Fungal spores overwhelm biogenic organic aerosols in a midlatitudinal forest

Both primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) and oxidation products of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) contribute significantly to organic aerosols (OAs) in forested regions. However, little is known about their relative importance in diurnal timescales. Here, we report biomarkers of PBAP and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) for their diurnal variability in a temperate coniferous forest in Wakayama, Japan. Tracers of fungal spores, trehalose, arabitol and mannitol, showed significantly higher levels in nighttime than daytime (p＜0.05), resulting from the nocturnal sporulation under near-saturated relative humidity. On the contrary, BVOC oxidation products showed higher levels in daytime than nighttime, indicating substantial photochemical SOA formation. Using tracer-based methods, we estimated that fungal spores account for 45％ of organic carbon (OC) in nighttime and 22％ in daytime, whereas BVOC oxidation products account for 15 and 19％, respectively. To our knowledge, we present for the first time highly time-resolved results that fungal spores overwhelmed BVOC oxidation products in contributing to OA especially in nighttime. This study emphasizes the importance of both PBAPs and SOAs in forming forest organic aerosols

PITCHING ACCURACY IN PROFFESSIONAL, HIGH SCHOOL AND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL PITCHERS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in pitching accuracy among three different age groups. Professional (n=5), high school (n=8), and junior high school (n=11) pitchers were tested. To determine pitching accuracy, pitch locations relative to the catcher’s mitt were fitted to a bivariate normal distribution and a 90% confidence ellipse was obtained for each pitcher. Significant main effects were observed for age group in all of the parameters analysed, including: area, major radius and minor radius. There were significant differences in the minor and major radii of the 90% confidence ellipses between professional and junior high school players. The pitching accuracy of high school and professional players was also significantly greater than that of junior high school players. The superior pitching accuracy demonstrated by professional pitchers may be an important motor skill that is required to pitch at the professional level

DEVELOPMENT OF THROWING ACCURACY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HANDBALL PLAYERS

The purpose of this study was to investigate throwing accuracy in children aged 7-12 belonging to hand ball dub team. Participants were divided into three age groups and performed 30 overhand throws. Three sessions in each of 3 conditions of optimum, accurate, and speed conscious throws to a target 7m from the thrower were examined. Throw Location (TL), Ball Speed and Radial Error (RE) were obtained from each session. The minimum RE was 20.9cm performed by a 12 years old girl in the accuracy conscious session. The significant differences were observed for age groups in all of the three conditions analysed. In age of 11-12, speed-accuracy trade-off was observed. The current data showed distribution of TL became smaller with older age, indicating development of accuracy. The greater development was observed between age 7 to 9 compared to age 9 to 12

Ice core records of monoterpene- and isoprene-SOA tracers from Aurora Peak in Alaska since 1660s: Implication for climate change variability in the North Pacific Rim

Monoterpene and isoprene secondary organic aerosol (SOA) tracers are reported for the first time in an Alaskan ice core to better understand the biological source strength before and after the industrial revolution in the Northern Hemisphere. We found significantly high concentrations of monoterpene- and isoprene-SOA tracers (e.g., pinic, pinonic, and 2-methylglyceric acids, 2-methylthreitol and 2-methylerythritol) in the ice core, which show historical trends with good correlation to each other since 1660s. They show positive correlations with sugar compounds (e.g., mannitol, fructose, glucose, inositol and sucrose), and anti-correlations with alpha-dicarbonyls (glyoxal and methylglyoxal) and fatty acids (e.g., C-18:1) in the same ice core. These results suggest similar sources and transport pathways for monoterpene- and isoprene-SOA tracers. In addition, we found that concentrations of C-5-alkene triols (e.g., 3-methyl-2,3,4-trihydroxy-1-butene, cis-2-methyl 1,3,4-trihydroxy-1-butene and trans-2-methyl-1,3,4-trihydroxy-1-butene) in the ice core have increased after the Great Pacific Climate Shift (late 1970s). They show positive correlations with a-dicarbonyls and fatty acids (e.g., C-18:1) in the ice core, suggesting that enhanced oceanic emissions of biogenic organic compounds through the marine boundary layer are recorded in the ice core from Alaska. Photochemical oxidation process for these monoterpene- and isoprene-/sesquiterpene-SOA tracers are suggested to be linked with the periodicity of multi-decadal climate oscillations and retreat of sea ice in the Northern Hemisphere. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Multiphase MCM-CAPRAM modeling of the formation and processing of secondary aerosol constituents observed during the Mt. Tai summer campaign in 2014

Despite the high abundance of secondary aerosols in the atmosphere, their formation mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) and the Chemical Aqueous-Phase Radical Mechanism (CAPRAM) are used to investigate the multiphase formation and processing of secondary aerosol constituents during the advection of air masses towards the measurement site of Mt. Tai in northern China. Trajectories with and without chemical–cloud interaction are modeled. Modeled radical and non-radical concentrations demonstrate that the summit of Mt. Tai, with an altitude of ∼1.5 km a.m.s.l., is characterized by a suburban oxidants budget. The modeled maximum gas-phase concentrations of the OH radical are 3.2×106 and 3.5×106 molec. cm−3 in simulations with and without cloud passages in the air parcel, respectively. In contrast with previous studies at Mt. Tai, this study has modeled chemical formation processes of secondary aerosol constituents under day vs. night and cloud vs. non-cloud cases along the trajectories towards Mt. Tai in detail. The model studies show that sulfate is mainly produced in simulations where the air parcel is influenced by cloud chemistry. Under the simulated conditions, the aqueous reaction of HSO−3 with H2O2 is the major contributor to sulfate formation, contributing 67 % and 60 % in the simulations with cloud and non-cloud passages, respectively. The modeled nitrate formation is higher at nighttime than during daytime. The major pathway is aqueous-phase N2O5 hydrolysis, with a contribution of 72 % when cloud passages are considered and 70 % when they are not. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) compounds, e.g., glyoxylic, oxalic, pyruvic and malonic acid, are found to be mostly produced from the aqueous oxidations of hydrated glyoxal, hydrated glyoxylic acid, nitro-2-oxopropanoate and hydrated 3-oxopropanoic acid, respectively. Sensitivity studies reveal that gaseous volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions have a huge impact on the concentrations of modeled secondary aerosol compounds. Increasing the VOC emissions by a factor of 2 leads to linearly increased concentrations of the corresponding SOA compounds. Studies using the relative incremental reactivity (RIR) method have identified isoprene, 1,3-butadiene and toluene as the key precursors for glyoxylic and oxalic acid, but only isoprene is found to be a key precursor for pyruvic acid. Additionally, the model investigations demonstrate that an increased aerosol partitioning of glyoxal can play an important role in the aqueous-phase formation of glyoxylic and oxalic acid. Overall, the present study is the first that provides more detailed insights in the formation pathways of secondary aerosol constituents at Mt. Tai and clearly emphasizes the importance of aqueous-phase chemical processes on the production of multifunctional carboxylic acids

Historical trends of biogenic SOA tracers in an ice core from Kamchatka Peninsula

Biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is ubiquitous in the Earth’s atmosphere, influencing climate and air quality. However, the historical trend of biogenic SOA is not well known. Here, we report for the first time the major isoprene- and monoterpene-derived SOA tracers preserved in an ice core from the Kamchatka Peninsula. Significant variations are recorded during the past 300 years with lower concentrations in the early-to-middle 19th century and higher concentrations in the preindustrial period and the present day. We discovered that isoprene SOA tracers were more abundant in the preindustrial period than the present day, while monoterpene SOA tracers stay almost unchanged. The causes of the observed variability are complex, depending on atmospheric circulation, changes in emissions, and other factors such as tropospheric oxidative capacity. Our data presents an unprecedented opportunity to shed light on the formation, evolution, and fate of atmospheric aerosols and to constrain the uncertainties associated with modeling their atmospheric concentrations

Genomic identification of the long-chain alkenone producer in freshwater Lake Toyoni, Japan: implications for temperature reconstructions

Identifying the lacustrine haptophyte species that produce long-chain alkenones (LCAs) is essential prior to down-core temperature reconstructions. Here, we investigated the identity of LCA-producing species from Lake Toyoni, Japan using 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and organic geochemical analyses. The rDNA analyses identified eighteen operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of which only one fell within the haptophyte phylotype. This haptophyte belongs to the Group I phylotype, as supported by the LCA distribution found in surface and down-core sediments, and is closely related to a haptophyte found in Lake BrayaSø (Greenland). The inferred temperature using the Greenland calibration is very close to the Lake Toyoni surface temperature recorded during the spring/early summer season, when the LCA-producing haptophyte is likely to bloom. We therefore suggest that the temperature calibration from the Lake BrayaSø, Greenland is a suitable calibration for down-core temperature reconstructions at Lake Toyoni

Aerosol particles collected on aircraft flights over the northwestern Pacific region during the ACE-Asia campaign: Composition and major sources of the organic compounds

Atmospheric particulate matter, collected over the polluted east Asia/Pacific region in spring 2001 during research flights with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) C-130 aircraft, was analyzed for different types of organic compounds using capillary gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. More than 70 organic species were detected in the aerosols and grouped into different compound classes on the basis of functional groups, including n-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fatty acids, dehydroabietic acid, alkanols, water-soluble sugars (including glucose, sucrose, mycose, and levoglucosan), monocarboxylic and dicarboxylic acids, urea, and phthalates. Interestingly, the water-soluble compounds (72–133 ng m–3) were found to account for 16–50% (average 34%) of the total identified compound mass (TCM). Organic compounds were further categorized into several groups to suggest their sources. Fossil fuel combustion was recognized as the most significant source for the TCM (contributing 33–80% of TCM, average 50%), followed by soil resuspension (5–25%, average 19%) and secondary oxidation products (4–15%, average 9%). In contrast, the contribution of natural sources such as terrestrial plant wax and marine lipids (fatty acids and alkanols) was relatively small (3.4% and 9.4% on average, respectively). Biomass burning was suggested to contribute only a minor portion to the TCM of the Asian aerosols during the spring season (1.4% on average based on levoglucosan). However, levoglucosan may have been hydrolyzed and/or oxidized in part during long-range transport, and therefore this value represents a lower limit. The organic compound compositions of these samples are very different from those reported for aerosol particles of the Atlantic Ocean and from the earlier data for the mid-Pacific in terms of the abundant presence of water-soluble compounds consisting of saccharides, anhydrosaccharides, and the secondary dicarboxylic acids. This study demonstrated that the organic tracer approach can be carried out on small samples acquired on aircraft and is useful to better understand the sources of organic aerosols over the Asia/Pacific region

Carbonaceous aerosol tracers in ice-cores record multi-decadal climate oscillations

Carbonaceous aerosols influence the climate via direct and indirect effects on radiative balance. However, the factors controlling the emissions, transport and role of carbonaceous aerosols in the climate system are highly uncertain. Here we investigate organic tracers in ice cores from Greenland and Kamchatka and find that, throughout the period covered by the records (1550 to 2000 CE), the concentrations and composition of biomass burning-, soil bacterial- and plant wax- tracers correspond to Arctic and regional temperatures as well as the warm season Arctic Oscillation (AO) over multi-decadal time-scales. Specifically, order of magnitude decreases (increases) in abundances of ice-core organic tracers, likely representing significant decreases (increases) in the atmospheric loading of carbonaceous aerosols, occur during colder (warmer) phases in the high latitudinal Northern Hemisphere. This raises questions about causality and possible carbonaceous aerosol feedback mechanisms. Our work opens new avenues for ice core research. Translating concentrations of organic tracers (μg/kg-ice or TOC) from ice-cores, into estimates of the atmospheric loading of carbonaceous aerosols (μg/m(3)) combined with new model constraints on the strength and sign of climate forcing by carbonaceous aerosols should be a priority for future research