Brown Carbon Absorption Research Articles

Size separation method for absorption characterization in brown carbon: Application to an aged biomass burning sample

AbstractThe majority of brown carbon (BrC) in atmospheric aerosols is derived from biomass burning (BB) and is primarily composed of extremely low volatility organic carbons. We use two chromatographic methods to compare the contribution of large and small light‐absorbing BrC components in aged BB aerosols with UV‐vis absorbance detection: (1) size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and (2) reverse phase high‐performance liquid chromatography. We observe no evidence of small molecule absorbers. Most BrC absorption arises from large molecular weight components (>1000 amu). This suggests that although small molecules may contribute to BrC absorption near the BB source, analyses of aerosol extracts should use methods selective to large molecular weight compounds because these species may be responsible for long‐term BrC absorption. Further characterization with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MS) coupled to SEC demonstrates an underestimation of the molecular size determined through MS as compared to SEC.

Contribution of Brown Carbon to Direct Radiative Forcing over the Indo-Gangetic Plain.

The Indo-Gangetic Plain is a region of known high aerosol loading with substantial amounts of carbonaceous aerosols from a variety of sources, often dominated by biomass burning. Although black carbon has been shown to play an important role in the absorption of solar energy and hence direct radiative forcing (DRF), little is known regarding the influence of light absorbing brown carbon (BrC) on the radiative balance in the region. With this in mind, a study was conducted for a one month period during the winter-spring season of 2013 in Kanpur, India that measured aerosol chemical and physical properties that were used to estimate the sources of carbonaceous aerosols, as well as parameters necessary to estimate direct forcing by aerosols and the contribution of BrC absorption to the atmospheric energy balance. Positive matrix factorization analyses, based on aerosol mass spectrometer measurements, resolved organic carbon into four factors including low-volatile oxygenated organic aerosols, semivolatile oxygenated organic aerosols, biomass burning, and hydrocarbon like organic aerosols. Three-wavelength absorption and scattering coefficient measurements from a Photo Acoustic Soot Spectrometer were used to estimate aerosol optical properties and estimate the relative contribution of BrC to atmospheric absorption. Mean ± standard deviation values of short-wave cloud free clear sky DRF exerted by total aerosols at the top of atmosphere, surface and within the atmospheric column are -6.1 ± 3.2, -31.6 ± 11, and 25.5 ± 10.2 W/m(2), respectively. During days dominated by biomass burning the absorption of solar energy by aerosols within the atmosphere increased by ∼35%, accompanied by a 25% increase in negative surface DRF. DRF at the top of atmosphere during biomass burning days decreased in negative magnitude by several W/m(2) due to enhanced atmospheric absorption by biomass aerosols, including BrC. The contribution of BrC to atmospheric absorption is estimated to range from on average 2.6 W/m(2) for typical ambient conditions to 3.6 W/m(2) during biomass burning days. This suggests that BrC accounts for 10-15% of the total aerosol absorption in the atmosphere, indicating that BrC likely plays an important role in surface and boundary temperature as well as climate.

Brown carbon aerosol in the North American continental troposphere: sources, abundance, and radiative forcing

Abstract. Chemical components of organic aerosol (OA) selectively absorb light at short wavelengths. In this study, the prevalence, sources, and optical importance of this so-called brown carbon (BrC) aerosol component are investigated throughout the North American continental tropospheric column during a summer of extensive biomass burning. Spectrophotometric absorption measurements on extracts of bulk aerosol samples collected from an aircraft over the central USA were analyzed to directly quantify BrC abundance. BrC was found to be prevalent throughout the 1 to 12 km altitude measurement range, with dramatic enhancements in biomass-burning plumes. BrC to black carbon (BC) ratios, under background tropospheric conditions, increased with altitude, consistent with a corresponding increase in the absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) determined from a three-wavelength particle soot absorption photometer (PSAP). The sum of inferred BC absorption and measured BrC absorption at 365 nm was within 3 % of the measured PSAP absorption for background conditions and 22 % for biomass burning. A radiative transfer model showed that BrC absorption reduced top-of-atmosphere (TOA) aerosol forcing by ~ 20 % in the background troposphere. Extensive radiative model simulations applying this study background tropospheric conditions provided a look-up chart for determining radiative forcing efficiencies of BrC as a function of a surface-measured BrC : BC ratio and single scattering albedo (SSA). The chart is a first attempt to provide a tool for better assessment of brown carbon's forcing effect when one is limited to only surface data. These results indicate that BrC is an important contributor to direct aerosol radiative forcing.

Investigation of black and brown carbon multiple‐wavelength‐dependent light absorption from biomass and fossil fuel combustion source emissions

AbstractQuantification of the black carbon (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) components of source emissions is critical to understanding the impact combustion aerosols have on atmospheric light absorption. Multiple‐wavelength absorption was measured from fuels including wood, agricultural biomass, coals, plant matter, and petroleum distillates in controlled combustion settings. Filter‐based absorption measurements were corrected and compared to photoacoustic absorption results. BC absorption was segregated from the total light extinction to estimate the BrC absorption from individual sources. Results were compared to elemental carbon (EC)/organic carbon (OC) concentrations to determine composition's impact on light absorption. Multiple‐wavelength absorption coefficients, Angstrom exponent (6.9 to <1.0), mass absorption cross section (MAC), and Delta C (97 µg m−3 to ~0 µg m−3) were highly variable. Sources such as incense and peat emissions showed ultraviolet wavelength (370 nm) BrC absorption over 175 and 80 times (respectively) the BC absorption but only 21 and 11 times (respectively) at 520 nm wavelength. The bulk EC MACEC, λ (average at 520 nm = 9.0 ± 3.7 m2 g−1; with OC fraction <0.85 = ~7.5 m2 g−1) and the BrC OC mass absorption cross sections (MACBrC,OC,λ) were calculated; at 370 nm ultraviolet wavelengths; the MACBrC,OC,λ ranged from 0.8 m2 g−1 to 2.29 m2 g−1 (lowest peat, highest kerosene), while at 520 nm wavelength MACBrC,OC,λ ranged from 0.07 m2 g−1 to 0.37 m2 g−1 (lowest peat, highest kerosene/incense mixture). These MAC results show that OC content can be an important contributor to light absorption when present in significant quantities (>0.9 OC/TC), source emissions have variable absorption spectra, and nonbiomass combustion sources can be significant contributors to BrC.

Biomass burning dominates brown carbon absorption in the rural southeastern United States

AbstractBrown carbon aerosol consists of light‐absorbing organic particulate matter with wavelength‐dependent absorption. Aerosol optical extinction, absorption, size distributions, and chemical composition were measured in rural Alabama during summer 2013. The field site was well located to examine sources of brown carbon aerosol, with influence by high biogenic organic aerosol concentrations, pollution from two nearby cities, and biomass burning aerosol. We report the optical closure between measured dry aerosol extinction at 365 nm and calculated extinction from composition and size distribution, showing agreement within experiment uncertainties. We find that aerosol optical extinction is dominated by scattering, with single‐scattering albedo values of 0.94 ± 0.02. Black carbon aerosol accounts for 91 ± 9% of the total carbonaceous aerosol absorption at 365 nm, while organic aerosol accounts for 9 ± 9%. The majority of brown carbon aerosol mass is associated with biomass burning, with smaller contributions from biogenically derived secondary organic aerosol.

Further evidence for charge transfer complexes in brown carbon aerosols from excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy.

The light-absorbing fraction of organic molecules in ambient aerosols, known as "brown carbon," is an important yet poorly characterized component. Despite the fact that brown carbon could alter the radiative forcing of aerosols significantly, identification of specific chromophores has remained challenging. We recently demonstrated that charge transfer (CT) complexes formed in organic molecules could be responsible for a large fraction of absorption observed in water-extracted ambient particulate matter.1 In the present study, we use excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy to further corroborate the importance of CT complexes in defining aerosol optical properties. Monotonically increasing and decreasing quantum yields, decreasing Stokes shifts, and red-shifting emission maxima are observed from ambient particulate matter collected in Athens, Georgia, strongly suggesting that a superposition of independent chromophores is not sufficient to explain brown carbon absorption and fluorescence. Instead, we show that a model in which such chromophores are energetically coupled to a dense manifold of CT complexes is consistent with all of the observations. Further, we suggest that a significant fraction of the observed fluorescence originates from CT complexes and that their contribution to brown carbon absorption is likely greater than we reported previously.

Exploiting simultaneous observational constraints on mass and absorption to estimate the global direct radiative forcing of black carbon and brown carbon

Abstract. Atmospheric black carbon (BC) is a leading climate warming agent, yet uncertainties on the global direct radiative forcing (DRF) remain large. Here we expand a global model simulation (GEOS-Chem) of BC to include the absorption enhancement associated with BC coating and separately treat both the aging and physical properties of fossil-fuel and biomass-burning BC. In addition we develop a global simulation of brown carbon (BrC) from both secondary (aromatic) and primary (biomass burning and biofuel) sources. The global mean lifetime of BC in this simulation (4.4 days) is substantially lower compared to the AeroCom I model means (7.3 days), and as a result, this model captures both the mass concentrations measured in near-source airborne field campaigns (ARCTAS, EUCAARI) and surface sites within 30%, and in remote regions (HIPPO) within a factor of 2. We show that the new BC optical properties together with the inclusion of BrC reduces the model bias in absorption aerosol optical depth (AAOD) at multiple wavelengths by more than 50% at AERONET sites worldwide. However our improved model still underestimates AAOD by a factor of 1.4 to 2.8 regionally, with the largest underestimates in regions influenced by fire. Using the RRTMG model integrated with GEOS-Chem we estimate that the all-sky top-of-atmosphere DRF of BC is +0.13 Wm−2 (0.08 Wm−2 from anthropogenic sources and 0.05 Wm−2 from biomass burning). If we scale our model to match AERONET AAOD observations we estimate the DRF of BC is +0.21 Wm−2, with an additional +0.11 Wm−2 of warming from BrC. Uncertainties in size, optical properties, observations, and emissions suggest an overall uncertainty in BC DRF of −80%/+140%. Our estimates are at the lower end of the 0.2–1.0 Wm−2 range from previous studies, and substantially less than the +0.6 Wm−2 DRF estimated in the IPCC 5th Assessment Report. We suggest that the DRF of BC has previously been overestimated due to the overestimation of the BC lifetime (including the effect on the vertical profile) and the incorrect attribution of BrC absorption to BC.

Source-diagnostic dual-isotope composition and optical properties of water-soluble organic carbon and elemental carbon in the South Asian outflow intercepted over the Indian Ocean

The dual carbon isotope signatures and optical properties of carbonaceous aerosols have been investigated simultaneously for the first time in the South Asian outflow during an intensive campaign at the Maldives Climate Observatory on Hanimaadhoo (MCOH) (February and March 2012). As one component of the Cloud Aerosol Radiative Forcing Dynamics Experiment, this paper reports on the sources and the atmospheric processing of elemental carbon (EC) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) as examined by a dual carbon isotope approach. The radiocarbon (Δ14C) data show that WSOC has a significantly higher biomass/biogenic contribution (86 ± 5%) compared to EC (59 ± 4%). The more 13C-enriched signature of MCOH-WSOC (−20.8 ± 0.7‰) compared to MCOH-EC (−25.8 ± 0.3‰) and megacity Delhi WSOC (−24.1 ± 0.9‰) suggests that WSOC is significantly more affected by aging during long-range transport than EC. The δ13C-Δ14C signal suggests that the wintertime WSOC intercepted over the Indian Ocean largely represents aged primary biomass burning aerosols. Since light-absorbing organic carbon aerosols (Brown Carbon (BrC)) have recently been identified as potential contributors to positive radiative forcing, optical properties of WSOC were also investigated. The mass absorption cross section of WSOC (MAC365) was 0.5 ± 0.2 m2 g−1 which is lower than what has been observed at near-source sites, indicating a net decrease of WSOC light-absorption character during long-range transport. Near-surface WSOC at MCOH accounted for ~1% of the total direct solar absorbance relative to EC, which is lower than the BrC absorption inferred from solar spectral observations of ambient aerosols, suggesting that a significant portion of BrC might be included in the water-insoluble portion of organic aerosols.

Urban impacts on regional carbonaceous aerosols: Case study in central Texas

Rural and background sites provide valuable information on the concentration and optical properties of organic, elemental, and water-soluble organic carbon (OC, EC, and WSOC), which are relevant for understanding the climate forcing potential of regional atmospheric aerosols. To quantify climate- and air quality-relevant characteristics of carbonaceous aerosol in the central United States, a regional background site in central Texas was chosen for long-term measurement. Back trajectory (BT) analysis, ambient OC, EC, and WSOC concentrations and absorption parameters are reported for the first 15 months of a long-term campaign (May 2011–August 2012). BT analysis indicates consistent north–south airflow connecting central Texas to the Central Plains. Central Texas aerosols exhibited seasonal trends with increased fine particulate matter (<2.5 μm aerodynamic diameter, PM2.5) and OC during the summer (PM2.5 = 10.9 μg m−3 and OC = 3.0 μg m−3) and elevated EC during the winter (0.22 μg m−3). When compared to measurements in Dallas and Houston, TX, central Texas OC appears to have mixed urban and rural sources. However, central Texas EC appears to be dominated by transport of urban emissions. WSOC averaged 63% of the annual OC, with little seasonal variability in this ratio. To monitor brown carbon (BrC), absorption was measured for the aqueous WSOC extracts. Light absorption coefficients for EC and BrC were highest during summer (EC MAC = 11 m2 g−1 and BRC MAE365 = 0.15 m2 g−1). Results from optical analysis indicate that regional aerosol absorption is mostly due to EC with summertime peaks in BrC attenuation. This study represents the first reported values of WSOC absorption, MAE365, for the central United States.Implications:Background concentration and absorption measurements are essential in determining regional potential radiative forcing due to atmospheric aerosols. Back trajectory, chemical, and optical analysis of PM2.5 was used to determine climatic and air quality implications of urban outflow to a regional receptor site, representative of the central United States. Results indicate that central Texas organic carbon has mixed urban and rural sources, while elemental carbon is controlled by the transport of urban emissions. Analysis of aerosol absorption showed black carbon as the dominant absorber, with less brown carbon absorption than regional studies in California and the southeastern United States.

Size-resolved measurements of brown carbon in water and methanol extracts and estimates of their contribution to ambient fine-particle light absorption

Abstract. Light absorbing organic carbon, often called brown carbon, has the potential to significantly contribute to the visible light-absorption budget, particularly at shorter wavelengths. Currently, the relative contributions of particulate brown carbon to light absorption, as well as the sources of brown carbon, are poorly understood. With this in mind size-resolved direct measurements of brown carbon were made at both urban (Atlanta), and rural (Yorkville) sites in Georgia. Measurements in Atlanta were made at both a representative urban site and a road-side site adjacent to a main highway. Fine particle absorption was measured with a multi-angle absorption photometer (MAAP) and seven-wavelength Aethalometer, and brown carbon absorption was estimated based on Mie calculations using direct size-resolved measurements of chromophores in solvents. Size-resolved samples were collected using a cascade impactor and analyzed for water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC), and solution light-absorption spectra of water and methanol extracts. Methanol extracts were more light-absorbing than water extracts for all size ranges and wavelengths. Absorption refractive indices of the organic extracts were calculated from solution measurements for a range of wavelengths and used with Mie theory to predict the light absorption by fine particles comprised of these components, under the assumption that brown carbon and other aerosol components were externally mixed. For all three sites, chromophores were predominately in the accumulation mode with an aerodynamic mean diameter of 0.5 μm, an optically effective size range resulting in predicted particle light absorption being a factor of 2 higher than bulk solution absorption. Mie-predicted brown carbon absorption at 350 nm contributed a significant fraction (20 to 40%) relative to total light absorption, with the highest contributions at the rural site where organic to elemental carbon ratios were highest. Brown carbon absorption, however, was highest by the roadside site due to vehicle emissions. The direct size-resolved measurement of brown carbon in solution definitively shows that it is present and optically important in the near-UV range in both a rural and urban environment during the summer when biomass burning emissions are low. These results allow estimates of brown carbon aerosol absorption from direct measurements of chromophores in aerosol extracts.

On the attribution of black and brown carbon light absorption using the Ångström exponent

Abstract. The absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) of externally mixed black carbon (BCExt), or BC internally mixed with non-absorbing material (BCInt), is often used to determine the contribution of brown carbon (BrC) light absorption at short visible wavelengths. This attribution method contains assumptions with uncertainties that have not been formally assessed. We show that the potential range of AAE for BCExt (or BCInt) in the atmosphere can reasonably lead to +7% to −22% uncertainty in BCExt (or BCInt) absorption at short wavelengths derived from measurements made at longer wavelengths, where BrC is assumed not to absorb light. These uncertainties propagate to errors in the attributed absorption of BrC. For uncertainty in attributed BrC absorption to be ≤ ± 33%, 23% to 41% of total absorption must be sourced from BrC. These uncertainties would be larger if absorption by dust were also to be considered due to additional AAE assumptions. For data collected during a biomass-burning event, the mean difference between measured and AAE attributed BrC absorption was found to be 34% – an additional uncertainty in addition to the theoretical uncertainties presented. In light of the potential for introducing significant and poorly constrained errors, we caution against the universal application of the AAE method for attributing BrC absorption.

Brown carbon: a significant atmospheric absorber of solar radiation?

Abstract. Several recent observational studies have shown organic carbon aerosols to be a significant source of absorption of solar radiation. The absorbing part of organic aerosols is referred to as "brown" carbon (BrC). Using a global chemical transport model and a radiative transfer model, we estimate for the first time the enhanced absorption of solar radiation due to BrC in a global model. The simulated wavelength dependence of aerosol absorption, as measured by the absorption Ångström exponent (AAE), increases from 0.9 for non-absorbing organic carbon to 1.2 (1.0) for strongly (moderately) absorbing BrC. The calculated AAE for the strongly absorbing BrC agrees with AERONET spectral observations at 440–870 nm over most regions but overpredicts for the biomass burning-dominated South America and southern Africa, in which the inclusion of moderately absorbing BrC has better agreement. The resulting aerosol absorption optical depth increases by 18% (3%) at 550 nm and 56% (38%) at 380 nm for strongly (moderately) absorbing BrC. The global simulations suggest that the strongly absorbing BrC contributes up to +0.25 W m−2 or 19% of the absorption by anthropogenic aerosols, while 72% is attributed to black carbon, and 9% is due to sulfate and non-absorbing organic aerosols coated on black carbon. Like black carbon, the absorption of BrC (moderately to strongly) inserts a warming effect at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) (0.04 to 0.11 W m−2), while the effect at the surface is a reduction (−0.06 to −0.14 W m−2). Inclusion of the strongly absorption of BrC in our model causes the direct radiative forcing (global mean) of organic carbon aerosols at the TOA to change from cooling (−0.08 W m−2) to warming (+0.025 W m−2). Over source regions and above clouds, the absorption of BrC is higher and thus can play an important role in photochemistry and the hydrologic cycle.

Photochemical Aging of Light-Absorbing Secondary Organic Aerosol Material

Dark reactions of methylglyoxal with NH4(+) in aqueous aerosols yield light-absorbing and surface-active products that can influence the physical properties of the particles. Little is known about how the product mixture and its optical properties will change due to photolysis as well as oxidative aging by O3 and OH in the atmosphere. Here, we report the results of kinetics and product studies of the photochemical aging of aerosols formed by atomizing aqueous solutions of methylglyoxal and ammonium sulfate. Experiments were performed using aerosol flow tube reactors coupled with an aerosol chemical ionization mass spectrometer (Aerosol-CIMS) for monitoring gas- and particle-phase compositions. Particles were also impacted onto quartz windows in order to assess changes in their UV-visible absorption upon oxidation. Photooxidation of the aerosols leads to the formation of small, volatile organic acids including formic acid, acetic acid, and glyoxylic acid. The atmospheric lifetime of these species during the daytime is predicted to be on the order of minutes, with photolysis being an important mechanism of degradation. The lifetime with respect to O3 oxidation was observed to be on the order of hours. O3 oxidation also leads to a net increase in light absorption by the particles due to the formation of additional carbonyl compounds. Our results are consistent with field observations of high brown carbon absorption in the early morning.

Corrigendum to &amp;quot;Brown carbon absorption linked to organic mass tracers in biomass burning particles&amp;quot; published in Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 2415–2422, 2013

Corrigendum to &amp;quot;Brown carbon absorption linked to organic mass tracers in biomass burning particles&amp;quot; published in Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 2415–2422, 2013

Brown carbon absorption linked to organic mass tracers in biomass burning particles

Abstract. Traditional gas and particle phase chemical markers used to identify the presence of biomass burning (BB) emissions were measured for a large forest fire near Boulder, Colorado. Correlation of the organic matter mass spectroscopic m/z 60 with measured particle light absorption properties found no link at 532 nm, and a strong correlation at 404 nm. Non-black carbon absorption at 404 nm was well correlated to the ratio of the mass fractions of particulate organic matter (POM) that was m/z 60 (f60) to m/z 44 (f44). The f60 to f44 ratio did not fully explain the variability in non-BC absorption, due to contributions of brown carbon (BrC) absorption and absorption due to internal mixing of POM with black carbon (BC). The absorption Ångstrom exponent (ÅAbs) showed a good correlation to f60/f44; however the best correlation resulted from the mass absorption efficiency (MAE) of BrC at 404 nm (MAEPOM-404 nm) and f60/f44. This result indicates that the absorption of POM at low visible and UV wavelengths is linked to emissions of organic matter that contribute to the m/z 60 mass fragment, although they do not contribute to 532 nm absorption. m/z 60 is often attributed to levoglucosan and related compounds. The linear relationship between MAEPOM-404 nm and f60/f44 suggests that the strength of BrC absorption for this fire can be predicted by emissions of f60-related organic matter.

Solar absorption by elemental and brown carbon determined from spectral observations

Black carbon (BC) is functionally defined as the absorbing component of atmospheric total carbonaceous aerosols (TC) and is typically dominated by soot-like elemental carbon (EC). However, organic carbon (OC) has also been shown to absorb strongly at visible to UV wavelengths and the absorbing organics are referred to as brown carbon (BrC), which is typically not represented in climate models. We propose an observationally based analytical method for rigorously partitioning measured absorption aerosol optical depths (AAOD) and single scattering albedo (SSA) among EC and BrC, using multiwavelength measurements of total (EC, OC, and dust) absorption. EC is found to be strongly absorbing (SSA of 0.38) whereas the BrC SSA varies globally between 0.77 and 0.85. The method is applied to the California region. We find TC (EC + BrC) contributes 81% of the total absorption at 675 nm and 84% at 440 nm. The BrC absorption at 440 nm is about 40% of the EC, whereas at 675 nm it is less than 10% of EC. We find an enhanced absorption due to OC in the summer months and in southern California (related to forest fires and secondary OC). The fractions and trends are broadly consistent with aerosol chemical-transport models as well as with regional emission inventories, implying that we have obtained a representative estimate for BrC absorption. The results demonstrate that current climate models that treat OC as nonabsorbing are underestimating the total warming effect of carbonaceous aerosols by neglecting part of the atmospheric heating, particularly over biomass-burning regions that emit BrC.

Observationally constrained estimates of carbonaceous aerosol radiative forcing

Carbonaceous aerosols (CA) emitted by fossil and biomass fuels consist of black carbon (BC), a strong absorber of solar radiation, and organic matter (OM). OM scatters as well as absorbs solar radiation. The absorbing component of OM, which is ignored in most climate models, is referred to as brown carbon (BrC). Model estimates of the global CA radiative forcing range from 0 to 0.7Wm(-2), to be compared with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's estimate for the pre-Industrial to the present net radiative forcing of about 1.6Wm(-2). This study provides a model-independent, observationally based estimate of the CA direct radiative forcing. Ground-based aerosol network data is integrated with field data and satellite-based aerosol observations to provide a decadal (2001 through 2009) global view of the CA optical properties and direct radiative forcing. The estimated global CA direct radiative effect is about 0.75Wm(-2) (0.5 to 1.0). This study identifies the global importance of BrC, which is shown to contribute about 20% to 550-nm CA solar absorption globally. Because of the inclusion of BrC, the net effect of OM is close to zero and the CA forcing is nearly equal to that of BC. The CA direct radiative forcing is estimated to be about 0.65 (0.5 to about 0.8) Wm(-2), thus comparable to or exceeding that by methane. Caused in part by BrC absorption, CAs have a net warming effect even over open biomass-burning regions in Africa and the Amazon.

Aircraft Instrument for Comprehensive Characterization of Aerosol Optical Properties, Part 2: Black and Brown Carbon Absorption and Absorption Enhancement Measured with Photo Acoustic Spectroscopy

This paper describes the design and performance of a photo-acoustic aerosol absorption spectrometer (PAS) built for operation on a research aircraft platform. The PAS instrument is capable of measuring dry absorption at 659 nm, 532 nm, and 404 nm, and absorption enhancement due to coatings at 532 nm and 404 nm. The measurement accuracy for all channels is < = 10% and in flight 1 Hz sensitivities lie within the range of 0.5–1.5 Mm−1. PAS measurements of calibrated absorbing aerosol samples are shown to be consistent with measurements made by a previous generation single channel photo-acoustic instrument. Aircraft data collected during a recent field campaign in California are used to demonstrate the capabilities of the PAS. In combination with an aircraft cavity ring down aerosol extinction spectrometer described in a companion paper, the new PAS instrument provides a sensitive airborne in-situ characterization of aerosol optics. Copyright 2012 American Association for Aerosol Research