Characterisation of regional ambient biomass burning organic aerosol mixing ratios
Abstract
No evidence for a regional additional source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) has been identified in measurements of biomass burning-influenced ambient air masses. Measurements included in this study were obtained from the deployment of an Aerodyne Quadrupole Aerosol Mass Spectrometer during four field campaigns, involving both research aircraft flights and ground-based measurements. OA concentrations normalised to excess CO (OA/dCO) show strong regional and local scale variability, with a difference of almost a factor of five across fresh OA emissions between campaigns. Average OA/dCO is typically higher in the near-field than at a greater distance from source, indicating an absence of significant SOA formation, despite evidence to suggest OA becomes increasingly oxidized with age. This trend is in contrast with observations of anthropogenic OA in urban environments, where OA/dCO is consistently shown to increase with distance from source. There is no such agreement in the case of biomass burning OA (BBOA) amongst the literature base, with conflicting examples relating to the influence of SOA on aerosol loadings. A wide range of average initial emission ratios (ERs) close to source are observed both within the datasets analysed here and within the literature, together with considerable variability in individual OA/dCO values throughout fresh biomass burning plumes. The extent of this variability far outweighs any increase in OA/dCO in the few instances it is observed here, suggesting that source conditions are of greater importance for the propagation of BBOA loadings within the ambient atmosphere. However, the implications of ageing on OA/dCO variability appear to be highly uncertain, with little consistency between observed trends for different locations. Furthermore, the exact effects of the fire conditions influencing emissions from biomass burning events remain poorly constrained. These uncertainties regarding the evolution of biomass burning emissions emphasise the need for improved characterisation of BBOA to ensure accurate representation in global climate models.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012AGUFM.A11F0111J
- Keywords:
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- 0305 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE / Aerosols and particles;
- 0365 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE / Troposphere: composition and chemistry