NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Characteristics and Influence of Biosmoke on the Fine-Particle Ionic Composition Measured in Asian Outflow during the Transport and Chemical Evolution Over the Pacific (TRACE-P) ExperimentWe investigate the sources, prevalence, and fine-particle inorganic composition of biosmoke over the western Pacific Ocean between 24 February and 10 April 2001. The analysis is based on highly time-resolved airborne measurements of gaseous and fine- particle inorganic chemical composition made during the NASA Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P) experiment. At latitudes below approximately 25 deg. N, relatively pure biomass burning plumes of enhanced fine-particle potassium, nitrate, ammonium, light-absorbing aerosols, and CO concentrations were observed in plumes that back trajectories and satellite fire map data suggest originated from biomass burning in southeast Asia. Fine-particle water-soluble potassium (K+) is confirmed to be a unique biosmoke tracer, and its prevalence throughout the experiment indicates that approximately 20% of the TRACE-P Asian outflow plumes were influenced, to some extent, by biomass or biofuel burning emissions. At latitudes above 25 deg. N, highly mixed urban/industrial and biosmoke plumes, indicated by SO(sup 2, sub 4) and K+, were observed in 5 out of 53 plumes. Most plumes were found in the Yellow Sea and generally were associated with much higher fine-particle loadings than plumes lacking a biosmoke influence. The air mass back trajectories of these mixed plumes generally pass through the latitude range of between 34 deg. and 40 deg. N on the eastern China coast, a region that includes the large urban centers of Beijing and Tianjin. A lack of biomass burning emissions based on fire maps and high correlations between K+ and pollution tracers (e.g., S(sup 2, sub 4) suggest biofuel sources. Ratios of fine-particle potassium to sulfate are used to provide an estimate of relative contributions of biosmoke emissions to the mixed Asian plumes. The ratio is highly correlated with fine-particle volume (r(sup 2) = 0.85) and predicts that for the most polluted plume encounter in TRACE-P, approximately 60% of the plume is associated with biosmoke emissions. On average, biosmoke contributes approximately 35-40% to the measured fine inorganic aerosol mass in the mixed TRACE-P plumes intercepted north of 25% latitude.
Document ID
20040075554
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Ma, Y.
(Georgia Inst. of Tech. Atlanta, GA, United States)
Weber, R. J.
(Georgia Inst. of Tech. Atlanta, GA, United States)
Lee, Y.-N.
(Brookhaven National Lab. Upton, NY, United States)
Orsini, D. A.
(Georgia Inst. of Tech. Atlanta, GA, United States)
Maxwell-Meier, K.
(Georgia Inst. of Tech. Atlanta, GA, United States)
Thornton, D. C.
(Drexel Univ. Philadelphia, PA, United States)
Bandy, A. R.
(Drexel Univ. Philadelphia, PA, United States)
Clarke, A. D.
(Hawaii Inst. of Marine Biology Honolulu, HI, United States)
Blake, D. R.
(California Univ. Irvine, CA, United States)
Sachse, G. W.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
November 4, 2003
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Publisher: American Geophysical Union
Volume: 108
Issue: D21
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Environment Pollution
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC1-411
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available