Aerosol Properties over Ranchi Measured from Aethalometer

Continuous and near-real-time measurements of the mass concentration of Aerosol Black Carbon (BC) were carried out 1st to 31st July 2010 of rainy season and compare with data of July-2010 to March-2011 using an Aethalometer (model AE-31 of Magee Scientific, USA). The principle of the Aethalometer is to measure the attenuation of a beam of light transmitted through a filter, while the filter is continuously collecting an aero-sol sample. This measurement is made at successive regular intervals of a time base period has been. the BC mass concentration is estimated by measuring the change in the transmittance of a quartz filter tape, on to which the particles impinge. The instrument was operated at a time base of 5 min, round the clock with a flow rate of 4-liter min–1, to study the impact of rainy season on black carbon concentrations over a typical urban environment namely Ranchi, India. BC concentrations were high during morning (0600 to 0900 h) and evening hours (1900 to 2300 h) compared to afternoon hours. During early morning hours, high values of BC are attributed to the turbulence set-in by the solar heating which breaks the night-time stable layer and aero-sols in the nocturnal residual layer are mixed up with those near the surface.

Diurnal variation of aethalometer correction factors and optical absorption assessment of nucleation events using multi-wavelength photoacoustic spectroscopy

A field measurement campaign was carried out during the late winter and early spring of2015 in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The size distribution(SD) and optical absorption of carbonaceous particulate matter(CPM) was measured online using a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer(SMPS), a 7λ-aethalometer and an inhouse developed 4λ-Photoacoustic Spectrometer. Based on the SD data, the measurement period could be classified into days with and without new particle formation events(normal days and nucleation days),although particular nucleation-like events were observed on normal days as well. Three characteristic size modes were observed with CMDs of circa 15, 25 and 110 nm that corresponded to the nucleation, traffic and heating modes. Based on the temporal behavior of these modes both types of days were divided into distinctive daily periods(heating hours,traffic hours and nucleation hours). The optical absorption spectra(OAC and AAE) also displayed the same part of day behavior to that of SD. That way this paper is among the first to assess the optical response of urban nucleation events. Due to the simultaneous measurement of OAC by the 7λ-aethalometer and a 4λ-Photoacoustic Spectrometer, OAC was measured overall at 11 wavelengths. That way aethalometer correction factors(f and C)were determined at all aethalometer wavelengths using in situ reference photoacoustic measurements. Correction factors were found to have both wavelength and time of the day variation. In the case of f, no clear trend could be observed, however, Cref values increased both as a function of wavelength.

A short climatology of black and brown carbon and their sources at a suburban site impacted by smoke in Brazil

Emissions from biomass burning challenge efforts to curb air pollution in cities downwind of fire-prone regions,as they contribute large amounts of brown carbon(Br C)and black carbon(BC)particles.We investigated the patterns of Br C and BC concentrations using Aethalometer data(atλ=370 and 880 nm,respectively)spanning four years at a site impacted by the outflow of smoke.The data required to be post processed for the shadowing effect since,without correction,concentrations would be between 29%and 35%underestimated.The Br C concentrations were consistently higher than the BC concentrations,indicating the prevalence of aerosols from biomass burning.The results were supported by the Angstrom coefficient(A_(370/880)),with values predominantly larger than 1(mean±standard deviation:1.25±0.31).A_(370/880)values below 1 were more prevalent during the wet season,which suggests a contribution from fossil fuel combustion.We observed sharp Br C and BC seasonal signals,with mean minimum concentrations of 0.40μg/m^(3)and 0.36μg/m^(3),respectively,in the wet season,and mean maximum concentrations of 2.05μg/m^(3)and 1.53μg/m^(3)in the dry season.The largest concentrations were observed when northerly air masses moved over regions with a high density of fire spots.Local burning of residential solid waste and industrial combustion caused extreme Br C and BC concentrations under favourable wind directions.Although neither pollutant is included in any ambient air quality standards,our results suggest that transboundary smoke may hamper efforts to meet the World Health Organization guidelines for fine particles.

Evaluating the performance and influencing factors of three portable black carbon monitors for field measurement

Black carbon(BC)is associated with adverse human health and climate change.Mapping BC spatial distribution imperatively requires low-cost and portable devices.Several portable BC monitors are commercially available,but their accuracy and reliability are not always satisfactory during continuous field observation.This study evaluated three models of portable black carbon monitors,C12,MA350 and DST,and investigates the factors that affect their performance.The monitors were tested in urban Beijing,where portable devices running for one month alongside a regular-size reference aethalometer AE33.The study considers several factors that could influence the monitors'performance,including ambient weather,aerosol composition,loading artifacts,and built-in algorithms.The results show that MA350and DST present considerable discrepancies to the reference instrument,mainly occurring at lower concentrations(0-500 ng/m^(3))and higher concentrations(2500-8000 ng/m^(3)),respectively.These discrepancies were likely caused by the anomalous noise of MA350 and the loading artifacts of DST.The study also suggests that the ambient environment has limited influence on the monitors'performance,but loading artifacts and accompanying compensation algorithms can result in unrealistic data.Based on the evaluation,the study suggests that C12 is the best choice for unsupervised field measurement,DST should be used in scenarios where frequent maintenance is available,and MA350 is suitable for research purposes with post-processing applicable.The study highlights the importance of assigning portable BC monitors to appropriate applications and the need for optimized real-time compensation algorithms.

Observation of black carbon aerosol in Beijing, 2003

The objective of this study was to determine the black carbon concentration in Beijing in 2003.The aerosol properties were measured using an Aethalometer and a tapered element oscillating microbalance(TEOM)on the roof of the Physics Building of Peking University(39.99°N,116.31°E)from July to August 2003 and from November 2003 to January 2004.The average black carbon(BC)concentrations in the summer and winter were 8.80 and 11.4μg/m3,respectively.During winter,two different cyclone cut offs were installed at the inlet of an aethalometer.The BC mass concentration in TSP,PM_(10),and PM_(2.5)were obtained.The results indicated that in winter aerosol,90%of BC exited in PM_(10)and 82.6%of BC exited in PM_(2.5).The BC in PM_(10)accounted for 5.11%of the PM_(10)mass.