Aerosol emissions by tropical forest and savanna biomass burning: Characteristic trace elements and fluxes

1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (22) ◽  
pp. 3039-3042 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Echalar ◽  
A. Gaudichet ◽  
H. Cachier ◽  
P. Artaxo
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Aerosol Emissions

scholarly journals Gas-particle partitioning of primary organic aerosol emissions: 3. Biomass burning

2013 ◽  
Vol 118 (19) ◽  
pp. 11,327-11,338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew A. May ◽  
Ezra J. T. Levin ◽  
Christopher J. Hennigan ◽  
Ilona Riipinen ◽  
Taehyoung Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Aerosol Emissions

scholarly journals The tropical forest and fire emissions experiment: method evaluation of volatile organic compound emissions measured by PTR-MS, FTIR, and GC from tropical biomass burning

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 8755-8793 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. G. Karl ◽  
T. J. Christian ◽  
R. J. Yokelson ◽  
P. Artaxo ◽  
W. Min Hao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Chromatography ◽  
Organic Compound ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Volatile Organic Compound ◽  
Charge Ratio ◽  
Voc Emissions ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Emission Ratios

Abstract. Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions from fires in tropical forest fuels were quantified using Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTRMS), Fourier Transformation Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography (GC) coupled to PTRMS (GC-PTR-MS). We investigated VOC emissions from 19 controlled laboratory fires at the USFS Fire Sciences Laboratory and 16 fires during an intensive airborne field campaign during the peak of the burning season in Brazil in 2004. The VOC emissions were dominated by oxygenated VOCs (OVOC) (OVOC/NMHC ~4:1, NMHC: non-methane hydrocarbons) The specificity of the PTR-MS instrument, which measures the mass to charge ratio of VOCs ionized by H3O+ ions, was validated by gas chromatography and by intercomparing in-situ measurements with those obtained from an open path FTIR instrument. Emission ratios for methyl vinyl ketone, methacrolein, crotonaldehyde, acrylonitrile and pyrrole were measured in the field for the first time. Our measurements show a higher contribution of OVOCs than previously assumed for modeling purposes. Comparison of fresh (<15 min) and aged (>1hour-1day) smoke suggests altered emission ratios due to gas phase chemistry for acetone but not for acetaldehyde and methanol. Emission ratios for numerous, important, reactive VOCs with respect to acetonitrile (a biomass burning tracer) are presented.

scholarly journals Biomass-burning smoke heights over the Amazon observed from space

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 1685-1702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Gonzalez-Alonso ◽  
Maria Val Martin ◽  
Ralph A. Kahn
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Distribution ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Atmospheric Stability ◽  
Free Troposphere ◽  
Smoke Plume ◽  
Smoke Plumes ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
The Vertical Distribution

Abstract. We characterise the vertical distribution of biomass-burning emissions across the Amazon during the biomass-burning season (July–November) with an extensive climatology of smoke plumes derived from MISR and MODIS (2005–2012) and CALIOP (2006–2012) observations. Smoke plume heights exhibit substantial variability, spanning a few hundred metres up to 6 km above the terrain. However, the majority of the smoke is located at altitudes below 2.5 km. About 60 % of smoke plumes are observed in drought years, 40 %–50 % at the peak month of the burning season (September) and 94 % over tropical forest and savanna regions, with respect to the total number of smoke plume observations. At the time of the MISR observations (10:00–11:00 LT), the highest plumes are detected over grassland fires (with an averaged maximum plume height of ∼1100 m) and the lowest plumes occur over tropical forest fires (∼800 m). A similar pattern is found later in the day (14:00–15:00 LT) with CALIOP, although at higher altitudes (2300 m grassland vs. 2000 m tropical forest), as CALIOP typically detects smoke at higher altitudes due to its later overpass time, associated with a deeper planetary boundary layer, possibly more energetic fires, and greater sensitivity to thin aerosol layers. On average, 3 %–20 % of the fires inject smoke into the free troposphere; this percentage tends to increase toward the end of the burning season (November: 15 %–40 %). We find a well-defined seasonal cycle between MISR plume heights, MODIS fire radiative power and atmospheric stability across the main biomes of the Amazon, with higher smoke plumes, more intense fires and reduced atmospheric stability conditions toward the end of the burning season. Lower smoke plume heights are detected during drought (800 m) compared to non-drought (1100 m) conditions, in particular over tropical forest and savanna fires. Drought conditions favour understory fires over tropical forest, which tend to produce smouldering combustion and low smoke injection heights. Droughts also seem to favour deeper boundary layers and the percentage of smoke plumes that reach the free troposphere is lower during these dry conditions. Consistent with previous studies, the MISR mid-visible aerosol optical depth demonstrates that smoke makes a significant contribution to the total aerosol loading over the Amazon, which in combination with lower injection heights in drought periods has important implications for air quality. This work highlights the importance of biome type, fire properties and atmospheric and drought conditions for plume dynamics and smoke loading. In addition, our study demonstrates the value of combining observations of MISR and CALIOP constraints on the vertical distribution of smoke from biomass burning over the Amazon.

scholarly journals Six global biomass burning emission datasets: intercomparison and application in one global aerosol model

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 969-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohua Pan ◽  
Charles Ichoku ◽  
Mian Chin ◽  
Huisheng Bian ◽  
Anton Darmenov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Aerosol Model ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Active Fire ◽  
Aerosol Emission ◽  
High Level ◽  
Aerosol Emissions

Abstract. Aerosols from biomass burning (BB) emissions are poorly constrained in global and regional models, resulting in a high level of uncertainty in understanding their impacts. In this study, we compared six BB aerosol emission datasets for 2008 globally as well as in 14 regions. The six BB emission datasets are (1) GFED3.1 (Global Fire Emissions Database version 3.1), (2) GFED4s (GFED version 4 with small fires), (3) FINN1.5 (FIre INventory from NCAR version 1.5), (4) GFAS1.2 (Global Fire Assimilation System version 1.2), (5) FEER1.0 (Fire Energetics and Emissions Research version 1.0), and (6) QFED2.4 (Quick Fire Emissions Dataset version 2.4). The global total emission amounts from these six BB emission datasets differed by a factor of 3.8, ranging from 13.76 to 51.93 Tg for organic carbon and from 1.65 to 5.54 Tg for black carbon. In most of the regions, QFED2.4 and FEER1.0, which are based on satellite observations of fire radiative power (FRP) and constrained by aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), yielded higher BB aerosol emissions than the rest by a factor of 2–4. By comparison, the BB aerosol emissions estimated from GFED4s and GFED3.1, which are based on satellite burned-area data, without AOD constraints, were at the low end of the range. In order to examine the sensitivity of model-simulated AOD to the different BB emission datasets, we ingested these six BB emission datasets separately into the same global model, the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model, and compared the simulated AOD with observed AOD from the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) and the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) in the 14 regions during 2008. In Southern Hemisphere Africa (SHAF) and South America (SHSA), where aerosols tend to be clearly dominated by smoke in September, the simulated AOD values were underestimated in almost all experiments compared to MISR, except for the QFED2.4 run in SHSA. The model-simulated AOD values based on FEER1.0 and QFED2.4 were the closest to the corresponding AERONET data, being, respectively, about 73 % and 100 % of the AERONET observed AOD at Alta Floresta in SHSA and about 49 % and 46 % at Mongu in SHAF. The simulated AOD based on the other four BB emission datasets accounted for only ∼50 % of the AERONET AOD at Alta Floresta and ∼20 % at Mongu. Overall, during the biomass burning peak seasons, at most of the selected AERONET sites in each region, the AOD values simulated with QFED2.4 were the highest and closest to AERONET and MISR observations, followed closely by FEER1.0. However, the QFED2.4 run tends to overestimate AOD in the region of SHSA, and the QFED2.4 BB emission dataset is tuned with the GEOS model. In contrast, the FEER1.0 BB emission dataset is derived in a more model-independent fashion and is more physically based since its emission coefficients are independently derived at each grid box. Therefore, we recommend the FEER1.0 BB emission dataset for aerosol-focused hindcast experiments in the two biomass-burning-dominated regions in the Southern Hemisphere, SHAF, and SHSA (as well as in other regions but with lower confidence). The differences between these six BB emission datasets are attributable to the approaches and input data used to derive BB emissions, such as whether AOD from satellite observations is used as a constraint, whether the approaches to parameterize the fire activities are based on burned area, FRP, or active fire count, and which set of emission factors is chosen.

scholarly journals Atmospheric inversion of SO<sub>2</sub> and primary aerosol emissions for the year 2010

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 6555-6573 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Huneeus ◽  
O. Boucher ◽  
F. Chevallier
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
So2 Emissions ◽  
Aerosol Model ◽  
Skill Scores ◽  
Emission Fluxes ◽  
Aerosol Emissions

Abstract. Natural and anthropogenic emissions of primary aerosols and sulphur dioxide (SO2) are estimated for the year 2010 by assimilating daily total and fine mode aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite instrument into a global aerosol model of intermediate complexity. The system adjusts monthly emission fluxes over a set of predefined regions tiling the globe. The resulting aerosol emissions improve the model performance, as measured from usual skill scores, both against the assimilated observations and a set of independent ground-based measurements. The estimated emission fluxes are 67 Tg S yr−1 for SO2, 12 Tg yr−1 for black carbon (BC), 87 Tg yr−1 for particulate organic matter (POM), 17 000 Tg yr−1 for sea salt (SS, estimated at 80 % relative humidity) and 1206 Tg yr−1 for desert dust (DD). They represent a difference of +53, +73, +72, +1 and −8%, respectively, with respect to the first guess (FG) values. Constant errors throughout the regions and the year were assigned to the a priori emissions. The analysis errors are reduced with respect to the a priori ones for all species and throughout the year, they vary between 3 and 18% for SO2, 1 and 130% for biomass burning, 21 and 90 % for fossil fuel, 1 and 200% for DD and 1 and 5% for SS. The maximum errors on the global-yearly scale for the estimated fluxes (considering temporal error dependence) are 3% for SO2, 14% for BC, 11% for POM, 14% for DD and 2% for SS. These values represent a decrease as compared to the global-yearly errors from the FG of 7% for SO2, 40% for BC, 55% for POM, 81% for DD and 300% for SS. The largest error reduction, both monthly and yearly, is observed for SS and the smallest one for SO2. The sensitivity and robustness of the inversion system to the choice of the first guess emission inventory is investigated by using different combinations of inventories for industrial, fossil fuel and biomass burning sources. The initial difference in the emissions between the various set-ups is reduced after the inversion. Furthermore, at the global scale, the inversion is sensitive to the choice of the BB (biomass burning) inventory and not so much to the industrial and fossil fuel inventory. At the regional scale, however, the choice of the industrial and fossil fuel inventory can make a difference. The estimated baseline emission fluxes for SO2, BC and POM are within the estimated uncertainties of the four experiments. The resulting emissions were compared against projected emissions for the year 2010 for SO2, BC and POM. The new estimate presents larger emissions than the projections for all three species, with larger differences for SO2 than POM and BC. These projected SO2 emissions are outside the uncertainties of the estimated emission inventories.

Evaluation and interpretation of modeling bias for biomass burning aerosols in AeroCom models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qirui Zhong ◽  
Nick Schutgens ◽  
Guido van der Werf
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Model Evaluation ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Significant Bias ◽  
Modeling Experiment ◽  
Aerosol Emissions ◽  
Local Deposition

&lt;p&gt;Biomass burning (BB) injects aerosols into the atmosphere and can thereby affect the earth climate and human health. Yet the modeling of BB aerosols exhibits significant bias. Here we present a comprehensive evaluation of AeroCom model simulations with satellite observations to understand such uncertainties. A total of 59 model runs using 17 models from three AeroCcom Phase III experiments (i.e., Biomass Burning emissions, CTRL2016, and CTRL2019 experiment) and 14 satellite products are involved. AOD (aerosol optical depth) at 550 nm wavelength during the fire season over three typical fire regions (Amazon, South Hemisphere Africa, and Boreal North America, or AMAZ, SHAF, and BONA) is the focus of our study, although we also consider AE and SSA from POLDER.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 14 satellite products are shown to have quite substantial differences from AERONET observation. But we show that such differences have little impact on the model evaluation which is mainly affected by modeling bias. Through the comparison with POLDER observation, we found the modeled AOD are biased by -93% ~ 174% with most models showing significant underestimations even for the most recent modeling experiment (i.e., CTRL19). SHAF is among the three regions with the strongest underestimation in general. By scaling up the input emissions, such negative bias would be significantly reduced, which, however, has little impact on the day-to-day correlation between models and observations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On top of the satellite-based model evaluation, we interpret the model diversity from the aspect of aerosol emissions, lifetime, and MEC (mass extinction coefficient), which are further linked with specific parameters in models. These three parameters cause similar levels of AOD diversity, which is quite different from the modeled aerosols during non-fire season when the contribution of lifetime is predominant. During the fire season, diversity caused by lifetime is strongly affected by local deposition; as a matter of fact, models tend to do quite poorly in simulating precipitation strength. Modeled MECs show significant correlations with aerosol wet-growth (which is known to be challenging to models) and AE (Angstrom Exponent) for some involved models. Comparisons with POLDER observed AE suggests some models tend to underestimate AE and thus MEC, which might be responsible for the overall AOD underestimation in certain models. Additionally, we show that model AOD biases correlate with satellite observed formaldehyde columns, suggesting SOA formation may be insufficiently captured by models.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Anthropogenic influences on the physical state of submicron particulate matter over a tropical forest

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1759-1773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam P. Bateman ◽  
Zhaoheng Gong ◽  
Tristan H. Harder ◽  
Suzane S. de Sá ◽  
Bingbing Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Physical State ◽  
Urban Pollution ◽  
Urban Region ◽  
Anthropogenic Influence ◽  
Anthropogenic Influences ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Continental Scale

Abstract. The occurrence of nonliquid and liquid physical states of submicron atmospheric particulate matter (PM) downwind of an urban region in central Amazonia was investigated. Measurements were conducted during two intensive operating periods (IOP1 and IOP2) that took place during the wet and dry seasons of the GoAmazon2014/5 campaign. Air masses representing variable influences of background conditions, urban pollution, and regional- and continental-scale biomass burning passed over the research site. As the air masses varied, particle rebound fraction, an indicator of physical state, was measured in real time at ground level using an impactor apparatus. Micrographs collected by transmission electron microscopy confirmed that liquid particles adhered, while nonliquid particles rebounded. Relative humidity (RH) was scanned to collect rebound curves. When the apparatus RH matched ambient RH, 95 % of the particles adhered as a campaign average. Secondary organic material, produced for the most part by the oxidation of volatile organic compounds emitted from the forest, produces liquid PM over this tropical forest. During periods of anthropogenic influence, by comparison, the rebound fraction dropped to as low as 60 % at 95 % RH. Analyses of the mass spectra of the atmospheric PM by positive-matrix factorization (PMF) and of concentrations of carbon monoxide, total particle number, and oxides of nitrogen were used to identify time periods affected by anthropogenic influences, including both urban pollution and biomass burning. The occurrence of nonliquid PM at high RH correlated with these indicators of anthropogenic influence. A linear model having as output the rebound fraction and as input the PMF factor loadings explained up to 70 % of the variance in the observed rebound fractions. Anthropogenic influences can contribute to the presence of nonliquid PM in the atmospheric particle population through the combined effects of molecular species that increase viscosity when internally mixed with background PM and increased concentrations of nonliquid anthropogenic particles in external mixtures of anthropogenic and biogenic PM.

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