Biological Particle Emissions From a South-East Asian Tropical Rainforest Using a Real- Time Dual Channel UV Fluorescence Bio-Aerosol Spectrometer

Primary biogenic aerosols (PBA) contribute typically up to half of coarse mode particulate loading in tropical regions (e.g. Elbert et al. 2007). PBA contribute to the spread of genetic material and hence biodiversity within the biosphere either directly by transport of the organisms or their reproductive components. This spread via various vectors contributes to disease both animal and plant. Many studies have suggested PBA might be important for initiation of cloud formation and subsequent precipitation evolution by acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) or possibly as ice nuclei (IN). This link is inferred from laboratory studies demonstrating the high activation efficiency of PBA at warm temperatures, coupled with observations that biological particles are ubiquitous in the atmosphere. Despite more than two hundred years of research, e.g. Ehrenberg (1830), information on the abundance, composition and more importantly the sources and heterogeneity of PBA on global scales are still poorly understood. The first realistic estimates of global average emission rates of PBA based on observations (mainly in Amazonia) and budget calculations, were provided by Elbert et al. (2007). They demonstrate that fungi, which have evolved many passive and active spore dispersal mechanisms, contribute a major fraction of the observed PBA and coarse particulate mass (particles with diameters between 1-10 μ m) in many, but in particular, tropical regions. Two major classes of fungal spores are commonly identified, these being AAM and ABM, Acomycota and Basidiomycota respectively (we will adopt the nomenclature used by Elbert et al. 2007, in this study). These species discharge their spores via wet spore active discharge mechanisms. Elbert et al. (2007) estimate a global average spore emission rate for ABM of ~17-50 Tg yr-1. This is consistent with observed typical concentrations of ABS which range from ~103 to 104 m- 3; and ~0.1-1 μ g m-3 by mass. The global average abundance and net emission for all fungal spores is ~1 μ g m-3 and ~50 Tg yr-1. These calculations demonstrate the potential importance of PBA, and in particular fungal spores, for global budgets of organic aerosols, particularly in tropical regions, however uncertainties are extremely large, ranging from 50 - 1000 Tg yr- 1. In this study we use the WIBS-3: a low-cost portable single-particle dual-channel UV fluorescence spectrometer (Kaye et al., 2008) to investigate the dynamics of PBA in real-time within and above a tropical forest of 50 m height in Borneo, Malaysia, to estimate net PBA emissions. Different circadian cycles were observed for bio and non-bio aerosol sources and the factors controlling bioaerosol emissions will be discussed in detail.