Water-soluble Organic Carbon Research Articles

Brown carbon in atmospheric fine particles in Yangzhou, China: Light absorption properties and source apportionment

Light absorbing organic carbon, a.k.a., brown carbon (BrC) is an important contributor to air quality deterioration and global radiative forcing. This work studied optical, chemical properties and sources of BrC in fine particles (PM2.5) collected in Yangzhou, China. The light absorption coefficient at 365 nm of methanol-soluble organics (Abs365,MSOC) and water-soluble organics (Abs365,WSOC) were 13.50 ± 7.03 M/m and 6.08 ± 4.30 M/m, respectively. Mass absorption efficiency at 365 nm (MAE365) of methanol-soluble BrC (1.12 ± 0.35 m2/g C) was also higher than water-soluble BrC (0.75 ± 0.29 m2/g C). For water-soluble BrC, both Abs365 and MAE365 generally decreased with increases of its oxygen-to‑carbon (O/C) ratios and oxidation states (OSc), indicative of photo-bleaching upon chemical ageing. Positive responses of Abs365,WSOC and MAE365,WSOC to nitrogen-to‑carbon (N/C) ratios and water-soluble organic nitrogen (ON) contents reveal that ON species are important BrC chromophores. A multiple linear regression model was applied to apportion Abs365,WSOC to contributions of different factors resolved from positive matrix factorization on water-soluble organic aerosols (OA), and obtained MAE365 values of different OA factors. Overall, primary OA sources including traffic (18.9%), biomass burning (23.7%), and cooking-related OA (10.5%) together dominated the Abs365,WSOC despite their total mass contribution was only about one third (31.9%). The largest single contributor of Abs365,WSOC, however, was the less-oxidized secondary OA (33.8%); the more-oxidized secondary OA factor dominated water-soluble OA mass (50.8%), yet its light absorptivity was the weakest and contributed only 13.1% of Abs365,WSOC.

PM2.5中の水溶性有機炭素濃度の測定：フィルタ分析と連続自動分析装置との比較

PM2.5中の水溶性有機炭素濃度の測定：フィルタ分析と連続自動分析装置との比較

A consecutive 4-year elevated air temperature shaped soil bacterial community structure and metabolic functional groups in the rhizosphere of black locust seedlings exposed to lead pollution

Global warming may influence the bioavailability and mobility of heavy metals by stimulating or inhibiting plant growth, thereby influencing rhizosphere soil chemistry and microbial characteristics. Black locust has been widely planted in China as a promising species for afforestation programs, farmland shelterbelt projects, and soil restoration in mined areas because of its rapid growth and adaptability to environmental stressors. Here, we examined soil bacterial community structure and predicted bacterial metabolic function in the rhizosphere of black locust exposed to elevated temperature (+1.99 °C) and Pb for 4 years. Elevated temperature significantly (p < 0.05) reduced total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), and total sulfur (TS) contents in above-ground parts but increased TC and TN contents in roots and seedling height under Pb exposure. Elevated temperature significantly (p < 0.05) increased Pb availability and raised pH, TC, TN, TS and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) contents, and the C:H ratio in rhizosphere soils under Pb exposure. The interactive effects between Pb and temperature on pH, TC, TH, TS, WSOC, and the C:H ratio were significant (p < 0.05). Elevated temperature significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the diversity and the richness of bacterial community, altered genus-level bacterial community composition, and improved (p < 0.05) the relative abundances of some bacteria involving in terpenoids and polyketides and xenobiotics biodegradation metabolism under Pb exposure. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that pH, WSOC, C:N ratio, and soluble Pb were significant (p < 0.05) factors on the relative abundance of bacterial genera, such as Ochrobactrum and Sphingomnas. Overall, long-term elevated temperature resulted in changes in rhizosphere soil characteristics and Pb availability, thus affecting the bacterial community structure and metabolic functional groups. The conclusion helps us understand the response mechanism of soil bacteria in the rhizosphere to heavy metals under global warming scenarios.

Characteristics of methanesulfonic acid, non-sea-salt sulfate and organic carbon aerosols over the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica

Abstract. To investigate the characteristics of particulate methanesulfonic acid (MSA(p)), non-sea-salt sulfate (nss SO42-) and organic carbon (OC) aerosols, aerosol and seawater samples were collected over the Southern Ocean (43–70∘ S) and the Amundsen Sea (70–75∘ S) during the ANA06B cruise conducted in the austral summer of 2016 aboard the Korean icebreaker IBR/V Araon. Over the Southern Ocean, the atmospheric MSA(p) concentration was low (0.10±0.002 µg m−3), whereas its concentration increased sharply up to 0.57 µg m−3 in the Amundsen Sea where Phaeocystis antarctica (P. antarctica), a producer of dimethylsulfide (DMS), was the dominant phytoplankton species. Unlike MSA(p), the mean nss SO42- concentration in the Amundsen Sea was comparable to that in the Southern Ocean. Water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) concentrations over the Southern Ocean and the Amundsen Sea varied from 0.048 to 0.16 and 0.070 to 0.18 µgC m−3, with averages of 0.087±0.038 and 0.097±0.038 µgC m−3, respectively. For water-insoluble organic carbon (WIOC), its mean concentrations over the Southern Ocean and the Amundsen Sea were 0.25±0.13 and 0.26±0.10 µgC m−3, varying from 0.083 to 0.49 and 0.12 to 0.38 µgC m−3, respectively. WIOC was the dominant organic carbon species in both the Southern Ocean and the Amundsen Sea, accounting for 73 %–75 % of the total aerosol organic carbon. WSOC/Na+ and WIOC/Na+ ratios in the fine-mode aerosol particles were higher, especially in the Amundsen Sea where biological productivity was much higher than the Southern Ocean. The fluorescence properties of water-soluble organic aerosols investigated using a fluorescence excitation–emission matrix coupled with parallel factor analysis (EEM–PARAFAC) revealed that protein-like components were dominant in our marine aerosol samples, representing 69 %–91 % of the total intensity. Protein-like components also showed a significant positive relationship with the relative biomass of diatoms; however, they were negatively correlated with the relative biomass of P. antarctica. These results suggest that the protein-like component is most likely produced as a result of biological processes of diatoms in the Amundsen Sea.

Physico-chemical characterization of urban aerosols from specific combustion sources in West Africa at Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire and Cotonou in Benin in the frame of the DACCIWA program

Abstract. Urban air pollution in West Africa has yet to be well characterized. In the frame of DACCIWA (Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa) program, intensive measurement campaigns were performed in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) and Cotonou (Benin), in dry (January 2016 and 2017) and wet (July 2015 and 2016) seasons, at different sites chosen to be representative of African urban combustion sources, i.e., domestic fires (ADF), traffic (AT) and waste burning (AWB) sources in Abidjan and traffic source in Cotonou (CT). Both the size distribution of particulate matter (PM) and their chemical composition including elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), water-soluble inorganic ions (WSI) and trace metals were examined. Results show very high PM concentrations at all sites and a well-marked seasonality as well as a strong spatial variation. The average PM2.5 mass concentrations during the wet season are 517.3, 104.1, 90.3, and 69.1 µg m−3 at the ADF, CT, AT, and AWB sites, respectively. In the dry season, PM2.5 concentrations decrease to 375.7 µg m−3 at the ADF site, while they increase to 269.7, 141.3, and 175.3 µg m−3 at the CT, AT, and AWB sites, respectively. The annual PM2.5 levels at almost all sites are significantly higher than the WHO guideline level of 10 µg m−3. As for PM mass, (EC) and (OC) concentrations are also maximal at the ADF site, accounting for up to 69 % of the total PM mass. Such a high content is mainly linked to wood burning for domestic cooking and commercial food smoking activities. Dust contributions are dominant at CT (57 %–80 %), AT (20 %–70 %), and AWB (30 %–69 %) sites and especially in the coarse and fine-particle modes at the CT site and in the coarse fraction at the AT site, which may be explained by the impact of long-range desert-dust transport and resuspended particles from the roads, in addition to anthropogenic sources. The contributions of WSI to the total PM mass, mainly driven by chloride, nitrate, and calcium in the fine and/or large particles, are highly variable according to the sites but remain less than 30 %. Values are generally 1–3 times higher in the wet season than in the dry season. This is due not only to anthropogenic emissions but also to nitrate formation by reaction processes and natural emissions. The concentrations of trace elements reflect well the trends in dust at the traffic and AWB sites, with a predominance of Al, Na, Ca, Fe, and K, keys markers of crustal dust. This study constitutes an original database that characterizes specific African combustion sources.

Effects of land use change on soil organic carbon and its components in karst rocky desertification of southwest China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the dynamic medium of carbon transfer and the main pathway of carbon transfer in the karst ecosystem. SOC and its components are the important parts in soil carbon cycling of karst ecosystem. However, few studies have focused on SOC and its components in the karst ecosystem. We analyzed the effects of land use change on the SOC content, SOC reserve (SOCS), water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), easily oxidizable organic carbon (EOC), particu-late organic carbon (POC), and light fraction organic carbon (LFOC), and heavy fraction organic carbon (HFOC) and their distribution ratio, with six different land-use patterns [Zanthoxylum bungeanum forest (HJ), Hylocereus undulates forest (HL), mixed forest of Z. bungeanum and H. undulates (HHL), Sabina chinensis forest (YB), mixed forest of S. chinensis and Ligustrum luci-dum (YBN), and slope cropland (PD)] in Huajiang Canyon of Guanling County, Guizhou Pro-vince. Results showed that SOC and SOCS in YB, YBN and HJ were significantly higher than those in HL, HHL and PD. In the 0-20 cm soil layer, the concentrations of SOCS followed the order of HJ＞YB＞YBN＞PD＞HHL＞HL. Contents of WSOC, EOC, POC, LFOC and HFOC in YB, YBN, and HJ were all higher than those in the other three patterns. Significant positive correlations existed between SOC and each of its components (WSOC, EOC, POC, LFOC and HFOC), also between any two of those components. Z. bungeanum could be used as a priority economic species for the ecological rehabilitation of karst rocky desertification and mountain agriculture development in Southwest China. WSOC, EOC, POC, LFOC and HFOC could be used as indicators of soil organic carbon pool.

Molecular characteristics of water-soluble dicarboxylic acids, ω-oxocarboxylic acids, pyruvic acid and α-dicarbonyls in the aerosols from the eastern North Pacific

Aerosol samples (n = 14), collected over the eastern North Pacific (ENP, 27–52°N and 150–172°W), were studied for dicarboxylic acids (hereafter diacids, C2-C10), ω-oxoacids, pyruvic acid, and α-dicarbonyls as well as water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and total nitrogen (WSTN). We found diacids as the most abundant compound class followed by ω-oxoacids and α-dicarbonyls. Molecular distributions of diacids were characterized by the predominance of oxalic (C2) (58%) acid followed by malonic (C3) (15%) and succinic (C4) (13.5%) acids. However, we found a predominance of C4 over C3 in five samples, where 4-oxobutanoic acid (ωC4) was the most abundant ω-oxoacid species (34.6% of its class). Moreover, a strong correlation (r2 = 0.72) was obtained between ωC4 and C4 in those samples, suggesting that high abundances of C4 are associated with sea-to-air emission of unsaturated fatty acids and their further photochemical processing. Good relationships between C2 and C3 (r2 = 0.88) and C3 and C4 (r2 = 0.79) in the marine aerosols further suggest that C2 is produced via photochemical degradation of C3 and C4 over the ENP. WSOC and WSTN showed higher abundances in the longitudinal transect of 165-172oW, where ω-oxoacids were abundantly detected. This study demonstrates that atmospheric levels of water-soluble organic aerosols in the ENP are largely regulated by the primary productivity followed by sea-to-air emissions of unsaturated fatty acids and isoprene and the subsequent photochemical oxidation.

Effects of abandonment management on soil C and N pools in Moso bamboo forests

Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys Pubescens) forests exhibit a great potential to sequestrate carbon dioxide from atmosphere and to mitigate global climate change. However, they were increasingly under abandoned (i.e., no fertilization, the low intensity and frequency of felling and bamboo shoot digging) due to decreasing economic values of bamboo-related products and increasing labor cost. So far, the changes in soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools in bamboo forests following abandonment are poorly addressed. In this study, Moso bamboo stands under intensively management and abandonment for different durations were sampled to explore the C and N pool dynamics at the top 40 cm soil. We classified abandonment durations into three categories: discarded or abandoned management for 1–6 years (DM-I), 7–12 years (DM-II) and 13–18 years (DM-III). Our results indicated that (1) soil organic carbon (SOC) storage was significantly increased with abandonment management compared with intensive management (Control, CK), but the durations of abandonment management had no significant effects on SOC. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC) concentration increased from DM-I to DM-III in the 0–40 cm soil layer (P < 0.01), and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) concentration decreased through DM-I (P < 0.01). (2) Abandonment management did not significantly affect soil total nitrogen (TN) storage at depth of 0–40 cm, with 9.54 Mg ha−1 for CK, 9.59 Mg ha−1 for DM-I, 9.89 Mg ha−1 for DM-II and 9.69 Mg ha−1 for DM-III. Water-soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) concentration significantly decreased from CK to DM-III. Ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) concentration increased from DM-I to DM-III (P < 0.01), and nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N) concentration decreased from CK to DM-III (P < 0.01). The results of the effects of abandonment durations on soil properties in Moso bamboo forests provide valuable information for forest restoration and management.

Improved method to apportion optical absorption by black and brown carbon under the influence of haze and fog at Lumbini, Nepal, on the Indo-Gangetic Plains

Estimates of the brown carbon (BrC) absorption and their contribution to light absorption in ambient aerosols are poorly understood. The existing approaches to apportion light absorption into black carbon (BC) and BrC mainly use the assumption of fixed angstrom absorption exponent (AAE) for BC (1.0), which is not always true for ambient aerosols. Besides, these estimates are seldom validated, leaving significant uncertainty with derived values. Also, BrC absorption studies are largely focused on aqueous extracts, which truly do not represent the aerosolized form, hence the relationship between aqueous extracts and aerosolized form is a subject of research. With this in mind, we collected ambient PM2.5 filter samples at Lumbini, Nepal, at the northern edge of the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) during winter 2017-18. These samples were analyzed for different compositions of carbonaceous aerosol and optical properties. BC and BrC absorptions were derived using a preexisting simplified two-component model but with “improved conditions”. Although BC dominated spectral absorption, BrC contribution for the carbonaceous aerosol absorption increased substantially at ultraviolet wavelengths (example 14.8–53.6% at 365 nm). Further water-soluble BrC absorption value in aerosol was found to be higher by 1.8 times to that obtained in aqueous extracts. Water-soluble OC contributed ∼65% to OC loading and 50% to BrC absorption at 365 nm, indicated the equally important role of water-insoluble organics. Mass absorption efficiency (MAE) of water-soluble BrC in aerosol was found to be 1.7 m2/g, lower to water-insoluble by 2.2 times. High BC MAE was observed which showed positive dependence on secondary coating. Sample collected during events with fog droplets showed a reduction in carbonaceous components loading and light absorption but enhancement in MAE for BrC and BC, signifying that aqueous processing can significantly modify the aerosol optical properties.

Short-Term Effects of Changing Soil Management Practices on Soil Quality Indicators and Crop Yields in Greenhouses

The short-term responses of soil quality indicators are important for assessing the effects of new management practices and addressing threats to crop yields in greenhouses. The aim of this study was to assess, during three consecutive cropping seasons, the effect of a sustainable management package (CRTMP)—which includes the on-site reuse of greenhouse crop residues and tillage—in comparison with conventional management, based on fertigation only (CMP), on certain biochemical soil quality indicators and crop yields. CRTMP significantly increased (p &lt; 0.05) the values of total organic carbon (TOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), light fraction (LF), water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), and dehydrogenase (DH) and β-glucosidase (GL) activities at a depth of 0–15 cm, as well as the mean concentration of nitrates in the soil solution. In addition, a significant Pearson’s correlation (p &lt; 0.01) found between the indicators suggested a balanced improvement of soil biological activity and nutritional soil state. Nonetheless, the significant (p &lt; 0.05) increases in the mean concentration of chlorides in the soil solution and electrical conductivity (p &lt; 0.05) increased the risk of salinization, which may have affected the concentration of nitrates in the petiole sap and total production in CRTMP, which were significantly lower than in CMP. Nevertheless, the proportion of premium product was significantly higher in CRTMP, while the proportion of non-commercial production decreased.

Significant Contribution of Primary Sources to Water-Soluble Organic Carbon During Spring in Beijing, China

Despite the significant role water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) plays in climate and human health, sources and formation mechanisms of atmospheric WSOC are still unclear; especially in some heavily polluted areas. In this study, near real-time WSOC measurement was conducted in Beijing for the first time with a particle-into-liquid-sampler coupled to a total organic carbon analyzer during the springtime, together with collocated online measurements of other chemical components in fine particulate matter with a 1 h time resolution, including elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), multiple metals, and water-soluble ions. Good correlations of WSOC with primary OC, as well as carbon monoxide, indicated that major sources of WSOC were primary instead of secondary during the study period. The positive matrix factorization model-based source apportionment results quantified that 68 ± 19% of WSOC could be attributed to primary sources, with predominant contributions by biomass burning during the study period. This finding was further confirmed by the estimate with the modified EC-tracer method, suggesting significant contribution of primary sources to WSOC. However, the relative contribution of secondary source to WSOC increased during haze episodes. The WSOC/OC ratio exhibited similar diurnal distributions with O3 and correlated well with secondary WSOC, suggesting that the WSOC/OC ratio might act as an indicator of secondary formation when WSOC was dominated by primary sources. This study provided evidence that primary sources could be major sources of WSOC in some polluted megacities, such as Beijing. From this study, it can be seen that WSOC cannot be simply used as a surrogate of secondary organic aerosol, and its major sources could vary by season and location.

A molecular to macro level assessment of direct contact membrane distillation for separating organics from water

The removal of water-soluble organics from aqueous feeds is required in numerous practical applications, including bioresource processing, fermentation, and wastewater treatment. To this end, direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) has been proposed as a separation technology. DCMD utilizes hydrophobic membranes – typically, comprising perfluorocarbons – which, when placed between a warm feed and a cold permeate, prevent mixing due to the robust entrapment of air inside the (membranes') pores. Thus, the membranes allow only pure water vapor to transport across, following the thermal gradient. Here, we assessed DCMD for separating organics from aqueous feeds in light of organic fouling by utilizing ethanol and perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS) as the surrogate organic and hydrophobic coating, respectively. We investigated the adsorption of ethanol onto FDTS-grafted surfaces and membranes exposed to alcohol-water mixtures. Using the surface force apparatus, we found that the magnitude of hydrophobic forces between ultra-smooth FDTS-grafted mica surfaces in water-alcohol mixtures decreased with the increasing alcohol content. To simulate a practical DCMD scenario, we utilized FDTS-grafted polycarbonate membranes to separate a pure water reservoir from another containing 0.6 M NaCl and alcohol. For the 0% alcohol case, the membranes robustly separated the reservoirs for over a week, whereas even for ≥0.1% ethanol content, the membranes leaked within <5 h. After the leakage, the membranes’ hydrophobicity could not be recovered by rinsing them with pure water and blow-drying; a heat treatment at 363 K for 1 h proved to be successful, however. Our molecular dynamics simulations revealed that ethanol molecules in water got preferentially stabilized at the interfaces of water and hydrophobic surfaces. Furthermore, this stabilization is significantly enhanced at higher alcohol concentrations due to the emergence of II-D interfacial networks comprising adsorbed alcohol molecules. Thus, this micro to macro-scale assessment demonstrates that DCMD with hydrophobic membranes is not suitable for separating organics from water, even at low alcohol concentrations. We also compare the efficacies of apparent advancing and receding contact angles towards a reliable characterization of fouled surfaces.

Chemical and isotopic characteristics of PM10 over the Bay of Bengal: Effects of continental outflow on a marine environment

Pollutants transport from South and Southeast Asia can profoundly affect the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) over the Bay of Bengal (BoB). This study presents chemical and stable isotopic composition of PM10 collected at Port Blair Island (11.6°N, 92.7°E) located in the middle of the BoB during the late northeast monsoon (February–April), a period when the BoB receives considerable continental outflow. These samples (n = 50) were analysed for major ions, carbonaceous species, trace metals, and isotopic composition of total C, N, and S components. Mass concentration of PM10 ranged from 24 to 65 μg m−3 during the study period. The dominance of continental inputs over a marine realm was evident by a significant amount of non-sea-salt (nss)-SO42− (range: 1.8 to 16.9 μg m−3), which accounts for ~65% of the total water-soluble inorganic constituents. The impact of anthropogenic emissions was further evident from the widespread depletion of chloride (range: 57–100%, avg.: 98 ± 7%) from sea-salt aerosols. Carbonaceous species (elemental carbon and organic matter) contributed nearly 35% to PM10. Further, average δ13C (−25.6‰ ± 0.5) and δ34S (4.5‰ ± 1.3) values observed over the marine study region were similar to those found in typical urban environments. δ15N values (13.7‰ ± 5.1) show the significant presence of combustion sources along with the effect of atmospheric processing. Aerosol δ13C values correlate positively with the ratio of water-soluble organic carbon to total organic carbon, indicating the aging of organic aerosols during the transport. Chemical and isotopic data suggest that both biomass burning (BB) and fossil fuel burning (FFB) contributed to ambient PM10 with relatively more contribution of BB during February to early March and that of FFB during late March to middle of April. In aggregate, this study provides newer insights into sources of carbonaceous species and their chemical processing in MABL of BoB.

Source apportionment of water-soluble brown carbon in aerosols over the northern South China Sea: Influence from land outflow, SOA formation and marine emission

Abstract Water-soluble brown carbon (BrC) plays an important role in climate change by influencing aerosol radiative forcing. There is little information on aerosol BrC over the South China Sea (SCS). In this study, water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in a round-year set of aerosol samples from a remote island in the northern SCS were characterized for optical properties. In-depth information about the sources and input pathways of water-soluble BrC was obtained using molecular markers and statistic tools. The highest WSOC concentrations, light absorption coefficients at 365 nm (Abs365) and mass absorption efficiencies at 365 nm (MAE365) were observed in winter when atmospheric outflow from mainland China and the northern Indo-China Peninsula prevailed. Through the year, primary emissions from biomass burning and urban secondary organic aerosols (SOA) & waste combustion, respectively, were observed to be associated with higher MAE365 (2.47 ± 0.40 m2 g−1 and 1.97 ± 0.22 m2 g−1) and to be the main contributors to Abs365 (22.0 ± 3.6% and 31.6 ± 3.6%), while biogenic SOA showed little contribution. For the first time, microorganism/plankton primary emissions, mainly from the sea, was identified to be an important contributor to water-soluble BrC (13.6 ± 4.2% of Abs365, MAE365: 0.98 ± 0.30 m2 g−1), especially in spring (31% of Abs365). This implies that emissions from microorganism/plankton warrants careful consideration in the assessment of global aerosol light absorbance.

Fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning and biogenic sources of fine carbonaceous aerosol in the Carpathian Basin

Abstract. Fine-fraction aerosol samples were collected, and air pollutants and meteorological properties were measured in situ in the regional background environment of the Carpathian Basin, a suburban area and central part of its largest city, Budapest, in each season for a 1-year-long time interval. The samples were analysed for PM2.5 mass, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble OC (WSOC), radiocarbon, levoglucosan (LVG) and its stereoisomers, and some chemical elements. Carbonaceous aerosol species made up 36 % of the PM2.5 mass, with a modest seasonal variation and with a slightly increasing tendency from the regional background to the city centre (from 32 % to 39 %). A coupled radiocarbon-LVG marker method was applied to apportion the total carbon (TC = OC + EC) into contributions of EC and OC from fossil fuel (FF) combustion (ECFF and OCFF, respectively), EC and OC from biomass burning (BB) (ECBB and OCBB, respectively), and OC from biogenic sources (OCBIO). Fossil fuel combustion showed rather constant daily or monthly mean contributions (of 35 %) to the TC in the whole year in all atmospheric environments, while the daily contributions of BB and biogenic sources changed radically (from &lt;2 % up to 70 %–85 %) at all locations and over the years. In October, the three major sources contributed equally to the TC in all environments. In January, it was the BB that was the major source, with a share of 70 % at all sites. The contributions from biogenic sources in January were the smallest. In April, FF combustion and biogenic sources were the largest two contributors at all locations with typical shares of 45 %–50 % each. In July, biogenic sources became the major source type with a monotonically increasing tendency (from 56 % to 72 %) from the city centre to the regional background. The share of BB was hardly quantifiable in July. The ECFF made up more than 90 % of EC in April and July, while in October and January, the contributions of ECBB were considerable. Biomass burning in winter and autumn offers the largest and most considerable potential for improving the air quality in cities as well as in rural areas of the Carpathian Basin.

Seasonal Variation of Carbonaceous Species of PM10 Over Urban Sites of National Capital Region of India

The air quality of national capital region (NCR) of Delhi, India is becoming more severe day by day because of the anthropogenic activities. To get a better understanding of the ambient air quality of NCR-Delhi, the study of carbonaceous species in particulate matter (PM) is essential. PM10 samples were collected periodically from the three main urban sites (Faridabad; IGDTUW-Delhi; and CSIR-NPL Delhi,) of NCR-Delhi in the year 2015 to explore the possible sources of carbonaceous species [organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC)] in PM10. The annual average concentrations of PM10, OC, EC, and WSOC were estimated as 195 ± 121, 23.6 ± 14.4, 5.2 ± 4.0, and 15.5 ± 7.7 µg m−3, respectively, at Faridabad, whereas average concentrations of PM10, OC, EC, and WSOC were 274 ± 141, 30.8 ± 19.3, 9.4 ± 5.2, and 21.3 ± 14.3 µg m−3, respectively, at IGDTUW, Kashmiri Gate. Concentrations of PM10, OC, EC and WSOC were estimated as 209 ± 81, 26.0 ± 12.8, 7.9 ± 5.6 and 9.7 ± 5.9 µg m−3 at CSIR-NPL. During the study, a significant positive linear trend between OC vs. EC and OC vs. WSOC have been observed for these three sites as (R2 = 0.64 and R2 = 0.76 at Faridabad; R2 = 0.66 and R2 = 0.87 at IGDTUW-Delhi; and R2 = 0.79 and R2= 0.55 at CSIR-NPL), which indicates the common sources (vehicular emission and/or biomass burning) of carbonaceous aerosols over NCR-Delhi. All these carbonaceous species of PM10 shows seasonal variation with maxima during winter as well as post-monsoon and minima during monsoon seasons. 5 days backward trajectories of the air masses were calculated which shows the origination of pollutants from local sources along with long-range transport. Furthermore, the secondary and primary organic carbon (i.e., SOC and POC) in PM10 were also computed and reported.

Chemical characterization of fine particles (PM2.5) at a coastal site in the South Western Mediterranean during the ChArMex experiment.

As part of the ChArMEx project (Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr), one year of continuous filter sampling was conducted from August 2012 to August 2013 at a rural (coastal) site in Algeria aiming to better document fine aerosol seasonal variability and chemical composition in the Southern part of the Mediterranean. Over 350 filters have been collected, weighted, and analyzed for the main ions and organic and elemental carbon. The obtained mass concentrations varied between 2.5 and 50.6μg/m3 for PM2.5. The annual modulations of PM2.5 showed higher concentrations in the end summer 2012 and the early summer 2013 (28.50μg/m3 in August 2012, 20.23μg/m3 in September 2012, 20.19μg/m3 in July 2013, and 17.88μg/m3in August 2013). The particulate organic matter (POM) presented the greatest contribution (50%), followed by the secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA, 27%). The average organic carbon OC concentrations ranged from 1.66 to 6.05μgC/m3. The average elemental carbon EC concentrations ranged from 0.92 to 3.49μgC/m3 and contributed 7% of the PM2.5 mass to Bou-Ismail. The average value of the OC /EC ratio was close to 5.1 in Bou-Ismail, and was close to that found in Finokalia 4 (Greece 2004, 2006) but was lower than that of Montseny 11 (Spain 2002-2007) Western Mediterranean Basin (WMB). The concentrations of water-soluble organic carbon WSOC in the PM2.5 ranging from 0.66 to 3.70μg/m3 recorded the minimum level in March 2013, and the maximum level in August 2012, with an average of 2.02μg/m3.

Temporal effects of thinning on soil organic carbon pools, basal respiration and enzyme activities in a Mediterranean Holm oak forest

Soil organic carbon pools have an important role in the maintenance of ecosystems as a source of energy for soil microorganisms. Soil biological and biochemical properties are essential for the decomposition of organic matter. These soil properties can be affected by thinning, which is considered sustainable when the soil properties are maintained or improved. We studied the effects of selective thinning and shrub clearing, performed with an ecohydrological approach, in a marginal Holm oak forest in a semiarid area on soil properties. The effects of thinning (T) were compared with an untreated area (control, C). Fine woody debris was ground into mulch onto the thinned area. Forest floor and mineral soil properties were analyzed between five months and seven years after the thinning. In the forest floor, gravimetric water content (GWCff) and water soluble organic carbon (WSOCff) were analyzed and compared between T and C. In mineral soil, GWCms, soil organic carbon (SOC), WSOCms, soil basal respiration (BR), soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and soil enzymes (acid phosphatase (Acid PA) and urease (URE)) were analyzed. In the early stage, the results showed slightly higher SOC and WSOCms in T likely due to fine woody debris left on the forest floor. However, seven years after the thinning the effects of the thinning on all the studied variables were negligible. All variables showed high spatial-temporal variability. Our results suggest that selective thinning and shrub clearing in the studied site do not affect negatively soil properties when woody debris is left on the forest floor.

Significant seasonal changes in optical properties of brown carbon in the midlatitude atmosphere

Abstract. Atmospheric brown carbon (BrC) plays significant roles in the light absorption and photochemistry of the atmosphere. Although the sources and occurrences of BrC have been studied extensively, its removal processes and optical characteristics in the atmosphere have been poorly understood. In this study, we examined the seasonal changes in sources and sinks of BrC and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in the atmosphere of Seoul, South Korea. Our results showed that the concentrations of BrC and WSOC decreased by approximately 80 % and 30 %, respectively, from the cold season (October–January) to the warm season (June–September). Excitation–emission matrix (EEM) spectra showed that the humic-like substance (HULIS) was the dominant fraction of BrC as the other components were not measurable. The air mass back trajectories of fire burning practices and the variations in non-crustal potassium (K) and vanadium (V) contents in the water-soluble aerosols during all seasons showed no measurable decrease in input of biomass-burning sources in summer. However, there was a significant shift in photo-resistivity of light-absorbing organic aerosols in the summer, indicating larger removals of ultraviolet (UV) degradable BrC. This trend is supported by laboratory UV radiation experiments on the optical property changes of BrC and WSOC in aerosol samples. Thus, our results suggest that the photodegradation has dominant roles in controlling the quantity and quality of light-absorbing organic aerosols in the different seasons in the midlatitude atmosphere.

Composition and mass size distribution of nitrated and oxygenated aromatic compounds in ambient particulate matter from southern and central Europe – implications for the origin

Abstract. Nitro-monoaromatic hydrocarbons (NMAHs), such as nitrocatechols, nitrophenols and nitrosalicylic acids, are important constituents of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and humic-like substances (HULIS). Nitrated and oxygenated derivatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs and OPAHs) are toxic and ubiquitous in the ambient air; due to their light absorption properties, together with NMAHs, they are part of aerosol brown carbon (BrC). We investigated the winter concentrations of these substance classes in size-resolved PM from two urban sites in central and southern Europe, i.e. Mainz (MZ), Germany, and Thessaloniki (TK), Greece. The total concentration of 11 NMAHs (∑11NMAH concentrations) measured in PM10 and total PM were 0.51–8.38 and 12.1–72.1 ng m−3 at the MZ and TK sites, respectively, whereas ∑7OPAHs were 47–1636 and 858–4306 pg m−3, and ∑8NPAHs were ≤90 and 76–578 pg m−3, respectively. NMAHs contributed 0.4 % and 1.8 % to the HULIS mass at MZ and TK, respectively. The mass size distributions of the individual substances generally peaked in the smallest or second smallest size fraction i.e. &lt;0.49 or 0.49–0.95 µm. The mass median diameter (MMD) of NMAHs was 0.10 and 0.27 µm at MZ and TK, respectively, while the MMDs of NPAHs and OPAHs were both 0.06 µm at MZ and 0.12 and 0.10 µm at TK. Correlation analysis between NMAHs, NPAHs, and OPAHs from one side and WSOC, HULIS, sulfate, and potassium from the other suggested that fresh biomass burning (BB) and fossil fuel combustion emissions dominated at the TK site, while aged air masses were predominant at the MZ site.