A thermo-optic technique for in situ analysis of size-resolved aerosol physicochemistry

Impact of Biomass Burning Organic Aerosol Volatility on Smoke Concentrations Downwind of Fires

Biomass burning particulate matter (BBPM) affects regional air quality and global climate, with impacts expected to continue to grow over the coming years. We show that studies of North American fires have a systematic altitude dependence in measured BBPM normalized excess mixing ratio (NEMR; ΔPM/ΔCO), with airborne and high-altitude studies showing a factor of 2 higher NEMR than ground-based measurements. We report direct airborne measurements of BBPM volatility that partially explain the difference in the BBPM NEMR observed across platforms. We find that when heated to 40-45 °C in an airborne thermal denuder, 19% of lofted smoke PM1 evaporates. Thermal denuder measurements are consistent with evaporation observed when a single smoke plume was sampled across a range of temperatures as the plume descended from 4 to 2 km altitude. We also demonstrate that chemical aging of smoke and differences in PM emission factors can not fully explain the platform-dependent differences. When the measured PM volatility is applied to output from the High Resolution Rapid Refresh Smoke regional model, we predict a lower PM NEMR at the surface compared to the lofted smoke measured by aircraft. These results emphasize the significant role that gas-particle partitioning plays in determining the air quality impacts of wildfire smoke.

Emergency department visits and "vog"-related air quality in Hilo, Hawai'i

Emergency department (ED) visits in Hilo, Hawai'i, from January 1997 to May 2001, were examined for associations with volcanic fog, or "vog", measured as sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) and submicrometer particulate matter (PM(1)). Exponential regression models were used with robust standard errors. Four diagnostic groups were examined: asthma/COPD; cardiac; flu, cold, and pneumonia; and gastroenteritis. Before adjustments, highly significant associations with vog-related air quality were seen for all diagnostic groups except gastroenteritis. After adjusting for month, year, and day of the week, only asthma/COPD had consistently positive associations with air quality. The strongest associations were for SO(2) with a 3-day lag (6.8% per 10 ppb; P=0.001) and PM(1), with a 1-day lag (13.8% per 10 microg/m(3); P=0.011). The association of ED visits for asthma/COPD with month of the year was stronger than associations seen with air quality. Although vog appears influential, non-vog factors dominated associations with the frequency of asthma/COPD ED visits.

Aerosol and cloud backscatter at 1.06, 1.54, and 0.53 mum by airborne hard-target-calibrated Nd:YAG /methane Raman lidar

A lidar instrument was developed to make simultaneous measurements at three distinct wavelengths in the visible and near infrared at 0.532, 1.064, and 1.54 mum with high cross-sectional calibration accuracy. Aerosol and cloud backscatter cross sections were acquired during November and December 1989 and May and June 1990 by the NASA DC-8 aircraft as part of the Global Backscatter Experiment. The instrument, methodology, and measurement results are described. A Nd:YAG laser produced 1.064- and 0.532-mum energy. The 1.54-mum transmitted pulse was generated by Raman-shifted downconversion of the 1.064-mum pulse through a Raman cell pressured with methane gas. The lidar could be pointed in the nadir or zenith direction from the aircraft. A hard-target-based calibration procedure was used to obtain the ratio of the system calibration between the three wavelengths, and the absolute calibration was referenced to the 0.532-mum lidar molecular backscatter cross section for the clearest scattering regions. From the relative wavelength calibration, the aerosol backscatter cross sections at the longer wavelengths are resolved for values as small as 1% of the molecular cross section. Backscatter measurement accuracies are better than 10(-9) (m sr)(-1) at 1.064 and 1.54 mum. Results from the Pacific Ocean region of the multiwavelength backscatter dependence are presented. Results show extensive structure and variation for the aerosol cross sections. The range of observed aerosol cross section is over 4 orders of magnitude, from less than 10(-9) (m sr)(-1) to greater than 10(-5) (m sr)(-1).

Lidar aerosol backscatter cross sections in the 2-νm near-infrared wavelength region

Lidar backscatter cross-sectional measurements at 1.064, 0.532, and 1.54 μm were acquired during November 1989 and May-June 1990 around the Pacific region by the NASA DC-8 aircraft as part of the Global Backscatter Experiment. The primary motivation for the Global Backscatter Experiment was the study of lidar backscatter cross sections for the development of a spaceborne wind-sensing lidar. Direct backscatter measurements obtained by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center visible and infrared lidar are compared with backscatter cross sections calculated from aerosol size distributions obtained by particle counters. Results for one flight with pronounced aerosol layers in the upper troposphere southeast of Japan are presented. Because 2-μm region wavelengths are possible candidates for a spaceborne wind-sensing lidar, the visible and infrared lidar backscatter cross sections at 1.064, 0.532, and 1.54 μm are extrapolated to the 2-μm region. The extrapolated 2-μm cross sections are compared with lidar measurements at 9 μm. A significant range in the ratio of 2-9-μm backscatter cross sections is found, but a large number of points concentrate near ratios of three to ten. A large number of 1.064- and 1.54-μm cross sections were binned to provide an estimate of backscatter for various percentiles for the flight. The ratio of the 50-percentile backscatter values at 1.064 and 1.54 μm suggest a λ(-1.9) to λ(-3.0) wavelength dependence of aerosol backscatter cross section in the near infrared for the observational case.