Biomass Burning Activities Research Articles

Investigation of size distribution and mass characteristics of ambient aerosols and their combustion sources during post-monsoon in northern India

This study explores the size distribution and mass characteristics of ambient atmosphere in the source region of biomass burning (Punjab). The enhanced level of particulate matter (PM) concentrations were interpreted through measurements of number and mass concentration. MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) fire count data and HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model) used to decipher the extent of burning activities and origin of air-masses, respectively. Significant diurnal variabilities were observed in the PM1 (PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 1 μm) and PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) number and mass concentrations. Higher number (N0.3–2.5: 1.34 ± 0.20 × 104 #/cm3) and mass concentration (PM2.5: 286 ± 39 μg/m3, n = 5) during nighttime compared to daytime (N2.5: 0.74 ± 0.22 × 104 #/cm3; PM2.5: 224 ± 59 μg/m3, n = 3) indicates impact of meteorological conditions (low wind speed and shallower boundary layer height) and biomass (plausibly paddy) burning activity. Although possibility of multiple sources and their varying strength (poor correlation between organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC)) can't be neglected, however, biomass burning appeared to be the dominant source (good correlation (R2 = 0.4) between water-soluble potassium (K+) and PM) of ambient PM. Further, near similar number and mass size distribution of ambient and bio-fuels derived aerosols along with similar K+/PM and OC/EC ratio compared to that for paddy-residue burning imply that bio-fuel burning in the household kitchen could be the dominant contributor to enhanced PM concentration at sampling location in upwind IGP during the study period.

Biomass burning impacts on ambient aerosol at a background site in East China: Insights from a yearlong study

Biomass burning activities are ubiquitous in China. In order to better understand the biomass burning sources and their impacts on aerosol components in the background air of East China, biomass burning tracers, i.e., levoglucosan (LG), mannosan (MN) and non-sea-salt potassium (nss-K+) were quantified at the Lin'an site. The annual average concentrations of LG, MN and nss-K+ in PM2.5 were 0.13 ± 0.14 μg m−3, 0.009 ± 0.010 μg m−3 and 0.65 ± 0.38 μg m−3, respectively. The yearly variations of anhydrosugar tracers, i.e., LG and MN were fairly consistent, as well as nss-K+. However, due to extensive fireworks activity, nss-K+ was observed during a three-day episode from 7 to 9 February 2016 with abnormally high levels (average at 5.38 ± 3.55 μg m−3). The highest levels of biomass burning tracers were associated with the strong continental outflow from inland China in winter, while lower levels of biomass burning tracers were observed in the summer season, influenced by maritime air masses. Combined with the analysis of fire activity data, clear seasonal trends of biomass burning pollution in Lin'an are apparent, ranging from high to low in winter, spring, autumn and summer. By analyzing the LG/MN and LG/nss-K+ ratios, biomass burning aerosols in East China were identified to be predominately associated with burning of rice crop residues. Moreover, based on the relationship between biomass burning tracers and other components in aerosols, biomass burning plays an important role in regulating chemical properties of aerosols in background areas in East China, especially for carbonaceous components.

Impact of local and regional emission sources on air quality in foothills of the Himalaya during spring 2016: An observation, satellite and modeling perspective

Chitwan National Park in south-central Nepal is one of the few remaining protected forest ecosystems in South Asia with rich flora and fauna. However, in recent years, southern Nepal including the region of the National park area have experienced deteriorating air quality, which has raised concerns about its impact on ecosystem and public health. The region experiences forest fires during pre-monsoon season and thus, provide an ideal opportunity not only to study its impact on air quality but also to provide source specific diagnostic ratios. In this study, we report measurements of black carbon (BC), trace gases as well as particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1) from Chitwan Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAQMS) during pre-monsoon season (February–May 2016). Average concentrations of BC, PM10, PM2.5, PM1 were found to be 10.9 ± 6.9 μg m−3, 156.4 ± 68.2 μg m−3, 95.9 ± 49.0 μg m−3, 80.1 ± 45.5 μg m−3 which are much higher than the prescribed 24 h limits of World Health Organization (25 μg m−3 for PM10 and 10 μg m−3 for PM2.5). Furthermore, average concentrations of trace gases, CO, CO2 and CH4 were 713.4 ± 476.6 ppbv, 446.0 ± 15.3 ppm and 2.182 ± 0.117 ppm respectively which are also higher than those in the surrounding regions. We identified two pollution events (Event #1 from 16 to 28 March 2016 and Event #2 from 6 to 17 April 2016) and found that surface concentrations of all measured species increased by a factor of 2–3 during these events. The BC/CO ratio of 16.3 ± 2.0, 11.1 ± 3.7 and 9.9 ± 4.2 ng m−3 ppbv−1 was observed during Event#1, Event#2 and during non-event period. Based on MODIS active fire counts and Ängstrȯm absorption exponent (AAE values of 1.8 and 1.9 during Event #1 and #2 respectively), we found that biomass burning (BB) activities were an important source during these events. This is further substantiated by relatively higher contribution of BB to observed BC concentration during both the events (73% and 75% during Event#1 and #2 respectively). Furthermore, a Langrangian modeling framework was used to quantify the contribution of local and regional fires to BC concentration. The contribution of local fires to modelled BC at CAQMS during Event #1 and #2 is estimated to be ~70% and ~78%, respectively. The satellite retrievals of AOD, NO2 and CO also exhibit a significant increase in columnar concentration during these pollution events. The CALIOP retrieved vertical profile of extinction coefficient further confirmed that these pollutants are not only confined near the surface but are lifted up to 2 km altitude, which can subsequently be transported to high-altitude pristine sites and can impose serious implications on the cryosphere.

The FireWork v2.0 air quality forecast system with biomass burning emissions from the Canadian Forest Fire Emissions Prediction System v2.03

Abstract. Biomass burning activities can produce large quantities of smoke and result in adverse air quality conditions in regional environments. In Canada, the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) operational FireWork (v1.0) air quality forecast system incorporates near-real-time biomass burning emissions to forecast smoke plumes from fire events. The system is based on the ECCC operational Regional Air Quality Deterministic Prediction System (RAQDPS) augmented with near-real-time wildfire emissions using inputs from the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS). Recent improvements to the representation of fire behaviour and fire emissions have been incorporated into the CFS Canadian Forest Fire Emissions Prediction System (CFFEPS) v2.03. This is a bottom-up system linked to CWFIS in which hourly changes in biomass fuel consumption are parameterized with hourly forecasted meteorology at fire locations. CFFEPS has now also been connected to FireWork. In addition, a plume-rise parameterization based on fire-energy thermodynamics is used to define the smoke injection height and the distribution of emissions within a model vertical column. The new system, FireWork v2.0 (FireWork–CFFEPS), has been evaluated over North America for July–September 2017 and June–August 2018, which are both periods when western Canada experienced historical levels of fire activity with poor air quality conditions in several cities as well as other fires affecting northern Canada and Ontario. Forecast results were evaluated against hourly surface measurements for the three pollutant species used to calculate the Canadian Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), namely PM2.5, O3, and NO2, and benchmarked against the operational FireWork v1.0 system (FireWork-Ops). This comparison shows improved forecast performance and predictive skills for the FireWork–CFFEPS system. Modelled fire-plume injection heights from CFFEPS based on fire-energy thermodynamics show higher plume injection heights and larger variability. The changes in predicted fire emissions and injection height reduced the consistent over-predictions of PM2.5 and O3 seen in FireWork-Ops. On the other hand, there were minimal fire emission contributions to surface NO2, and results from FireWork–CFFEPS do not degrade NO2 forecast skill compared to the RAQDPS. Model performance statistics are slightly better for Canada than for the US, with lower errors and biases. The new system is still unable to capture the hourly variability of the observed values for PM2.5, but it captured the observed hourly variability for O3 concentration adequately. FireWork–CFFEPS also improves upon FireWork-Ops categorical scores for forecasting the occurrence of elevated air pollutant concentrations in terms of false alarm ratio (FAR) and critical success index (CSI).

The Atmospheric Imaging Mission for Northern Regions: AIM-North

AIM-North is a proposed satellite mission that would provide observations of unprecedented frequency and density for monitoring northern greenhouse gases (GHGs), air quality (AQ) and vegetation. AIM-North would consist of two satellites in a highly elliptical orbit formation, observing over land from ∼40°N to 80°N multiple times per day. Each satellite would carry a near-infrared to shortwave infrared imaging spectrometer for CO2, CH4, and CO, and an ultraviolet-visible imaging spectrometer for air quality. Both instruments would measure solar-induced fluorescence from vegetation. A cloud imager would make near-real-time observations, which could inform the pointing of the other instruments to focus only on the clearest regions. Multiple geostationary (GEO) AQ and GHG satellites are planned for the 2020s, but they will lack coverage of northern regions like the Arctic. AIM-North would address this gap with quasi-geostationary observations of the North and overlap with GEO coverage to facilitate intercomparison and fusion of these datasets. The resulting data would improve our ability to forecast northern air quality and quantify fluxes of GHG and AQ species from forests, permafrost, biomass burning and anthropogenic activity, furthering our scientific understanding of these processes and supporting environmental policy.

Real-time monitoring of air pollutants in seven cities of North India during crop residue burning and their relationship with meteorology and transboundary movement of air

Air pollutants emissions due to the burning of crop residues could adversely affect human health, environment, and climate. Hence, a multicity campaign was conducted during crop residue burning period in Indo Gangetic Plains (IGP) to study the impact on ambient air quality. Seventeen air pollutants along with five meteorological parameters, were measured using state of the art continuous air quality monitors. The average concentration of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 during the whole campaign were 196.7±30.6, 148.2±20, and 51.2±8.9 μgm−3 and daily average concentration were found several times higher than national ambient air quality standards for 24h. Amritsar had the highest average concentration of PM2.5 (178.4±83.8 μgm−3) followed by Rohtak and Sonipat (158.4±79.8, 156.5±105.3μgm−3), whereas Chandigarh recorded the lowest concentration (112.3±6.9μgm−3). The concentration of gaseous pollutants NO, NO2, NOx, and SO2 were also observed highest at Amritsar location, i.e., 6.6±2.6ppb, 6.2±0.7ppb, 12.7±3.0ppb, and 7.5±3.3ppb respectively. The highest average O3 and CO were 22.5±19.3ppb and 1.5±1.2ppm during the campaign. The level of gaseous pollutants and Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found to be elevated during the campaign, which can play an important role in the formation of secondary air pollutants. The correlation of meteorology and air pollutants was also studied, and O3 shows a significant relation with temperature and UV (R=0.87 and 0.74) whereas VOCs shows a significant correlation with temperature (R=−0.21 to −0.47). Air quality data was also analyzed to identify sources of emissions using principal component analysis, and it identifies biomass burning and vehicular activities as major sources of air pollution.

Dissolved hydrolyzed amino acids in precipitation in suburban Guiyang, southwestern China: Seasonal variations and potential atmospheric processes

Proteinaceous compounds are particularly interesting because of their ubiquity and importance in many atmospheric processes. We investigated hydrolyzed amino acid (HAA), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), nitrate (NO3−) and ammonium (NH4+) concentrations in precipitation samples collected in a suburban site in Guiyang over a 12 month period. Annually averaged total HAA, DON, NO3− and NH4+ concentrations were 3.7 μmol L−1, 151.1 μmol L−1, 68.9 μmol L−1 and 117.3 μmol L−1, respectively. Regarding the HAAs in precipitation, glutamic acid, glycine and proline were present in relatively high concentrations, followed by aspartic acid and alanine. The concentrations of total HAAs in precipitation showed a clear seasonal cycle, with a minimum level in winter and a maximum level in spring. Based on seasonal variations of total HAAs together with back-trajectory analysis, the air mass origins did not significantly impact the precipitation HAA levels. The NO3− concentrations recorded a better positive correlation (P < 0.01) with both the DON and total HAA concentrations than the NH4+ concentrations, possibly revealing that the sources for precipitation amino acids in suburban Guiyang were more linked with NO3− sources (from biomass burning, microbial activities and agricultural activities) than with NH4+ sources (from biomass burning and agricultural activities). In particular, in some specific periods, such as spring, abundant pollen releases may have been responsible for the relatively high precipitation amino acid concentrations. The average air temperature and the highest air temperature showed a positive correlation with the total HAA levels in precipitation. Clearly, the increase in precipitation total HAAs with higher air temperatures may indicate the enhanced temperature-induced degradation of high molecular weight atmospheric proteinaceous matter. Moreover, the volume-weighted precipitation glycine and total HAA levels were positively correlated with the product of atmospheric ozone and nitrogen dioxide, indicating that atmospheric proteinaceous matter may be inextricably bound up with both ozone- and nitrogen dioxide-related atmospheric processes. In conclusion, this study improves current knowledge on the origins and atmospheric processes of atmospheric proteinaceous compounds.

Scalable diagnostics for global atmospheric chemistry using Ristretto library (version 1.0)

Abstract. We introduce a new set of algorithmic tools capable of producing scalable, low-rank decompositions of global spatiotemporal atmospheric chemistry data. By exploiting emerging randomized linear algebra algorithms, a suite of decompositions are proposed that extract the dominant features from big data sets (i.e., global atmospheric chemistry at longitude, latitude, and elevation) with improved interpretability. Importantly, our proposed algorithms scale with the intrinsic rank of the global chemistry space rather than the ever increasing spatiotemporal measurement space, thus allowing for the efficient representation and compression of the data. In addition to scalability, two additional innovations are proposed for improved interpretability: (i) a nonnegative decomposition of the data for improved interpretability by constraining the chemical space to have only positive expression values (unlike PCA analysis); and (ii) sparse matrix decompositions, which threshold small weights to zero, thus highlighting the dominant, localized spatial activity (again unlike PCA analysis). Our methods are demonstrated on a full year of global chemistry dynamics data, showing the significant improvement in computational speed and interpretability. We show that the decomposition methods presented here successfully extract known major features of atmospheric chemistry, such as summertime surface pollution and biomass burning activities.

A Holocene black carbon ice-core record of biomass burning in the Amazon Basin from Illimani, Bolivia

Abstract. The Amazon Basin is one of the major contributors to global biomass burning emissions. However, regional paleofire trends remain particularly unknown. Due to their proximity to the Amazon Basin, Andean ice cores are suitable to reconstruct paleofire trends in South America and improve our understanding of the complex linkages between fires, climate and humans. Here we present the first refractory black carbon (rBC) ice-core record from the Andes as a proxy for biomass burning emissions in the Amazon Basin, derived from an ice core drilled at 6300 m a.s.l. from the Illimani glacier in the Bolivian Andes and spanning the entire Holocene back to the last deglaciation 13 000 years ago. The Illimani rBC record displays a strong seasonality with low values during the wet season and high values during the dry season due to the combination of enhanced biomass burning emissions in the Amazon Basin and less precipitation at the Illimani site. Significant positive (negative) correlations were found with reanalyzed temperature (precipitation) data for regions in eastern Bolivia and western Brazil characterized by substantial fire activity. rBC long-term trends indirectly reflect regional climatic variations through changing biomass burning emissions as they show higher (lower) concentrations during warm–dry (cold–wet) periods, in line with climate variations such as the Younger Dryas, the 8.2 ka event, the Holocene Climatic Optimum, the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. The highest rBC concentrations of the entire record occurred during the Holocene Climatic Optimum between 7000 and 3000 BCE, suggesting that this exceptionally warm and dry period caused high levels of biomass burning activity, unprecedented in the context of the past 13 000 years. Recent rBC levels, rising since 1730 CE in the context of increasing temperatures and deforestation, are similar to those of the Medieval Warm Period. No decrease in fire activity was observed in the 20th century, in contradiction to global biomass burning reconstructions based on charcoal data.

Simultaneous observations by sky radiometer and MAX-DOAS for characterization of biomass burning plumes in central Thailand in January–April 2016

Abstract. The first intensive multicomponent ground-based remote-sensing observations by sky radiometer and multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) were performed simultaneously at the SKYNET Phimai site located in central Thailand (15.18∘ N, 102.56∘ E) from January to April 2016. The period corresponds to the dry season associated with intense biomass burning (BB) activity around the site. The near-surface concentration of formaldehyde (HCHO) retrieved from MAX-DOAS was found to be a useful tracer for absorption aerosols from BB plumes, when BB was the dominant source of HCHO and absorption aerosols over other sources. As the HCHO concentration tripled from 3 to 9 ppbv, the ratio of gaseous glyoxal to HCHO concentrations in daytime decreased from ∼0.04 to ∼0.03, responding presumably to the increased contribution of volatile organic compound emissions from BB. In addition, clear increases in aerosol absorption optical depths (AAODs) retrieved from sky radiometer observations were seen with the HCHO enhancement. At a HCHO of 9 ppbv, AAOD at a wavelength of 340 nm reached as high as ∼0.15±0.03. The wavelength dependence of AAODs at 340–870 nm was quantified by the absorption Ångström exponent (AAE), providing evidence for the presence of brown carbon aerosols at an AAE of 1.5±0.2. Thus, our multicomponent observations around central Thailand are expected to provide unique constraints for understanding physical–chemical–optical properties of BB plumes.

Source apportionment of black carbon in different seasons in the northern suburb of Nanjing, China

In this study, black carbon (BC) was measured in the northern suburb of Nanjing from January to December 2016 using a seven-channel Aethalometer (AE33). BC sources in different seasons are quantified based on the Aethalometer model. The results indicate that the seasonal average BC concentration is 980 ± 810 ng/m3 (the average value ± the standard deviation), 1062 ± 986 ng/m3, 1168 ± 937 ng/m3 and 2117 ± 1549 ng/m3 during spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. The source apportionment results reveal that liquid fuel (e.g., traffic) has higher seasonal contributions (ranging from 70% in autumn to 84% in winter) to total BC concentrations than solid fuels do (e.g., coal and biomass, ranging from 16% in winter to 30% in autumn). The relative contribution of liquid fuel to total BC concentrations was higher in winter and summer, whereas solid fuel has higher contributions in autumn and spring. The diurnal variations in total BC concentrations and the contributions of liquid fuel revealed a major increase during traffic rush hours in all seasons. However, solid fuel has higher contributions to total BC concentrations from 22:00–4:00, particularly during autumn. Meteorological parameters (wind speed and wind direction) provide supportive evidence from BC sources that BC emissions are mainly from local traffic sources and industry coal combustion in the southeast. Moreover, long-range transport from the southwestern regions (mainly Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Hunan) of the sampling site also plays a role in total BC concentrations, especially in autumn and winter. The episodes of high BC concentrations under high wind speed in winter are caused by long-range transport from Hebei and Shandong Provinces. High BC in June is from biomass burning activities in the southeastern region of Nanjing and Zhejiang Province.

Climate Impacts of the Biomass Burning in Indochina on Atmospheric Conditions over Southern China

Substantial biomass burning (BB) activities in Indochina during March and April of each year generate aerosols that are transported via westerly winds to southern China. These BB aerosols have both radiative (direct and semi-direct) and indirect effects on the climate. This study evaluates impacts of BB in Indochina during April 2013 on atmospheric conditions in southern China using WRF-Chem sensitivity simulations. We show that the atmosphere becomes drier and hotter under the aerosol radiative effect in southern China, while the changes linked to the indirect effect are opposite. The former (the latter) rises (reduces) surface temperature 0.13°C (0.19°C) and decrease (increase) water vapor mixing ratios 0.23 g kg–1 (0.40 g kg–1) at 700 hPa. Atmospheric responses to aerosols in turn affect aerosol dissipation. Specifically, BB aerosols absorb solar radiation and heat the local atmosphere, which inhibits the formation of clouds (reducing low-level cloud about 7%) related to the aerosol semi-direct effect. Less cloud enhances surface solar radiation flux and temperature. Otherwise, northeasterly winds linked to radiative effect suppress water vapor transport. In this case, precipitation reduces 1.09 mm day–1, diminishing wet removal and westward transport of aerosols. Under the indirect effect, greater cloud coverage is formed, which reduces surface solar radiation flux and increases local latent heat release. This extra heating promotes air convection and diffusion of pollution. Regional mean precipitation increases 0.49 mm d–1, facilitating wet pollution removal. Under indirect effect, aerosol extinction coefficient reduces 0.011 km–1 at 2-km height over southern China. However, it increases around 0.002 km–1 at 3-km height over southernmost China related to radiative effect. Therefore, atmospheric changes linked to indirect effect play a greater role in removing pollutants from the atmosphere than radiative effect over southern China.

Effect of Large-scale Biomass Burning on Aerosol Optical Properties at the GAW Regional Station Pha Din, Vietnam

ABSTRACT In 2014, Pha Din (1466 m a.s.l.) was established as a Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) regional station for aerosol and trace gas measurements in northwestern Vietnam. This study presents a five-year climatology of aerosol optical properties derived from nephelometer and aethalometer measurements and a comparison with ground-based remote sensing measurements at the nearby AERONET station Son La. The annual variations of the aerosol measurements at Pha Din are clearly dominated by annually recurring periods with high biomass burning activity in northern Southeast Asia (February–May). During these periods, the majority of air masses arriving at Pha Din originate from the southwest (northern Thailand, Laos and Myanmar). Both the meteorological conditions and the aerosol optical properties are very similar during the individual high biomass burning periods (increased temperature: > 20°C; moderate ambient relative humidity: 60–70%; decreased single scattering albedo: 0.8–0.9; increased absorption Angstrom exponent: 1.6–2.0; and scattering Angstrom exponent significantly larger than 1). Prior to the biomass burning season (October–January), the meteorological conditions at Pha Din are influenced by the SE Asian monsoon, leading to a frequent transport of air masses from SW China with moderate aerosol loadings. The lowest pollution levels are observed from June to September, which represents the wet season.

Impact of Biomass Burning in South and Southeast Asia on Background Aerosol in Southwest China

ABSTRACT Biomass burning (BB) in Southeast Asia is particularly pronounced during the dry season. However, the complex topography and long-range transport inherent to Southeast Asia have limited local research on pollution resulting from BB. In this study, the monthly variation in aerosol optical properties at six sites in Southeast Asia (Chiang Mai, Mukdahan, Bac-Lieu, Penang, Singapore, and Bandung) and the fire-point distribution have been analyzed in detail. The Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model was used to simulate the 72-hour back-trajectory from the Shangri-La atmospheric background station in Yunnan Province, China. Our results showed that BB was more common on the Indochinese Peninsula from March to May, whereas it was more common on the Malay Archipelago from August to October due to the latitudinal difference and crop harvest season. Significant BB activity on the Indochinese Peninsula in March resulted in a high surge in extinction (AODt440nm = 1.32 ± 0.69, AODf440nm = 1.24 ± 0.59) by particles with a smaller diameter (AE = 1.68 ± 0.13) in Chiang Mai. Mapping the long-range transport of BB aerosols reveals that Shangri-La’s pollution was primarily affected by emissions from northern-central India (accounting for 45.2%), and Bangladesh and northern Myanmar (accounting for 38.7%), which indicates that the aerosol pollution on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in springtime could have originated on the southern periphery of the Tibetan Plateau. The results also indicate that BB emission in Southeast Asia had a limited impact on pollution in Southwest China but a relatively large effect on local areas. This study is the first to analyze the trend of aerosols produced from BB in Southeast Asia via ground-based observation, which deepens our understanding of the potential effects of BB aerosols transported long-range from outside Southwest China.

Spatial and seasonal variations in atmospheric aerosols over Nigeria: Assessment of influence of intertropical discontinuity movement

This study examines the influence of intertropical discontinuity movement on seasonality and distribution of atmospheric aerosols over Nigeria, using remote sensing approach. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra aerosol optical depth, wind speed and precipitation/intertropical discontinuity (ITD) dataset were used. Geospatial interpolation model was used to analyse the aerosol seasonal distribution. Correlations analysis was used to evaluate the degree of influence of wind and ITD on the monthly distribution of aerosol. The results show significant variations in monthly mean distributions of aerosol, but the variation is much more extraordinary during Harmattan season than Wet and Dry seasons, with 0.29 ⩽ aerosol optical depth ⩾ 0.46. In other ecological zones, the highest mean aerosol optical depth values were observed in the months of December, January and February with 0.30 ⩽ aerosol optical depth ⩾ 0.60, with highest value in Sahel ecological zone. Generally, the results further show a strong relationship between aerosol optical depth distribution and migration of ITD with correlation r2 ⩾ 0.60 @ p = 0.05 mostly during Dry and Harmattan seasons but relatively low correlation r2 ⩽ 0.40 @ p = 0.05 during Wet season. The major findings of this study are that seasonal shifts in the location of the ITD considerably affect not only rainfall distribution, resulting in the Wet and Dry seasons in the study area, but also have significant impacts on atmospheric aerosol distributions. Although not all aerosols presented in this study are dust originated from Sahara desert, since biomass-burning activities frequently occur in the study area, the study concludes that satellite-based aerosol optical depth datasets continue to be advantageous to understand atmospheric aerosols distribution in a region where there is fewer ground aerosols data.

The long-term assessment of air quality on an island in Malaysia

This study aims to evaluate the air quality on Langkawi Island, a famous tourist destination in Malaysia, using 13 years of data (1999–2011) recorded by the Malaysian Department of Environment. Variations of seven air pollutants (O3, CO, NO, NO2, NOx, SO2 and PM10) and three meteorological factors (temperature, humidity and wind speed) were analysed. Statistical methods used to analyse the data included principal component regression (PCR) and sensitivity analysis. The results showed PM10 was the dominant air pollutant in Langkawi and values ranged between 5.0 μg m−3 and 183.2 μg m−3. The patterns of monthly values showed that the concentrations of measured air pollutants on Langkawi were higher during the south-west monsoon (June–September) due to seasonal biomass burning activities. High CO/NOx ratio values (between 28.3 and 43.6), low SO2/NOx ratio values (between 0.04 and 0.12) and NO/NO2 ratio values exceeding 2.2 indicate the source of air pollutants in this area was motor vehicles. PCR analysis grouped the seven variables into two factor components: the F1 component consisted of SO2, NO and NOx and the F2 component consisted of PM10. The F1 component (R2 = 0.931) indicated a stronger standardized coefficient value for meteorological variables compared to the F2 component (R2 = 0.059). The meteorological variables were statistically significant (p < 0.05) in influencing the distribution of the air pollutants. The status of air quality on the island could be improved through control on motor vehicle emissions as well as collaborative efforts to reduce regional air pollution, especially from biomass burning.

Secondary organic aerosols in Jinan, an urban site in North China: Significant anthropogenic contributions to heavy pollution

Secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) are an important component of particulates, but whether biogenic SOAs (BSOAs) or anthropogenic SOAs (ASOAs) are the dominant contributors to haze pollution remains poorly characterized. In this study, particulate samples were collected from September 2014 to August 2015 at an urban site in Jinan, which is the capital of Shandong Province and a typical city in the North China Plain. The PM2.5 samples were analyzed for BSOA (isoprene (SOAI) and monoterpenes (SOAM)) and ASOA (aromatic (SOAA)) tracers. The concentrations of the SOAA tracer (1.1 ± 1.0 ng/m3) were lowest, and those of SOAI tracers (41.8 ± 86.2 ng/m3) were highest, with the concentrations of SOAM tracers (19.4 ± 9.9 ng/m3) being intermediate. The SOAI tracers were more abundant in the summer and less abundant in the winter. Both SOAI and SOAM increased with increasing ozone level but decreased with increasing NOx level. Correlation analysis revealed a good correlation between 2,3-dihydroxy-4-oxopentanoic acid and levoglucosan levels in three seasons. These results suggested that biomass burning activities occurring in the NCP can enhance the emissions of aromatics and should be controlled, especially in the autumn and winter. SOA tracers were classified according to pollution degree, and the results showed that as pollution increases, the contributions of SOAA increase. These results indicate that reducing anthropogenic emissions is necessary to prevent SOA pollution, especially during heavy pollution episodes.

Particle number size distribution and new particle formation under the influence of biomass burning at a high altitude background site at Mt. Yulong (3410 m), China

Abstract. Biomass burning (BB) activities have a great impact on the particle number size distribution (PNSD) in the upper troposphere of the Tibetan Plateau, which could affect regional and global climate. An intensive campaign focused on the measurement of the PNSD, gaseous pollutants, and meteorological parameters was conducted at Mt. Yulong, a high-altitude site (3410 m a.s.l.) on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau during the pre-monsoon season (22 March to 15 April). During this period, intensive BB activities in southern Asia were detected by fire maps. The long-range transport of BB pollutants can increase the accumulation mode particles in the background atmosphere at Mt. Yulong. As a consequence, the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration was found to be 2–8 times higher during BB periods than during clean periods. Apart from BB, variations of the planet boundary layer (PBL) and new particle formation (NPF) were other factors that influenced the PNSD. However, only three NPF events (with a frequency of 14 %) were observed at Mt. Yulong. The occurrence of NPF events during clean episodes corresponded to an elevated PBL or transported BB pollutants. Due to the lack of condensable vapors including sulfuric acid and organic compounds, the newly formed particles were not able to grow to CCN size. Our study emphasizes the influences of BB on the aerosol and CCN concentration in the atmosphere of the Tibetan Plateau. These results also have the potential to improve our understanding of the variation of the particle concentration in the upper troposphere, and provide information for regional and global climate models.

Enhancements of airborne particulate arsenic over the subtropical free troposphere: impact of southern Asian biomass burning

Abstract. Arsenic (As) has long been recognized as a toxic element of mainly anthropogenic origins, having adverse effects on human health. However, there is insufficient understanding regarding As released into atmosphere from biomass burning (BB). To this end, daily airborne As concentrations in total particulate matter (TSP) were determined at Mount Hehuan (24.16∘ N, 121.29∘ E, 3001 m a.s.l.), Taiwan from September 2011 to September 2012. During the sampling period, As concentrations varied from 0.02 to 5.9 ng m−3, with a mean value of 0.5±1.0 ng m−3. Significantly seasonal variations of As were found over the subtropical free troposphere, and higher As concentrations were observed in the southern (S) and southeastern (SE) Asian BB seasons (from January to May). Principal component analysis (PCA) results showed that BB activities seemed to be a major source of As during the S and SE Asian BB periods, which were very distinct from the major source of coal-fired power plant during the periods between July and December. Based on backward trajectory analyses and WRF-Chem model simulations, we found that the high As concentrations during the BB periods were attributed to the biomass burning activities over S Asia where groundwater, soil and crops are severely contaminated by arsenic. A strong correlation (r=0.73 p&lt;0.05) between As and potassium ion (K+, a chemical tracer of BB activities) in S Asian BB events also supported this hypothesis. During the S Asian BB events, the high As ∕ Pb ratios (&gt;0.2) were also observed, indicating that burning crops contaminated by lead arsenate might be a crucial candidate for high As concentrations at Mount Hehuan. Nevertheless, the net influence of S Asian BB activities on airborne As concentrations has been estimated by comparing the differences of As concentrations on BB and non-BB days. On average, the difference in As concentrations was 1.0 ng m−3, which accounted for 63 % of the average As concentration on BB days. Moreover, a ratio of ΔAs∕ΔCO (∼0.00001) in the S Asian BB events was obtained. Using this value, arsenic emissions from S Asian BB activities were estimated to be 0.17 tons yr−1, resulting in high airborne As concentrations over the subtropical free troposphere and impacting As cycles on a regional scale in the S and SE Asian BB seasons.

Biomass burning history in East Asia during the last 4 million years recorded in elemental carbon variability at IODP site U1423

The burning of trees and grasses produces charred particles, such as charcoal and soot, that can be transported over long distances via winds and rivers to coastal, deltaic, and ocean environments, where they are preserved in sediments. Charcoal contained in sediments has been widely used as a proxy for biomass burning and human activities as well as climate change. Charcoal and soot in Cenozoic marine sediments at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition (Exp.) 346 Site U1423 were measured to examine the regional history of biomass burning in East Asia. Charcoal and soot were measured as elemental carbon (EC) in coarse (> 2 μm) and fine (< 2 μm) fractions using grain size separation by repeated settling followed by application of a thermal optical transmittance (TOT) method. Organic carbon (OC) was also quantified during the process. EC and OC in both coarse and fine fractions are higher from 0 to 1.8 Ma and lower from 1.8 to 4.3 Ma but have large variations, which suggest more frequent or intense biomass burning since 1.8 Ma. Terrestrial biomass and precipitation could be major controls on the EC supply. Fine EC varies independently from coarse EC, which suggests a remote origin of fine EC. Large increases in terrestrial vegetation cover have led to high-temperature burning, which is associated with interglacial stages.