Biogenic and anthropogenic carbonaceous aerosols and their precursors within a forest canopy

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:7009633

Tanner, R L; Gaffney, J S

The purpose of this study is to explore the use of thermal evolution techniques, /sup 14/C and /sup 13/C isotopic measurements, and allied approaches for distinguishing carbonaceous aerosol source terms using new data acquired in a forest canopy study - POLlutant - TERpene CAnopy Interaction STudy (POLTERCAIST) - conducted using instrumented towers near Oak Ridge, TN, July 1983 and March 1984. A thermal evolution technique is used to differentiate organic from elemental carbon in aerosol samples. Carbon-14 measurements using gas proportional counting are used to distinguish biogenic carbon (equilibrated with atmospheric /sup 14/CO/sub 2/) from anthropogenic carbon, the latter overwhelmingly fossil fuel-derived and thence containing no /sup 14/C (half-life approx. = 5800 yr). /sup 13/C//sup 12/C isotopic ratios are measured to correct for fractionation but also allow differentiation of C4 and C3 plant material, e.g. slash-burning of crop residues from wood-burning sources. Previous data from a weekly sample taken at the BNL site on Long Island, NY and from a composite sample taken at Barrow, AK (March 1981), indicate about 30% biogenic sources with /sup 13/C//sup 12/C ratios appropriate for a mix of wood-burning and fossil fuel sources. 31 references, 2 figures, 3 tables.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 7009633
• Report Number(s): BNL-34740; CONF-840612-7; ON: DE84011845
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AEROSOL MONITORING
AEROSOLS
ALASKA
AMMONIA
CARBON
CHALCOGENIDES
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COLLOIDS
DAILY VARIATIONS
DATA
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION II
FEDERAL REGION IV
FEDERAL REGION X
FORESTS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INORGANIC ACIDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LEAD
MANGANESE
METALS
MONITORING
NEW YORK
NITRATES
NITRIC ACID
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION SOURCES
SOLS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
SULFURIC ACID
TENNESSEE
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
USA
VARIATIONS