011-10-01

    This study reports a comprehensive characterization of atmospheric aerosol particle properties in relation to meteorological and back trajectory data in the southern Arizona region, which includes two of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States (Phoenix and Tucson). Multiple data sets (MODIS, AERONET, OMI/TOMS, MISR, GOCART, ground-based aerosol measurements) are used to examine monthly trends in aerosol composition, aerosol optical depth (AOD), and aerosol size. Fine soil, sulfate, and organics dominate PM2.5 mass in the region. Dust strongly influences the region between March and July owing to the dry and hot meteorological conditions and back trajectory patterns. Because monsoon precipitation begins typically in July, dust levels decrease, while AOD, sulfate, and organic aerosol reach their maximum levels because of summertime photochemistry and monsoon moisture. Evidence points to biogenic volatile organic compounds being a significant source of secondary organic aerosol in this region. Biomass burning also is shown to be a major contributor to the carbonaceous aerosol budget in the region, leading to enhanced organic and elemental carbon levels aloft at a sky-island site north of Tucson (Mt. Lemmon). Phoenix exhibits different monthly trends for aerosol components in comparison with the other sites owing to the strong influence of fossil carbon and anthropogenic dust. Trend analyses between 1988 and 2009 indicate that the strongest statistically significant trends are reductions in sulfate, elemental carbon, and organic carbon, and increases in fine soil during the spring (March-May) at select sites. These results can be explained by population growth, land-use changes, and improved source controls.

  2. Aerosol indirect effect on tropospheric ozone via lightning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuan, Tianle; Remer, Lorraine A.; Bian, Huisheng; Ziemke, Jerald R.; Albrecht, Rachel; Pickering, Kenneth E.; Oreopoulos, Lazaros; Goodman, Steven J.; Yu, Hongbin; Allen, Dale J.

    2012-09-01

    Tropospheric ozone (O3) is a pollutant and major greenhouse gas and its radiative forcing is still uncertain. Inadequate understanding of processes related to O3 production, in particular those natural ones such as lightning, contributes to this uncertainty. Here we demonstrate a new effect of aerosol particles on O3production by affecting lightning activity and lightning-generated NOx (LNOx). We find that lightning flash rate increases at a remarkable rate of 30 times or more per unit of aerosol optical depth. We provide observational evidence that indicates the observed increase in lightning activity is caused by the influx of aerosols from a volcano. Satellite data analyses show O3is increased as a result of aerosol-induced increase in lightning and LNOx, which is supported by modle simulations with prescribed lightning change. O3production increase from this aerosol-lightning-ozone link is concentrated in the upper troposphere, where O3 is most efficient as a greenhouse gas. In the face of anthropogenic aerosol increase our findings suggest that lightning activity, LNOx and O3, especially in the upper troposphere, have all increased substantially since preindustrial time due to the proposed aerosol-lightning-ozone link, which implies a stronger O3 historical radiative forcing. Aerosol forcing therefore has a warming component via its effect on O3 production and this component has mostly been ignored in previous studies of climate forcing related to O3and aerosols. Sensitivity simulations suggest that 4-8% increase of column tropospheric ozone, mainly in the tropics, is expected if aerosol-lighting-ozone link is parameterized, depending on the background emission scenario. We note, however, substantial uncertainties remain on the exact magnitude of aerosol effect on tropospheric O3 via lightning. The challenges for obtaining a quantitative global estimate of this effect are also discussed. Our results have significant implications for understanding past and

  3. The Regional Environmental Impacts of Atmospheric Aerosols over Egypt

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zakey, Ashraf; Ibrahim, Alaa

    2015-04-01

    due to airborne particles washed out by rain events. Conversely, the AOD increases in summer because particle accumulation is favored by the absence of precipitation during this season. Moreover, in summer, photochemical processes in the atmosphere lead to slight increases in the values of aerosol optical characteristics, despite lower wind speeds [hence less wind-blown dust] relative to other seasons. This study has been conducted under the PEER 2-239 research project titled "the Impact of Biogenic and Anthropogenic Atmospheric Aerosols to Climate in Egypt". Project website: CleanAirEgypt.org

  4. Molecular characterization of free tropospheric aerosol collected at the Pico Mountain Observatory: a case study with a long-range transported biomass burning plume

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dzepina, K.; Mazzoleni, C.; Fialho, P.; China, S.; Zhang, B.; Owen, R. C.; Helmig, D.; Hueber, J.; Kumar, S.; Perlinger, J. A.; Kramer, L. J.; Dziobak, M. P.; Ampadu, M. T.; Olsen, S.; Wuebbles, D. J.; Mazzoleni, L. R.

    2015-05-01

    Free tropospheric aerosol was sampled at the Pico Mountain Observatory located at 2225 m above mean sea level on Pico Island of the Azores archipelago in the North Atlantic. The observatory is located ~ 3900 km east and downwind of North America, which enables studies of free tropospheric air transported over long distances. Aerosol samples collected on filters from June to October 2012 were analyzed to characterize organic carbon, elemental carbon, and inorganic ions. The average ambient concentration of aerosol was 0.9 ± 0.7 μg m-3. On average, organic aerosol components represent the largest mass fraction of the total measured aerosol (60 ± 51%), followed by sulfate (23 ± 28%), nitrate (13 ± 10%), chloride (2 ± 3%), and elemental carbon (2 ± 2%). Water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) extracted from two aerosol samples (9/24 and 9/25) collected consecutively during a pollution event were analyzed using ultrahigh-resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Approximately 4000 molecular formulas were assigned to each of the mass spectra in the range of m/z 100-1000. The majority of the assigned molecular formulas had unsaturated structures with CHO and CHNO elemental compositions. FLEXPART retroplume analyses showed the sampled air masses were very aged (average plume age > 12 days). These aged aerosol WSOM compounds had an average O/C ratio of ~ 0.45, which is relatively low compared to O/C ratios of other aged aerosol. The increase in aerosol loading during the measurement period of 9/24 was linked to biomass burning emissions from North America by FLEXPART retroplume analysis and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire counts. This was confirmed with biomass burning markers detected in the WSOM and with the morphology and mixing state of particles as determined by scanning electron microscopy. The presence of markers characteristic of aqueous-phase reactions of phenolic species suggests

  5. CMAQ Application to the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    CMAQ was used to simulate conditions during the the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) in the summer of 2013. Data collected as part of this study have been used to perform diagnostic model evaluation.

  6. East Asian Studies of Tropospheric Aerosols and their Impact on Regional Climate (EAST -AIRC): An overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhangqing, Li; Li, C.; Chen, H.; Tsay, S.-C.; Holben, B.; Huang, J.; Li, B.; Maring, H.; Qian, Y.; Shi, G.; hide

    2011-01-01

    As the most populated region of the world, Asia is a major source of aerosols with potential large impact over vast downstream areas, Papers published in this special section describe the variety of aerosols observed in China and their effects and interactions with the regional climate as part of the East Asian Study of Tropospheric Aerosols and their Impact on Regional Climate (EAST-AIRC), The majority of the papers are based on analyses of observations made under three field projects, namely, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) Mobile Facility mission in China (AMF-China), the East Asian Study of Tropospheric Aerosols: An International Regional Experiment (EAST-AIRE), and the Atmospheric Aerosols of China and their Climate Effects (AACCE), The former two are U,S,-China collaborative projects, and the latter is a part of the China's National Basic Research program (or often referred to as "973 project"), Routine meteorological data of China are also employed in some studies, The wealth of general and speCIalized measurements lead to extensive and close-up investigations of the optical, physical, and chemical properties of anthropogenic, natural, and mixed aerosols; their sources, formation, and transport mechanisms; horizontal, vertical, and temporal variations; direct and indirect effects; and interactions with the East Asian monsoon system, Particular efforts are made to advance our understanding of the mixing and interaction between dust and anthropogenic pollutants during transport. Several modeling studies were carried out to simulate aerosol impact on radiation budget, temperature, precipitation, wind and atmospheric circulation, fog, etc, In addition, impacts of the Asian monsoon system on aerosol loading are also simulated.

  7. Type of Aerosols Determination Over Malaysia by AERONET Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lim, H.; Tan, F.; Abdullah, K.; Holben, B. N.

    2013-12-01

    Aerosols are one of the most interesting studies by the researchers due to the complicated of their characteristic and are not yet well quantified. Besides that there still have huge uncertainties associated with changes in Earth's radiation budget. The previous study by other researchers shown a lot of difficulties and challenges in quantifying aerosol influences arise. As well as the heterogeneity from the aerosol loading and properties: spatial, temporal, size, and composition. In this study, we were investigated the aerosol characteristics over two regions with different environmental conditions and aerosol sources contributed. The study sites are Penang and Kuching, Malaysia where ground-based AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) sun-photometer was deployed. The types of the aerosols for both study sites were identified by analyzing aerosol optical depth, angstrom parameter and spectral de-convolution algorithm product from sun-photometer. The analysis was carried out associated with the in-situ meteorological data of relative humidity, visibility and air pollution index. The major aerosol type over Penang found in this study was hydrophobic aerosols. Whereas the hydrophilic type of the aerosols was highly distributed in Kuching. The major aerosol size distributions for both regions were identified in this study. The result also shows that the aerosol optical properties were affected by the types and characteristic of aerosols. Therefore, in this study we generated an algorithm to determine the aerosols in Malaysia by considered the environmental factors. From this study we found that the source of aerosols should always being consider in to retrieve the accurate information of aerosol for air quality study.

  8. Integrating biomass, sulphate and sea-salt aerosol responses into a microphysical chemical parcel model: implications for climate studies.

    PubMed

    Ghosh, S; Smith, M H; Rap, A

    2007-11-15

    Aerosols are known to influence significantly the radiative budget of the Earth. Although the direct effect (whereby aerosols scatter and absorb solar and thermal infrared radiation) has a large perturbing influence on the radiation budget, the indirect effect (whereby aerosols modify the microphysical and hence the radiative properties and amounts of clouds) poses a greater challenge to climate modellers. This is because aerosols undergo chemical and physical changes while in the atmosphere, notably within clouds, and are removed largely by precipitation. The way in which aerosols are processed by clouds depends on the type, abundance and the mixing state of the aerosols concerned. A parametrization with sulphate and sea-salt aerosol has been successfully integrated within the Hadley Centre general circulation model (GCM). The results of this combined parametrization indicate a significantly reduced role, compared with previous estimates, for sulphate aerosol in cloud droplet nucleation and, consequently, in indirect radiative forcing. However, in this bicomponent system, the cloud droplet number concentration, N(d) (a crucial parameter that is used in GCMs for radiative transfer calculations), is a smoothly varying function of the sulphate aerosol loading. Apart from sea-salt and sulphate aerosol particles, biomass aerosol particles are also present widely in the troposphere. We find that biomass smoke can significantly perturb the activation and growth of both sulphate and sea-salt particles. For a fixed salt loading, N(d) increases linearly with modest increases in sulphate and smoke masses, but significant nonlinearities are observed at higher non-sea-salt mass loadings. This non-intuitive N(d) variation poses a fresh challenge to climate modellers.

  9. The Impact of Aerosols on Cloud and Precipitation Processes: Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tao, Wei-Kuo; Li, Xiaowen; Khain, Alexander; Matsui, Toshihisa; Lang, Stephen; Simpson, Joanne

    2012-01-01

    Recently, a detailed spectral-bin microphysical scheme was implemented into the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble (GCE) model. Atmospheric aerosols are also described using number density size-distribution functions. A spectral-bin microphysical model is very expensive from a computational point of view and has only been implemented into the 2D version of the GCE at the present time. The model is tested by studying the evolution of deep tropical clouds in the west Pacific warm pool region and summertime convection over a mid-latitude continent with different concentrations of CCN: a low clean concentration and a high dirty concentration. The impact of atmospheric aerosol concentration on cloud and precipitation will be investigated.

  10. Scanning vertical distributions of typical aerosols along the Yangtze River using elastic lidar.

    PubMed

    Fan, Shidong; Liu, Cheng; Xie, Zhouqing; Dong, Yunsheng; Hu, Qihou; Fan, Guangqiang; Chen, Zhengyi; Zhang, Tianshu; Duan, Jingbo; Zhang, Pengfei; Liu, Jianguo

    2018-07-01

    In recent years, China has experienced heavy air pollution, especially haze caused by particulate matter (PM). The compositions, horizontal distributions, transport, and chemical formation mechanisms of PM and its precursors have been widely investigated in China based on near-ground measurements. However, the understanding of the distributions and physical and chemical processes of PM in the vertical direction remains limited. In this study, an elastic lidar was employed to investigate the vertical profiles of aerosols along the Yangtze River during the Yangtze River Campaign of winter 2015. Some typical aerosols were identified and some events were analyzed in three cases. Dust aerosols can be transported from the Gobi Desert to the Yangtze River basin across a long distance at both low and high altitudes in early December. The transport route was perpendicular to the ship track, suggesting that the dust aerosols may have affected a large area. Moreover, during transport, some dust was also affected by the areas below its transport route since some anthropogenic pollutants were mixed with the dust and changed some of its optical properties. Biomass-burning aerosols covering a distant range along the Yangtze River were identified. This result directly shows the impact areas of biomass-burning aerosols in some agricultural fields. Some directly emitted aerosol plumes were observed, and direct effects of such plumes were limited both temporally and spatially. In addition, an aerosol plume with very low linear depolarization ratios, probably formed through secondary processes, was also observed. These results can help us better understand aerosols in large spatial scales in China and can be useful to regional haze studies. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  11. Evolution of Asian aerosols during transpacific transport in INTEX-B

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dunlea, E. J.; DeCarlo, Peter; Aiken, Allison

    2009-10-01

    Measurements of aerosol composition were made with an Aerodyne High Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) on board the NSF/NCAR C-130 aircraft as part of the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment Phase B 5 (INTEX-B) field campaign over the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The HR-ToF-AMS measurements of non-refractory submicron aerosol mass are shown to compare well with other aerosol instrumentation in the INTEX-B field study. Two case studies are described for pollution layers transported across the Pacific from the Asian continent, intercepted 3–4 days and 7–10 days downwind of Asia, respectively. Aerosol chemistry is shown to 10 be a robust tracer formore » air masses originating in Asia, specifically the presence of sulfate dominated aerosol is a distinguishing feature of Asian pollution layers that have been transported to the Eastern Pacific. We examine the time scales of processing for sulfate and organic aerosol in the atmosphere and show that our observations confirm a conceptual model for transpacific transport from Asia proposed by Brock et al. (2004). 15 Our observations of both sulfate and organic aerosol in aged Asian pollution layers are consistent with fast formation near the Asian continent, followed by washout during lofting and subsequent transformation during transport across the Pacific. Our observations are the first atmospheric measurements to indicate that although secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from pollution happens on the timescale of one day, 20 the oxidation of organic aerosol continues at longer timescales in the atmosphere. Comparisons with chemical transport models of data from the entire campaign reveal an under-prediction of SOA mass in the MOZART model, but much smaller discrepancies with the GEOS-Chem model than found in previous studies over the Western Pacific. No evidence is found to support a previous hypothesis for significant secondary 25 organic aerosol formation in the free

  12. Using OMI Observations to Measure Aerosol Absorption of Biomass Burning Aerosols Above Clouds

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Torres, Omar; Bhartia, P. K.; Jethva, Hiren

    2011-01-01

    The presence of absorbing aerosol layers above clouds is unambiguously detected by the TOMS/OMI UV Aerosol Index (AI) that uses satellite observations at two near-UV channels. A sensitivity study using radiative transfer calculations shows that the AI signal of resulting from the presence of aerosols above clouds is mainly driven by the aerosol absorption optical depth and the optical depth of the underlying cloud. Based on these results, an inversion algorithm has been developed to retrieve the aerosol optical depth (AOD) of aerosol layers above clouds. In this presentation we will discuss the sensitivity analysis, describe the retrieval approach, and present results of applications of the retrieval method to OMI observations over the South Atlantic Ocean. Preliminary error analyses, to be discussed, indicate that the AOD can be underestimated (up to -30%) or overestimated (up to 60%) depending on algorithmic assumptions.

  13. Study of atmospheric aerosols by IBA techniques: The LABEC experience

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lucarelli, F.; Calzolai, G.; Chiari, M.; Nava, S.; Carraresi, L.

    2018-02-01

    At the 3 MV Tandetron accelerator of the LABEC laboratory of INFN (Florence, Italy) an external beam facility is fully dedicated to PIXE-PIGE measurements of the elemental composition of atmospheric aerosols. All the elements with Z > 10 are simultaneously detected by PIXE typically in one minute. This setup allows us an easy automatic positioning, changing and scanning of samples collected by different kinds of devices: long series of daily PM (Particulate Matter) samples can be analysed in short times, as well as size-segregated and high time-resolution aerosol samples. Thanks to the capability of detecting all the crustal elements, PIXE-PIGE analyses are unrivalled in the study of mineral dust: consequently, they are very effective in the study of natural aerosols, like, for example, Saharan dust intrusions. Among the detectable elements there are also important markers of anthropogenic sources, which allow effective source apportionment studies in polluted urban environments using a multivariate method like Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). Examples regarding recent monitoring campaigns, performed in urban and remote areas, both daily and with high time resolution (hourly samples), as well as with size selection, are presented. The importance of the combined use of the Particle Induced Gamma Ray emission technique (PIGE) and of other complementary (non-nuclear) techniques is highlighted.

  14. Aerosol particle shrinkage event phenomenology in a South European suburban area during 2009-2015

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alonso-Blanco, E.; Gómez-Moreno, F. J.; Núñez, L.; Pujadas, M.; Cusack, M.; Artíñano, B.

    2017-07-01

    A high number of aerosol particle shrinkage cases (70) have been identified and analyzed from an extensive and representative database of aerosol size distributions obtained between 2009 and 2015 at an urban background site in Madrid (Spain). A descriptive classification based on the process from which the shrinkage began is proposed according which shrinkage events were divided into three groups: (1) NPF + shrinkage (NPF + S) events, (2) aerosol particle growth process + shrinkage (G + S) events, and (3) pure shrinkage (S) events. The largest number of shrinkages corresponded to the S-type followed by NPF + S, while the G + S events were the least frequent group recorded. Duration of shrinkages varied widely from 0.75 to 8.5 h and SR from -1.0 to -11.1 nm h-1. These processes typically occurred in the afternoon, around 18:00 UTC, caused by two situations: i) a wind speed increase usually associated with a change in the wind direction (over 60% of the observations) and ii) the reduction of photochemical activity at the end of the day. All shrinkages were detected during the warm period, mainly between May and August, when local meteorological conditions (high solar irradiance and temperature and low relative humidity), atmospheric processes (high photochemical activity) and availability of aerosol-forming precursors were favorable for their development. As a consequence of these processes, the particles concentration corresponding to the Aitken mode decreased into the nucleation mode. The accumulation mode did not undergo significant changes during these processes. In some cases, a dilution of the particulate content in the ambient air was observed. This work, goes further than others works dealing with aerosol particles shrinkages, as it incorporates as a main novelty a classification methodology for studying these processes. Moreover, compared to other studies, it is supported by a high and representative number of observations. Thus, this study contributes to

  15. COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Study of Aerosol Sources and Processing at the GVAX Pantnagar Supersite

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Worsnop, Douglas R.

    2014-07-28

    This project funded the participation of scientists from seven research groups, running more than thirty instruments, in the Winter Intensive Operating Period (January-February 2012) of the Clean Air for London (ClearfLo) campaign at a rural site in Detling, UK, 45 km southeast of central London. The primary science questions for the ClearfLo Winter IOP were, 1) what is the urban increment of particulate matter (PM) and other pollutants in the greater London area, and, 2) what is the contribution of solid fuel use for home heating to wintertime PM? An additional motivation for the Detling measurements was the question ofmore » whether coatings on black carbon particles enhance absorption. The following four key accomplishments have been identified so far: 1) Chemical, physical and optical characterization of PM from local and regional sources (Figures 2, 4, 5 and 6). 2) Measurement of urban increment in particulate matter and gases in London (Figure 3). 3) Measurement of optical properties and chemical composition of coatings on black carbon containing particles indicates absorption enhancement. 4) First deployment of chemical ionization instrument (MOVI-CI-TOFMS) to measure both particle-phase and gas-phase organic acids. (See final report from Joel Thornton, University of Washington, for details.) Analysis of the large dataset acquired in Detling is ongoing and will yield further key accomplishments. These measurements of urban and rural aerosol properties will contribute to improved modeling of regional aerosol emissions, and of atmospheric aging and removal. The measurement of absorption enhancement by coatings on black carbon will contribute to improved modeling of the direct radiative properties of PM.« less

  16. Quantification of Semi-Volatile gas-phase Organic Compounds (SVOCs) & Organic Aerosol species and the role of SVOCs in Secondary Organic Aerosol formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khan, M. H.; Holzinger, R.

    2013-12-01

    A Thermal-Desorption Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass-Spectrometer (TD-PTR-MS) with different sampling systems (multi-stage denuder for gas phase and impact on a collector for aerosol phase) has been deployed in summer 2013 during the Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS) at the SEARCH ground site, Centreville, Alabama for in-situ gas phase and aerosol measurements on an hourly time resolution. A bunch of DB-1 column (0.53 mm x 5.0 μm) is used in the denuder for capturing the bulk of SVOCs and a collection-thermal-desorption (CTD) cell is used for collecting aerosol particles. Several hundreds semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in gas phase and aerosol phases have been detected. The high mass resolution capabilities of ~5000, low detection limit (<0.05 pptv for gas species, <0.01 ng m-3 for aerosol species) and good physical and chemical characterization of SVOCs with the TD-PTR-MS allows constraining both, the quantity and the chemical composition. The SEARCH site was highly impacted by Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) and occasionally influenced by anthropogenic pollution. BVOCs and their oxidation products are capable of partitioning into the particle phase, so their simultaneous quantification in both phases has been used to determine the gas/particle-phase partitioning. Our results show the expected diurnal variation based on the changes of air temperature for many species. The results from this study give valuable insights into sources and processing of Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOAs) that can be used to improve parameterization algorithms in regional and global climate models.

  17. Regional Influence of Aerosol Emissions from Wildfires Driven by Combustion Efficiency: Insights from the BBOP Campaign.

    PubMed

    Collier, Sonya; Zhou, Shan; Onasch, Timothy B; Jaffe, Daniel A; Kleinman, Lawrence; Sedlacek, Arthur J; Briggs, Nicole L; Hee, Jonathan; Fortner, Edward; Shilling, John E; Worsnop, Douglas; Yokelson, Robert J; Parworth, Caroline; Ge, Xinlei; Xu, Jianzhong; Butterfield, Zachary; Chand, Duli; Dubey, Manvendra K; Pekour, Mikhail S; Springston, Stephen; Zhang, Qi

    2016-08-16

    Wildfires are important contributors to atmospheric aerosols and a large source of emissions that impact regional air quality and global climate. In this study, the regional and nearfield influences of wildfire emissions on ambient aerosol concentration and chemical properties in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States were studied using real-time measurements from a fixed ground site located in Central Oregon at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory (∼2700 m a.s.l.) as well as near their sources using an aircraft. The regional characteristics of biomass burning aerosols were found to depend strongly on the modified combustion efficiency (MCE), an index of the combustion processes of a fire. Organic aerosol emissions had negative correlations with MCE, whereas the oxidation state of organic aerosol increased with MCE and plume aging. The relationships between the aerosol properties and MCE were consistent between fresh emissions (∼1 h old) and emissions sampled after atmospheric transport (6-45 h), suggesting that biomass burning organic aerosol concentration and chemical properties were strongly influenced by combustion processes at the source and conserved to a significant extent during regional transport. These results suggest that MCE can be a useful metric for describing aerosol properties of wildfire emissions and their impacts on regional air quality and global climate.

  18. Approaches to Observe Anthropogenic Aerosol-Cloud Interactions.

    PubMed

    Quaas, Johannes

    Anthropogenic aerosol particles exert an-quantitatively very uncertain-effective radiative forcing due to aerosol-cloud interactions via an immediate altering of cloud albedo on the one hand and via rapid adjustments by alteration of cloud processes and by changes in thermodynamic profiles on the other hand. Large variability in cloud cover and properties and the therefore low signal-to-noise ratio for aerosol-induced perturbations hamper the identification of effects in observations. Six approaches are discussed as a means to isolate the impact of anthropogenic aerosol on clouds from natural cloud variability to estimate or constrain the effective forcing. These are (i) intentional cloud modification, (ii) ship tracks, (iii) differences between the hemispheres, (iv) trace gases, (v) weekly cycles and (vi) trends. Ship track analysis is recommendable for detailed process understanding, and the analysis of weekly cycles and long-term trends is most promising to derive estimates or constraints on the effective radiative forcing.

  19. Real time measurements of submicrometer aerosols in Seoul, Korea: Sources, characteristics, and processing of organic aerosols during winter time.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, H.; Zhang, Q.

    2016-12-01

    Highly time-resolved chemical characterization of non-refractory submicrometer particulate matter (NR-PM1) was conducted in Seoul, the capital of Korea, using an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). The measurements were performed during winter when persistent air quality problems associated with elevated PM concentrations were observed. The average NR-PM1 concentration was 27.5 µg m-3 and the average mass was dominated by organics (44%), followed by nitrate (24%) and sulfate (10%). Five distinct sources of organic aerosol (OA) were identified from positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis of the AMS data: vehicle emissions represented by a hydrocarbon-like OA factor (HOA), cooking represented by a cooking OA factor (COA), wood combustion represented by a biomass burning OA factor (BBOA), and secondary aerosol formation in the atmosphere that is represented by a semi-volatile oxygenated OA factor (SVOOA) and a low volatile oxygenated OA factor (LVOOA). These factors, on average, contributed 16, 20, 23, 15 and 26% to the total OA mass, respectively, with primary organic aerosol (POA = HOA + COA + BBOA) accounting for 59% of the OA mass. On average, both primary emissions and secondary aerosol formation are important factors affecting air quality in Seoul during winter, contributing approximately equal. However, differences in the fraction of PM source and properties were observed between high and low loading PM period. For example, during stagnant period with low wind speed (WS) (0.99 ± 0.7 m/s) and high RH (71%), high PM loadings (43.6 ± 12.4 µg m-3) with enhanced fractions of nitrate (27%) and SVOOA (8%) were observed, indicating a strong influence from locally generated secondary aerosol. On the other hand, when low PM loadings (12.6 ± 7.1 µg m-3), which were commonly associated with high WS (1.8 ± 1.1 m/s) and low RH (50 %), were observed, the fraction of regional sources, such as sulfate (12%) and LVOOA (21

  20. Generating monodisperse pharmacological aerosols using the spinning-top aerosol generator.

    PubMed

    Biddiscombe, Martyn F; Barnes, Peter J; Usmani, Omar S

    2006-01-01

    Pharmacological aerosols of precisely controlled particle size and narrow dispersity can be generated using the spinning-top aerosol generator (STAG). The ability of the STAG to generate monodisperse aerosols from solutions of raw drug compounds makes it a valuable research instrument. In this paper, the versatility of this instrument has been further demonstrated by aerosolizing a range of commercially available nebulized pulmonary therapy preparations. Nebules of Flixotide (fluticasone propionate), Pulmicort (budesonide), Combivent (salbutamol sulphate and ipratropium bromide), Bricanyl (terbutaline sulphate), Atrovent(ipratropium bromide), and Salamol (salbutamol sulphate) were each mixed with ethanol and delivered to the STAG. Monodisperse drug aerosol distributions were generated with MMADs of 0.95-6.7 microm. To achieve larger particle sizes from the nebulizer drug suspensions, the STAG formed compound particle agglomerates derived from the smaller insoluble drug particles. These compound agglomerates behaved aerodynamically as a single particle, and this was verified using an aerodynamic particle sizer and an Andersen Cascade Impactor. Scanning electron microscope images demonstrated their physical structure. On the other hand using the nebulizer drug solutions, spherical particles proportional to the original droplet diameter were generated. The aerosols generated by the STAG can allow investigators to study the scientific principles of inhaled drug deposition and lung physiology for a range of therapeutic agents.

  1. Preliminary results of aerosols' properties studied with EPF measurements from the SPICAM/UV instrument

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Willame, Y.; Vandaele, A.-C.; Depiesse, C.; Gillotay, D.; Kochenova, S.; Montmessin, F.

    2012-04-01

    Aerosols on Mars have an important impact on the radiative transfer properties of its atmosphere. Today their spectral properties and therefore their interaction with UV radiation are only poorly known. Improving the radiative transfer modeling requires a better knowledge of their characteristics, in particular of their opacity, phase function and single scattering albedo. We will show that such information can be accessed by using EPF observations. The SPICAM instrument on board of the Mars-Express satellite is a 2 channel spectrometer. One channel operates in the ultraviolet (118-320 nm) and the second one in the infrared (1.0-1.7μm). SPICAM has been orbiting around the red planet since 2003 and has thus provided a large set of data. The instrument is capable of measuring under different geometries (nadir, limb, occultation) and one of them, called EPF (Emission Phase Function), is a practical tool to study aerosols' properties. We have developed a new retrieval algorithm for nadir measurements based on the radiative transfer model LIDORT. This new code performs simulations of spectra taking into account gas absorption, surface reflection and scattering by aerosols and gases. The retrieval method, based on the optimal estimation, allows us up to now to deduce the ozone column density, the aerosols' optical depth and the surface albedo (with fixed wavelength dependencies). We are developing our model further in order to better study the aerosols' characteristics using EPF observations, which consist in looking at the same point on the planet while the satellite moves along the orbit. As the attempt to study all the aerosols' properties simultaneously was not convincing, we will start with studying their opacity and its altitude distribution with the other characteristics fixed. We will present preliminary results of our study on aerosols' properties and their wavelength dependencies, using EPF data. The method will be illustrated by investigating SPICAM

  2. Aerosol climatology: on the discrimination of aerosol types over four AERONET sites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaskaoutis, D. G.; Kambezidis, H. D.; Hatzianastassiou, N.; Kosmopoulos, P. G.; Badarinath, K. V. S.

    2007-05-01

    Aerosols have a significant regional and global effect on climate, which is about equal in magnitude but opposite in sign to that of greenhouse gases. Nevertheless, the aerosol climatic effect changes strongly with space and time because of the large variability of aerosol physical and optical properties, which is due to the variety of their sources, which are natural, and anthropogenic, and their dependence on the prevailing meteorological and atmospheric conditions. Characterization of aerosol properties is of major importance for the assessment of their role for climate. In the present study, 3-year AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) data from ground-based sunphotometer measurements are used to establish climatologies of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Ångström exponent α in several key locations of the world, characteristic of different atmospheric environments. Using daily mean values of AOD at 500 nm (AOD500) and Ångström exponent at the pair of wavelengths 440 and 870 nm (α 440-870), a discrimination of the different aerosol types occurring in each location is achieved. For this discrimination, appropriate thresholds for AOD500 and α 440-870 are applied. The discrimination of aerosol types in each location is made on an annual and seasonal basis. It is shown that a single aerosol type in a given location can exist only under specific conditions (e.g. intense forest fires or dust outbreaks), while the presence of well-mixed aerosols is the accustomed situation. Background clean aerosol conditions (AOD500<0.06) are mostly found over remote oceanic surfaces occurring on average in ~56.7% of total cases, while this situation is quite rare over land (occurrence of 3.8-13.7%). Our analysis indicates that these percentages change significantly from season to season. The spectral dependence of AOD exhibits large differences between the examined locations, while it exhibits a strong annual cycle.

  3. Stability and characterization of perphenazine aerosols generated using the capillary aerosol generator.

    PubMed

    Li, Xihao; Blondino, Frank E; Hindle, Michael; Soine, William H; Byron, Peter R

    2005-10-13

    Perphenazine (a potent antiemetic) was aerosolized using capillary aerosol generator to generate respirable condensation aerosols from drug in propylene glycol (PG) solutions, by pumping the liquids through a heated capillary tube. The study characterized the stability of perphenazine during and following aerosol generation. The stability-indicating HPLC method (C-8 column with a mobile phase of 52% 0.01 M pH 3.0 acetate buffer+48% acetonitrile) also enabled the study of perphenazine stability in solution under acidic, basic, oxidizing and photolysing conditions. An LC-MS (ESI+) method was used to characterize the degradation products. Perphenazine was found to be stable in acidic and basic conditions, while perphenazine sulfoxide was the major product formed in dilute peroxide solutions. Two photo-degradation products were formed in PG that were tentatively identified by LC-MS; one of these was synthesized and confirmed to be 2-[4-(3-phenothiazin-10-yl-propyl)-piperazino]-ethanol. Both photolysis products showed that aromatic dechlorination had occurred and one appeared to also result from interaction with the solvent. Within an aerosolization energy window of 84-95 J, fine particle aerosols were generated from perphenazine PG formulations with no significant degradation. Small amounts of degradation products were produced in all samples during aerosolization at elevated (non-optimal) energies. These were largely consistent with those seen to result from oxidation and photolysis in solution, showing that oxidation and dehalogenation appeared to be the main degradation pathways followed when the CAG system was overheated.

  4. Uncertainties of aerosol retrieval from neglecting non-sphericity of dust aerosols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Chi; Xue, Yong; Yang, Leiku; Guang, Jie

    2013-04-01

    The Mie theory is conventionally applied to calculate aerosol optical properties in satellite remote sensing applications, while dust aerosols cannot be well modeled by the Mie calculation for their non-sphericity. It has been cited in Mishchenko et al. (1995; 1997) that neglecting non-sphericity can severely influence aerosol optical depth (AOD, ?) retrieval in case of dust aerosols because of large difference of phase functions under spherical and non-spherical assumptions, whereas this uncertainty has not been thoroughly studied. This paper aims at a better understanding of uncertainties on AOD retrieval caused by aerosol non-sphericity. A dust aerosol model with known refractive index and size distribution is generated from long-term AERONET observations since 1999 over China. Then aerosol optical properties, such as the extinction, phase function, single scattering albedo (SSA) are calculated respectively in the assumption of spherical and non-spherical aerosols. Mie calculation is carried out for spherical assumption, meanwhile for non-spherical aerosol modeling, we adopt the pre-calculated scattering kernels and software package presented by Dubovik et al. (2002; 2006), which describes dust as a shape mixture of randomly oriented polydisperse spheroids. Consequently we generate two lookup tables (LUTspheric and LUTspheroid) from simulated satellite received reflectance at top of atmosphere (TOA) under varieties of observing conditions and aerosol loadings using Second Simulation of a Satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum - Vector (6SV) code. All the simulations are made at 550 nm, and for simplicity the Lambertian surface is assumed. Using the obtained LUTs we examine the differences of TOA reflectance (Δ?TOA = ?spheric - ?spheroid) under different surface reflectance and aerosol loadings. Afterwards AOD is retrieved using LUTspheric from the simulated TOA reflectance by LUTspheroid in order to detect the retrieval errors (Δ? = ?retreived -?input) induced

  5. Aerosol meteorology of Maritime Continent for the 2012 7SEAS southwest monsoon intensive study – Part 2: Philippine receptor observations of fine-scale aerosol behavior

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Reid, Jeffrey S.; Lagrosas, Nofel D.; Jonsson, Haflidi H.

    The largest 7 Southeast Asian Studies (7SEAS) operations period within the Maritime Continent (MC) occurred in the August–September 2012 biomass burning season. Data included were observations aboard the M/Y Vasco, dispatched to the Palawan Archipelago and Sulu Sea of the Philippines for September 2012. At these locations, the Vasco observed MC smoke and pollution entering the southwest monsoon (SWM) monsoonal trough. Here we describe the research cruise findings and the finer-scale aerosol meteorology of this convectively active region. This 2012 cruise complemented a 2-week cruise in 2011 and was generally consistent with previous findings in terms of how smoke emission and transportmore » related to monsoonal flows, tropical cyclones (TC), and the covariance between smoke transport events and the atmosphere's thermodynamic structure. Biomass burning plumes were usually mixed with significant amounts of anthropogenic pollution. Also key to aerosol behavior were squall lines and cold pools propagating across the South China Sea (SCS) and scavenging aerosol particles in their path. However, the 2012 cruise showed much higher modulation in aerosol frequency than its 2011 counterpart. Whereas in 2011 large synoptic-scale aerosol events transported high concentrations of smoke into the Philippines over days, in 2012 measured aerosol events exhibited a much shorter-term variation, sometimes only 3$-$12 h. Strong monsoonal flow reversals were also experienced in 2012. Nucleation events in cleaner and polluted conditions, as well as in urban plumes, were observed. Perhaps most interestingly, several cases of squall lines preceding major aerosol events were observed, as opposed to 2011 observations where these lines largely scavenged aerosol particles from the marine boundary layer. Combined, these observations indicate pockets of high and low particle counts that are not uncommon in the region. These perturbations are difficult to observe by satellite and very

  6. Experimental studies of aerosol- cloud droplet interactions at the puy de Dome observatory (France)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laj, P.; Dupuy, R.; Sellegri, K.; Pichon, J.; Fournol, J.; Cortes, L.; Preunkert, S.; Legrand, M.

    2001-05-01

    The interactions between aerosol particles, gases and cloud droplets were studied at the puy de Dome cloud station (France, 1465 a.s.l.) during winter 2000. The partitioning of gas and aerosol species between interstitial and condensed phases is achieved using a series of instrumentation including a newly developed dual counter-flow virtual impactor (CVI)/ Round jet impactor (RJI) system. The RJI/CVI system, coupled with measurement of cloud microphysical properties, provided direct observation of number and mass partitioning of aerosols under different air mass conditions. Preliminary results from this field experiment allowed for the characterization of size segregated chemical composition of CCNs and of interstitial aerosols by means of gravimetric analysis and ion chromatography. It appears that CCNs are clearly enriched in soluble species as respect to interstitial aerosols. We found evidences of limited growth of Ca2+ - rich coarse particles (>1 μm) that did not form droplets larger than the 5 μm CVI cut-off. The number partitioning of aerosol particles between interstitial and condensed phases clearly depends upon cloud microphysics and aerosol properties and therefore undergoes different behaviour according to air mass origin. However, results cannot be fully explained by diffusion growth alone, in particular for high cloud LWC.

  7. AEROSOL PARTICLE COLLECTOR DESIGN STUDY

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, S; Richard Dimenna, R

    2007-09-27

    A computational evaluation of a particle collector design was performed to evaluate the behavior of aerosol particles in a fast flowing gas stream. The objective of the work was to improve the collection efficiency of the device while maintaining a minimum specified air throughput, nominal collector size, and minimal power requirements. The impact of a range of parameters was considered subject to constraints on gas flow rate, overall collector dimensions, and power limitations. Potential improvements were identified, some of which have already been implemented. Other more complex changes were identified and are described here for further consideration. In addition, fruitfulmore » areas for further study are proposed.« less

  8. Secondary organic aerosols - formation and ageing studies in the SAPHIR chamber

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spindler, Christian; Müller, Lars; Trimborn, Achim; Mentel, Thomas; Hoffmann, Thorsten

    2010-05-01

    Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from oxidation products of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) constitutes an important coupling between vegetation, atmospheric chemistry, and climate change. Such secondary organic aerosol components play an important role in particle formation in Boreal regions ((Laaksonen et al., 2008)), where biogenic secondary organic aerosols contribute to an overall negative radiative forcing, thus a negative feed back between vegetation and climate warming (Spracklen et al., 2008). Within the EUCAARI project we investigated SOA formation from mixtures of monoterpenes (and sesquiterpenes) as emitted typically from Boreal tree species in Southern Finland. The experiments were performed in the large photochemical reactor SAPHIR in Juelich at natural light and oxidant levels. Oxidation of the BVOC mixtures and SOA formation was induced by OH radicals and O3. The SOA was formed on the first day and then aged for another day. The resulting SOA was characterized by HR-ToF-AMS, APCI-MS, and filter samples with subsequent H-NMR, GC-MS and HPLC-MS analysis. The chemical evolution of the SOA is characterized by a fast increase of the O/C ratio during the formation process on the first day, stable O/C ratio during night, and a distinctive increase of O/C ratio at the second day. The increase of the O/C ratio on the second day is highly correlated to the OH dose and is accompanied by condensational growth of the particles. We will present simultaneous factor analysis of AMS times series (PMF, Ulbrich et al., 2009 ) and direct measurements of individual chemical species. We found that four factors were needed to represent the time evolution of the SOA composition (in the mass spectra) if oxidation by OH plays a mayor role. Corresponding to these factors we observed individual, representative molecules with very similar time behaviour. The correlation between tracers and AMS factors is astonishingly good as the molecular tracers

  9. FTIR studies of low temperature sulfuric acid aerosols

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anthony, S. E.; Tisdale, R. T.; Disselkamp, R. S.; Tolbert, M. A.; Wilson, J. C.

    1995-01-01

    Sub-micrometer sized sulfuric acid H2SO4 particles were generated using a constant output atomizer source. The particles were then exposed to water vapor before being injected into a low temperature cell. Multipass transmission Fourier Transformation Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to determine the phase and composition of the aerosols as a function of time for periods of up to five hours. Binary H2SO4H2O aerosols with compositions from 35 to 95 wt % H2SO4 remained liquid for over 3 hours at room temperatures ranging from 189-240 K. These results suggest that it is very difficut to freeze SSAs via homogeneous nucleation. Attempts to form aerosols more dilute than 35 wt % H2SO4 resulted in ice formation.

  10. Amazon boundary layer aerosol concentration sustained by vertical transport during rainfall

    DOE PAGES

    Wang, Jian; Krejci, Radovan; Giangrande, Scott; ...

    2016-10-24

    The nucleation of atmospheric vapours is an important source of new aerosol particles that can subsequently grow to form cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere. Most field studies of atmospheric aerosols over continents are influenced by atmospheric vapours of anthropogenic origin and, in consequence, aerosol processes in pristine, terrestrial environments remain poorly understood. The Amazon rainforest is one of the few continental regions where aerosol particles and their precursors can be studied under near-natural conditions, but the origin of small aerosol particles that grow into cloud condensation nuclei in the Amazon boundary layer remains unclear. Here we present aircraft- andmore » ground-based measurements under clean conditions during the wet season in the central Amazon basin. We find that high concentrations of small aerosol particles (with diameters of less than 50 nanometres) in the lower free troposphere are transported from the free troposphere into the boundary layer during precipitation events by strong convective downdrafts and weaker downward motions in the trailing stratiform region. Lastly, this rapid vertical transport can help to maintain the population of particles in the pristine Amazon boundary layer, and may therefore influence cloud properties and climate under natural conditions.« less

  11. Amazon boundary layer aerosol concentration sustained by vertical transport during rainfall

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jian; Krejci, Radovan; Giangrande, Scott; Kuang, Chongai; Barbosa, Henrique M. J.; Brito, Joel; Carbone, Samara; Chi, Xuguang; Comstock, Jennifer; Ditas, Florian; Lavric, Jost; Manninen, Hanna E.; Mei, Fan; Moran-Zuloaga, Daniel; Pöhlker, Christopher; Pöhlker, Mira L.; Saturno, Jorge; Schmid, Beat; Souza, Rodrigo A. F.; Springston, Stephen R.; Tomlinson, Jason M.; Toto, Tami; Walter, David; Wimmer, Daniela; Smith, James N.; Kulmala, Markku; Machado, Luiz A. T.; Artaxo, Paulo; Andreae, Meinrat O.; Petäjä, Tuukka; Martin, Scot T.

    2016-11-01

    The nucleation of atmospheric vapours is an important source of new aerosol particles that can subsequently grow to form cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere. Most field studies of atmospheric aerosols over continents are influenced by atmospheric vapours of anthropogenic origin (for example, ref. 2) and, in consequence, aerosol processes in pristine, terrestrial environments remain poorly understood. The Amazon rainforest is one of the few continental regions where aerosol particles and their precursors can be studied under near-natural conditions, but the origin of small aerosol particles that grow into cloud condensation nuclei in the Amazon boundary layer remains unclear. Here we present aircraft- and ground-based measurements under clean conditions during the wet season in the central Amazon basin. We find that high concentrations of small aerosol particles (with diameters of less than 50 nanometres) in the lower free troposphere are transported from the free troposphere into the boundary layer during precipitation events by strong convective downdrafts and weaker downward motions in the trailing stratiform region. This rapid vertical transport can help to maintain the population of particles in the pristine Amazon boundary layer, and may therefore influence cloud properties and climate under natural conditions.

  12. Amazon boundary layer aerosol concentration sustained by vertical transport during rainfall.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jian; Krejci, Radovan; Giangrande, Scott; Kuang, Chongai; Barbosa, Henrique M J; Brito, Joel; Carbone, Samara; Chi, Xuguang; Comstock, Jennifer; Ditas, Florian; Lavric, Jost; Manninen, Hanna E; Mei, Fan; Moran-Zuloaga, Daniel; Pöhlker, Christopher; Pöhlker, Mira L; Saturno, Jorge; Schmid, Beat; Souza, Rodrigo A F; Springston, Stephen R; Tomlinson, Jason M; Toto, Tami; Walter, David; Wimmer, Daniela; Smith, James N; Kulmala, Markku; Machado, Luiz A T; Artaxo, Paulo; Andreae, Meinrat O; Petäjä, Tuukka; Martin, Scot T

    2016-11-17

    The nucleation of atmospheric vapours is an important source of new aerosol particles that can subsequently grow to form cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere. Most field studies of atmospheric aerosols over continents are influenced by atmospheric vapours of anthropogenic origin (for example, ref. 2) and, in consequence, aerosol processes in pristine, terrestrial environments remain poorly understood. The Amazon rainforest is one of the few continental regions where aerosol particles and their precursors can be studied under near-natural conditions, but the origin of small aerosol particles that grow into cloud condensation nuclei in the Amazon boundary layer remains unclear. Here we present aircraft- and ground-based measurements under clean conditions during the wet season in the central Amazon basin. We find that high concentrations of small aerosol particles (with diameters of less than 50 nanometres) in the lower free troposphere are transported from the free troposphere into the boundary layer during precipitation events by strong convective downdrafts and weaker downward motions in the trailing stratiform region. This rapid vertical transport can help to maintain the population of particles in the pristine Amazon boundary layer, and may therefore influence cloud properties and climate under natural conditions.

  13. The continuous field measurements of soluble aerosol compositions at the Taipei Aerosol Supersite, Taiwan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Shih-Yu; Lee, Chung-Te; Chou, Charles C.-K.; Liu, Shaw-Chen; Wen, Tian-Xue

    The characteristics of ambient aerosols, affected by solar radiation, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and gas-aerosol interaction, changed rapidly at different spatial and temporal scales. In Taipei Basin, dense traffic emissions and sufficient solar radiation for typical summer days favored the formation of secondary aerosols. In winter, the air quality in Taipei Basin was usually affected by the Asian continental outflows due to the long-range transport of pollutants carried by the winter monsoon. The conventional filter-based method needs a long time for collecting aerosols and analyzing compositions, which cannot provide high time-resolution data to investigate aerosol sources, atmospheric transformation processes, and health effects. In this work, the in situ ion chromatograph (IC) system was developed to provide 15-min time-resolution data of nine soluble inorganic species (Cl -, NO 2-, NO 3-, SO 42-, Na +, NH 4+, K +, Mg 2+ and Ca 2+). Over 89% of all particles larger than approximately 0.056 μm were collected by the in situ IC system. The in situ IC system is estimated to have a limit of detection lower than 0.3 μg m -3 for the various ambient ionic components. Depending on the hourly measurements, the pollutant events with high aerosol concentrations in Taipei Basin were associated with the local traffic emission in rush hour, the accumulation of pollutants in the stagnant atmosphere, the emission of industrial pollutants from the nearby factories, the photochemical secondary aerosol formation, and the long-range transport of pollutants from Asian outflows.

  14. Formation of halogen-induced secondary organic aerosol (XOA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamilli, Katharina; Ofner, Johannes; Zetzsch, Cornelius; Held, Andreas

    2013-04-01

    Reactive halogen species (RHS) are very important due to their potential of stratospheric ozone depletion and surface ozone destruction. RHS seem to interact with precursors of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) similarly to common atmospheric oxidants like OH radicals and ozone. The potential interaction of RHS with preformed SOA has recently been studied (Ofner et al., 2012). Although aerosol formation from reaction of RHS with typical SOA precursors was previously studied (e.g. Cai et al., 2006), no data are available on bromine-induced aerosol formation from organic precursors yet. An aerosol smog-chamber was used to examine the halogen-induced secondary organic aerosol (XOA) formation under atmospheric conditions using simulated sunlight. With a concentration of 10 ppb for the organic precursor, 2 ppb for molecular chlorine, and 10 ppb for molecular bromine, the experimental setup is close to ambient conditions. By combined measurements of the aerosol size distribution, ozone and NOx mixing ratios, as well as the decay of the organic precursor, aerosol yields and aerosol growth rates were determined. The decay of the organic precursor was analyzed by capillary gas chromatography coupled with flame-ionization detection (GC-FID) and the aerosol size distribution was measured using a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS). Additionally, with the decay rate of the precursor and the calculated photolysis rates of molecular halogen species, based on the well-known spectrum of the solar simulator, mechanistic details on the XOA formation pathways can be determined. We observed XOA formation even at very low precursor and RHS concentrations with a diameter mode at 10-20 nm and a number concentration up to 1000000 particles cm-3. While the XOA formation from chlorine is very rapid, the interaction of bromine with the organic precursors is about five times slower. The aerosol yield reached maximum values of 0.01 for the reaction of chlorine with α-pinene and 0.0004 for

  15. Analysis of reversibility and reaction products of glyoxal uptake onto ammonium sulfate aerosol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Galloway, M. M.; Chhabra, P. S.; Chan, A. W.; Surratt, J. D.; Kwan, A. J.; Wennberg, P. O.; Flagan, R. C.; Seinfeld, J. H.; Keutsch, F. N.

    2009-04-01

    Glyoxal, the smallest alpha-dicarbonyl, is an oxidation product of both biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (Fu et al. JGR 113, D15303, 2008). Despite its low molecular weight, its role in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation has gained interest and a recent study suggested that it accounts for more than 15% of SOA in Mexico City (Volkamer et al. GRL 34, L19807, 2007). Despite numerous previous studies, questions remain regarding the processes controlling glyoxal uptake onto aerosol, including the role of acid catalysis, degree of reversibility, and identity of aerosol phase reaction products. We present results of chamber aerosol studies (Galloway et al. ACPD 8, 20799, 2008) and laboratory studies of bulk samples aimed at improving the understanding of these processes, in particular formation of oligomers and organosulfates of glyoxal, as well as the formation of imidazoles (carbon-nitrogen containing heterocyclic aromatic compounds) under dark and irradiated conditions. The relevance of these classes of reaction products extends beyond glyoxal, as evidence of oligomers and organosulfates other than those of glyoxal have been found in ambient aerosol (Surratt et al. JPCA 112, 8345, 2008; Denkenberger et al. Environ. Sci. Technol. 41, 5439, 2007). Experiments in which a chamber air mass was diluted after equilibration of glyoxal uptake onto ammonium sulfate seed aerosol (relative humidity 60% and glyoxal mixing ratios of 25-200 ppbv) shows that under these conditions uptake is reversible. The most important condensed phase products are hydrated oligomers of glyoxal, which are also formed reversibly under these conditions. Our studies show that organosulfates were not formed under dark conditions for neutral or acidified aerosol; similarly, Minerath et al. have recently shown that formation of a different class of organosulfates (alkyl sulfates) also proceeds very slowly even under acidic conditions (Environ. Sci. Technol. 42, 4410, 2008). The

  16. Broadband Measurement of Aerosol Extinction in the Visible Range

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Quanfu; Bluvshtein, Nir; Segev, Lior; Flores, Michel; Rudich, Yinon; Washenfelder, Rebecca; Brown, Steven

    2017-04-01

    Atmospheric aerosols influence the Earth's radiative budget directly by scattering and absorbing incoming solar radiation. Aerosol direct forcing remains one of the largest uncertainties in quantifying the role that aerosols play in the Earth's radiative budget. The optical properties of aerosols vary as a function of wavelength, but few measurements reported the wavelength dependence of aerosol extinction cross section and complex refractive indices, particularly in the blue and visible spectral range. There is also currently a large gap in our knowledge of how the optical properties evolve as a function of atmospheric aging in the visible spectrum. In this study, we constructed a new and novel laboratory instrument to measure aerosol extinction as a function of wavelength, using cavity enhanced spectroscopy with a white light source. This broadband cavity enhanced spectroscopy (BBCES) covers the 395-700 nm spectral region using a broadband light source and a grating spectrometer with charge-coupled device detector (CCD). We evaluated this BBCES by measuring extinction cross section for aerosols that are pure scattering, slightly absorbing and strongly absorbing atomized from standard materials. We also retrieved the refractive indices from the measured extinction cross sections. Secondary organic aerosols from biogenic and anthropogenic precursors were "aged" to differential time scales (1 to 10 days) in an Oxidation Flow Reactor (OFR) under the combined influence of OH, O3 and UV light. The new BBCES was used to online measure the extinction cross sections of the SOA. This talk will provide a comprehensive understanding of aerosol optical properties alerting during aging process in the 395 - 700 nm spectrum.

  17. Occurrence of pristine aerosol environments on a polluted planet

    PubMed Central

    Hamilton, Douglas S.; Lee, Lindsay A.; Pringle, Kirsty J.; Reddington, Carly L.; Spracklen, Dominick V.; Carslaw, Kenneth S.

    2014-01-01

    Natural aerosols define a preindustrial baseline state from which the magnitude of anthropogenic aerosol effects on climate are calculated and are a major component of the large uncertainty in anthropogenic aerosol−cloud radiative forcing. This uncertainty would be reduced if aerosol environments unperturbed by air pollution could be studied in the present-day atmosphere, but the pervasiveness of air pollution makes identification of unperturbed regions difficult. Here, we use global model simulations to define unperturbed aerosol regions in terms of two measures that compare 1750 and 2000 conditions—the number of days with similar aerosol concentrations and the similarity of the aerosol response to perturbations in model processes and emissions. The analysis shows that the aerosol system in many present-day environments looks and behaves like it did in the preindustrial era. On a global annual mean, unperturbed aerosol regions cover 12% of the Earth (16% of the ocean surface and 2% of the land surface). There is a strong seasonal variation in unperturbed regions of between 4% in August and 27% in January, with the most persistent conditions occurring over the equatorial Pacific. About 90% of unperturbed regions occur in the Southern Hemisphere, but in the Northern Hemisphere, unperturbed conditions are transient and spatially patchy. In cloudy regions with a radiative forcing relative to 1750, model results suggest that unperturbed aerosol conditions could still occur on a small number of days per month. However, these environments are mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, potentially limiting the usefulness in reducing Northern Hemisphere forcing uncertainty. PMID:25512511

  18. A study on the relationship between mass concentrations, chemistry and number size distribution of urban fine aerosols in Milan, Barcelona and London

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodríguez, S.; van Dingenen, R.; Putaud, J.-P.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Pey, J.; Querol, X.; Alastuey, A.; Chenery, S.; Ho, K.-F.; Harrison, R. M.; Tardivo, R.; Scarnato, B.; Gianelle, V.

    2007-01-01

    A physicochemical characterization of the urban fine aerosol (aerosol number size distribution, chemical composition and mass concentrations) in Milan, Barcelona and London is presented in this article. The objective is to obtain a comprehensive picture on the involvement of the microphysical processes of the aerosol dynamic in the: 1) regular evolution of the urban aerosol (daily, weekly and seasonal basis) and in the day-to-day variations (from clean-air to pollution-events), and 2) link between "aerosol chemistry and mass concentrations" with the "number size distribution". The mass concentrations of the fine PM2.5 aerosol exhibit a high correlation with the number concentration of particles >100 nm (which only accounts for <20% of the total number concentration N of fine aerosols) and do not correlate with the number of particles <100 nm ("ultrafine particles", which accounts for >80% of fine particles). Organic matter (OM) and black-carbon (BC) are the only aerosol components showing a significant correlation with ultrafine particles (attributed to vehicles emissions), whereas ammonium-nitrate, ammonium-sulphate and also OM and BC correlate with N>100(nm) (attributed to gas-to-particle transformation mechanisms and some primary emissions). Time series of the aerosol DpN diameter (dN/dlogD mode), mass PM2.5 concentrations and number N>100(nm) concentrations, exhibit correlated day-to-day variations which point to a significant involvement of condensation of semi-volatile compounds during urban pollution events. This agrees with the fact that ammonium-nitrate is the component exhibiting the highest increases from mid-to-high pollution episodes, when the highest DpN increases are observed. The results indicates that "fine PM2.5 particles urban pollution events" tend to occur when condensation processes have made particles grow enough to produce significant concentrations of N>100(nm). In contrast, because the low contribution of ultrafine particles to the fine

  19. East Asian Studies of Tropospheric Aerosols and their Impact on Regional Climate (EAST-AIRC): An Overview

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Zhanqing; Li, C.; Chen, H.

    2011-02-01

    As the most populated region of the world, Asia is a major source of aerosols with potential large impact over vast downstream areas. Papers published in this special section describe the variety of aerosols observed in China and their effects and interactions with the regional climate as part of the East Asian Study of Tropospheric Aerosols and Impact on Regional Climate (EAST-AIRC). The majority of the papers are based on analyses of observations made under three field projects, namely, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) Mobile Facility mission in China (AMF10 China), the East Asian Study of Tropospheric Aerosols: an Internationalmore » Regional Experiment (EAST-AIRE), and the Atmospheric Aerosols of China and their Climate Effects (AACCE). The former two are US-China collaborative projects and the latter is a part of the China’s National Basic Research program (or often referred to as “973 project”). Routine meteorological data of China are also employed in some studies. The wealth of general and specialized measurements lead to extensive and close-up investigations of the optical, physical and chemical properties of anthropogenic, natural, and mixed aerosols; their sources, formation and transport mechanisms; horizontal, vertical and temporal variations; direct and indirect effects and interactions with the East Asian monsoon system. Particular efforts are made to advance our understanding of the mixing and interaction between dust and anthropogenic pollutants during transport. Several modeling studies were carried out to simulate aerosol impact on radiation budget, temperature, precipitation, wind and atmospheric circulation, fog, etc. In addition, impacts of the Asian monsoon system on aerosol loading are also simulated.« less

  20. Modeling the Relationships Between Aerosol Properties and the Direct and Indirect Effects of Aerosols on Climate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Toon, Owen B.

    1994-01-01

    Aerosols may affect climate directly by scattering and absorbing visible and infrared energy, They may also affect climate indirectly by modifying the properties of clouds through microphysical processes, and by altering abundances of radiatively important gases through heterogeneous chemistry. Researchers understand which aerosol properties control the direct effect of aerosols on the radiation budget. Unfortunately, despite an abundance of data on certain types of aerosols, much work remains to be done to determine the values of these properties. For instance we have little idea about the global distribution, seasonal variation, or interannual variability of the aerosol optical depth. Also we do not know the visible light absorption properties of tropical aerosols which may contain much debris from slash and burn agriculture. A positive correlation between aerosol concentrations and albedos of marine stratus clouds is observed, and the causative microphysics is understood. However, models suggest that it is difficult to produce new particles in the marine boundary layer. Some modelers have suggested that the particles in the marine boundary layer may originate in the free troposphere and be transported into the boundary layer. Others argue that the aerosols are created in the marine boundary layer. There are no data linking aerosol concentration and cirrus cloud albedo, and models suggest cirrus properties may not be very sensitive to aerosol abundance. There is clear evidence of a radiatively significant change in the global lower stratospheric ozone abundance during the past few decades. These changes are caused by heterogeneous chemical reactions occurring on the surfaces of particles. The rates of these reactions depend upon the chemical composition of the particles. Although rapid advances in understanding heterogeneous chemistry have been made, much remains to be done.

  1. Real-Time Characterization of Aerosol Particle Composition above the Urban Canopy in Beijing: Insights into the Interactions between the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Aerosol Chemistry.

    PubMed

    Sun, Yele; Du, Wei; Wang, Qingqing; Zhang, Qi; Chen, Chen; Chen, Yong; Chen, Zhenyi; Fu, Pingqing; Wang, Zifa; Gao, Zhiqiu; Worsnop, Douglas R

    2015-10-06

    Despite extensive efforts into the characterization of air pollution during the past decade, real-time characterization of aerosol particle composition above the urban canopy in the megacity Beijing has never been performed to date. Here we conducted the first simultaneous real-time measurements of aerosol composition at two different heights at the same location in urban Beijing from December 19, 2013 to January 2, 2014. The nonrefractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1) species were measured in situ by a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer at near-ground level and an aerosol chemical speciation monitor at 260 m on a 325 m meteorological tower in Beijing. Secondary aerosol showed similar temporal variations between ground level and 260 m, whereas much weaker correlations were found for the primary aerosol. The diurnal evolution of the ratios and correlations of aerosol species between 260 m and the ground level further illustrated a complex interaction between vertical mixing processes and local source emissions on aerosol chemistry in the atmospheric boundary layer. As a result, the aerosol compositions at the two heights were substantially different. Organic aerosol (OA), mainly composed of primary OA (62%), at the ground level showed a higher contribution to NR-PM1 (65%) than at 260 m (54%), whereas a higher concentration and contribution (15%) of nitrate was observed at 260 m, probably due to the favorable gas-particle partitioning under lower temperature conditions. In addition, two different boundary layer structures were observed, each interacting differently with the evolution processes of aerosol chemistry.

  2. Informing Aerosol Transport Models With Satellite Multi-Angle Aerosol Measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Limbacher, J.; Patadia, F.; Petrenko, M.; Martin, M. Val; Chin, M.; Gaitley, B.; Garay, M.; Kalashnikova, O.; Nelson, D.; Scollo, S.

    2011-01-01

    As the aerosol products from the NASA Earth Observing System's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) mature, we are placing greater focus on ways of using the aerosol amount and type data products, and aerosol plume heights, to constrain aerosol transport models. We have demonstrated the ability to map aerosol air-mass-types regionally, and have identified product upgrades required to apply them globally, including the need for a quality flag indicating the aerosol type information content, that varies depending upon retrieval conditions. We have shown that MISR aerosol type can distinguish smoke from dust, volcanic ash from sulfate and water particles, and can identify qualitative differences in mixtures of smoke, dust, and pollution aerosol components in urban settings. We demonstrated the use of stereo imaging to map smoke, dust, and volcanic effluent plume injection height, and the combination of MISR and MODIS aerosol optical depth maps to constrain wildfire smoke source strength. This talk will briefly highlight where we stand on these application, with emphasis on the steps we are taking toward applying the capabilities toward constraining aerosol transport models, planet-wide.

  3. A Global Data Assimilation System for Atmospheric Aerosol

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    daSilva, Arlindo

    1999-01-01

    We will give an overview of an aerosol data assimilation system which combines advances in remote sensing of atmospheric aerosols, aerosol modeling and data assimilation methodology to produce high spatial and temporal resolution 3D aerosol fields. Initially, the Goddard Aerosol Assimilation System (GAAS) will assimilate TOMS, AVHRR and AERONET observations; later we will include MODIS and MISR. This data assimilation capability will allows us to integrate complementing aerosol observations from these platforms, enabling the development of an assimilated aerosol climatology as well as a global aerosol forecasting system in support of field campaigns. Furthermore, this system provides an interactive retrieval framework for each aerosol observing satellites, in particular TOMS and AVHRR. The Goddard Aerosol Assimilation System (GAAS) takes advantage of recent advances in constituent data assimilation at DAO, including flow dependent parameterizations of error covariances and the proper consideration of model bias. For its prognostic transport model, GAAS will utilize the Goddard Ozone, Chemistry, Aerosol, Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model developed at NASA/GSFC Codes 916 and 910.3. GOCART includes the Lin-Rood flux-form, semi-Langrangian transport model with parameterized aerosol chemistry and physical processes for absorbing (dust and black carbon) and non-absorbing aerosols (sulfate and organic carbon). Observations and model fields are combined using a constituent version of DAO's Physical-space Statistical Analysis System (PSAS), including its adaptive quality control system. In this talk we describe the main components of this assimilation system and present preliminary results obtained by assimilating TOMS data.

  4. Laboratory study of the effect of oxalic acid on the cloud condensation nuclei activity of mineral dust aerosol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gierlus, Kelly M.; Laskina, Olga; Abernathy, Tricia L.; Grassian, Vicki H.

    2012-01-01

    Dicarboxylic acids, which make up a significant portion of the atmospheric organic aerosol, are emitted directly through biomass burning as well as produced through the oxidation of volatile organic compounds. Oxalic acid, the most abundant of the dicarboxylic acids, has been shown by recent field studies to be present in mineral dust aerosol particles. The presence of these internally mixed organic compounds can alter the water absorption and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) abilities of mineral particles in the Earth's atmosphere. The University of Iowa's Multi-Analysis Aerosol Reactor System ( MAARS) was used to measure the CCN activity of internally mixed particles that were generated from a mixture of either calcite or polystyrene latex spheres (PSLs) in an aqueous solution of oxalic acid. Although PSL is not a mineral dust component, it is used here as a non-reactive, insoluble particle. CCN measurements indicate that the internally mixed oxalate/calcite particles showed nearly identical CCN activity compared to the original calcite particles whereas oxalic acid/PSL internally mixed particles showed much greater CCN activity compared to PSL particles alone. This difference is due to the reaction of calcite with oxalic acid, which produces a relatively insoluble calcium oxalate coating on the particle surface and not a soluble coating as it does on the PSL particle. Our results suggest that atmospheric processing of mineral dust aerosol through heterogeneous processes will likely depend on the mineralogy and the specific chemistry involved. Increase in the CCN activity by incorporation of oxalic acid are only expected for unreactive insoluble dust particles that form a soluble coating.

  5. An Observational Study of the Relationship between Cloud, Aerosol and Meteorology in Broken Low-Level Cloud Conditions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Loeb, Norman G.; Schuster, Gregory L.

    2008-01-01

    Global satellite analyses showing strong correlations between aerosol optical depth and 3 cloud cover have stirred much debate recently. While it is tempting to interpret the results as evidence of aerosol enhancement of cloud cover, other factors such as the influence of meteorology on both the aerosol and cloud distributions can also play a role, as both aerosols and clouds depend upon local meteorology. This study uses satellite observations to examine aerosol-cloud relationships for broken low-level cloud regions off the coast of Africa. The analysis approach minimizes the influence of large-scale meteorology by restricting the spatial and temporal domains in which the aerosol and cloud properties are compared. While distributions of several meteorological variables within 5deg 5deg latitude-longitude regions are nearly identical under low and high aerosol optical depth, the corresponding distributions of single-layer low cloud properties and top-of-atmosphere radiative fluxes differ markedly, consistent with earlier studies showing increased cloud cover with aerosol optical depth. Furthermore, fine-mode fraction and Angstrom Exponent are also larger in conditions of higher aerosol optical depth, even though no evidence of systematic latitudinal or longitudinal gradients between the low and high aerosol optical depth populations are observed. When the analysis is repeated for all 5deg 5deg latitude-longitude regions over the global oceans (after removing cases in which significant meteorological differences are found between the low and high aerosol populations), results are qualitatively similar to those off the coast of Africa.

  6. Chemical composition, source, and process of urban aerosols during winter haze formation in Northeast China.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jian; Liu, Lei; Wang, Yuanyuan; Ren, Yong; Wang, Xin; Shi, Zongbo; Zhang, Daizhou; Che, Huizheng; Zhao, Hujia; Liu, Yanfei; Niu, Hongya; Chen, Jianmin; Zhang, Xiaoye; Lingaswamy, A P; Wang, Zifa; Li, Weijun

    2017-12-01

    The characteristics of aerosol particles have been poorly evaluated even though haze episodes frequently occur in winter in Northeast China. OC/EC analysis, ion chromatography, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to investigate the organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC), and soluble ions in PM 2.5 and the mixing state of individual particles during a severe wintertime haze episode in Northeast China. The organic matter (OM), NH 4 + , SO 4 2- , and NO 3 - concentrations in PM 2.5 were 89.5 μg/m 3 , 24.2 μg/m 3 , 28.1 μg/m 3 , and 32.8 μg/m 3 on the haze days, respectively. TEM observations further showed that over 80% of the haze particles contained primary organic aerosols (POAs). Based on a comparison of the data obtained during the haze formation, we generate the following synthetic model of the process: (1) Stable synoptic meteorological conditions drove the haze formation. (2) The early stage of haze formation (light or moderate haze) was mainly caused by the enrichment of POAs from coal burning for household heating and cooking. (3) High levels of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), sulfates, and nitrates formation via heterogeneous reactions together with POAs accumulation promoted to the evolution from light or moderate to severe haze. Compared to the severe haze episodes over the North China Plain, the PM 2.5 in Northeast China analyzed in the present study contained similar sulfate, higher SOA, and lower nitrate contents. Our results suggest that most of the POAs and secondary particles were likely related to emissions from coal-burning residential stoves in rural outskirts and small boilers in urban areas. The inefficient burning of coal for household heating and cooking should be monitored during wintertime in Northeast China. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Organic Aerosols from SÃO Paulo and its Relationship with Aerosol Absorption and Scattering Properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Artaxo, P.; Brito, J. F.; Rizzo, L. V.

    2012-12-01

    nm h-1. Interestingly enough there were also events were condensed vapors were evaporating from the condensed phase thus shrinking the size of the particles in all sizes. Aerosol optical thickness was relatively small at 0.1-0.3 at 500 nm, with high daily variability, showing how meteorological conditions are critical for the observed aerosol concentrations. The study allows the characterization of a unique fueled fleet emissions and its impact on atmospheric chemistry, particle formation and other atmospheric dynamic processes.

  8. Formation of highly porous aerosol particles by atmospheric freeze-drying in ice clouds

    PubMed Central

    Adler, Gabriela; Koop, Thomas; Haspel, Carynelisa; Taraniuk, Ilya; Moise, Tamar; Koren, Ilan; Heiblum, Reuven H.; Rudich, Yinon

    2013-01-01

    The cycling of atmospheric aerosols through clouds can change their chemical and physical properties and thus modify how aerosols affect cloud microphysics and, subsequently, precipitation and climate. Current knowledge about aerosol processing by clouds is rather limited to chemical reactions within water droplets in warm low-altitude clouds. However, in cold high-altitude cirrus clouds and anvils of high convective clouds in the tropics and midlatitudes, humidified aerosols freeze to form ice, which upon exposure to subsaturation conditions with respect to ice can sublimate, leaving behind residual modified aerosols. This freeze-drying process can occur in various types of clouds. Here we simulate an atmospheric freeze-drying cycle of aerosols in laboratory experiments using proxies for atmospheric aerosols. We find that aerosols that contain organic material that undergo such a process can form highly porous aerosol particles with a larger diameter and a lower density than the initial homogeneous aerosol. We attribute this morphology change to phase separation upon freezing followed by a glass transition of the organic material that can preserve a porous structure after ice sublimation. A porous structure may explain the previously observed enhancement in ice nucleation efficiency of glassy organic particles. We find that highly porous aerosol particles scatter solar light less efficiently than nonporous aerosol particles. Using a combination of satellite and radiosonde data, we show that highly porous aerosol formation can readily occur in highly convective clouds, which are widespread in the tropics and midlatitudes. These observations may have implications for subsequent cloud formation cycles and aerosol albedo near cloud edges. PMID:24297908

  9. Formation of highly porous aerosol particles by atmospheric freeze-drying in ice clouds.

    PubMed

    Adler, Gabriela; Koop, Thomas; Haspel, Carynelisa; Taraniuk, Ilya; Moise, Tamar; Koren, Ilan; Heiblum, Reuven H; Rudich, Yinon

    2013-12-17

    The cycling of atmospheric aerosols through clouds can change their chemical and physical properties and thus modify how aerosols affect cloud microphysics and, subsequently, precipitation and climate. Current knowledge about aerosol processing by clouds is rather limited to chemical reactions within water droplets in warm low-altitude clouds. However, in cold high-altitude cirrus clouds and anvils of high convective clouds in the tropics and midlatitudes, humidified aerosols freeze to form ice, which upon exposure to subsaturation conditions with respect to ice can sublimate, leaving behind residual modified aerosols. This freeze-drying process can occur in various types of clouds. Here we simulate an atmospheric freeze-drying cycle of aerosols in laboratory experiments using proxies for atmospheric aerosols. We find that aerosols that contain organic material that undergo such a process can form highly porous aerosol particles with a larger diameter and a lower density than the initial homogeneous aerosol. We attribute this morphology change to phase separation upon freezing followed by a glass transition of the organic material that can preserve a porous structure after ice sublimation. A porous structure may explain the previously observed enhancement in ice nucleation efficiency of glassy organic particles. We find that highly porous aerosol particles scatter solar light less efficiently than nonporous aerosol particles. Using a combination of satellite and radiosonde data, we show that highly porous aerosol formation can readily occur in highly convective clouds, which are widespread in the tropics and midlatitudes. These observations may have implications for subsequent cloud formation cycles and aerosol albedo near cloud edges.

  10. Comparison of C5 and C6 Aqua-MODIS Dark Target Aerosol Validation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Munchak, Leigh A.; Levy, Robert C.; Mattoo, Shana

    2014-01-01

    We compare C5 and C6 validation to compare the C6 10 km aerosol product against the well validated and trusted aerosol product on global and regional scales. Only the 10 km aerosol product is evaluated in this study, validation of the new C6 3 km aerosol product still needs to be performed. Not all of the time series has processed yet for C5 or C6, and the years processed for the 2 products is not exactly the same (this work is preliminary!). To reduce the impact of outlier observations, MODIS is spatially averaged within 27.5 km of the AERONET site, and AERONET is temporatally averaged within 30 minutes of the MODIS overpass time. Only high quality (QA = 3 over land, QA greater than 0 over ocean) pixels are included in the mean.

  11. Pulmonary Deposition of Aerosols in Microgravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prisk, G. Kim

    1997-01-01

    The intrapulmonary deposition of airborne particles (aerosol) in the size range of 0.5 to 5 microns is primarily due to gravitational sedimentation. In the microgravity (muG) environment, sedimentation is no longer active, and thus there should be marked changes in the amount and site of the deposition of these aerosol. We propose to study the total intrapulmonary deposition of aerosol spanning the range 0.5 to 5 microns in the KC-135 at both muG and at 1.8-G. This will be followed by using boli of 1.0 micron aerosol, inhaled at different points in a breath to study aerosol dispersion and deposition as a function of inspired depth. The results of these studies will have application in better understanding of pulmonary diseases related to inhaled particles (pneumoconioses), in studying drugs delivered by inhalation, and in understanding the consequence of long-term exposure to respirable aerosols in long-duration space flight.

  12. Contrasting influences of aerosols on cloud properties during deficient and abundant monsoon years

    PubMed Central

    Patil, Nitin; Dave, Prashant; Venkataraman, Chandra

    2017-01-01

    Direct aerosol radiative forcing facilitates the onset of Indian monsoon rainfall, based on synoptic scale fast responses acting over timescales of days to a month. Here, we examine relationships between aerosols and coincident clouds over the Indian subcontinent, using observational data from 2000 to 2009, from the core monsoon region. Season mean and daily timescales were considered. The correlation analyses of cloud properties with aerosol optical depth revealed that deficient monsoon years were characterized by more frequent and larger decreases in cloud drop size and ice water path, but increases in cloud top pressure, with increases in aerosol abundance. The opposite was observed during abundant monsoon years. The correlations of greater aerosol abundance, with smaller cloud drop size, lower evidence of ice processes and shallower cloud height, during deficient rainfall years, imply cloud inhibition; while those with larger cloud drop size, greater ice processes and a greater cloud vertical extent, during abundant rainfall years, suggest cloud invigoration. The study establishes that continental aerosols over India alter cloud properties in diametrically opposite ways during contrasting monsoon years. The mechanisms underlying these effects need further analysis. PMID:28337991

  13. Contrasting influences of aerosols on cloud properties during deficient and abundant monsoon years.

    PubMed

    Patil, Nitin; Dave, Prashant; Venkataraman, Chandra

    2017-03-24

    Direct aerosol radiative forcing facilitates the onset of Indian monsoon rainfall, based on synoptic scale fast responses acting over timescales of days to a month. Here, we examine relationships between aerosols and coincident clouds over the Indian subcontinent, using observational data from 2000 to 2009, from the core monsoon region. Season mean and daily timescales were considered. The correlation analyses of cloud properties with aerosol optical depth revealed that deficient monsoon years were characterized by more frequent and larger decreases in cloud drop size and ice water path, but increases in cloud top pressure, with increases in aerosol abundance. The opposite was observed during abundant monsoon years. The correlations of greater aerosol abundance, with smaller cloud drop size, lower evidence of ice processes and shallower cloud height, during deficient rainfall years, imply cloud inhibition; while those with larger cloud drop size, greater ice processes and a greater cloud vertical extent, during abundant rainfall years, suggest cloud invigoration. The study establishes that continental aerosols over India alter cloud properties in diametrically opposite ways during contrasting monsoon years. The mechanisms underlying these effects need further analysis.

  14. In Situ Single Particle Measurement of Atmospheric Aging of Carbonaceous Aerosols During CARES

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cahill, J. F.; Suski, K.; Hubbe, J.; Shilling, J.; Zaveri, R. A.; Springston, S. R.; Prather, K. A.

    2011-12-01

    Atmospheric aging of aerosols through photochemistry, heterogeneous reactions and aqueous processing can change their physical and chemical properties, impacting their gas uptake, radiative forcing, and activation of cloud nuclei. Understanding the timescale and magnitude of this aging process is essential for accurate aerosol-climate modeling and predictions. An aircraft aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (A-ATOFMS) measured single particle mixing state during the Carbonaceous Aerosols and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) in the summer of 2010 over Sacramento, CA. On 6/23/10, flights in the morning and afternoon performed pseudo-Lagrangian sampling of the Sacramento urban plume. Carbonaceous particles from these flights were classified into 'aged' and 'fresh' classes based on their mixing state, with aged particles having more secondary species, such as nitrate and sulfate. In the morning flight, a clear decreasing trend in the ratio of fresh/aged particle types was seen as the flight progressed, whereas in the afternoon flight, the ratio was essentially constant. These data show that in the morning carbonaceous aerosols can become heavily oxidized in a few hours. Further analysis of particle mixing state and the timescale of carbonaceous aerosol aging will be presented

  15. Aerosol radiative forcing from GEO satellite data over land surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Costa, Maria J.; Silva, Ana M.

    2005-10-01

    Aerosols direct and indirect effects on the Earth's climate are widely recognized but have yet to be adequately quantified. Difficulties arise due to the very high spatial and temporal variability of aerosols, which is a major cause of uncertainties in radiative forcing studies. The effective monitoring of the global aerosol distribution is only made possible by satellite monitoring and this is the reason why the interest in aerosol observations from satellite passive radiometers is steadily increasing. From the point of view of the study of land surfaces, the atmosphere with its constituents represents an obscurant whose effects should be as much as possible eliminated, being this process sometimes referred to as atmospheric correction. In absence of clouds and using spectral intervals where gas absorption can be avoided to a great extent, only the aerosol effect remains to be corrected. The monitoring of the aerosol particles present in the atmosphere is then crucial to succeed in doing an accurate atmospheric correction, otherwise the surface properties may be inadequately characterised. However, the atmospheric correction over land surfaces turns out to be a difficult task since surface reflection competes with the atmospheric component of the signal. On the other hand, a single mean pre-established aerosol characterisation would not be sufficient for this purpose due to very high spatial and temporal variability of aerosols and their unpredictability, especially what concerns particulary intense "events" such as biomass burning and forest fires, desert dust episodes and volcanic eruptions. In this context, an operational methodology has been developed at the University of Evora - Evora Geophysics Centre (CGE), in the framework of the Satellite Application Facility for Land Surface Analysis - Land SAF, to derive an Aerosol Product from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) data, flying on the Geostationary (GEO) satellite system Meteosat-8

  16. Effect of Heterogeneous Chemical Reactions on the Köhler Activation of Aqueous Organic Aerosols.

    PubMed

    Djikaev, Yuri S; Ruckenstein, Eli

    2018-05-03

    We study some thermodynamic aspects of the activation of aqueous organic aerosols into cloud droplets considering the aerosols to consist of liquid solution of water and hydrophilic and hydrophobic organic compounds, taking into account the presence of reactive species in the air. The hydrophobic (surfactant) organic molecules on the surface of such an aerosol can be processed by chemical reactions with some atmospheric species; this affects the hygroscopicity of the aerosol and hence its ability to become a cloud droplet either via nucleation or via Köhler activation. The most probable pathway of such processing involves atmospheric hydroxyl radicals that abstract hydrogen atoms from hydrophobic organic molecules located on the aerosol surface (first step), the resulting radicals being quickly oxidized by ubiquitous atmospheric oxygen molecules to produce surface-bound peroxyl radicals (second step). These two reactions play a crucial role in the enhancement of the Köhler activation of the aerosol and its evolution into a cloud droplet. Taking them and a third reaction (next in the multistep chain of relevant heterogeneous reactions) into account, one can derive an explicit expression for the free energy of formation of a four-component aqueous droplet on a ternary aqueous organic aerosol as a function of four independent variables of state of a droplet. The results of numerical calculations suggest that the formation of cloud droplets on such (aqueous hydrophilic/hydrophobic organic) aerosols is most likely to occur as a Köhler activation-like process rather than via nucleation. The model allows one to determine the threshold parameters of the system necessary for the Köhler activation of such aerosols, which are predicted to be very sensitive to the equilibrium constant of the chain of three heterogeneous reactions involved in the chemical aging of aerosols.

  17. Exhaled Aerosol Pattern Discloses Lung Structural Abnormality: A Sensitivity Study Using Computational Modeling and Fractal Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Xi, Jinxiang; Si, Xiuhua A.; Kim, JongWon; Mckee, Edward; Lin, En-Bing

    2014-01-01

    Background Exhaled aerosol patterns, also called aerosol fingerprints, provide clues to the health of the lung and can be used to detect disease-modified airway structures. The key is how to decode the exhaled aerosol fingerprints and retrieve the lung structural information for a non-invasive identification of respiratory diseases. Objective and Methods In this study, a CFD-fractal analysis method was developed to quantify exhaled aerosol fingerprints and applied it to one benign and three malign conditions: a tracheal carina tumor, a bronchial tumor, and asthma. Respirations of tracer aerosols of 1 µm at a flow rate of 30 L/min were simulated, with exhaled distributions recorded at the mouth. Large eddy simulations and a Lagrangian tracking approach were used to simulate respiratory airflows and aerosol dynamics. Aerosol morphometric measures such as concentration disparity, spatial distributions, and fractal analysis were applied to distinguish various exhaled aerosol patterns. Findings Utilizing physiology-based modeling, we demonstrated substantial differences in exhaled aerosol distributions among normal and pathological airways, which were suggestive of the disease location and extent. With fractal analysis, we also demonstrated that exhaled aerosol patterns exhibited fractal behavior in both the entire image and selected regions of interest. Each exhaled aerosol fingerprint exhibited distinct pattern parameters such as spatial probability, fractal dimension, lacunarity, and multifractal spectrum. Furthermore, a correlation of the diseased location and exhaled aerosol spatial distribution was established for asthma. Conclusion Aerosol-fingerprint-based breath tests disclose clues about the site and severity of lung diseases and appear to be sensitive enough to be a practical tool for diagnosis and prognosis of respiratory diseases with structural abnormalities. PMID:25105680

  18. Explicit Cloud Nucleation from Arbitrary Mixtures of Aerosol Types and Sizes Using an Ultra-Efficient In-Line Aerosol Bin Model in High-Resolution Simulations of Hurricanes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walko, R. L.; Ashby, T.; Cotton, W. R.

    2017-12-01

    The fundamental role of atmospheric aerosols in the process of cloud droplet nucleation is well known, and there is ample evidence that the concentration, size, and chemistry of aerosols can strongly influence microphysical, thermodynamic, and ultimately dynamic properties and evolution of clouds and convective systems. With the increasing availability of observation- and model-based environmental representations of different types of anthropogenic and natural aerosols, there is increasing need for models to be able to represent which aerosols nucleate and which do not in supersaturated conditions. However, this is a very complex process that involves competition for water vapor between multiple aerosol species (chemistries) and different aerosol sizes within each species. Attempts have been made to parameterize the nucleation properties of mixtures of different aerosol species, but it is very difficult or impossible to represent all possible mixtures that may occur in practice. As part of a modeling study of the impact of anthropogenic and natural aerosols on hurricanes, we developed an ultra-efficient aerosol bin model to represent nucleation in a high-resolution atmospheric model that explicitly represents cloud- and subcloud-scale vertical motion. The bin model is activated at any time and location in a simulation where supersaturation occurs and is potentially capable of activating new cloud droplets. The bins are populated from the aerosol species that are present at the given time and location and by multiple sizes from each aerosol species according to a characteristic size distribution, and the chemistry of each species is represented by its absorption or adsorption characteristics. The bin model is integrated in time increments that are smaller than that of the atmospheric model in order to temporally resolve the peak supersaturation, which determines the total nucleated number. Even though on the order of 100 bins are typically utilized, this leads only

  19. Uptake of Elements From Aerosols by Humans ~ A Case Study From Delhi & Bangalore Cities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anand, S.; Yadav, S.; Jain, V. K.

    2006-05-01

    Aerosol research has gained tremendous importance globally due to the cumulative effects of increasing industrialization and urbanization on aerosol production which can have an alarming impact on the climate of the planet as well as the health of its inhabitants. Therefore, there is an increasing need to study aerosols for all of their physicochemical and biological aspects on both local and global scales. World over extensive research has gone into studying the physical and the chemical aspects of aerosols. However, little information is yet available on the health impacts of aerosols particularly in the Asian context. Here we report uptake of various elements that are concentrated in aerosols by the human body in Delhi and Bangalore cities and their possible health effects. In many urban areas, for example in Delhi, inhalable fractions of aerosols are known to have high concentrations of elements such as Cu, Zn, Pb, Ba, Ni and Cr (Yadav and Rajamani 2004). Also aerosols in the North West part of India seem to be particularly enriched in these elements. If so, there is a high possibility of these elements getting into the human system either directly or indirectly through water and food. To determine the concentrations of these elements that are present in significant concentrations in the inhalable fractions of aerosols, human hair and blood samples are used as proxies. Both these regions have contrasting geographic and climatic conditions. Delhi (altitude : 213-305m above MSL) located on the fringes of the Thar desert which supplies considerable amount of dust, is semi-arid with annual rainfall of 60-80 cms & temperatures varying between 1° - 45°. Bangalore (altitude of 900m above MSL) receives a high annual rainfall of 80-100 cms and being located on the fringes of tropical forests of the Sahyadri Mountains (Western Ghats) receives little crustal contribution to the aerosols. Samples from least polluted mountainous areas of Himalayas (Gangothri) and Sahyadri

  20. Substantial convection and precipitation enhancements by ultrafine aerosol particles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, Jiwen; Rosenfeld, Daniel; Zhang, Yuwei; Giangrande, Scott E.; Li, Zhanqing; Machado, Luiz A. T.; Martin, Scot T.; Yang, Yan; Wang, Jian; Artaxo, Paulo; Barbosa, Henrique M. J.; Braga, Ramon C.; Comstock, Jennifer M.; Feng, Zhe; Gao, Wenhua; Gomes, Helber B.; Mei, Fan; Pöhlker, Christopher; Pöhlker, Mira L.; Pöschl, Ulrich; de Souza, Rodrigo A. F.

    2018-01-01

    Ultrafine aerosol particles (smaller than 50 nanometers in diameter) have been thought to be too small to affect cloud formation. Fan et al. show that this is not the case. They studied the effect of urban pollution transported into the otherwise nearly pristine atmosphere of the Amazon. Condensational growth of water droplets around the tiny particles releases latent heat, thereby intensifying atmospheric convection. Thus, anthropogenic ultrafine aerosol particles may exert a more important influence on cloud formation processes than previously believed.