Article
Ecology
Paul Laris, Moussa Kone, Fadiala Dembele, Christine M. Rodrigue, Lilian Yang, Rebecca Jacobs, Quincy Laris
Summary: Savanna fires play a significant role in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in West Africa where accurate estimates are lacking. Research shows that head fires have much higher methane emission factors compared to backfires, contributing to significant differences in emission densities.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuping Sun, Qixing Zhang, Kaili Li, Yinuo Huo, Yongming Zhang
Summary: Forest fires are increasing in severity and frequency due to global climate change. This study focuses on trace gas emissions from forest fires in Southwest China and finds that different combustion stages and fuel types have significant impacts on emission factors.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sho Ohata, Makoto Koike, Atsushi Yoshida, Nobuhiro Moteki, Kouji Adachi, Naga Oshima, Hitoshi Matsui, Oliver Eppers, Heiko Bozem, Marco Zanatta, Andreas B. Herber
Summary: Vertical profiles of black carbon (BC) mass concentration were measured up to 5 km altitude during the 2018 PAMARCMiP aircraft-based field experiment in the Arctic region, showing lower BC concentrations compared to previous observations. Year-to-year variations were attributed to biomass burning activities in northern midlatitudes, with model simulations underestimating BC values in some experiments. These findings suggest biomass burning contributions may have been underestimated in previous studies.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Meri M. Ruppel, Sabine Eckhardt, Antto Pesonen, Kenichiro Mizohata, Markku J. Oinonen, Andreas Stohl, August Andersson, Vivienne Jones, Sirkku Manninen, Orjan Gustafsson
Summary: This study presents long-term BC deposition and source apportionment data from Russia for the first time, indicating increasing BC fluxes between 1800 and 2014. Radiocarbon analyses show biomass as the main source for BC, with fossil fuel contributions peaking around 1960-1990. The comparison of observed and modeled data suggests the need to update anthropogenic BC emission inventories for Russia and potentially adjust wildfire emission estimates.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yuan Cheng, Qin-qin Yu, Xu-bing Cao, Cai-qing Yan, Ying-jie Zhong, Zhen-yu Du, Lin-lin Liang, Wan-li Ma, Hong Qi, Mei Zheng, Jiu-meng Liu
Summary: The study found that agricultural fires were the main driver for elevated BrC levels, with lower light absorbance compared to residential burning of crop residues. Agricultural fire emissions also led to overestimation of elemental carbon (EC) mass. This study indicates that the new open burning policy may not be successful in improving air quality or mitigating climate change.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Sebastian Paczkowski, Victoria Knappe, Marta Paczkowska, Luis Alonzo Diaz Robles, Dirk Jaeger, Stefan Pelz
Summary: The study showed that hydrothermal treatment of short-rotation coppice willow biomass improved its combustion properties and significantly reduced the ash content, meeting the requirements of the European biomass pellet standard.
Article
Ecology
Roland Vernooij, Marcos Giongo, Marco Assis Borges, Maximo Menezes Costa, Ana Carolina Sena Barradas, Guido R. van der Werf
Summary: Landscape fires, particularly in savannas, emit significant amounts of gases and aerosols into the atmosphere annually. Igniting fires early in the dry season reduces burned area and total carbon consumed, but little is known about the intraseasonal variability of emission factors. Improved understanding of emission factors may enhance large-scale BB assessments and potentially mitigate some carbon benefits of early dry season burning.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yunhua Chang, Yan-Lin Zhang, Sawaeng Kawichai, Qian Wang, Martin Van Damme, Lieven Clarisse, Tippawan Prapamontol, Moritz F. Lehmann
Summary: This study combines satellite observations and network measurements to estimate NH3 emissions from biomass burning in Southeast Asia, revealing strong variability in atmospheric NH3 levels across different landscapes. The findings suggest that anthropogenic activities are the primary modulating control factor for NH3 distribution in the region.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ivar R. van der Velde, Guido R. van der Werf, Sander Houweling, Henk J. Eskes, J. Pepijn Veefkind, Tobias Borsdorff, Ilse Aben
Summary: Global fire emission inventories rely on measurements of EFs from ground and airborne sources, with uncertainties remaining large due to limitations in spatial and temporal representativeness. Satellite observations provide a valuable complement to address these limitations and improve understanding of biomass burning pollutants.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Christian Axt, Hossein Askarizadeh, Stefan Pielsticker, Reinhold Kneer, Anna Massmeyer
Summary: Coal and biomass-fired power plants have significant impact on particulate matter emissions. This study measured ultrafine PM size distributions and used CFD simulations to evaluate the conversion behavior of different solid fuel particles. The data provide an important basis for further research.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Haochi Che, Michal Segal-Rozenhaimer, Lu Zhang, Caroline Dang, Paquita Zuidema, Arthur J. Sedlacek, Xiaoye Zhang, Connor Flynn
Summary: This study investigates the variations of optical properties of biomass burning (BB) aerosols in the southeastern Atlantic and explores the driving factors behind these variations. The results show that the marine boundary layer in the southeastern Atlantic exhibits strong absorbing characteristics. The study identifies a correlation between the ratio of black carbon (BC) to carbon monoxide (CO) and the aerosol optical characteristics. The increase in BC/CO from June to August is attributed to more intense burning, while the decrease in September and October is caused by factors including a lower proportion of flaming conditions and increased precipitation leading to enhanced aerosol scavenging.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoliang Wang, Hatef Firouzkouhi, Judith C. C. Chow, John G. G. Watson, Warren Carter, Alexandra S. M. De Vos
Summary: Open burning of household and municipal solid waste is a common practice in developing countries. This study conducted laboratory combustion experiments to analyze gas and particle emissions from different waste categories, highlighting the impacts of fuel elemental composition and moisture content on emissions.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elizabeth B. Wiggins, Arlyn Andrews, Colm Sweeney, John B. Miller, Charles E. Miller, Sander Veraverbeke, Roisin Commane, Steven Wofsy, John M. Henderson, James T. Randerson
Summary: A study quantified emission factors for CO and CH4 from a massive regional fire complex in interior Alaska during the summer of 2015 using continuous high-resolution trace gas observations. The results showed that CO and CH4 emission ratios varied in synchrony, with CO emission ratios higher than previous estimates by 39%, and CH4 emission factors consistent with previous reports.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Asher P. Mouat, Clare Paton-Walsh, Jack B. Simmons, Jhonathan Ramirez-Gamboa, David W. T. Griffith, Jennifer Kaiser
Summary: In the largest wildfire season on record in Australia, researchers analyzed nighttime observations to calculate emission ratios and factors for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They compared their results with similar studies in Australian biomes and US temperate forests, finding reasonable agreement. The study provides important insights into VOC emissions in Australian temperate forests and their impact on air quality.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura Tomsche, Felix Piel, Tomas Mikoviny, Claus J. Nielsen, Hongyu Guo, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Benjamin A. Nault, Melinda K. Schueneman, Jose L. Jimenez, Hannah Halliday, Glenn Diskin, Joshua P. DiGangi, John B. Nowak, Elizabeth B. Wiggins, Emily Gargulinski, Amber J. Soja, Armin Wisthaler
Summary: During the 2019 FIREX-AQ study, the NASA DC-8 conducted in situ chemical measurements on smoke plumes from wildfires and agricultural fires in the United States. The study found high levels of ammonia and particulate ammonium in the smoke plumes, with variations depending on the type of fire and region.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sijie Feng, Wen Xu, Miaomiao Cheng, Yuexuan Ma, Libin Wu, Jiahui Kang, Kai Wang, Aohan Tang, Jeffrey L. Collett, Yunting Fang, Keith Goulding, Xuejun Liu, Fusuo Zhang
Summary: Agricultural emissions are no longer the dominant source of atmospheric NH3, with urbanization playing a bigger role. Isotope analysis provides new insights into NH3 sources compared to traditional emission inventories.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michealene Iaukea-Lum, Chiranjivi Bhattarai, Deep Sengupta, Vera Samburova, Andrey Y. Khlystov, Adam C. Watts, William P. Arnott, Hans Moosmuller
Summary: Carbonaceous aerosols emitted from biomass burning have an impact on radiative forcing and climate change. This study investigated the optical properties of aerosols emitted from combusted Siberian peat. The results showed that both the particle count and volume increased with aging. The single-scattering albedo of aerosols increased with wavelength. Aging led to a decrease in absorption coefficients and scattering coefficients, resulting in an increase in single-scattering albedo. Overall, aging shifted the absorption towards longer wavelengths and decreased the absorption exponent.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Mohammad R. Sadrian, Wendy M. Calvin, Johann P. Engelbrecht, Hans Moosmuller
Summary: We investigated the mineralogy of global surface soils, which are likely similar to atmospheric dust aerosols, using reflectance and transmission measurements in visible, shortwave, and longwave infrared regions. Spectroscopy proved to be complementary to other techniques and exhibited better identification of specific minerals in these samples. Our findings can contribute to the enhancement of global soil atlases and the interpretation of data obtained from remote sensing instruments.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Kurt Ehlers, Hans Moosmueller
Summary: The aerosol single scattering asymmetry parameter g is an important particle parameter that determines aerosol direct radiative forcing and radiation pressure. The value of g depends on the size parameter x, the complex refractive index m, and the particle's shape. In the small particle regime, g is proportional to x^2 and the proportionality factor depends on the complex refractive index m. In the large particle regime, g converges to a constant value that is determined by the particle's refractive index.
AEROSOL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kevin R. Barry, Thomas C. J. Hill, Kathryn A. Moore, Thomas A. Douglas, Sonia M. Kreidenweis, Paul J. DeMott, Jessie M. Creamean
Summary: Permafrost, which covers a significant portion of the Northern Hemisphere, is undergoing changes due to global warming. Recent research has found that permafrost contains ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that can impact the Arctic's surface energy budget by affecting mixed-phase clouds. Experiments simulating the transport of thawed permafrost into seawater showed that older permafrost produced the highest and most stable airborne INP concentrations, comparable to desert dust. This highlights the need to quantify permafrost INP sources and airborne emission mechanisms in climate models.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Weiwei Pu, Jiujiang Sheng, Ping Tian, Mengyu Huang, Xiangxue Liu, Jeffrey L. Collett, Ziming Li, Xiujuan Zhao, Di He, Fan Dong, Nannan Zhang, Weijun Quan, Yulu Qiu, Yu Song, Weili Lin, Yuepeng Pan, Zhiqiang Ma
Summary: Measurements of ammonia emissions in Beijing using a cavity ring-down spectroscopy NH3 analyzer show that NH3 emissions have a significant impact on the city, with traffic emissions playing a major role in the increase of NH3, carbon dioxide, acetaldehyde, and acetone. The vehicle NH3:CO2 emission ratio is higher than expected, indicating the need for improved NH3 emission estimates and inventory allocations.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mohammad R. Sadrian, Wendy M. Calvin, Andrew E. Perrin, Johann P. Engelbrecht, Hans Moosmueller
Summary: This study explores the spectral diversity of infrared (IR) imaginary (k) and real (n) indices of refraction for soils from global dust entrainment regions. The optical constants obtained through the KBr technique are comparable to previous studies, suggesting the reliability of the SKK method. The spectral variability observed in these soils is attributed to combinations of silicates rather than a single mineral.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marshall Liddle, Hans Moosmuller, John Lewis
Summary: This study estimated the predictability limits for the Rex block by using 38 years of reanalysis data and associated 90-day winters. The unique aspect of this research lies in determining the predictability limits as a function of geopotential wave structure found through Fourier decomposition.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Christina S. McCluskey, Andrew Gettelman, Charles G. Bardeen, Paul J. DeMott, Kathryn A. Moore, Sonia M. Kreidenweis, Thomas C. J. Hill, Kevin R. Barry, Cynthia H. Twohy, Darin W. Toohey, Bryan Rainwater, Jorgen B. Jensen, John M. Reeves, Simon P. Alexander, Greg M. McFarquhar
Summary: Southern Ocean low-level mixed phase clouds pose a challenge for accurately representing in Earth system models. Simulated clouds in the Community Earth System Model version 2 now have too little ice, while observations show that marine particles are the main contributors to cloud ice nucleation. This study emphasizes the importance of assessing simulated mineral dust properties in order to better represent ice nucleating particle populations in the Southern Ocean.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Vera Samburova, Eric Schneider, Christopher P. Rueger, Shelby Inouye, Brad Sion, Kevin Axelrod, Palina Bahdanovich, Lukas Friederici, Yasaman Raeofy, Markus Berli, Alexandra Lutz, Ralf Zimmermann, Hans Moosmueller
Summary: In the past decade, wildfires in the western USA, particularly recent megafires in California, have increased in number, size, and intensity. These wildfires have led to changes in soil chemical composition, resulting in an increase in soil water repellency. Field tests have shown a significant increase in water drop penetration time (WDPT) in post-fire soils. Chemical analysis of burned soils revealed an increase in hydrophobic organics and a correlation between certain chemical ratios and soil water repellency. These changes in soil water repellency can trigger hydrological effects such as landslides, flooding, and debris flows.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ilana B. Pollack, Da Pan, Andrey Marsavin, Elana J. Cope, Julieta Juncosa Calahorrano, L. Naimie, K. B. Benedict, Amy P. Sullivan, Y. Zhou, B. C. Sive, Anthony J. Prenni, Bret A. Schichtel, Jeffrey Collett, Emily V. Fischer
Summary: Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico experiences high ozone levels, primarily influenced by the productive oil and gas industry in the nearby Permian Basin. The study found that ozone and its precursors are elevated when winds blow from the southeast, coming from the direction of the Permian Basin. Analysis of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides revealed that primary emissions from oil and gas activities, as well as secondary photochemical processes, contribute to ozone formation. The presence of anthropogenic VOC precursors, particularly alkanes, dominates the photochemistry.
JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gavin C. Cornwell, Christina S. McCluskey, Thomas C. J. Hill, Ezra T. Levin, Nicholas E. Rothfuss, Sheng-Lun Tai, Markus D. Petters, Paul J. DeMott, Sonia Kreidenweis, Kimberly A. Prather, Susannah M. Burrows
Summary: This study presents a method to differentiate ice-nucleating particles (INPs) into contributions from dust, sea spray aerosol (SSA), and bioaerosol. Field campaign data from Bodega Bay, California, showed that bioaerosols were the primary source of INPs between -12 degrees and -20 degrees C, while dust and SSA had little impact. The study found that the current parameterizations for dust and SSA accurately predicted ambient INP concentrations, but the simulation of bioaerosol INPs needs further research.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lixu Jin, Wade Permar, Vanessa Selimovic, Damien Ketcherside, Robert J. Yokelson, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Eric C. Apel, I-Ting Ku, Jeffrey L. Collett Jr, Amy P. Sullivan, Daniel A. Jaffe, Jeffrey R. Pierce, Alan Fried, Matthew M. Coggon, Georgios I. Gkatzelis, Carsten Warneke, Emily V. Fischer, Lu Hu
Summary: The impact of biomass burning on volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere is uncertain. Using the GEOS-Chem model, researchers found that biomass burning emissions in the western USA varied across different inventories and differed significantly for individual VOCs.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wade Permar, Lixu Jin, Qiaoyun Peng, Katelyn O'Dell, Emily Lill, Vanessa Selimovic, Robert J. Yokelson, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Alan J. Hills, Eric C. Apel, I-Ting Ku, Yong Zhou, Barkley C. Sive, Amy P. Sullivan, Jeffrey L. Collett Jr, Brett B. Palm, Joel A. Thornton, Frank Flocke, Emily V. Fischer, Lu Hu
Summary: Wildfire smoke contains many unidentified and quantified reactive organic gases, leading to incomplete representation in global chemical transport models. By leveraging aircraft measurements, we found VOCs accounted for 80% of the calculated oxidant sink in wildfire emissions. Suggestions were made to improve representation in the models, such as implementing furan-containing species and monoterpenes. Our work also highlighted the impact of BB smoke on urban ozone production and provided guidance for predicting air quality and health impacts.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Amy P. Sullivan, Rudra P. Pokhrel, Yingjie Shen, Shane M. Murphy, Darin W. Toohey, Teresa Campos, Jakob Lindaas, Emily Fischer, Jeffrey L. Collett
Summary: Brown carbon (BrC), a form of organic carbon, may significantly contribute to the visible light absorption budget, mainly originating from biomass burning. Real-time monitoring of BrC absorption using different techniques revealed a positive correlation between BrC absorption and water-soluble organic carbon and carbon monoxide, with a considerable portion of BrC absorption attributed to water-soluble species in wildfire smoke plumes.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)