Radiocarbon-Based Source Apportionment of the Water-Soluble Organic Carbon (wsoc) of Atmospheric Aerosols in South and East Asia

The air quality and regional climate in South and East Asia are considerably affected by atmospheric aerosols produced by anthropogenic activities. Recent studies have investigated the sources of the black carbon aerosol component in these regions. This study seeks to make progress in apportioning the sources of the water soluble organic carbon (WSOC) component, which makes up 20-65% of the carbonaceous aerosol mass in these areas. WSOC is important as it enhances the ability of particles to serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and, therefore, has an impact on regional climate and radiative forcing. Atmospheric particulate matter was collected during fifteen-month continuous sampling campaigns Jan 2008 - March 2009 at both the Maldives Climate Observatory at Hannimaadho (MCOH) and at the Sinhagad hilltop sampling site of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (SIN) in central-western India. The radiocarbon method is an ideal approach to identify fossil sources (14C "dead") compared to biogenic and biomass combustion products (with a contemporary 14C signal). WSOC is a large fraction of organic aerosols and its annual average contribution to TOC during 2008 is 26% at MCOH and 40% at SIN. There is a distinct seasonal variability in WSOC concentrations at both sites with high concentrations during the winter season (0.92±0.49μg m-3 at MCOH and 3.5±2.0μg m-3 at SIN) and very low concentrations during the summer monsoon season (0.08±0.04μg m-3 at MCOH and 0.27±0.20μg m-3 at SIN). The radiocarbon source apportionment of WSOC in winter dry season was similar at MCOH and SIN with 80-85% from biogenic/biomass combustion and the rest from fossil fuel precursors. For the rest of the year, the biogenic/biomass contribution to WSOC is higher at the Indian Ocean site (86-93%) compared to the Indian site (74-83%). In March 2011 the GoPoEx2011 intensive sampling campaign at the Gosan ABC Superstation, Jeju Island, South Korea was dedicated to study atmospheric particulate matter with geographically distinct origins. Radiocarbon results of various aerosol components originating from specific regions of China and collected during GoPoEx2011 will also be presented.