Particulate Oxalate-To-Sulfate Ratio as an Aqueous Processing Marker: Similarity Across Field Campaigns and Limitations

Leveraging aerosol data from multiple airborne and surface-based field campaigns encompassing diverse environmental conditions, we calculate statistics of the oxalate-sulfate mass ratio (median: 0.0217; 95% confidence interval: 0.0154-0.0296; R = 0.76; N = 2,948). Ground-based measurements of the oxalate-sulfate ratio fall within our 95% confidence interval, suggesting the range is robust within the mixed layer for the submicrometer particle size range. We demonstrate that dust and biomass burning emissions can separately bias this ratio toward higher values by at least one order of magnitude. In the absence of these confounding factors, the 95% confidence interval of the ratio may be used to estimate the relative extent of aqueous processing by comparing inferred oxalate concentrations between air masses, with the assumption that sulfate primarily originates from aqueous processing.

Two case studies of sulfate scavenging processes in the Amazon region (Rondônia)

The scavenging processes of chemical species have been previously studied with numerical modeling, in order to understand the gas and particulate matter intra-reservoir transferences. In this study, the atmospheric (RAMS) and scavenging (B.V.2) models were used, in order to simulate sulfate concentrations in rainwater using scavenging processes as well as the local atmospheric conditions obtained within the LBA Project in the State of Rondonia, during a dry-to-wet transition season. Two case studies were conducted. The RAMS atmospheric simulation of these events presented satisfactory results, showing the detailed microphysical processes of clouds in the Amazonian region. On the other hand, with cloud entrainments, observed values have been overestimated. Modeled sulfate rainwater concentration, using exponential decay and cloud heights of 16 km and no entrainments, presented the best results, reaching 97% of the observed value. The results, using shape parameter 5, are the best, improving the overall result.

Four storms with sub-events: sampling and analysis

Analysis of ion concentration of samples taken sequentially during a storm event is important in order to reveal the relation between the atmospheric conditions and ion concentrations in each sub-event. This study presents the interrelationship among the chemical composition parameters and atmospheric variables for four storm events that were sampled in Istanbul during a) January 21-23, 2004 b) November 9-11, 2003 c) February 12-13, 2004 and d) October 27-28, 2003. These events lasted 53.3, 47.9, 27.5 and 13.2 h and the number of collected samples for each event was 22, 14, 7 and 4, in order. Generally values of pH and concentrations of ions in the first sub-events for all four cases were found higher than those of the other sub-event samples taken in sequence owing to the strong initial washout of the atmosphere by raindrops. Precipitation events a and c include rain and snow together where precipitation started as rain and continued as snow after 16th and 3rd sub-events. Higher concentration of ions in the snow in comparison with that of rain sub-events samples can be explained by more efficient below cloud scavenging of atmospheric constituents, especially aerosol particles, by snowflakes. In general, all of the ions sampled in the sub-events for four storms have variability similar to each other, with high correlation coefficient among themselves. Cl(-) and SO(4)(2-) were found to be the dominant ions in average overall sub-events. Calculated NSS concentration values of ions indicated that the main source of SO(4)(2-) was industrial and domestic emissions, most of the Ca(2+) and K(+) came from soil, nearly half of the Mg(2+) and all of the Cl(-) originated from sea.

Preliminary estimation of the rainfall chemical composition evaluated through the scavenging modeling for north-eastern Amazonian region (Amapá state, Brazil)

Numerical modeling of scavenging processes has been compared with data obtained for rainwater and aerosol chemistry at Serra do Navio, in the state of Amapá in the Brazilian Amazon region. Sulfate, nitrate and ammonium concentrations were determined in rainwater samples collected from May 1995 until June 1997. The levels of these same chemicals were also determined in aerosols for the same period and region. Scavenging processes have been evaluated on a rainfall event basis, via numerical modeling, in order to simulate the rainwater concentrations and compare them with the observed data. RAMS (Regional Atmospheric Modeling System) was used to simulate cloud structures. A model of below-cloud scavenging was evaluated, as well. The determinations made from the results of the scavenging model are the following: a) aerosol vertical profiles are quite important to rainwater concentrations; b) modeled sulfate in rainwater is a better fit to the observed data values than ammonium and nitrate; c) the obtained sulfate aerosol concentrations samples are similar to ones found in the literature, although the sulfate concentrations in rainwater are much lower than other studies in the literature; d) the in-cloud scavenging process dominates, e) our modeled results, using an input gas vertical profile extracted from the ABLE2B experimental data set, present a smaller ratio between gas and aerosol scavenging than found in other studies in the literature, other studies may have had larger rainfall times, which increase the importance of gas phase scavenging.