2014
Li R, Warneke C, Graus M, Field R, Geiger F, Veres PR, Soltis J, Li S-M, Murphy SM, Sweeney C, et al. Measurements of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) using PTR-MS: calibration, humidity dependence, inter-comparison and results from field studies in an oil and gas production region. ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES. 2014;7:3597-3610.
AbstractNatural gas production is associated with emissions of several trace gases, some of them classified as air toxics. While volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have received much attention, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can also be of concern due to the known health impacts of exposure to this hazardous air pollutant. Here, we present quantitative, fast time-response measurements of H2S using protontransfer-reaction mass-spectrometry (PTR-MS) instruments. An ultra-light-weight PTR-MS (ULW-PTR-MS) in a mobile laboratory was operated for measurements of VOCs and H2S in a gas and oil field during the Uintah Basin Winter Ozone Study (UBWOS) 2012 campaign. Measurements of VOCs and H2S by a PTR-MS were also made at the Horse Pool ground site in the Uintah Basin during UBWOS 2013. The H2S measurement by PTR-MS is strongly humidity dependent because the proton affinity of H2S is only slightly higher than that of water. The H2S sensitivity of PTR-MS ranged between 0.6-1.4 ncps ppbv-1 during UBWOS 2013. We compare the humidity dependence determined in the laboratory with in-field calibrations and determine the H2S mixing ratios for the mobile and ground measurements. The PTR-MS measurements at Horse Pool are evaluated by comparison with simultaneous H2S measurements using a PTR time-of-flight MS (PTR-ToF-MS) and a Picarro cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS) instrument for H2S/CH4. On average 0.6 +/- 0.3 ppbv H2S was present at Horse Pool during UBWOS 2013. The correlation between H2S and methane enhancements suggests that the source of H2S is associated with oil and gas extraction in the basin. Significant H2S mixing ratios of up to 9 ppmv downwind of storage tanks were observed during the mobile measurements. This study suggests that H2S emissions associated with oil and gas production can lead to short-term high levels close to point sources, and elevated background levels away from those sources. In addition, our work has demonstrated that PTR-MS can make reliable measurements of H2S at levels below 1 ppbv.
Gordon M, Vlasenko A, Staebler RM, Stroud C, Makar PA, Liggio J, Li S-M, Brown S.
Uptake and emission of VOCs near ground level below a mixed forest at Borden, Ontario. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. 2014;14:9087-9097.
AbstractUnderstanding of the atmosphere/forest canopy exchange of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) requires insight into the deposition, emission, and chemical reactions of VOCs below the canopy. Between 18 July and 9 August 2009, VOCs were measured with proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) at six heights between 1 and 6 m beneath a 23 m high mixed-forest canopy. Measured VOCs included methanol, isoprene, acetone, methacrolein and methyl vinyl ketone (MACR + MVK), monoterpenes, and sesquiterpenes. There are pronounced differences in the behaviour of isoprene and its by-products and that of the terpenes. Non-terpene mixing ratios increase with height, suggesting predominantly downward fluxes. In contrast, the terpene mixing ratios decrease with height, suggesting upward fluxes. A 1-D canopy model was used to compare results to measurements with and without surface deposition of isoprene and MACR + MVK and emissions of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Results suggest deposition velocities of 2.7 mm s(-1) for isoprene and 1.2 mm s(-1) for MACR + MVK and daytime surface emission rates of 63 mu g m(-2) h(-1) for monoterpenes. The modelled isoprene surface deposition is approximately 2% of the canopy-top isoprene emissions and the modelled emissions of monoterpenes comprise approximately 15 to 27% of the canopy-top monoterpene emissions to the atmosphere. These results suggest that surface monoterpene emissions are significant for forest canopy/atmosphere exchange for this mixed-forest location and surface uptake is relatively small for all the species measured in this study.
Buffaloe GM, Lack DA, Williams EJ, Coffman D, Hayden KL, Lerner BM, Li S-M, Nuaaman I, Massoli P, Onasch TB, et al. Black carbon emissions from in-use ships: a California regional assessment. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. 2014;14:1881-1896.
AbstractBlack carbon (BC) mass emission factors (EFBC; g BC (kg fuel)(-1)) from a variety of ocean-going vessels have been determined from measurements of BC and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in ship plumes intercepted by the R/V Atlantis during the 2010 California Nexus (CalNex) campaign. The ships encountered were all operating within 24 nautical miles of the California coast and were utilizing relatively low sulphur fuels (average fuel sulphur content of 0.4%, 0.09% and 0.03% for vessels operating slow-speed, medium-speed and high-speed diesel engines, respectively). Black carbon concentrations within the plumes, from which EFBC values are determined, were measured using four independent instruments: a photoacoustic spectrometer and a particle soot absorption photometer, which measure light absorption, and a single particle soot photometer and soot particle aerosol mass spectrometer, which measure the mass concentration of refractory BC directly. These measurements have been used to assess the level of agreement between these different techniques for the determination of BC emission factors from ship plumes. Also, these measurements greatly expand upon the number of individual ships for which BC emission factors have been determined during real-world operation. The measured EFBC's have been divided into vessel type categories and engine type categories, from which averages have been determined. The geometric average EFBC (excluding outliers) determined from over 71 vessels and 135 plumes encountered was 0.31 +/- 0.31 gBC (kg fuel)(-1), where the standard deviation represents the variability between individual vessels. The most frequent engine type encountered was the slow-speed diesel (SSD), and the most frequent SSD vessel type was the cargo ship sub-category. Average and median EFBC values from the SSD category are compared with previous observations from the Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS) in 2006, during which the ships encountered were predominately operating on high-sulphur fuels (average fuel sulphur content of 1.6 %). There is a statistically significant difference between the EFBC values from CalNex and TexAQS for SSD vessels and for the cargo and tanker ship types within this engine category. The CalNex EFBC values are lower than those from TexAQS, suggesting that operation on lower sulphur fuels is associated with smaller EFBC values.
Cappa CD, Williams EJ, Lack DA, Buffaloe GM, Coffman D, Hayden KL, Herndon SC, Lerner BM, Li S-M, Massoli P, et al. A case study into the measurement of ship emissions from plume intercepts of the NOAA ship Miller Freeman. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. 2014;14:1337-1352.
AbstractEmissions factors (EFs) for gas and sub-micron particle-phase species were measured in intercepted plumes as a function of vessel speed from an underway research vessel, the NOAA ship Miller Freeman, operating a medium-speed diesel engine on low-sulfur marine gas oil (fuel sulfur content similar to 0.1% by weight). The low-sulfur fuel in use conforms to the MARPOL fuel sulfur limit within emission control areas set to take effect in 2015 and to California-specific limits set to take effect in 2014. For many of the particle-phase species, EFs were determined using multiple measurement methodologies, allowing for an assessment of how well EFs from different techniques agree. The total sub-micron PM (PM1) was dominated by particulate black carbon (BC) and particulate organic matter (POM), with an average POM/BC ratio of 1.3. Consideration of the POM/BC ratios observed here with literature studies suggests that laboratory and in-stack measurement methods may overestimate primary POM EFs relative to those observed in emitted plumes. Comparison of four different methods for black carbon measurement indicates that careful attention must be paid to instrument limitations and biases when assessing EFBC. Particulate sulfate (SO42-) EFs were extremely small and the particles emitted by Miller Freeman were inefficient as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), even at high super saturations, consistent with the use of very low-sulfur fuel and the overall small emitted particle sizes. All measurement methodologies consistently demonstrate that the measured EFs (fuel mass basis) for PM1 mass, BC and POM decreased as the ship slowed. Particle number EFs were approximately constant across the speed change, with a shift towards smaller particles being emitted at slower speeds. Emissions factors for gas-phase CO and formaldehyde (HCHO) both increased as the vessel slowed, while EFs for NOx decreased and SO2 EFs were approximately constant.
Luo P, Ni H-G, Bao L-J, Li S-M, Zeng EY.
Size Distribution of Airborne Particle-Bound Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Its Implications for Dry and Wet Deposition. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. 2014;48:13793-13799.
AbstractSize distribution of particles in part dictates the environmental behavior of particle-bound organic pollutants in the atmosphere. The present study was conducted to examine the potential mechanisms responsible for the distribution of organic pollutants in size fractionated particles and their environmental implications, using an e-waste recycling zone in South China as a case study. Size-fractionated atmospheric particles were collected at the heights of 1.5, 5, and 20 m near two residential apartments and analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The concentrations of particle-bound SPBDE (sum of 18 PBDE congeners) were significantly greater at 5 and 20 m than those at 1.5 m. The size-fractionated distributions of airborne SPBDE displayed trimodal peaks in 0.10-0.18, 1.8-3.2, and 10-18 mu m at 1.5 m but only an unimodal peak in 1.0-1.8 mu m at 20 m height. Emission sources, resuspension of dust and soil, and volatility of PBDEs were important factors influencing the size distribution of particle-bound PBDEs. The dry deposition fluxes of particle-bound PBDE estimated from the measured data in the present study were approximately twice the estimated wet deposition fluxes, with a total deposition flux of 3000 ng m-2 d(-1). The relative contributions of particles to dry and wet deposition fluxes were also size-dependent, e.g., coarse (aerodynamic diameters (D-p) > 1.8 mu m) and fine (D-p < 1.8 mu m) particles dominated the dry and wet deposition fluxes of PBDEs, respectively.
Wong JPS, Liggio J, Li S-M, Nenes A, Abbatt JPD.
Suppression in droplet growth kinetics by the addition of organics to sulfate particles. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES. 2014;119:12222-12232.
AbstractAerosol-cloud interactions are affected by the rate at which water vapor condenses onto particles during cloud droplet growth. Changes in droplet growth rates can impact cloud droplet number and size distribution. The current study investigated droplet growth kinetics of acidic and neutral sulfate particles which contained various amounts and types of organic compounds, from model compounds (carbonyls) to complex mixtures (a-pinene secondary organic aerosol and diesel engine exhaust). In most cases, the formed droplet size distributions were shifted to smaller sizes relative to control experiments (pure sulfate particles), due to suppression in droplet growth rates in the cloud condensation nuclei counter. The shift to smaller droplets correlated with increasing amounts of organic material, with the largest effect observed for acidic seed particles at low relative humidity. For all organics incorporated onto acidic particles, formation of high molecular weight compounds was observed, probably by acid-catalyzed Aldol condensation reactions in the case of carbonyls. To test the reversibility of this process, carbonyl experiments were conducted with acidic particles exposed to higher relative humidity. High molecular weight compounds were not measured in this case and no shift in droplet sizes was observed, suggesting that high molecular weight compounds are the species affecting the rate of water uptake. While these results provide laboratory evidence that organic compounds can slow droplet growth rates, the modeled mass accommodation coefficient of water on these particles (alpha > 0.1) indicates that this effect is unlikely to significantly affect cloud properties, consistent with infrequent field observations of slower droplet growth rates.
2013
Lee AKY, Zhao R, Li R, Liggio J, Li S-M, Abbatt JPD.
Formation of Light Absorbing Organo-Nitrogen Species from Evaporation of Droplets Containing Glyoxal and Ammonium Sulfate. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. 2013;47:12819-12826.
AbstractIn the atmosphere, volatile organic compounds such as glyoxal can partition into aqueous droplets containing significant levels of inorganic salts. Upon droplet evaporation, both the organics and inorganic ions become highly concentrated, accelerating reactions between them. To demonstrate this process, we investigated the formation of organo-nitrogen and light absorbing materials in evaporating droplets containing glyoxal and different ammonium salts including (NH4)(2)SO4, NH4NO3, and NH4Cl. Our results demonstrate that evaporating glyoxal-(NH4)(2)SO4 droplets produce light absorbing species on a time scale of seconds, which is orders of magnitude faster than observed in bulk solutions. Using aerosol mass spectrometry, we show that particle-phase organics with high N:C ratios were formed when ammonium salts were used, and that the presence of sulfate ions promoted this chemistry. Since sulfate can also significantly enhance the Henry's law partitioning of glyoxal, our results highlight the atmospheric importance of such inorganic organic interactions in aqueous phase aerosol chemistry.
Wentzell JJB, Liggio J, Li S-M, Vlasenko A, Staebler R, Lu G, Poitras M-J, Chan T, Brook JR.
Measurements of Gas phase Acids in Diesel Exhaust: A Relevant Source of HNCO?. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. 2013;47:7663-7671.
AbstractGas-phase acids in light duty diesel (LDD) vehicle exhaust were measured using chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS). Fuel based emission factors (EF) and NOx ratios for these species were determined under differing steady state engine operating conditions. The derived HONO and HNO3 EFs agree well with literature values, with HONO being the single most important acidic emission. Of particular importance is the quantification of the EF for the toxic species, isocyanic acid (HNCO). The emission factors for HNCO ranged from 0.69 to 3.96 mg kg(fuel)(-1), and were significantly higher than previous biomass burning emission estimates. Further ambient urban measurements of HNCO demonstrated a clear relationship with the known traffic markers of benzene and toluene, demonstrating for the first time that urban commuter traffic is a source of HNCO. Estimates based upon the HNCO-benzene relationship indicate that upward of 23 tonnes of HNCO are released annually from commuter traffic in the Greater Toronto Area, far exceeding the amount possible from LDD alone. Nationally, 250 to 770 tonnes of HNCO may be emitted annually from on-road vehicles, likely representing the dominant source of exposure in urban areas, and with emissions comparable to that of biomass burning.
McWhinney RD, Badali K, Liggio J, Li S-M, Abbatt JPD.
Filterable Redox Cycling Activity: A Comparison between Diesel Exhaust Particles and Secondary Organic Aerosol Constituents. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. 2013;47:3362-3369.
AbstractThe redox activity of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) collected from a light-duty diesel passenger car engine was examined using the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. DEP was highly redox-active, causing DTT to decay at a rate of 23-61 pmol min(-1) mu g(-1) of particle used in the assay, which was an order of magnitude higher than ambient coarse and fine particulate matter (PM) collected from downtown Toronto. Only 2-11% of the redox activity was in the water-soluble portion, while the remainder occurred at the black carbon surface. This is in contrast to redox-active secondary organic aerosol constituents, in which upward of 90% of the activity occurs in the water-soluble fraction. The redox activity of DEP is not extractable by moderately polar (methanol) and nonpolar (dichloromethane) organic solvents, and is hypothesized to arise from redox-active moieties contiguous with the black carbon portion of the particles. These measurements illustrate that ``Filterable Redox Cycling Activity'' may therefore be useful to distinguish black carbon-based oxidative capacity from water-soluble organic-based activity. The difference in chemical environment leading to redox activity highlights the need to further examine the relationship between activity in the DTT assay and toxicology measurements across particles of different origins and composition.
Cappa CD, Onasch TB, Massoli P, Worsnop DR, Bates TS, Cross ES, Davidovits P, Hakala J, Hayden KL, Jobson TB, et al. Response to Comment on ``Radiative Absorption Enhancements Due to the Mixing State of Atmospheric Black Carbon''. SCIENCE. 2013;339.
AbstractJacobson argues that our statement that ``many climate models may overestimate warming by BC'' has not been demonstrated. Jacobson challenges our results on the basis that we have misinterpreted some model results, omitted optical focusing under high relative humidity conditions and by involatile components, and because our measurements consist of only two locations over short atmospheric time periods. We address each of these arguments, acknowledging important issues and clarifying some misconceptions, and stand by our observations. We acknowledge that Jacobson identified one detail in our experimental technique that places an additional constraint on the interpretation of our observations and reduces somewhat the potential consequences of the stated implications.
Weiss-Penzias PS, Williams EJ, Lerner BM, Bates TS, Gaston C, Prather K, Vlasenko A, Li SM.
Shipboard measurements of gaseous elemental mercury along the coast of Central and Southern California. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES. 2013;118:208-219.
AbstractGaseous elemental mercury (GEM) in the atmosphere was measured during an oceanographic cruise in coastal waters between San Diego and San Francisco, California during the CalNex 2010 campaign. The goal of the measurements was to quantify GEM in the various environments that the ship encountered, from urban outflow, the Port of Long Beach and associated shipping lanes, coastal waters affected by upwelling, the San Francisco Bay, and the Sacramento ship channel. Mean GEM for the whole cruise was 1.41 +/- 0.20 ng m(-3), indicating that background concentrations were predominantly observed. The ship's position was most often in waters off the coast of Los Angeles (74% of time with latitude <34.3 degrees N) and mean GEM for this section was not significantly (P > 0.05) higher than the whole cruise mean. South of 34.3 degrees N, GEM was observed to vary diurnally and as a function of wind direction, displaying significantly higher concentrations at night and in the morning associated with general transport from the land to the sea. GEM and CO concentrations were positively correlated with a slope of 0.0011 ng m(-3) ppbv(-1) (1.23 x 10(-7) mol mol(-1)) during periods identified as ``Los Angeles urban outflow'', which given the inventoried CO emissions for the region, suggests a larger source of GEM than is accounted for by the inventory. The timing of the diel maximum in GEM (9:00 local time) was intermediate between the maxima of CO and NO2 (6:00) and that of NO and SO2 (10:00-12:00), suggesting that a mixture of urban and industrial sources were contributing to GEM. There was no observable postsunrise dip in GEM concentrations due to reaction with atomic chlorine in the polluted coastal atmosphere. On three occasions, significantly higher GEM concentrations were observed while in the Port of Long Beach (similar to 7 ng m(-3)), and analyses of wind directions, ratios of GEM with other copollutants, and the composition of single particles, suggest that these plumes originated from the local waste incinerator in the Port area. A plume encounter from a large cargo ship allowed for the estimation of a mass-based emission factor for GEM (0.05 +/- 0.01 mg kg(-1) fuel burned). GEM enhancements observed in the Carquinez Straits, were lower than expected based on the observed NOx/SO2 ratios in the plumes and emissions inventories of the nearest oil refineries. In a region north of Monterey Bay known for upwelling, GEM in the air was positively correlated with dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in seawater and in the air. Using the observed GEM/DMS(g) relationship and the calculated mean DMS ocean-atmosphere flux for the cruise, an ocean-atmosphere flux of GEM of 0.017 +/- 0.009 mu mol m(-2) d(-1) was estimated. This flux was on the upper end of previously reported GEM ocean-atmosphere fluxes and should be verified with further measurements of Hg species in seawater and air. Citation: Weiss-Penzias, P. S., E. J. Williams, B. M. Lerner, T. S. Bates, C. Gaston, K. Prather, A. Vlasenko, and S. M. Li (2013), Shipboard measurements of gaseous elemental mercury along the coast of Central and Southern California. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 118, 208-219, doi: 10.1029/2012JD018463.
Liggio J, Li S-M.
A new source of oxygenated organic aerosol and oligomers. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. 2013;13:2989-3002.
AbstractA large oxygenated organic uptake to aerosols was observed when exposing ambient urban air to inorganic acidic and non-acidic sulfate seed aerosol. For non-acidic seed aerosol the uptake was attributed to the direct dissolution of primary vehicle exhaust gases into the aqueous aerosol fraction, and was correlated to the initial seed sulphate mass. The uptake of primary oxygenated organic gases to aerosols in this study represents a significant amount of organic aerosol (OA) that may be considered primary when compared to that reported for primary organic aerosol (POA), but is considerably more oxygenated (O : C similar to 0.3) than traditional POA. Consequently, a fraction of measured ambient oxygenated OA, which correlates with secondary sulphate, may in fact be of a primary, rather than secondary source. These results represent a new source of oxygenated OA on neutral aerosol and imply that the uptake of primary organic gases will occur in the ambient atmosphere, under dilute conditions, and in the presence of pre-existing SO4 aerosols which contain water. Conversely, under acidic seed aerosol conditions, oligomer formation was observed with the uptake of organics being enhanced by a factor of three or more compared to neutral aerosols, and in less than 2 min, representing an additional source of SOA to the atmosphere. This resulted in a trajectory in Van Krevelen space towards higher O : C (slope similar to -1.5), despite a lack of continual gas-phase oxidation in this closed system. The results demonstrate that high molecular weight species will form on acidic aerosols at the ambient level and mixture of organic gases, but are otherwise unaffected by subsequent aerosol neutralization, and that aerosol acidity will affect the organic O : C via aerosolphase reactions. These two processes, forming oxygenated POA under neutral conditions and SOA under acidic conditions can contribute to the total ambient OA mass and the evolution of ambient aerosol O : C ratios. This may be important for properly representing organic aerosol O: C ratios in air quality and climate models.
Petzold A, Ogren JA, Fiebig M, Laj P, Li S-M, Baltensperger U, Holzer-Popp T, Kinne S, Pappalardo G, Sugimoto N, et al. Recommendations for reporting ``black carbon'' measurements. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. 2013;13:8365-8379.
AbstractAlthough black carbon (BC) is one of the key atmospheric particulate components driving climate change and air quality, there is no agreement on the terminology that considers all aspects of specific properties, definitions, measurement methods, and related uncertainties. As a result, there is much ambiguity in the scientific literature of measurements and numerical models that refer to BC with different names and based on different properties of the particles, with no clear definition of the terms. The authors present here a recommended terminology to clarify the terms used for BC in atmospheric research, with the goal of establishing unambiguous links between terms, targeted material properties and associated measurement techniques.
2012
Herber AB, Haas C, Stone RS, Bottenheim JW, Liu P, Li S-M, Staebler RM, Strapp WJ, Dethloff K.
Regular airborne surveys of Arctic sea ice and atmosphere. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union [Internet]. 2012;93:41-42.
访问链接AbstractThe Arctic is undergoing rapid environmental change, manifested most dramatically by reductions in sea ice extent and thickness. The changes are attributed to anthropogenic effects related to greenhouse warming, with secondary contributions from changing ocean and wind currents as well as from pollutants, especially “absorbing” black carbon. The warmer Arctic air temperatures and new patterns of wind and ocean circulation have also contributed to a younger ice cover [Maslanik et al., 2011]. Specific factors that determine the temporal distribution of sea ice are poorly understood because few observations of key variables have been made in the central Arctic. For example, the planetary boundary layer (PBL), the lowest part of the atmosphere governed by interaction with Earth's surface, plays a critical role involving the exchange of momentum, heat, water vapor, trace gases, and aerosol particles. Satellites can provide limited observations of sea ice properties, but so far, accurate measurements of ice thickness or boundary layer properties have not been easily obtained. Although satellite retrievals of geophysical variables might be an essential source of information, their reliability remains questionable owing to inadequate spatial and/or temporal resolution and to a need for further validation.
Hoffmann A, Osterloh L, Stone R, Lampert A, Ritter C, Stock M, Tunved P, Hennig T, Boeckmann C, Li S-M, et al. Remote sensing and in-situ measurements of tropospheric aerosol, a PAMARCMiP case study. ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT. 2012;52:56-66.
AbstractIn this work, a closure experiment for tropospheric aerosol is presented. Aerosol size distributions and single scattering albedo from remote sensing data are compared to those measured in-situ. An aerosol pollution event on 4 April 2009 was observed by ground based and airborne lidar and photometer in and around Ny-Alesund, Spitsbergen, as well as by DMPS, nephelometer and particle soot absorption photometer at the nearby Zeppelin Mountain Research Station. The presented measurements were conducted in an area of 40 x 20 km around Ny-Alesund as part of the 2009 Polar Airborne Measurements and Arctic Regional Climate Model Simulation Project (PAMARCMiP). Aerosol mainly in the accumulation mode was found in the lower troposphere, however, enhanced backscattering was observed up to the tropopause altitude. A comparison of meteorological data available at different locations reveals a stable multi-layer-structure of the lower troposphere. It is followed by the retrieval of optical and microphysical aerosol parameters. Extinction values have been derived using two different methods, and it was found that extinction (especially in the UV) derived from Raman lidar data significantly surpasses the extinction derived from photometer AOD profiles. Airborne lidar data shows volume depolarization values to be less than 2.5% between 500 m and 2.5 km altitude, hence, particles in this range can be assumed to be of spherical shape. In-situ particle number concentrations measured at the Zeppelin Mountain Research Station at 474 m altitude peak at about 0.18 mu m diameter, which was also found for the microphysical inversion calculations performed at 850 m and 1500 m altitude. Number concentrations depend on the assumed extinction values, and slightly decrease with altitude as well as the effective particle diameter. A low imaginary part in the derived refractive index suggests weakly absorbing aerosols, which is confirmed by low black carbon concentrations, measured at the Zeppelin Mountain as well as on board the Polar 5 aircraft. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Liggio J, Gordon M, Smallwood G, Li S-M, Stroud C, Staebler R, Lu G, Lee P, Taylor B, Brook JR.
Are Emissions of Black Carbon from Gasoline Vehicles Underestimated? Insights from Near and On-Road Measurements. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. 2012;46:4819-4828.
AbstractMeasurements of black carbon (BC) with a high-sensitivity laser-induced incandescence (HS-LII) instrument and a single particle soot photometer (SP2) were conducted upwind, downwind, and while driving on a highway dominated by gasoline vehicles. The results are used with concurrent CO2 measurements to derive fuel-based BC emission factors for real-world average fleet and heavy-duty diesel vehicles separately. The derived emission factors from both instruments are compared, and a low SP2 bias (relative to the HS-LII) is found to be caused by a BC mass mode diameter less than 75 nm, that is most prominent with the gasoline fleet but is not present in the heavy-duty diesel vehicle exhaust on the highway. Results from both the LII and the SP2 demonstrate that the BC emission factors from gasoline vehicles are at least a factor of 2 higher than previous North American measurements, and a factor of 9 higher than currently used emission inventories in Canada, derived with the MOBILE 6.2C model. Conversely, the measured BC emission factor for heavy-duty diesel vehicles is in reasonable agreement with previous measurements. The results suggest that greater attention must be paid to black carbon from gasoline engines to obtain a full understanding of the impact of black carbon on air quality and climate and to devise appropriate mitigation strategies.
Pierce JR, Leaitch WR, Liggio J, Westervelt DM, Wainwright CD, Abbatt JPD, Ahlm L, Al-Basheer W, Cziczo DJ, Hayden KL, et al. Nucleation and condensational growth to CCN sizes during a sustained pristine biogenic SOA event in a forested mountain valley. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. 2012;12:3147-3163.
AbstractThe Whistler Aerosol and Cloud Study (WACS 2010), included intensive measurements of trace gases and particles at two sites on Whistler Mountain. Between 6-11 July 2010 there was a sustained high-pressure system over the region with cloud-free conditions and the highest temperatures of the study. During this period, the organic aerosol concentrations rose from < 1 mu g m(-3) to similar to 6 mu g m(-3). Precursor gas and aerosol composition measurements show that these organics were almost entirely of secondary biogenic nature. Throughout 6-11 July, the anthropogenic influence was minimal with sulfate concentrations < 0.2 mu g m(-3) and SO2 mixing ratios approximate to 0.05-0.1 ppbv. Thus, this case provides excellent conditions to probe the role of biogenic secondary organic aerosol in aerosol microphysics. Although SO2 mixing ratios were relatively low, box-model simulations show that nucleation and growth may be modeled accurately if J(nuc) = 3 x 10(-7)[H2SO4] and the organics are treated as effectively non-volatile. Due to the low condensation sink and the fast condensation rate of organics, the nucleated particles grew rapidly (2-5 nm h(-1)) with a 10-25% probability of growing to CCN sizes (100 nm) in the first two days as opposed to being scavenged by coagulation with larger particles. The nucleated particles were observed to grow to similar to 200 nm after three days. Comparisons of size-distribution with CCN data show that particle hygroscopicity (kappa) was similar to 0.1 for particles larger 150 nm, but for smaller particles near 100 nm the kappa value decreased near midway through the period from 0.17 to less than 0.06. In this environment of little anthropogenic influence and low SO2, the rapid growth rates of the regionally nucleated particles - due to condensation of biogenic SOA - results in an unusually high efficiency of conversion of the nucleated particles to CCN. Consequently, despite the low SO2, nucleation/growth appear to be the dominant source of particle number.
Wagner NL, Riedel TP, Roberts JM, Thornton JA, Angevine WM, Williams EJ, Lerner BM, Vlasenko A, Li SM, Dube WP, et al. The sea breeze/land breeze circulation in Los Angeles and its influence on nitryl chloride production in this region. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES. 2012;117.
AbstractThe sea breeze/land breeze diurnal circulation within the Los Angeles Basin and adjacent waters transports marine air into the basin during the day and urban air to Santa Monica Bay during the night. Nitryl chloride, ClNO2 is a nocturnal trace gas formed from the heterogeneous reaction of dinitrogen pentaoxide (N2O5) with chloride containing aerosol. Its photolysis after sunrise produces atomic chlorine radicals and regenerates NO2, both of which may increase ozone production. Mixing of the chloride source from marine sea salt with the urban NOx source in Los Angeles provides conditions ideal for the production of ClNO2. This paper presents an analysis using a wind profiler on the coast and measurements of ClNO2 and its precursors made from both ship and aircraft to assess the prevailing meteorological conditions important for ClNO2 production in this region, with a particular focus on the production over water within the land breeze phase of the circulation. A box model is used to calculate an upper limit to the amount of ClNO2 capable of being produced strictly over Santa Monica Bay during the land breeze. On three out of the four nights of ClNO2 measurements in Santa Monica Bay, the ClNO2 exceeds the upper limit calculated using the box model and shows that the majority of the ClNO2 is produced over the city and transported to Santa Monica Bay by the land breeze. This ClNO2 transport suggests the sea breeze more efficiently transports aerosol chloride inland than land breeze transports NOx offshore.
Riedel TP, Bertram TH, Crisp TA, Williams EJ, Lerner BM, Vlasenko A, Li S-M, Gilman J, de Gouw J, Bon DM, et al. Nitryl Chloride and Molecular Chlorine in the Coastal Marine Boundary Layer. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. 2012;46:10463-10470.
AbstractThe magnitude and sources of chlorine atoms in marine air remain highly uncertain but have potentially important consequences for air quality in polluted coastal regions. We made continuous measurements of ambient ClNO2 and Cl-2 concentrations from May 15 to June 8 aboard the Research Vessel Atlantis during the CalNex 2010 field study. In the Los Angeles region, ClNO2 was more ubiquitous than Cl-2 during most nights of the study period. ClNO2 and Cl-2 ranged from detection limits at midday to campaign maximum values at night reaching 2100 and 200 pptv, respectively. The maxima were observed in Santa Monica Bay when sampling the Los Angeles urban plume. Cl-2 at times appeared well correlated with ClNO2, but at other times, there was little to no correlation implying distinct and varying sources. Well-confined Cl-2 plumes were observed, largely independent of ClNO2, providing support for localized industrial emissions of reactive chlorine. Observations of ClNO2, Cl-2, and HCl are used to constrain a simple box model that predicts their relative importance as chlorine atom sources in the polluted marine boundary layer. In contrast to the emphasis in previous studies, ClNO2 and HCl are dominant primary chlorine atom sources for the Los Angeles basin.
Gordon M, Staebler RM, Liggio J, Makar P, Li S-M, Wentzell J, Lu G, Lee P, Brook JR.
Measurements of Enhanced Turbulent Mixing near Highways. JOURNAL OF APPLIED METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. 2012;51:1618-1632.
AbstractIn August and September of 2010, measurements of turbulent fluxes and turbulent kinetic energy were made on highways in the Toronto area (Ontario, Canada). In situ turbulence measurements were made with a mobile laboratory while driving on the highway with traffic. Results demonstrate that the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) spectrum is significantly enhanced on and near the highway by traffic for frequencies above 0.015 Hz. The decay of TKE with distance behind vehicles is well approximated by power-law curves. The strongest increase in TKE is seen while following heavy-duty trucks, primarily for frequencies above 0.7 Hz. From these results, a parameterization of on-road TKE enhancement is developed that is based on vehicle type and traffic-flow rate. TKE with distance downwind of the highway also decays following a power law. The enhancement of roadside TKE is shown to be strongly dependent on traffic flow. The effect of vehicle-induced turbulence on vertical mixing was studied by comparing parameterized TKE enhancement with the typical TKE predictions from the Global Environmental Multiscale weather forecast to predict the potential increase in vertical diffusion that results from highway traffic. It is demonstrated that this increase in TKE by traffic may be locally significant, especially in the early morning.