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Title: Chemical Imaging of Ambient Aerosol Particles: Observational Constraints on Mixing State Parameterization

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (Online)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023480· OSTI ID:1229980

A new parameterization for quantifying the mixing state of aerosol populations has been applied for the first time to samples of ambient particles analyzed using spectro-microscopy techniques. Scanning transmission x-ray microscopy/near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (STXM/NEXAFS) and computer controlled scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (CCSEM/EDX) were used to probe the composition of the organic and inorganic fraction of individual particles collected on June 27th and 28th during the 2010 Carbonaceous Aerosols and Radiative Effects (CARES) study in the Central Valley, California. The first field site, T0, was located in downtown Sacramento, while T1 was located near the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mass estimates of the aerosol particle components were used to calculate mixing state metrics, such as the particle-specific diversity, bulk population diversity, and mixing state index, for each sample. Both microscopy imaging techniques showed more changes over these two days in the mixing state at the T0 site than at the T1 site. The STXM data showed evidence of changes in the mixing state associated with a build-up of organic matter confirmed by collocated measurements and the largest impact on the mixing state was due to an increase in soot dominant particles during this build-up. The CCSEM/EDX analysis showed the presence of two types of particle populations; the first was dominated by aged sea salt particles and had a higher mixing state index (indicating a more homogeneous population), the second was dominated by carbonaceous particles and had a lower mixing state index.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1229980
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-109208; 47949; 48009; 47937; KP1701000
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (Online), Vol. 120, Issue 18; ISSN 2169-8996
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (10)

Aerosol Mixing State: Measurements, Modeling, and Impacts journal May 2019
Methodology for quantifying the volatile mixing state of an aerosol journal May 2016
A Review of the Representation of Aerosol Mixing State in Atmospheric Models journal March 2019
Machine Learning to Predict the Global Distribution of Aerosol Mixing State Metrics journal January 2018
Morphology and mixing of black carbon particles collected in central California during the CARES field study journal January 2016
Metrics to quantify the importance of mixing state for CCN activity journal January 2017
The diverse chemical mixing state of aerosol particles in the southeastern United States journal January 2018
Quantitative capabilities of STXM to measure spatially resolved organic volume fractions of mixed organic ∕ inorganic particles journal January 2019
X-ray microscopy journal February 2017
X-ray microscopy journal July 1965

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