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Title: Influence of Emissions and Aqueous Processing on Particles Containing Black Carbon in a Polluted Urban Environment: Insights From a Soot Particle-Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017jd027851· OSTI ID:1537325

Abstract Inorganic and organic coatings on black carbon (BC) particles can enhance light absorption and affect atmospheric lifetimes of BC‐containing particles and thus have significant implications for climate. To study the physical and chemical characteristics of atmospheric BC and BC‐associated coatings, a soot particle‐aerosol mass spectrometer was deployed during the winter of 2014–2015 in Fresno, a city located in the San Joaquin Valley of California, to selectively analyze BC‐containing particles. Comparing soot particle‐aerosol mass spectrometer measurements to those from the collocated single‐particle soot photometer (SP2) and high‐resolution aerosol mass spectrometer, we found that 17% of total submicrometer aerosol mass was associated with BC‐containing particles, suggesting that a majority of the fine particles in Fresno contained no BC. Most BC‐containing particles appeared to be associated with residential wood burning and vehicular traffic. These particles typically had a bulk‐average mass ratio of coating to BC ( R coat/rBC ) less than 2. However, during periods of persistent fog larger R coat/rBC values were observed, with the coatings primarily composed of secondary inorganic and organic components that likely resulted from aqueous‐phase processing. Specifically, compared to periods with less fog, the BC coating increased in concentration and contained a larger fraction of nitrate and oxidized organic matter. The size distributions of BC and associated organic coating were generally centered around 300 nm in vacuum aerodynamic diameter. However, during foggy periods BC had an additional peak at ~400 nm and organics and nitrate displayed a prominent mode in the accumulation size range.

Research Organization:
Aerodyne Research, Inc., Billerica, MA (United States); Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-07ER84890; SC0014620; DE‐SC0014620; DE‐FG02‐07ER84890
OSTI ID:
1537325
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1457592
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 123, Issue 12; ISSN 2169-897X
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 30 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (6)

Characterization of black carbon-containing fine particles in Beijing during wintertime journal January 2019
Droplet activation behaviour of atmospheric black carbon particles in fog as a function of their size and mixing state journal January 2019
An inter-comparison of black-carbon-related instruments in a laboratory study of biomass burning aerosol journal October 2018
The characteristics of atmospheric brown carbon in Xi'an, inland China: sources, size distributions and optical properties journal January 2020
Modeling of aerosol property evolution during winter haze episodes over a megacity cluster in northern China: roles of regional transport and heterogeneous reactions of SO2 journal January 2019
An inter-comparison of black-carbon-related instruments in a laboratory study of biomass burning aerosol text January 2018

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