Soot superaggregates from flaming wildfires and their direct radiative forcing
Abstract
Wildfires contribute significantly to global soot emissions, yet their aerosol formation mechanisms and resulting particle properties are poorly understood and parameterized in climate models. The conventional view holds that soot is formed via the cluster-dilute aggregation mechanism in wildfires and emitted as aggregates with fractal dimension Df < 1.8 mobility diameter Dm # 1 mm, and aerodynamic diameter Da# 300 nm. Here we report the ubiquitous presence of soot superaggregates (SAs) in the outflow from a major wildfire in India. SAs are porous, low-density aggregates of cluster-dilute aggregates with characteristic Df< 2.6, Dm . 1 mm, and Da# 300 nm that form via the cluster-dense aggregation mechanism. We present additional observations of soot SAs in wildfire smoke-laden air masses over Northern California, New Mexico, and Mexico City. We estimate that SAs contribute, per unit optical depth, up to 35% less atmospheric warming than freshly-emitted (Df < 1.8) aggregates, and <90% more warming than the volume-equivalent spherical soot particles simulated in climate models.
- Authors:
-
- Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States). Dept. of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering; Nevada System of Higher Education, Reno, NV (United States). Desert Research Inst.
- Nevada System of Higher Education, Reno, NV (United States). Desert Research Inst.
- Michigan Technological Univ., Houghton, MI (United States). Atmospheric Sciences Program
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Earth System Observations
- NASA Goddard Inst. for Space Studies (GISS), New York, NY (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Michigan Technological Univ., Houghton, MI (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1624726
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0010019
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Scientific Reports
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 4; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Science & Technology - Other Topics
Citation Formats
Chakrabarty, Rajan K., Beres, Nicholas D., Moosmüller, Hans, China, Swarup, Mazzoleni, Claudio, Dubey, Manvendra K., Liu, Li, and Mishchenko, Michael I. Soot superaggregates from flaming wildfires and their direct radiative forcing. United States: N. p., 2014.
Web. doi:10.1038/srep05508.
Chakrabarty, Rajan K., Beres, Nicholas D., Moosmüller, Hans, China, Swarup, Mazzoleni, Claudio, Dubey, Manvendra K., Liu, Li, & Mishchenko, Michael I. Soot superaggregates from flaming wildfires and their direct radiative forcing. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep05508
Chakrabarty, Rajan K., Beres, Nicholas D., Moosmüller, Hans, China, Swarup, Mazzoleni, Claudio, Dubey, Manvendra K., Liu, Li, and Mishchenko, Michael I. Tue .
"Soot superaggregates from flaming wildfires and their direct radiative forcing". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep05508. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1624726.
@article{osti_1624726,
title = {Soot superaggregates from flaming wildfires and their direct radiative forcing},
author = {Chakrabarty, Rajan K. and Beres, Nicholas D. and Moosmüller, Hans and China, Swarup and Mazzoleni, Claudio and Dubey, Manvendra K. and Liu, Li and Mishchenko, Michael I.},
abstractNote = {Wildfires contribute significantly to global soot emissions, yet their aerosol formation mechanisms and resulting particle properties are poorly understood and parameterized in climate models. The conventional view holds that soot is formed via the cluster-dilute aggregation mechanism in wildfires and emitted as aggregates with fractal dimension Df < 1.8 mobility diameter Dm # 1 mm, and aerodynamic diameter Da# 300 nm. Here we report the ubiquitous presence of soot superaggregates (SAs) in the outflow from a major wildfire in India. SAs are porous, low-density aggregates of cluster-dilute aggregates with characteristic Df< 2.6, Dm . 1 mm, and Da# 300 nm that form via the cluster-dense aggregation mechanism. We present additional observations of soot SAs in wildfire smoke-laden air masses over Northern California, New Mexico, and Mexico City. We estimate that SAs contribute, per unit optical depth, up to 35% less atmospheric warming than freshly-emitted (Df < 1.8) aggregates, and <90% more warming than the volume-equivalent spherical soot particles simulated in climate models.},
doi = {10.1038/srep05508},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 1,
volume = 4,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}
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