Article
Optics
Yongkai Wang, Zhongwei Huang, Tian Zhou, Jianrong Bi, Jinsen Shi
Summary: Bioaerosols play a significant role in climate change and ecological environment variation. In this study, a lidar system was used to investigate the characteristics of atmospheric bioaerosols near dust sources in northwest China. The findings show that the lidar system is capable of detecting the strong fluorescence signal emitted by dust aerosols, enhancing the ability of laser remote sensing for real-time detection of bioaerosols in the atmosphere.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tirthankar Banerjee, Avinash Anchule, Meytar Sorek-Hamer, Mohd T. Latif
Summary: This study analyzed vertically resolved aerosol optical properties retrieved from the CALIOP instrument onboard the CALIPSO satellite over several cities in South Asia from March 2010 to February 2021. The study identified different aerosol stratification and dominant aerosol sub-types in each city, with seasonal variations. It also found contrasting patterns in aerosol vertical distribution between cities in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and non-IGP cities, depending on the geographic location. Overall, the study observed a decrease in total extinction with increasing altitude and the intrusion of transported aerosols at higher altitudes. Smoke aerosols, urban aerosols/polluted dust, and mineral dust were found to contribute significantly to aerosol extinction below 3 km, while dust and urban aerosols dominated at higher altitudes. The study also highlighted the seasonal variation in aerosol distribution and the influence of planetary boundary layer (PBL) on aerosol partitioning.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Jianhua Qi, Yidan Yin, Daizhou Zhang, Hongtao Li, Lijie Dong
Summary: This study investigated the concentration and flux of biological aerosol particles in the air over oceans, specifically focusing on the difference between marginal seas and open oceans. Airborne microbes were assessed through microscope counts in samples collected during cruises in 2014 and 2016. The results showed that the concentration of airborne microbes was lower over the Northwest Pacific Ocean (NWPO) compared to Qingdao (QD), mainly due to continental sources of microbes. However, the NWPO still had a significantly higher concentration compared to the Yellow and Bohai Seas (YBS). Additionally, factors such as wind speed, direction, offshore distance, and transport distance influenced the microbe concentration over different areas. Dust events were found to increase microbe concentration and change size distribution in samples. These findings suggest that airborne microbes can be input into the ocean through atmospheric deposition, which can have important impacts on marine ecosystems.
ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Oceanography
F. Azminuddin, D. Jeon, Y. H. Kim, C. J. Jang, J. H. Park
Summary: The study reveals the existence of the Subtropical Deep Countercurrent (STDCC) in the subtropical northwest Pacific, characterized by eastward-flowing deep water currents located between 19 degrees-25 degrees N with a meridional scale of 200-300 km. The STDCC is found below 1,000 m with its core between 1,250 and 2,000 m, deeper than the North Equatorial Undercurrent's density layer, and is closely related to the westward-propagating eddies.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pami Mukherjee, Christopher M. Marsay, Shun Yu, Clifton S. Buck, William M. Landing, Yuan Gao
Summary: This study presents the results from aerosol samples collected during the US GEOTRACES Arctic Ocean expedition in 2015, revealing the origins and chemical processes of aerosol species in the Arctic in summer, and highlighting the significance of natural sources in cloud condensation nuclei formation.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gi Seop Lee, Jung Ho Lee, Hong Yeon Cho
Summary: This study analyzed nutrient data from coastal regions in Northeast Asia and the northwest Pacific using the spatiotemporal kriging technique, providing valuable information on climate change and biogeochemical changes. These data are important for researchers in oceanography, marine ecology, and marine biogeochemistry.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rafael Palacios, Kelly Romera, Luciana Rizzo, Glauber Cirino, David Adams, Breno Imbiriba, Danielle Nassarden, Lucas Rothmund, Angelica Siqueira, Joao Basso, Thiago Rodrigues, Leone Curado, Alfredo Weber, Jose Nogueira, Fernando Morais, Paulo Artaxo
Summary: Characterizing the optical properties of aerosols is important for understanding their role in ecosystems and climate. This study provides long-term measurements of aerosol optical properties in the Brazilian Pantanal region, showing the effects of biomass burning emissions on absorption and scattering. Brown carbon is found to have a significant contribution during the dry season.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yueyuan Su, Yong Han, Hao Luo, Yuan Zhang, Shiyong Shao, Xinxin Xie
Summary: Aerosols play a crucial role in the Earth-atmosphere system, and this study investigates the physical and optical properties of marine aerosols in the South China Sea. Observations show that aerosols are concentrated at lower altitudes, and the extinction coefficient reaches its maximum value. Meteorological factors have significant impacts on aerosol properties. Long-term analysis reveals that AOD decreases with the distance from the continent, with higher values in spring and winter. Sulfate and sea salt dominate the aerosol compositions in this region.
Article
Forestry
Madison M. Laughlin, Jonathan D. Bakker, Derek J. Churchill, Matthew J. Gregory, Tom DeMeo, Ernesto C. Alvarado, Brian J. Harvey
Summary: Wildfires are important ecological processes in many forests globally, but fire exclusion and suppression have caused significant changes in forest structure, leading to increased high-severity fires. Comparing current forest structure to historical range of variability can help determine the need for restoration, but the impact of wildfires on restoration need has not been extensively studied.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sarah J. Doherty, Pablo E. Saide, Paquita Zuidema, Yohei Shinozuka, Gonzalo A. Ferrada, Hamish Gordon, Marc Mallet, Kerry Meyer, David Painemal, Steven G. Howell, Steffen Freitag, Amie Dobracki, James R. Podolske, Sharon P. Burton, Richard A. Ferrare, Calvin Howes, Pierre Nabat, Gregory R. Carmichael, Arlindo da Silva, Kristina Pistone, Ian Chang, Lan Gao, Robert Wood, Jens Redemann
Summary: In this study, four models were compared with observations of biomass burning smoke plume and underlying cloud layer. The models showed biases in simulating the plume characteristics, with overestimation of vertical diffusion and underestimation of plume concentrations. Cloud fraction and optical thickness biases varied significantly across the models. The study demonstrated that model improvements in one property may lead to even greater biases in the direct aerosol radiative effect (DARE).
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yi Ming, Pu Lin, Fabien Paulot, Larry W. Horowitz, Paul A. Ginoux, V Ramaswamy, Norman G. Loeb, Zhaoyi Shen, Clare E. Singer, Ryan X. Ward, Zhibo Zhang, Nicolas Bellouin
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant reductions in aerosol emissions and reflected sunlight over the East Asian Marginal Seas in March 2020. About one-third of the observed anomalies can be attributed to pandemic-related emission reductions, while the rest are influenced by weather variability and long-term emission trends. The current observational and modeling capabilities are crucial for monitoring, understanding, and predicting the radiative forcing and climate impacts of the ongoing crisis.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Boragapu Raja, R. S. Maheskumar, B. Padmakumari, S. Sunitha Devi
Summary: This study examines the interannual variability of South Asian summer monsoon rainfall (SAMR) and finds a unique crisscross pattern. The study also reveals a close relationship between aerosol optical depth and the variability of SAMR.
ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tian Zhou, Xiaowen Zhou, Zining Yang, Carmen Cordoba-Jabonero, Yufei Wang, Zhongwei Huang, Pengbo Da, Qiju Luo, Zhijuan Zhang, Jinsen Shi, Jianrong Bi, Hocine Alikhodja
Summary: This study investigated the long-range transport and effects of North African and Middle Eastern dust in East Asia using lidar observations and model simulations. The results showed that the dust originated from multiple sources and had a long transport time. The vertical distribution of the dust was found to be crucial for assessing its impacts.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yining Ma, Yongjing Ma, Xiangguang Zhang, Fangkun Wu, Quan Liu, Xiaoyan Wu, Yilong Lyu, Jiawei Jiang, Dandan Zhao, Xinbing Ren, Zhi Li, Xin Jia, Mengchao Li, Jingyu Yao, Zhongming Gao, Shangfei Hai, Jinyuan Xin
Summary: Based on a shipboard observation conducted in winter 2018, the study reports the aerosol chemical properties and their differences in offshore and remote oceans over the Western Pacific Ocean. The findings show significant spatial heterogeneity in the chemical compositions, which are influenced by regional transport of anthropogenic aerosols and long-path transport of dust aerosols.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jacob Stuivenvolt Allen, S-Y Simon Wang, Matthew D. LaPlante, Jin-Ho Yoon
Summary: Strong winds that exacerbated a wildfire outbreak in western United States in early September 2020 were caused by an atmospheric wave train spanning the Pacific Ocean, influenced by three western Pacific tropical cyclones. Together, these typhoons provided significant wave activity flux directed towards North America, amplifying weather patterns and intensifying the frontal system that spread the fires rapidly.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Correction
Engineering, Environmental
Katelyn O'Dell, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Wade Permar, Ezra J. T. Levin, Lauren A. Garofalo, Eric C. Apel, Nicola J. Blake, Alex Jarnot, Matson A. Pothier, Delphine K. Farmer, Lu Hu, Teresa Campos, Bonne Ford, Jeffrey R. Pierce, Emily V. Fischer
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ilana B. Pollack, Megan E. McCabe, Dana R. Caulton, Emily Fischer
Summary: Quantifying the enhancement ratios of ammonia (NH3) to methane (CH4) from agricultural sources is crucial for understanding air pollution and nitrogen deposition. A study conducted in northeastern Colorado Front Range reveals that concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the region emit significant amounts of NH3 and CH4, which is further complicated by the presence of oil and natural gas extraction activities. Utilizing measurements from a research aircraft, the study demonstrates that NH3 and ethane (C2H6) can be used together to distinguish between near-source enhancements of CH4 from agriculture and oil and gas activities.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emily Lill, Jakob Lindaas, Julieta F. Juncosa Calahorrano, Teresa Campos, Frank Flocke, Eric C. Apel, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Alan Hills, Alex Jarnot, Nicola Blake, Wade Permar, Lu Hu, Andrew Weinheimer, Geoff Tyndall, Denise D. E. Montzka, Samuel R. Hall, Kirk Ullmann, Joel Thornton, Brett B. Palm, Qiaoyun Peng, Ilana Pollack, Emily Fischer
Summary: Wildfire smoke in the western U.S. during summer 2018 significantly impacted atmospheric composition and photochemistry, becoming an increasingly important source of air pollution for the region. The WE-CAN project deployed a research aircraft to sample smoke-impacted gas-phase species, showing elevated levels of hazardous air pollutants comparable to many major U.S. urban areas.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Natalie Kille, Kyle J. Zarzana, Johana Romero Alvarez, Christopher F. Lee, Jake P. Rowe, Benjamin Howard, Teresa Campos, Alan Hills, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Ivan Ortega, Wade Permar, I. Ting Ku, Jakob Lindaas, Ilana B. Pollack, Amy P. Sullivan, Yong Zhou, Carley D. Fredrickson, Brett B. Palm, Qiaoyun Peng, Eric C. Apel, Lu Hu, Jeffrey L. Jr Jr Collett, Emily Fischer, Frank Flocke, James W. Hannigan, Joel Thornton, Rainer Volkamer
Summary: The article discusses the importance of biomass burning on air quality and climate and introduces the CU AirSOF instrument for measuring emission mass fluxes from wildfires. The study validates the instrument by comparing its measurements with ground-based and airborne data, demonstrating its reliability and effectiveness.
ACS EARTH AND SPACE CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Bonni L. Beaupied, Heather Martinez, Sheena Martenies, Craig S. McConnel, Ilana B. Pollack, Dylan Giardina, Emily Fischer, Shantanu Jathar, Colleen G. Duncan, Sheryl Magzamen
Summary: This study investigates the impact of temperature, humidity, and air pollution on the health and milk production of dairy cows, and finds that PM2.5 may confound the relationship between the temperature humidity index and milk yield and somatic cell count.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Lillian E. Naimie, Amy P. Sullivan, K. B. Benedict, Anthony J. Prenni, B. C. Sive, Bret A. Schichtel, Emily Fischer, Ilana Pollack, Jeffrey Collett
Summary: The study conducted in Carlsbad Caverns National Park in 2019 aimed to examine the impact of regional sources on air quality, including urban emissions, oil and gas development, wildfires, and soil dust. The findings revealed that sulfate, soil dust, and black carbon were the major contributors to visibility impairment, with transport from the southeast direction, where oil and gas development is dense, having the worst impact.
JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Educational
Heather L. Henderson, Brittany Bloodhart, Amanda S. Adams, Rebecca T. Barnes, Melissa Burt, Sandra Clinton, Elaine Godfrey, Ilana Pollack, Emily V. Fischer, Paul R. Hernandez
Summary: This study examined the impact of perceptions of STEM career goal affordances, personal communal and agentic goal endorsements, and their congruity on women's persistence in science. The findings suggest that perceptions of agentic affordances in STEM may help women maintain their intentions to persist in science, while perceptions of communal goal affordances consistently predicted higher persistence intentions. Additionally, women with higher agentic affordances in STEM showed greater intentions to persist, particularly if they also had higher agentic goals. Overall, this study highlights the importance of perceptions of STEM in women's career choices and persistence in science.
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATION
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Qiaoyun Peng, Brett B. Palm, Carley D. Fredrickson, Ben H. Lee, Samuel R. Hall, Kirk Ullmann, Andrew J. Weinheimer, Ezra Levin, Paul DeMott, Lauren A. Garofalo, Matson A. Pothier, Delphine K. Farmer, Emily Fischer, Joel A. Thornton
Summary: Nitrous acid (HONO) mixing ratios measured in aged wildfire smoke plumes were higher than expected, and the missing HONO source was found to be correlated with particulate nitrate photolysis and NO2 reactive uptake to particles. Revisiting HONO formation mechanisms in aged wildfire smoke is necessary.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Kimberley A. Corwin, Chelsea A. Corr, Jesse Burkhardt, Emily Fischer
Summary: Understanding the impact of wildfire smoke on photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is essential for predicting plant growth. Our study shows that smoke increases PAR diffuse fraction (DF) and decreases total irradiance, with stronger effects as smoke plume optical depth increases. Smoke is most prevalent during the mid to late growing season, with the largest impact on light characteristics.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michael J. Cheeseman, Bonne Ford, Susan C. Anenberg, Matthew J. Cooper, Emily Fischer, Melanie S. Hammer, Sheryl Magzamen, Randall Martin, Aaron van Donkelaar, John Volckens, Jeffrey R. Pierce
Summary: This study investigates socioeconomic disparities in air quality at public schools in the contiguous US. Higher proportions of people of color (POC) and students eligible for the federal free or reduced lunch program are associated with higher pollutant concentrations. The study identifies regional patterns of disparities and highlights the importance of racial, ethnic, and economic segregation in pollution disparities at US public schools.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Janica N. D. Gordon, Kelsey R. R. Bilsback, Marc N. N. Fiddler, Rudra P. P. Pokhrel, Emily V. V. Fischer, Jeffrey R. R. Pierce, Solomon Bililign
Summary: Long-term exposure to PM2.5 is the second leading risk factor of premature death in Sub-Saharan Africa. Trash burning, residential solid-fuel burning, and open biomass burning contribute to global and regional PM2.5 pollution and premature mortality. Central Africa has the highest PM2.5-attributed mortalities from open biomass burning, while North Africa and West Africa have the most regional mortalities from trash burning and residential solid-fuel burning, respectively.
Article
Education & Educational Research
Wenyi Du, Paul R. Hernandez, Amanda S. Adams, Sandra M. Clinton, Rebecca T. Barnes, Melissa Burt, Ilana Pollack, Emily V. Fischer
Summary: Efforts to diversify STEM fields haven't eradicated higher dropout rates of women in certain STEM disciplines, such as geosciences. While a diverse mentorship network is associated with STEM persistence, the specific role it plays in fostering persistence is unclear. This longitudinal study examines whether a student's sense of belonging in university mediates the relationship between the diversity of their mentor network and their interest in geoscience.
MENTORING & TUTORING
(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)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ali Akherati, Yicong He, Lauren A. Garofalo, Anna L. Hodshire, Delphine K. Farmer, Sonia M. Kreidenweis, Wade Permar, Lu Hu, Emily Fischer, Coty N. Jen, Allen H. Goldstein, Ezra J. T. Levin, Paul J. DeMott, Teresa L. Campos, Frank Flocke, John M. Reeves, Darin W. Toohey, Jeffrey R. Pierce, Shantanu H. Jathar
Summary: Wildfires are a significant source of organic aerosol (POA and SOA) in the atmosphere at regional and global scales. This study develops a kinetic model to simulate the behavior of organic aerosol in wildfire smoke and applies it to study smoke plumes intercepted during a field campaign in the western United States. The model suggests that the evolution of organic aerosol mass with physical age can be explained by dilution-driven evaporation of primary aerosol and simultaneous photochemical production of secondary aerosol.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-ATMOSPHERES
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Vivienne H. Payne, Susan S. Kulawik, Emily V. Fischer, Jared F. Brewer, L. Gregory Huey, Kazuyuki Miyazaki, John R. Worden, Kevin W. Bowman, Eric J. Hintsa, Fred Moore, James W. Elkins, Julieta Juncosa Calahorrano
Summary: We present an optimal estimation algorithm to retrieve PAN from singlefield-of-view Level 1B radiances measured by CrIS instrument. Comparisons with aircraft measurements indicate that CrIS PAN retrievals show good skill in measuring large-scale PAN distributions in the mid-troposphere. However, there is a negative bias between CrIS PAN results and aircraft measurements, which can be corrected by considering column water vapor.
ATMOSPHERIC MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES
(2022)