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Atmospheric Tar Balls: Particles from Biomass and Biofuel BurningTar balls are amorphous, carbonaceous spherules that occur in the tropospheric aerosol as a result of biomass and biofuel burning. They form a distinct group of particles with diameters typically between 30 and 500 nm and readily identifiable with electron microscopy. Their lack of a turbostratic microstructure distinguishes them from soot, and their morphology and composition (approximately 90 mol% carbon) renders them distinct from other carbonaceous particles. Tar balls are particularly abundant in slightly aged (minutes to hours old) biomass smoke, indicating that they likely form by gas-to-particle conversion within smoke plumes. The material of tar balls is initially hygroscopic; however, the particles become largely insoluble as a result of free radical polymerization of their organic molecules. Consequently, tar balls are primarily externally mixed with other particle types, and they do not appreciably increase in size during aging. When tar balls coagulate with water-bearing particles, their material may partly dissolve and no longer be recognizable as distinct particles. Tar balls may contain organic compounds that absorb sunlight. They are an important, previously unrecognized type of carbonaceous (organic) atmospheric particle.
Document ID
20050176532
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Posfai, Mihaly
(Veszprem Univ. Veszprem, Hungary)
Gelencser, Andras
(Hungarian Academy of Sciences Veszprem, Hungary)
Simonics, Renata
(Veszprem Univ. Veszprem, Hungary)
Arato, Krisztina
(Veszprem Univ. Veszprem, Hungary)
Li, Jia
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Hobbs, Peter V.
(Washington Univ. Seattle, WA, United States)
Buseck, Peter R.
(Arizona State Univ. Tempe, AZ, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Publisher: American Geophysical Union
Volume: 109
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Geophysics
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG5-9022
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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