Carbonaceous aerosols from prescribed burning of a boreal forest ecosystem

Conference · Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:5702377

Mazurek, M A ^[1]; Cofer, III, W R; Levine, J S ^[2]

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1. Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
2. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Hampton, VA (United States). Langley Research Center

The identity and ambient mass concentrations of radiatively important carbonaceous aerosols were measured for a boreal forest prescribed burn conducted in northern Ontario, CAN in August 1989. Nonsize-segregated airborne particles were collected for smoldering-fire and full-fire conditions using a helicopter sampling platform. Total carbon (TC), organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were measured. Smoke plume mass concentrations of the OC and EC particles were greatest for full-fire conditions and had ranges of 1.560 to 2.160 mg/m{sup {minus}1} (OC) and 0.120 to 0.160 mg/m{sup {minus}3} (EC) with OC:EC ratios of 10 to 18, respectively. Smoldering fire conditions showed smoke plume OC and EC levels of 0.570--1.030 mg/m{sup {minus}3} (OC) and 0.006--0.050 mg/m{sup {minus}3} (EC) and much higher ratios of OC:EC (21 to 95). These aerosol data indicate the formation of EC particles is greatest during full-fire combustion of boreal forest material relative to smoldering combustion. However, EC particles comprise a minor fraction of the particulate carbon smoke aerosols for both full-fire and smoldering conditions; the major component of carbonaceous smoke aerosols emitted during the prescribed burn is OC. Overall, the OC and EC in-plume smoke aerosol data show nonuniform production of these particles during various stages of the prescribed burn, and major differences in the type of carbonaceous aerosol that is generated (OC versus EC).

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 5702377
• Report Number(s): BNL-43546-Rev.; CONF-900355-2-Rev.; ON: DE92007453
• Resource Relation: Conference: Chapman conference on global biomass burning: atmospheric, climatic, and biospheric implications, Williamsburg, VA (United States), 19-23 Mar 1990
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BOREAL REGIONS
ECOSYSTEMS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
AEROSOLS
PLUMES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CARBON
COMBUSTION
DATA ACQUISITION
DATA ANALYSIS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
FIRES
ONTARIO
SAMPLING
CANADA
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COLLOIDS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
MATERIALS
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDATION
SOLS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)