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Zhong Q, Schutgens N, van der Werf GR, Takemura T, van Noije T, Mielonen T, Checa-Garcia R, Lohmann U, Kirkevåg A, Olivié DJ, Kokkola H, Matsui H, Kipling Z, Ginoux P, Le Sager P, Rémy S, Bian H, Chin M, Zhang K, Bauer SE, Tsigaridis K. Threefold reduction of modeled uncertainty in direct radiative effects over biomass burning regions by constraining absorbing aerosols. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi3568. [PMID: 38039365 PMCID: PMC10691779 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi3568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Absorbing aerosols emitted from biomass burning (BB) greatly affect the radiation balance, cloudiness, and circulation over tropical regions. Assessments of these impacts rely heavily on the modeled aerosol absorption from poorly constrained global models and thus exhibit large uncertainties. By combining the AeroCom model ensemble with satellite and in situ observations, we provide constraints on the aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) over the Amazon and Africa. Our approach enables identification of error contributions from emission, lifetime, and MAC (mass absorption coefficient) per model, with MAC and emission dominating the AAOD errors over Amazon and Africa, respectively. In addition to primary emissions, our analysis suggests substantial formation of secondary organic aerosols over the Amazon but not over Africa. Furthermore, we find that differences in direct aerosol radiative effects between models decrease by threefold over the BB source and outflow regions after correcting the identified errors. This highlights the potential to greatly reduce the uncertainty in the most uncertain radiative forcing agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qirui Zhong
- Department of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nick Schutgens
- Department of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Toshihiko Takemura
- Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Twan van Noije
- Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, Netherlands
| | | | - Ramiro Checa-Garcia
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, IPSL, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Reading, UK
| | - Ulrike Lohmann
- Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alf Kirkevåg
- Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | - Hitoshi Matsui
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Zak Kipling
- European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Reading, UK
| | - Paul Ginoux
- NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | | | - Huisheng Bian
- Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR) II, University of Maryland at Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | - Mian Chin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | - Kai Zhang
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - Susanne E. Bauer
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York City, NY, USA
- Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Kostas Tsigaridis
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York City, NY, USA
- Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA
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Aurell J, Gullett B, Helder D, Elleman R. Characterization of emissions from burning methyl-bromide-treated crop biomass. JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (1995) 2022; 72:581-591. [PMID: 34895080 PMCID: PMC9703622 DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2021.2013343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Alfalfa hay that was grown on a field treated with a methyl bromide and chloropicrin pesticide (at a 98/2 weight ratio) resulted in animal sickness, posing a disposal issue for the harvested feed. In consideration of disposal options, emissions and residues from burning treated and untreated alfalfa hay were sampled and analyzed to provide data for an assessment of potential health and environmental effects. Treated alfalfa hay was tested in parallel with untreated alfalfa in a controlled laboratory combustion facility. Results showed that about half of the bromine and chlorine in the treated hay was emitted and the remaining was retained in the ash. The alfalfa hay burned poorly, with modified combustion efficiencies, the ratio of CO2 to CO + CO2, below 0.89. The emission factor for PM2.5 was statistically higher for the untreated versus treated alfalfa but the PAHs were doubled in the treated alfalfa. The treated alfalfa had significantly more emissions of polychorinated dibenzodioxin/dibenzofuran than the untreated alfalfa by a factor of 10, but less polybrominated dibenzodioxin/dibenzofuran. The high Br concentration in the treated alfalfa biomass may have resulted in formation and emission of mixed halogen compounds which were unable to be analyzed for lack of standards. Comparison of volatile organic compound emissions were unremarkable with the exception of MeBr where emissions from the treated alfalfa were over 300 times higher than the untreated biomass. The potential complications due to emissions and permitting of an open burn or contained incinerator left options for landfilling and feedstock blending for handling the treated alfalfa. Implications: This paper illustrates the issues agricultural managers must deal with concerning the combustive disposal of contaminated crops. A method is presented whereby combustion of contaminated crops can be assessed for their suitability for disposal by open air or enclosed burning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Aurell
- University of Dayton Research Institute, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469, USA
| | - Brian Gullett
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
| | - Dirk Helder
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Robert Elleman
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
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Criteria-Based Identification of Important Fuels for Wildland Fire Emission Research. ATMOSPHERE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos11060640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Studies of the emissions from wildland fires are important for understanding the role of these events in the production, transport, and fate of emitted gases and particulate matter, and, consequently, their impact on atmospheric and ecological processes, and on human health and wellbeing. Wildland fire emission research provides the quantitative information needed for the understanding and management of wildland fire emissions impacts based on human needs. Recent work to characterize emissions from specific fuel types, or those from specific areas, has implicitly been driven by the recognition of the importance of those fuel types in the context of wildland fire science; however, the importance of specific fuels in driving investigations of biomass-burning emissions has not been made explicit thus far. Here, we make a first attempt to discuss the development and application of criteria to answer the question, “What are the most important fuels for biomass-burning emissions investigations to inform wildland fire science and management?” Four criteria for fuel selection are proposed: “(1) total emissions, (2) impacts, (3) availability and uncertainty, and (4) potential for future importance.” Attempting to develop and apply these criteria, we propose a list of several such fuels, based on prior investigations and the body of wildland-fire emission research.
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Balachandran S, Pachon JE, Lee S, Oakes MM, Rastogi N, Shi W, Tagaris E, Yan B, Davis A, Zhang X, Weber RJ, Mulholland JA, Bergin MH, Zheng M, Russell AG. Particulate and gas sampling of prescribed fires in South Georgia, USA. ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT 2013; 81:125-135. [DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
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Lee S, Baumann K, Schauer JJ, Sheesley RJ, Naeher LP, Meinardi S, Blake DR, Edgerton ES, Russell AG, Clements M. Gaseous and particulate emissions from prescribed burning in Georgia. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2005; 39:9049-56. [PMID: 16382924 DOI: 10.1021/es051583l] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Prescribed burning is a significant source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the southeastern United States. However, limited data exist on the emission characteristics from this source. Various organic and inorganic compounds both in the gas and particle phase were measured in the emissions of prescribed burnings conducted at two pine-dominated forest areas in Georgia. The measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and PM2.5 allowed the determination of emission factors for the flaming and smoldering stages of prescribed burnings. The VOC emission factors from smoldering were distinctly higher than those from flaming except for ethene, ethyne, and organic nitrate compounds. VOC emission factors show that emissions of certain aromatic compounds and terpenes such as alpha and beta-pinenes, which are important precursors for secondary organic aerosol (SOA), are much higher from active prescribed burnings than from fireplace wood and laboratory open burning studies. Levoglucosan is the major particulate organic compound (POC) emitted for all these studies, though its emission relative to total organic carbon (mg/g OC) differs significantly. Furthermore, cholesterol, an important fingerprint for meat cooking, was observed only in our in situ study indicating a significant release from the soil and soil organisms during open burning. Source apportionment of ambient primary fine particulate OC measured at two urban receptor locations 20-25 km downwind yields 74 +/- 11% during and immediately after the burns using our new in situ profile. In comparison with the previous source profile from laboratory simulations, however, this OC contribution is on average 27 +/- 5% lower.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangil Lee
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30312, USA
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