Global organic and inorganic aerosol hygroscopicity and its effect on radiative forcing

The climate effects of atmospheric aerosol particles serving as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) depend on chemical composition and hygroscopicity, which are highly variable on spatial and temporal scales. Here we present global CCN measurements, covering diverse environments from pristine to highly polluted conditions. We show that the effective aerosol hygroscopicity, κ, can be derived accurately from the fine aerosol mass fractions of organic particulate matter (ϵorg) and inorganic ions (ϵinorg) through a linear combination, κ = ϵorg ⋅ κorg + ϵinorg ⋅ κinorg. In spite of the chemical complexity of organic matter, its hygroscopicity is well captured and represented by a global average value of κorg = 0.12 ± 0.02 with κinorg = 0.63 ± 0.01 as the corresponding value for inorganic ions. By showing that the sensitivity of global climate forcing to changes in κorg and κinorg is small, we constrain a critically important aspect of global climate modelling.

Summertime fluorescent bioaerosol particles in the coastal megacity Tianjin, North China

Primary biological particles are an important subset of atmospheric aerosols. They have significant impacts on climate change and public health. Tianjin is a coastal megacity in the North China Plain, which is affected by both anthropogenic activities and marine air masses. To study the abundance and dynamic change of bioaerosols in Tianjin, fluorescent biological aerosol particles (FBAPs) in Tianjin were investigated by a wideband integrated bioaerosol sensor (WIBS-4A) in terms of number concentrations and size distributions in summer (11th -25th August 2018). Meanwhile, total suspended particles were collected and analyzed for chemical compounds to identify potential sources of bioaerosols. WIBS data showed that fluorescent biological particles exhibited two peaks at sunrise (~7:00) and in the evening (~20:00), which were probably caused by the enhancement of fungal spores and bacteria. Three rain events occurred during the observation period. Precipitation enhanced the abundance of biological particles, which were likely released from vegetation leaves, resuspended from soil surfaces, and/or carried by raindrops from high altitudes. The abundance of biological particles showed no significant correlation with Na⁺ (r = -0.17), indicating the air masses from marine areas carried limited biological particles compared to those from continental areas.

The Optical Properties of Aerosols at the Summit of Mount Tai in May and June and the Retrieval of the Complex Refractive Index

To study the optical properties of background atmospheric aerosols in East China, we carried out observations of the physical, chemical and optical properties of atmospheric aerosols at the summit of Mount Tai (Mt. Tai, 1533.7 m above sea level) from 13 May to 25 June 2017. The results show that the average scattering coefficient ( σ sca , 550 ) at 550 nm of the aerosols at the summit of Mt. Tai is 40.3 Mm−1, and the average absorption coefficient ( σ abs , 550 ) at 550 nm is 16.0 Mm−1. The complex refractive index of aerosols is a key parameter for aerosol retrieval and modeling. There are few studies on the equivalent complex refractive index of aerosol in the Taishan area. We calculated the aerosol equivalent complex refractive index using the observed aerosol scattering coefficients, absorption coefficients and particle size distribution data, providing more data support for future modeling in this region. The real part (n) of the complex refractive index at 550 nm of aerosol ranges from 1.31 to 1.98 (mostly under 1.50), with an average value of 1.38, while the imaginary part (k) ranges from 0.014 to 0.251 (less than 0.10 for over 95% samples), with an average value of 0.040. The analysis of the n and k of the aerosol average complex refractive index shows that the scattering properties of the aerosols at the summit of Mt. Tai are relatively weak and the absorption properties are relatively strong when compared with those of other kinds of aerosols. The k of the aerosol complex refractive index at the summit of Mt. Tai has strong correlations with the wind speed, temperature, as revealed by the correlation analysis.

Aerosol optical properties and the mixing state of black carbon at a background mountainous site in Eastern China

In-situ measurements of aerosol optical properties were conducted at Mt. Huang from September 23 to October 28, 2012. Low averages of 82.2, 10.9, and 14.1 Mm^-1 for scattering coefficient (σ_{sp, neph, 550}), hemispheric backscattering coefficient (σ_{hbsp, neph, 550}), and absorption coefficient (σ_ap, 550), respectively, were obtained. Atmospheric aging process resulted in the increase of σ_ap, 550 but the decrease of the single scattering albedo (ω₅₅₀) at constant aerosol concentration. However, the proportion of non-light-absorbing components (non-BCs) was getting higher during the aging process, resulting in the increase of aerosol diameter, which also contributed to relatively higher σ_{sp, neph, 550} and ω₅₅₀. Diurnal cycles of σ_{sp, neph, 550} and σ_ap, 550 with high values in the morning and low values in the afternoon were observed closely related to the development of the planetary boundary layer and the mountain-valley breeze. BC mixing state, represented by the volume fraction of externally mixed BC to total BC (r), was retrieved by using the modified Mie model. The results showed r reduced from about 70% to 50% when the externally mixed non-BCs were considered. The periodical change and different diurnal patterns of r were due to the atmospheric aging and different air sources under different synoptic systems. Local biomass burning emissions were also one of the influencing factors on r. Aerosol radiative forcing for different mixing state were evaluated by a "two-layer-single-wavelength" model, showing the cooling effect of aerosols weakened with BC mixing state changing from external to core-shell mixture.

Sulfate alters aerosol absorption properties in East Asian outflow

Black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) aerosols that are released from the combustion of fossil fuels and biomass are of great concern because of their light-absorbing ability and great abundance associated with various anthropogenic sources, particularly in East Asia. However, the optical properties of ambient aerosols are dependent on the mixing state and the chemical composition of absorbing and non-absorbing aerosols. Here we examined how, in East Asian outflows, the parameters of the aerosol optical properties can be altered seasonally in conjunction with the mixing state and the chemical composition of aerosols, using 3-year aerosol measurements. Our findings highlight the important role played by sulfate in East Asia during the warm season in both enhancing single scattering albedo (SSA) and altering the absorption properties of aerosols-enhancing mass absorption cross section of BC (MAC_BC) and reducing MAC of BrC (MAC_BrC,370). Therefore we suggest that in global radiative forcing models, particular attention should be paid to the consideration of the accurate treatment of the SO₂ emission changes in the coming years in this region that will result from China's air quality policy.

Investigation of hygroscopic growth effect on aerosol scattering coefficient at a rural site in the southern North China Plain

Aerosol optical properties and the effect of hygroscopic growth on the scattering coefficients at a rural site in the southern North China Plain were investigated based on a two-month observation conducted in the summer of 2014. The scattering coefficient of dry aerosols was high, with a mean (±standard deviation) of 338.8±209.9Mm^-1 (520nm) during the observation period. A noticeable enhancement in aerosol scattering due to hygroscopic growth was observed, e.g., by a factor of 2.28±0.69 at RH of 80% (referred to as f(RH=80%)) and 3.39±1.14 at RH of 85% (f(RH=85%)). The high content of water-soluble secondary inorganic aerosols (SIAs), accounting for 53.1% of fine particulate matter (i.e., PM_2.5) on average, was mainly responsible for the high hygroscopicity. f(RH=80%) increased with increasing SIA mass fraction in PM_2.5. This was especially the case when SIAs were mainly in finer particulate matter, i.e., PM₁. A number of considerably low f(RH=80%) values was observed due to relatively low mass fraction of SIAs in PM₁ despite high fraction in PM_2.5. Particle size distributions, especially those of SIAs, also played a remarkable role in the hygroscopicity of ambient aerosols. No significant difference in hygroscopicity was found between different pollution episodes due to the dominance of SIAs in all the cases. Slightly higher hygroscopic growth factors were observed during the clean episode, which were attributed to the smaller particle sizes.

Size-resolved carbonaceous components and water-soluble ions measurements of ambient aerosol in Beijing

A MOUDI-120 sampler was used in Beijing to collect multi-stage samples in the summer and winter of 2013 to 2015. Thirty-three sample sets were collected during the daytime, nighttime, and different pollution levels. The actual relative humidity in the impactors was calculated for the first time. The carbonaceous components (organic and elemental carbon, OC and EC, respectively) and water-soluble inorganic ions (Na⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl^-, NO₃^-, and SO₄^2-) were analyzed in each sample. The characteristics of the mass concentration distribution and charge balance were discussed. On the basis of relative humidity in the impactors, aerosols less than 1.0μm were sampled under relatively dry conditions in most cases. The concentration levels for the chemical species were higher in the winter than in the summer. Three modes (condensation mode, droplet mode, and coarse mode) could be identified from the distributions of NH₄⁺, NO₃^-, SO₄^2-, Cl^-, K⁺, OC and EC. The distribution characteristics for the pollution dissipation process were different from the pollution accumulation process. NO₃^- and NO₂^- contributed most of the negative electric charges in the stage below 0.1μm. In the condensation mode, the cations were dominated by NH₄⁺, which was sufficient to balance the anions. In the droplet mode of the heavily polluted samples, the ammonium was not sufficient to balance the anions. In the coarse mode, the positive electric charges were primarily composed of metal cations. The analyzed anions were not sufficient to neutralize the measured cations.

Monitoring of black carbon concentration at an inland rural area including fixed sources in Korea

We monitored black carbon (BC) concentration for 6months to understand the characteristics of atmospheric aerosols of an inland rural area in Korea. A multi-angle absorption photometer was used to continuously monitor the BC concentration, which was compared with elemental carbon (EC) concentration measured by an OC/EC Analyzer. For the atmospheric aerosols less than 10μm, size distributions were measured using both an optical particle counter and a scanning mobility particle sizer. The diurnal variations for BC concentration show that the average BC concentration was 1.43μgm(-3) and exhibited peaks in the morning rush hours. However, the BC concentration measured at night from 20:00 to 08:00 was higher than that measured during the day. The reason why the BC concentration at night was higher would be partly due to the regional characteristics influenced by the combination of local fixed sources and traffic condition. It is suggested that the traffic and transporting of pollutants from the west influenced the increase in the BC concentration at inland rural area including fixed sources.