2 research outputs found
Contribution of Nitrated Phenols to Wood Burning Brown Carbon Light Absorption in Detling, United Kingdom during Winter Time
We
show for the first time quantitative online measurements of
five nitrated phenol (NP) compounds in ambient air (nitrophenol C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>NO<sub>3</sub>, methylnitrophenol C<sub>7</sub>H<sub>7</sub>NO<sub>3</sub>, nitrocatechol C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>NO<sub>4</sub>, methylnitrocatechol C<sub>7</sub>H<sub>7</sub>NO<sub>4</sub>, and dinitrophenol C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>N<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>) measured with a micro-orifice volatilization impactor
(MOVI) high-resolution chemical ionization mass spectrometer in Detling,
United Kingdom during JanuaryāFebruary, 2012. NPs absorb radiation
in the near-ultraviolet (UV) range of the electromagnetic spectrum
and thus are potential components of poorly characterized light-absorbing
organic matter (ābrown carbonā) which can affect the
climate and air quality. Total NP concentrations varied between less
than 1 and 98 ng m<sup>ā3</sup>, with a mean value of 20 ng
m<sup>ā3</sup>. We conclude that NPs measured in Detling have
a significant contribution from biomass burning with an estimated
emission factor of 0.2 ng (ppb CO)<sup>ā1</sup>. Particle light
absorption measurements by a seven-wavelength aethalometer in the
near-UV (370 nm) and literature values of molecular absorption cross
sections are used to estimate the contribution of NP to wood burning
brown carbon UV light absorption. We show that these five NPs are
potentially important contributors to absorption at 370 nm measured
by an aethalometer and account for 4 Ā± 2% of UV light absorption
by brown carbon. They can thus affect atmospheric radiative transfer
and photochemistry and with that climate and air quality
Regional Influence of Aerosol Emissions from Wildfires Driven by Combustion Efficiency: Insights from the BBOP Campaign
Wildfires
are important contributors to atmospheric aerosols and
a large source of emissions that impact regional air quality and global
climate. In this study, the regional and nearfield influences of wildfire
emissions on ambient aerosol concentration and chemical properties
in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States were studied
using real-time measurements from a fixed ground site located in Central
Oregon at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory (ā¼2700 m a.s.l.) as
well as near their sources using an aircraft. The regional characteristics
of biomass burning aerosols were found to depend strongly on the modified
combustion efficiency (MCE), an index of the combustion processes
of a fire. Organic aerosol emissions had negative correlations with
MCE, whereas the oxidation state of organic aerosol increased with
MCE and plume aging. The relationships between the aerosol properties
and MCE were consistent between fresh emissions (ā¼1 h old)
and emissions sampled after atmospheric transport (6ā45 h),
suggesting that biomass burning organic aerosol concentration and
chemical properties were strongly influenced by combustion processes
at the source and conserved to a significant extent during regional
transport. These results suggest that MCE can be a useful metric for
describing aerosol properties of wildfire emissions and their impacts
on regional air quality and global climate