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Global Distribution and Sources of Volatile and Nonvolatile Aerosol In the Remote TroposphereAirborne measurements of aerosol (Condensation Nuclei, CN) and selected trace gases made in the areas of the North Atlantic Ocean during SONEX (October/November 1997), and the south tropical Pacific Ocean during PEM-Tropics A (September/October 1996) and PEM-Tropics B (March/April 1999) have been analyzed. Emphasis is on the interpretations of variations in the number densities of the fine (>17 nm) and ultrafine (>8 nm) CN in the upper troposphere (8-12 km). These data suggest that large number densities of highly volatile CN (10(exp 4)-10(exp 5)/cu cm) are present in the clean upper troposphere with highest values over the tropical1subtropical region. Through marine convection and long-distance horizontal transport, volatile CN originating from the tropical/subtropical regions can frequently impact the abundance of aerosol in the middle and upper troposphere at mid to high latitudes. Nonvolatile aerosol particles behave in a manner similar to tracers of combustion (CO) and photochemical pollution (PAN), implying a source from continental pollution of industrial or biomass burning origin. In the upper troposphere, we find that volatile and nonvolatile partials number densities are inversely correlated. An aerosol microphysical model is used to suggest that coagulation of fine volatile particles with fewer larger nonvolatile particles provides one possible mechanism for this relationship. It appears that nonvolatile particles, of principally anthropogenic origin,provide a highly efficient removal process for the fine volatile aerosol.
Document ID
20010064075
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Singh, Hanwant B.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Avery, M.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA United States)
Viezee, W.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Che, Y.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Tabazadeh, A.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Hamill, P.
(San Jose State Univ. CA United States)
Pueschel, R.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Hannan, J. R.
(Florida State Univ. Tallahassee, FL United States)
Anderson, B.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA United States)
Fuelberg, H. E.
(Florida State Univ. Tallahassee, FL United States)
Hipskind, R. Stephen
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2001
Subject Category
Environment Pollution
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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