Once upon a time biomass burning in the western Alps: Nesting effects of climate and local drivers on long-term subalpine fires

Background:The present article questions the relative importance of local-and large-scale processes on the long-term dynamics of fire in the subalpine belt in the western Alps.The study is based on soil charcoal dating and identification,several study sites in contrasting environmental conditions,and sampling of soil charcoal along the elevation gradient of each site.Based on local differences in biomass combustion,we hypothesize that local-scale or landscape-scale processes have driven the fire history,while combustion homogeneity supports the hypothesis of the importance of large-scale or macro-ecological processes,especially climate.Results:Biomass burning during the Holocene resulted from the nesting effects of climate,land use,and altitude,but was little influenced by slope exposure(north versus south),soil(dryness,pH,depth),and vegetation.The mid-Holocene(6500–2700 cal BP)was an important period for climate-driven biomass burning in the subalpine ecosystems of the western Alps,while fires over the last 2500 years appear much more episodic,prompting us to speculate that human activity has played a vital role in their occurrence.Conclusion:Our working hypothesis that the strength of local drivers should offset the effects of regional climate is not validated.The homogeneity of the fire regime between sites thus underscores that climate was the main driver during the Holocene of the western Alps.Long-term subalpine fires are controlled by climate at the millennial scale.Local conditions matter for little in determining variability at the century scale.The mid-Holocene was a chief period for climatic biomass burning in the subalpine zone,while fires during the late Holocene appear much more episodic,suggesting that social drivers has exercised key function on their control.

Estimation of the impact of biomass burning based on regional transport of PM_(2.5) in the Colombian Caribbean

Deterioration of air quality due to the increase in atmospheric emissions from biomass burning(BB)is one of the major environmental problems worldwide.In this study,we estimated the contributions of BB to PM_(2.5) concentrations in the municipalities of Soledad and Malambo located in the Colombian Caribbean.The evaluation period ranged from February 24 to March 30,2018,a period with a high number of BB events recorded in the surroundings of the evaluated sites.The contribution of BB to the two sampling sites was estimated using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory(HYSPLIT)dispersion model with forwarding trajectories from each of the burning points identified by satellite images(n=1089).The PM_(2.5) emissions were determined using the fire radiative power(FRP),obtained by remote-sensing data,and corresponded to the radiant energy released per time unit by burning vegetation.The average PM_(2.5) concentrations during the evaluation period were 19.91μg/m^(3) for Soledad and 22.44μg/m^(3) for Malambo.The average contribution of BB to these municipalities was 22.8%and 28.8%,respectively.The methodology used in this study allowed to estimate the contribution of this important source without knowledge of a previous tracer of BB,thereby increasing the use of the proposed procedure worldwide.This information would enable the implementation of effective mitigation,thereby diminishing the adverse impact of PM_(2.5) on the health of the population.

Influence of South Asian Biomass Burning on Ozone and Aerosol Concentrations Over the Tibetan Plateau

In this work,the influence of South Asian biomass burning emissions on O_(3) and PM_(2.5)concentrations over the Tibetan Plateau(TP)is investigated by using the regional climate chemistry transport model WRF-Chem.The simulation is validated by comparing meteorological fields and pollutant concentrations against in situ observations and gridded datasets,providing a clear perspective on the spatiotemporal variations of O_(3) and PM_(2.5)concentrations across the Indian subcontinent,including the Tibetan Plateau.Further sensitivity simulations and analyses show that emissions from South Asian biomass burning mainly affect local O_(3) concentrations.For example,contribution ratios were up to 20%in the Indo-Gangetic Plain during the pre-monsoon season but below 1%over the TP throughout the year 2016.In contrast,South Asian biomass burning emissions contributed more than 60%of PM_(2.5)concentration over the TP during the pre-monsoon season via significant contribution of primary PM_(2.5)components(black carbon and organic carbon)in western India that were lofted to the TP by westerly winds.Therefore,it is suggested that cutting emissions from South Asian biomass burning is necessary to alleviate aerosol pollution over the TP,especially during the pre-monsoon season.

On the determination of nitrous oxide emission factor during biomass burning

The emission factors of nitrous oxide have been determined during the combustion of rice straws, maize stalks and wheat stalks in an enclosed combustion system. They equal to 84.4 ± 6.08g/t for rice straws,132± 8.63g/t for maize stalks,and 27.3 ±1.79g/tfor wheat stalks,respectively. The uncertainties in the determination of nitrous oxide have been discussed. The N_2O-N(nitrogen in nitrous oxide emission)accounts for 0. 59% and 0. 87% of the total nitrogen in rice straws and maize stalks,respectively. An 1￣0 ×1￣0 grid map on the distribution of N_2O emission from biomass burning in China mainland was shown.

Source apportionment of PM_(2.5)using PMF combined online bulk and single-particle measurements:Contribution of fireworks and biomass burning

Fireworks(FW)could significantly worsen air quality in short term during celebrations.Due to similar tracers with biomass burning(BB),the fast and precise qualification of FW and BB is still challenging.In this study,online bulk and single-particle measurements were combined to investigate the contributions of FW and BB to the overall mass concentrations of PM_(2.5)and specific chemical species by positive matrix factorization(PMF)during the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong in February 2013.With combined information,fresh/aged FW(abundant ^(140)K_(2)NO_(3)^(+)and ^(213)K_(3)SO_(4)^(+)formed from ^(113)K_(2)Cl^(+)discharged by fresh FW)can be extracted from the fresh/aged BB sources,in addition to the Second Aerosol,Vehicles+Road Dust,and Sea Salt factors.The contributions of FW and BB were investigated during three high particle matter episodes influenced by the pollution transported from the Pearl River Delta region.The fresh BB/FW contributed 39.2%and 19.6%to PM_(2.5)during the Lunar Chinese New Year case.However,the contributions of aged FW/BB enhanced in the last two episodes due to the aging process,evidenced by high contributions from secondary aerosols.Generally,the fresh BB/FW showed more significant contributions to nitrate(35.1%and15.0%,respectively)compared with sulfate(25.1%and 5.9%,respectively)and OC(14.8%and11.1%,respectively)on average.In comparison,the aged FW contributed more to sulfate(13.4%).Overall,combining online bulk and single-particle measurement data can combine both instruments’advantages and provide a new perspective for applying source apportionment of aerosols using PMF.

Effects of combustion temperature on the optical properties of brown carbon from biomass burning

Biomass burning has been known as one of main sources of Brown Carbon(BrC)in atmosphere.In this study,by controlling the combustion temperature at 250℃,350℃,and 450℃,the methanol soluble organic carbon(MSOC)and methanol insoluble carbon(MISC)from pine wood burning was collected by impinger.UV–Vis,excitation emission matrix(EEM),TEM and FTIR spectra were applied to investigate the properties of BrC collected.For MSOC at 250℃ and 350℃,all the spectral profiles of UV–Vis absorption and excitation emission matrix are almost the same,while the EEM of MSOC at 450℃ are different from that of the other two.For MISC fuorescence was observed only in the case of 450℃.In the FTIR spectra,with the temperature increasing the peaks associated to the oxygen-contained functions was weakened,indicating the formation of the fuorophores with larger conjugated system,especially aromatic hydrocarbons.Our results show that biomass combustion at low temperature produces more oxygen-riched BrC,which possesses relatively lower light absorption,while at high temperature produces more aromatics hydrocarbons with relatively strong light absorption.The results of this work are helpful to trace the source of brown carbon and optimize biomass energy utilization.

Influence of meteorological factors on open biomass burning at a background site in Northeast China

Biomass burning(BB)is a very important emission source that significantly adversely impacts regional air quality.BB produces a large number of primary organic aerosol(POA)and black carbon(BC).Besides,BB also provides many precursors for secondary organic aerosol(SOA)generation.In this work,the ratio of levoglucosan(LG)to organic carbon(OC)and the fire hotspots map was used to identify the open biomass burning(OBB)events,which occurred in two representative episodes,October 13 to November 30,2020,and April1 to April 30,2021.The ratio of organic aerosol(OA)to reconstructed PM_(2.5)concentration(PM_(2.5)^(*))increased with the increase of LG/OC.When LG/OC ratio is higher than 0.03,the highest OA/PM_(2.5)^(*)ratio can reach 80%,which means the contribution of OBB to OA is crucial.According to the ratio of LG to K^(+),LG to mannosan(MN)and the regional characteristics of Longfengshan,it can be determined that the crop residuals are the main fuel.The occurrence of OBB coincides with farmers’preferred choices,i.e.,burning biomass in“bright weather”.The“bright weather”refers to the meteorological conditions with high temperature,low humidity,and without rain.Meteorological factors indirectly affect regional biomass combustion pollution by influencing farmers’active choices.

Pollutant emissions from biomass burning:A review on emission characteristics,environmental impacts,and research perspectives

Biomass is one most abundant resource on the earth providing important energies in support of so-cioeconomic development in many areas.Burning of biomass fuels comprises to nearly 10%of the total energy from anthropogenic combustion processes:however,as the burning is usually incomplete,this process yields products of incomplete combustion posing consequently significant impacts on air quality,human health,and climate change.Here,we analyzed spatiotemporal characteristics in intentional and unintentional biomass burning from different sectors,discussed impacts of biomass burning emissions on indoor and outdoor air quality,and consequent influences on human health.The global total con-sumption amount of biomass including both natural and anthropogenic sources was approximately 7900 Tg in 2019,with significantly large regional and sectorial discrepancies among regions.Globally,anthropogenic biomass burning amounts increased gradually,but notably in some developing countries like China residential consumption of biomass fuels,as one large sector of biomass use,decreased over time.Uncommercial biomass consumption needs to be accurately quantified.There are relatively rich datasets of pollutant emission factors from biomass burning,including laboratory and field tests,but still large variations exit and contribute substantially to the uncertainty in emission inventory.Global pri-mary PM2.5,black carbon and organic carbon emissions from biomass burning were about 51,4.6,and 29 Tg,respectively,contributing to nearly 70%,55%,and 90%of the total emission from all sources,and emissions from the residential sector and open fires are major sources.Brown carbon emissions from biomass burning attracts growing interests but available studies adopted different methodologies challenging the comparability of those results.Biomass burning emissions polluted not only ambient air but more severely indoor air quality,adversely affecting human health.Future studies that should be emphasized and promoted are suggested.

Origins of black carbon from anthropogenic emissions and open biomass burning transported to Xishuangbanna, Southwest China

Black carbon(BC) has importance regarding aerosol composition, radiative balance, and human exposure. This study adopted a backward-trajectory approach to quantify the origins of BC from anthropogenic emissions(BCAn) and open biomass burning(BCBB) transported to Xishuangbanna in 2017. Haze months, between haze and clean months, and clean months in Xishuangbanna were defined according to daily PM_(2.5)concentrations of >75, 35–75, and<35 μg/m^(3), respectively. Results showed that the transport efficiency density(TED) of BC transported to Xishuangbanna was controlled by the prevailing winds in different seasons.The yearly contributions to the effective emission intensity of BCAnand BCBBtransported to Xishuangbanna were 52% and 48%, respectively. However, when haze occurred in Xishuangbanna, the average BCAnand BCBBcontributions were 23% and 77%, respectively. This suggests that open biomass burning(BB) becomes the dominant source in haze months. Myanmar, India, and Laos were the dominant source regions of BC transported to Xishuangbanna during haze months, accounting for 59%, 18%, and 13% of the total, respectively. Furthermore, India was identified as the most important source regions of BCAntransported to Xishuangbanna in haze months, accounting for 14%. The two countries making the greatest contributions to BCBBtransported to Xishuangbanna were Myanmar and Laos in haze months, accounting for 55% and 13%, respectively. BC emissions from Xishuangbanna had minimal effects on the results of the present study. It is suggested that open BB in Myanmar and Laos, and anthropogenic emissions in India were responsible for poor air quality in Xishuangbanna.

Seasonal characteristics and provenance of organic aerosols in the urban atmosphere of Liaocheng in the North China Plain:Significant effect of biomass burning

To better understand the seasonal characteristics of urban organic aerosol(OA)in the North China Plain(NCP),PM2.5 samples in the urban atmosphere of Liaocheng were collected and analyzed.The molecular distribution of the organic markers in the urban atmosphere of Liaocheng reveals that n-alkanes(39.3%)was the most abundant species all year round,followed by saccharides(28.2%),phthalic acids(Ph,20.8%),biogenic secondary organic aerosol(BSOA)tracers(9.4%),and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAHs,2.3%).PM2.5,organic carbon(OC),elemental carbon(EC),and primary organic markers exhibit the highest concentrations in winter,due largely to the increased biomass burning and coal combustion for house heating in local and surrounding regions.However,the concentration and relative abundance of BSOA are significantly higher in summer than other seasons,induced by the more favorable meteoro-logical conditions that would promote the emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds(BVOCs)and the secondary production of BSOA.The ratios of OC/EC and 3-methyl-1,2,3-butanetricarboxylic acid to cis-pinic acid plus cis-pinonic acid(MBTCA/(PA+PNA)are higher in the warm seasons than those in the cold seasons,indicating that the oxidation of OA is sensitive to air temperature.Compared to 2017,the concentration level of PAHs during wintertime decreased by 40.8%,confirming that the stringent regulation of coal burning is effective.The highest concentration of high molecular weight(HMW)n-alkanes and three anhydrosugars in winter,and the close correlation of levoglucosan with HMW n-al-kanes suggests that the impact of biomass burning was more significant in winter.The same seasonal characteristic of the ratios of high-/low-NO_(x) products with NO_(x) and the strong correlation of high-/low-NO_(x) products with levoglucosan indicate that the formation of isoprene SOA(SOA1)tracers was signif-icantly influenced by anthropogenic emissions.The molecular compositions,the distributions of fire spots,backward trajectories of air masses,and correlation analysis suggest that air pollution events in spring were primarily resulted from biomass burning and secondary oxidation,while pollution events in winter were largely driven by the increased combustion sources,and promoted aqueous secondary formation.Our results suggest that the reduction of biomass and coal combustion should be taken into account to improve the urban air quality in the NCP.

Global methyl halide emissions from biomass burning during 2003-2021

Methyl halides(CH3Cl,CH3Br,and CH3I)are ozone-depleting substances.Biomass burning(BB)is an important source of methyl halides.The temporal variations and global spatial distribution of BB methyl halide emissions are unclear.Thus,global methyl halide emissions from BB during 2003e2021 were estimated based on satellite data.A significant decreasing trend(p<0.01)in global methyl halide emissions from BB was found between 2003 and 2021,with CH3Cl emissions decreasing from 302 to 220 Gg yr^(-1),CH3Br emissions decreasing from 16.5 to 11.7 Gg yr^(-1),and CH3I emissions decreasing from 8.9 to 6.1 Gg yr^(-1).From a latitudinal perspective,the northern high-latitude region(60e90N)was the only latitude zone with significant increases in BB methyl halide emissions(p<0.01).Based on an analysis of the drivers of BB methyl halide emissions,emissions from cropland,grassland,and shrubland fires were more correlated with the burned area,while BB emissions from forest fires were more correlated with the emissions per unit burned area.The non-BB emissions of CH3Cl increased from 4749 Gg yr^(-1)in 2003 to 4882 Gg yr^(-1)in 2020,while those of CH3Br decreased from 136 Gg yr^(-1)in 2003 to 118 Gg yr^(-1)in 2020(global total CH3I emissions are not available).The finding indicates that global CH3Cl and CH3Br emissions from sources besides BB increased and decreased during 2003e2020.Based on our findings,not only searching for unknown sources is important,but also re-evaluating known sources is necessary for addressing methyl halide emissions.

Chemical characterization and source apportionment of PM_(1) and PM_(2.5) in Tianjin, China: Impacts of biomass burning and primary biogenic sources

The submicron particulate matter(PM_(1))and fine particulate matter(PM_(2.5))are very important due to their greater adverse impacts on the natural environment and human health.In this study,the daily PM_(1) and PM_(2.5) samples were collected during early summer 2018 at a sub-urban site in the urban-industrial port city of Tianjin,China.The collected samples were analyzed for the carbonaceous fractions,inorganic ions,elemental species,and specific marker sugar species.The chemical characterization of PM_(1) and PM_(2.5) was based on their concentrations,compositions,and characteristic ratios(PM_(1)/PM_(2.5),AE/CE,NO3^-/SO4^2-,OC/EC,SOC/OC,OM/TCA,K^+/EC,levoglucosan/K^+,V/Cu,and V/Ni).The average concentrations of PM_(1) and PM_(2.5) were 32.4μg/m and 53.3μg/m^3,and PM_(1) constituted 63%of PM_(2.5) on average.The source apportionment of PM_(1) and PM_(2.5) by positive matrix factorization(PMF)model indicated the main sources of secondary aerosols(25%and 34%),biomass burning(17%and 20%),traffic emission(20%and 14%),and coal combustion(17%and 14%).The biomass burning factor involved agricultural fertilization and waste incineration.The biomass burning and primary biogenic contributions were determined by specific marker sugar species.The anthropogenic sources(combustion,secondary particle formation,etc)contributed significantly to PM_(1) and PM_(2.5),and the natural sources were more evident in PM_(2.5).This work significantly contributes to the chemical characterization and source apportionment of PM_(1) and PM_(2.5) in near-port cities influenced by the diverse sources.

Source profiles of particulate organic matters emitted from cereal straw burnings

Cereal straw is one of the most abundant biomass burned in China but its contribution to fine particulates is not adequately understood. In this study, three main kinds of cereal straws were collected from five grain producing areas in China. Fine particulate matters （PMzs） from the cereal straws subjected to control burnings, both under smoldering and flaming status, were sampled by using a custom made dilution chamber and sampling system in the laboratory. Element carbon （EC） and organic carbon （OC） was analyzed. 141 compounds of organic matters were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrum （GC-MS）. Source profiles of particulate organic matters emitted from cereal straw burnings were obtained. The results indicated that organic matters contribute a large fraction in fine particulate matters. Levoglucosan had the highest contributions with averagely 4.5% in mass of fine particulates and can be considered as the tracer of biomass burnings. Methyloxylated phenols from lignin degradation also had high concentrations in PM2.5, and contained approximately equal amounts of guaiacyl and syringyl compounds. 13-Sitostrol also made up relatively a large fraction of PMz5 compared with the other sterols （0.18%-0.63% of the total fine particle mass）. Normal alkanes, PAHs, fatty acids, as well as normal alkanols had relatively lower concentrations compared with the compounds mentioned above. Carbon preference index （CPI） of normal alkanes and alkanoic acids showed characteristics of biogenic fuel burnings. Burning status significantly influenced the formations of EC and PAHs. The differences between the emission profiles of straw and wood combustions were displayed by the fingerprint compounds, which may be used to identify the contributions between wood and straw burnings in source apportionment researches.

Daytime-nighttime variations in the concentration of PM_(0.1) carbonaceous particles during a biomass fire episode in Chiang Mai,Thailand

Carbonaceous aerosols affect air quality adversely,affect global warming,and human health.However,our understanding of the impact of ultrafine(PM_(0.1))carbonaceous particulate matter is incomplete,particularly the effects during haze episodes.This study monitored diurnal variations in PM_(0.1) in Chiang Mai,Thailand,from March to April 2020.We investigated carbonaceous PM_(0.1) collected by an ambient nano-sampler and evaluated their effect by using a carbon analyzer(IMPROVE_TOR).The results showed that burning large open areas in the dry season was crucial for increasing the particle mass concentration because of the large open burnings that occurred in this area.The majority of biomass fires near the sampling site occurred during the night,which would allow more particles to be released thus resulting in higher concentrations of PM_(0.1).Hence,the release of PM_(0.1) during the night would obviously result in higher concentrations than that during the day.In the eight carbon profiles,organic carbon 3(OC3)was predicted to be a marker of biomass fires.The carbon indices displayed that PM_(0.1) was influenced by biomass burning both daytime and nighttime.The findings reported herein should be of great impor-tance in terms of establishing biomass burning control policies for mitigating heavy haze pollution in Thailand and elsewhere.

Characterization of Organic Aerosol at a Rural Site in the North China Plain Region:Sources,Volatility and Organonitrates

The North China Plain(NCP)is a region that experiences serious aerosol pollution.A number of studies have focused on aerosol pollution in urban areas in the NCP region;however,research on characterizing aerosols in rural NCP areas is comparatively limited.In this study,we deployed a TD-HR-AMS(thermodenuder high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer)system at a rural site in the NCP region in summer 2013 to characterize the chemical compositions and volatility of submicron aerosols(PM_(1)).The average PM_(1)mass concentration was 51.2±48.0μg m^(−3) and organic aerosol(OA)contributed most(35.4%)to PM_(1).Positive matrix factorization(PMF)analysis of OA measurements identified four OA factors,including hydrocarbon-like OA(HOA,accounting for 18.4%),biomass burning OA(BBOA,29.4%),lessoxidized oxygenated OA(LO-OOA,30.8%)and more-oxidized oxygenated OA(MO-OOA,21.4%).The volatility sequence of the OA factors was HOA>BBOA>LO-OOA>MO-OOA,consistent with their oxygen-to-carbon(O:C)ratios.Additionally,the mean concentration of organonitrates(ON)was 1.48−3.39μg m−3,contributing 8.1%-19%of OA based on cross validation of two estimation methods with the high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer(HRToF-AMS)measurement.Correlation analysis shows that ON were more correlated with BBOA and black carbon emitted from biomass burning but poorly correlated with LO-OOA.Also,volatility analysis for ON further confirmed that particulate ON formation might be closely associated with primary emissions in rural NCP areas.

Aerosol Properties and Their Impacts on Surface CCN at the ARM Southern Great Plains Site during the 2011 Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment

Aerosol particles are of particular importance because of their impacts on cloud development and precipitation processes over land and ocean. Aerosol properties as well as meteorological observations from the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement （ARM） platform situated in the Southern Great Plains （SGP） are utilized in this study to illustrate the dependence of continental cloud condensation nuclei （CCN） number concentration （NccN） on aerosol type and transport pathways. ARM-SGP observations from the 2011 Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment field campaign are presented in this study and compared with our previous work during the 2009-10 Clouds, Aerosol, and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer field campaign over the current ARM Eastern North Atlantic site. Northerly winds over the SGP reflect clean, continental conditions with aerosol scattering coefficient （~rsp） values less than 20 Mm-1 and Ncct~ values less than 100 cm .3. However, southerly winds over the SGP are responsible for the observed moderate to high correlation （R） among aerosol loading （Crsp 〉 60 Mm 1） and NCCN, carbonaceous chemical species （biomass burning smoke）, and precip- itable water vapor. This suggests a common transport mechanism for smoke aerosols and moisture via the Gull＇ of Mexico, indicating a strong dependence on air mass type. NASA MERRA-2 reanalysis aerosol and chemical data are moderately to highly correlated with surface ARM-SGP data, suggesting that this facility can represent surface aerosol conditions in the SGE especially during strong aerosol loading events that transport via the Gulf of Mexico. Future long-term investigations will help to understand the seasonal influences of air masses on aerosol, CCN, and cloud properties over land in comparison to over ocean.

Measurement of Atmospheric Black Carbon Concentration in Rural and Urban Environments: Cases of Lamto and Abidjan

Black carbon is one of the primary aerosols directly emitted from biomass known to have strong absorbing properties. The INDAAF and PASMU observational field campaigns which took place (2018) in Abidjan (urban area) and Lamto (rural area) allow the analysis of Black carbon concentration at different time scales through real-time measurements using an analyzer named Aethalometer AE-33. Results presented here show at Lamto: 1) for the diurnal scale an average of 1.71 ± 0.3 μg⋅m-3 (0.34 ± 0.09 μg⋅m-3) in the dry (wet) season;2) for the monthly scale an average of 1.14 ± 0.84 μg⋅m-3;3) on the seasonal scale, an average of 2.2 ± 0.02 μg⋅m-3 (0.6 ± 0.19 μg⋅m-3) in the dry (wet) season. The black carbon variation at Lamto is seasonal with an amplification factor of 85.6. Regarding the urban area of Abidjan, due to sampling issues, our analyses were limited to daily, diurnal and weekly time scales. We observed: a) at a daily scale an average of 5.31.± 2.5 μg⋅m-3, b) diurnal scale, an average ranging from 6.87 to 13.92 μg⋅m-3. The analysis indicated that emissions from urban areas are more related to social and economic activities, with weekday concentrations (7.24 μg⋅m-3) higher than concentrations over the weekend (e.g. Saturday 6.59 μg⋅m-3 and Sunday 6.00 μg⋅m-3). Moreover, BC concentration in Abidjan is quite noticeable compared to that of rural areas (Lamto). The ratio between the maximum values of the two areas is of the order of 5.86. In addition, concentrations in some urban areas are slightly above the daily threshold set by the WHO (10 μg⋅m-3). Therefore, the levels of urban BC concentrations are alarming whilst rural BC concentrations remain below daily WHO thresholds and are of the same magnitude as those of West African megacities. This study underlies that BC concentrations at Lamto are mainly related to biomass combustion sources while those from urban areas are related to traffic sources. The latter is permanently active, unlike those in rural Lamto, which is seasonal.

Characterization of PM2.5 Mass Concentration in the Onshore of Sanya, China

Numbers of real-time data(E-BAM)of PM2.5 were collected in the period from Jan 8th 2012 to Jan 1st 2013 at the laboratory of Tropical Ocean University(Sanya,China).The average mass concentration was 19.7μg/m³.The highest 40.5μg/m³in October compared to the lowest 14.1μg/m³in July.From a seasonal perspective,the average PM2.5 mass concentration in fall and winter are relatively higher than that in both spring and summer.On the basis of satellite map of fire points and backward trajectories of the air masses,we primarily deduced that the PM2.5 in Sanya may be caused by the biomass burning and industrial pollutants from the area of Pearl River Delta of China and the Indo-China peninsula(e.g.Vietnam,Laos).

Compositional characteristics and toxicological responses of human lung epithelial cells to inhalable particles (PM_(10)) from ten typical biomass fuel combustions

As the primary component of haze,atmospheric inhalable particulate matters(PMio)are highly detri-mental to human health.Biomass combustion is one of China's most pivotal sources to aerosols pollution,inducing non-negligible emissions and uncertain risks.PMio samples directly from 10 representative biomass fuel combustion sources(2 groups covering the reality widely:straws of rice,wheat,corn,corncob,soybean,peanut,rape,sesame;and branches of pine,peach)were collected using the dilution channel sampler and analyzed for chemical compositions and in vitro cytotoxicity to human lung epithelial cell lines A549.The components of PMio are dominated by organic carbon(OC),followed by Water-soluble K+and Cl,and rich in metals Fe,Zn,Cr,and Ni.Generally,PMio emitted from biomass fuel combustions can weaken the antioxidant capacity of cells,and straws emissions,especially rape and peanut straws,show stronger ability to further induce oxidative stress and inflammatory damage than fuelwoods,owing to the key toxic roles of Cr,Ni,and Co.Therefore,reducing the specific source emis--sions of PMio from crop straw combustions rich in heavy metals could be an effective oriented strategy to improve environmental air quality and control aerosols pollution precisely for protecting public health.

Study of Formic and Acetic Acids in the Air of Humid Savannah Case of Lamto (Côte d’Ivoire)

From January 1995 to December 2004, 860 rainwater samples were collected in the humid savannah of Lamto. Using the Henry’s law, we determined the content of formic and acetic acids in the air based on their concentrations in rainwater. The annual partial pressure of both formic and acetic acids over the decade is variable. It covers a range of 0.003 (1998) to 0.21 ppbv (1996) and 0.27 (1999) to 0.47 ppbv (1996) for formic and acetic acids respectively. Also, the partial pressure in the dry season is higher than that in the wet season. This difference is related to the enrichment of the organic acid content in the air by the various sources that produce these acids. One of the main sources of increment in organic acid is biomass burning. This biomass burning contributes between 21% and 51% to the formation of the two acids in the humid savannah of Lamto. Ultimately the average annual organic acidity varies from 40% to 60% over the ten years period.