Abstract
Abstract. The experiment presented in this paper was conducted at the Holme Moss site, which is located in the southern Pennines region in Northwestern England during November–December 2006. The strong southwesterly wind during the experimental period, which enhanced the transport of urban pollutants from the conurbations of Greater Manchester and Liverpool, in addition to the seasonally increased nearby residential heating activities, made this site a receptor for pollutants from a range of sources. A factor analysis is applied to the mass spectra of organic matter (OM) measured by the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) to attribute the pollutant sources. Besides the oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA), this site was found to contain a considerable fraction of primary organic aerosols (POA, mass fraction 50–70% within total mass of OM). The POA sources are attributed to be traffic emission and solid fuel burning, which are identified as hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) and solid fuel organic aerosol (SFOA) respectively. There were strongly combined emissions of black carbon (BC) particles from both sources. The refractory BC component (rBC) was characterized by a single particle soot photometer. This site began to be influenced during the late morning by fresh traffic emissions, whereas solid fuel burning became dominant from late afternoon until night. A covariance analysis of rBC and POA was used to derive source specific emission factors of 1.61 μgHOA/μgrBC and 1.96 μgHOA/μgrBC. The absorbing properties of aerosols were characterized at multiple wavelengths (λ), and a stronger spectral dependence of absorption was observed when this site was significantly influenced by solid fuel burning. The rBC was estimated to contribute 3–16% of submicron aerosol mass. The single scattering albedo at λ = 700 nm (SSA700 nm) was significantly anti-correlated with the rBC mass fraction, but also associated with the BC mixing state. The BC incorporation/removal process therefore may play a role in modulating the radiative properties of aerosols at the site under the influence of fresh sources. Given that traffic and residential combustion of solid fuels are significant contributors of carbonaceous aerosols over Europe, these results provide important source-specific information on modeling the anthropogenic carbonaceous aerosols.
Highlights
Particles have long been known to significantly influence air quality and climate and to originate from a variety of sources
The Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) volume is equal to or less than the Differential Mobility Particle Sizer (DMPS) volume owing to the insensitivity of the AMS to refractory particles that cannot be vaporized at ∼ 600 ◦C, such as black carbon (BC) or some refractory organic aerosols
Refractory black carbon mass was measured using a Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) which was able to characterize the extent to which black carbon particles were mixed with coated www.atmos-chem-phys.net/11/1603/2011/
Summary
Particles have long been known to significantly influence air quality and climate and to originate from a variety of sources. Primary aerosols are emitted directly into the atmosphere but undergo transformation in the atmosphere during transport. Secondary material is added both as additional mass to existing particles and through the formation of secondary aerosols. Recent studies on the source attribution of sub-micron aerosols have been primarily focused on the investigation of the organic fraction as individual organic compounds can be used as markers for certain sources (Rogge et al, 1993). The Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) provides detailed information on the mass spectra of aerosols with high time resolution (Canagaratna et al, 2007). The organic aerosol (OA) mass spectra obtained from AMS measurements is often incorporated
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
