| 1. |
- Ahlberg, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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"Vi klimatforskare stödjer Greta och skolungdomarna"
- 2019
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Ingår i: Dagens nyheter (DN debatt). - 1101-2447.
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- DN DEBATT 15/3. Sedan industrialiseringens början har vi använt omkring fyra femtedelar av den mängd fossilt kol som får förbrännas för att vi ska klara Parisavtalet. Vi har bara en femtedel kvar och det är bråttom att kraftigt reducera utsläppen. Det har Greta Thunberg och de strejkande ungdomarna förstått. Därför stödjer vi deras krav, skriver 270 klimatforskare.
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| 2. |
- Martinsson, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Impacts of Combustion Conditions and Photochemical Processing on the Light Absorption of Biomass Combustion Aerosol
- 2015
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 49:24, s. 14663-14671
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim was to identify relationships between combustion conditions, particle characteristics, and optical properties of fresh and photochemically processed emissions from biomass combustion. The combustion conditions included nominal and high burn rate operation and individual combustion phases from a conventional wood stove. Low temperature pyrolysis upon fuel addition resulted in "tar-ball" type particles dominated by organic aerosol with an absorption Angstrom exponent (AAE) of 2.5-2.7 and estimated Brown Carbon contributions of 50-70% to absorption at the climate relevant aethalometer-wavelength (520 nm). High temperature combustion during the intermediate (flaming) phase was dominated by soot agglomerates with AAE 1.0-1.2 and 85-100% of absorption at 520 nm attributed to Black Carbon. Intense photochemical processing of high burn rate flaming combustion emissions in an oxidation flow reactor led to strong formation of Secondary Organic Aerosol, with no or weak absorption. PM1 mass emission factors (mg/kg) of fresh emissions were about an order of magnitude higher for low temperature pyrolysis compared to high temperature combustion. However, emission factors describing the absorption cross section emitted per kg of fuel consumed (m(2)/kg) were of similar magnitude at 520 nm for the diverse combustion conditions investigated in this study. These results provide a link between biomass combustion conditions, emitted particle types, and their optical properties in fresh and processed plumes which can be of value for source apportionment and balanced mitigation of biomass combustion emissions from a climate and health perspective.
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| 6. |
- Martinsson, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Carbonaceous aerosol source apportionment using the Aethalometer model - evaluation by radiocarbon and levoglucosan analysis at a rural background site in southern Sweden
- 2017
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 17:6, s. 4265-4281
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With the present demand on fast and inexpensive aerosol source apportionment methods, the Aethalometer model was evaluated for a full seasonal cycle (June 2014June 2015) at a rural atmospheric measurement station in southern Sweden by using radiocarbon and levoglucosan measurements. By utilizing differences in absorption of UV and IR, the Aethalometer model apportions carbon mass into wood burning (WB) and fossil fuel combustion (FF) aerosol. In this study, a small modification in the model in conjunction with carbon measurements from thermal-optical analysis allowed apportioned non-light-absorbing biogenic aerosol to vary in time. The absorption differences between WB and FF can be quantified by the absorption angstrom ngstrom exponent (AAE). In this study AAE(WB) was set to 1.81 and AAE(FF) to 1.0. Our observations show that the AAE was elevated during winter (1.36 +/- 0.07) compared to summer (1.12 +/- 0.07). Quantified WB aerosol showed good agreement with levoglucosan concentrations, both in terms of correlation (R-2 = 0 : 70) and in comparison to reference emission inventories. WB aerosol showed strong seasonal variation with high concentrations during winter (0.65 mu gm(-3), 56% of total carbon) and low concentrations during summer (0.07 mu gm(-3), 6% of total carbon). FF aerosol showed less seasonal dependence; however, black carbon (BC) FF showed clear diurnal patterns corresponding to traffic rush hour peaks. The presumed non-light-absorbing biogenic carbonaceous aerosol concentration was high during summer (1.04 mu gm(-3), 72% of total carbon) and low during winter (0.13 mu gm(-3), 8% of total carbon). Aethalometer model results were further compared to radiocarbon and levoglucosan source apportionment results. The comparison showed good agreement for apportioned mass of WB and biogenic carbonaceous aerosol, but discrepancies were found for FF aerosol mass. The Aethalometer model overestimated FF aerosol mass by a factor of 1.3 compared to radiocarbon and levoglucosan source apportionment. A performed sensitivity analysis suggests that this discrepancy can be explained by interference of non-light-absorbing biogenic carbon during winter. In summary, the Aethalometer model offers a costeffective yet robust high-time-resolution source apportionment at rural background stations compared to a radiocarbon and levoglucosan alternative.
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| 7. |
- Ahlberg, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of salt seed particle surface area, composition and phase on secondary organic aerosol mass yields in oxidation flow reactors
- 2019
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 19:4, s. 2701-2712
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Atmospheric particulate water is ubiquitous, affecting particle transport and uptake of gases. Yet, research on the effect of water on secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass yields is not consistent. In this study, the SOA mass yields of an α-pinene and m-xylene mixture, at a concentration of 60 μgm-3, were examined using an oxidation flow reactor operated at a relative humidity (RH) of 60% and a residence time of 160 s. Wet or dried ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate seed particles were used. By varying the amount of seed particle surface area, the underestimation of SOA formation induced by the short residence time in flow reactors was confirmed. Starting at a SOA mass concentration of 5 μgm-3, the maximum yield increased by a factor of 2 with dry seed particles and on average a factor of 3.2 with wet seed particles. Hence, wet particles increased the SOA mass yield by 60% compared to the dry experiment. Maximum yield in the reactor was achieved using a surface area concentration of 1600 μm2 cm-3. This corresponded to a condensational lifetime of 20 s for low-volatility organics. The O V C ratio of SOA on wet ammonium sulfate was significantly higher than when using ammonium nitrate or dry ammonium sulfate seed particles, probably due to differences in heterogeneous chemistry.
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| 8. |
- Ahlberg, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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No particle mass enhancement from induced atmospheric ageing at a rural site in northern Europe
- 2019
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Ingår i: Atmosphere. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-4433. ; 10:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A large portion of atmospheric aerosol particles consists of secondary material produced by oxidation reactions. The relative importance of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) can increase with improved emission regulations. A relatively simple way to study potential particle formation in the atmosphere is by using oxidation flow reactors (OFRs) which simulate atmospheric ageing. Here we report on the first ambient OFR ageing experiment in Europe, coupled with scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) and proton transfer reaction (PTR)-MS measurements. We found that the simulated ageing did not produce any measurable increases in particle mass or number concentrations during the two months of the campaign due to low concentrations of precursors. Losses in the reactor increased with hydroxyl radical (OH) exposure and with increasing difference between ambient and reactor temperatures, indicating fragmentation and evaporation of semivolatile material.
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| 9. |
- Ahlberg, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Secondary organic aerosol from VOC mixtures in an oxidation flow reactor
- 2017
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 1352-2310. ; 161, s. 210-220
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The atmospheric organic aerosol is a tremendously complex system in terms of chemical content. Models generally treat the mixtures as ideal, something which has been questioned owing to model-measurement discrepancies. We used an oxidation flow reactor to produce secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mixtures containing oxidation products of biogenic (α-pinene, myrcene and isoprene) and anthropogenic (m-xylene) volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The resulting volume concentration and chemical composition was measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS), respectively. The SOA mass yield of the mixtures was compared to a partitioning model constructed from single VOC experiments. The single VOC SOA mass yields with no wall-loss correction applied are comparable to previous experiments. In the mixtures containing myrcene a higher yield than expected was produced. We attribute this to an increased condensation sink, arising from myrcene producing a significantly higher number of nucleation particles compared to the other precursors. Isoprene did not produce much mass in single VOC experiments but contributed to the mass of the mixtures. The effect of high concentrations of isoprene on the OH exposure was found to be small, even at OH reactivities that previously have been reported to significantly suppress OH exposures in oxidation flow reactors. Furthermore, isoprene shifted the particle size distribution of mixtures towards larger sizes, which could be due to a change in oxidant dynamics inside the reactor.
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| 10. |
- Ahlberg, Erik
(författare)
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Speeding up the Atmosphere : Experimental oxidation studies of ambient and laboratory aerosols using a flow reactor
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Apart from gases, the air we breath consist of tiny, so called, aerosol particles. A cubic metre of air in a relatively clean environment can consist of several billion aerosol particles. The impact of these particles on human health and on climate is significant. According to WHO, particles affect more humans than any other pollutant, and is closely related to mortality and morbidity. Further, it has been estimated that anthropogenic particles have cooled the climate, masking up to 50% of the warming caused by greenhouse gases. A large portion of the smallest particles consists of organic compounds, much of which is formed by atmospheric oxidation reactions. This material is called secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In this thesis, submicron secondary aerosol particles have been investigated using an oxidation flow reactor (OFR). Inside the reactor, large concentrations of oxidants produce secondary particulate material in a matter of minutes, thereby speeding up the naturally occuring atmospheric processes.In two laboratory studies, we have investigated the effect of mixing anthropogenic primary and secondary particles with biogenic SOA. In line with expectations, the anthropogenic and biogenic organic precursors mixed, and, in a non-linear way, formed more particulate mass than would otherwise be the case. Further, the effect of wet anthropogenic salt particles on SOA formation was investigated. The produced SOA mass in the presence of wet particles was significantly higher than if the particles were dry. This effect is believed to be very important in the atmosphere since water is always present. In both these studies it was shown that the SOA mass formed in OFRs at low particle mass concentrations, is underestimated due to the limited time for condensation of vapours in the reactor.In a separate study, the SOA formation from biomass burning was investigated. Biogenic SOA dominates on a global scale, but very high concentrations are only formed in the proximity of anthropogenic sources. It was shown that SOA formation from the emissions of a modern wood stove can be large enough to dominate over the primary particle emissions. To estimate the secondary particle formation potential of ambient air, two field studies were performed. In both studies, the simulated atmospheric processing of the background air did not produce much secondary particle mass. From this, it can be concluded that the chosen measurement sites were relatively clean, but the results also point to the efficiency of atmospheric processing. However, in one of the studies, targeting ship emissions at a coastal site, plumes of secondary material, of the same magnitude as the background aerosol particle concentration, was formed. This demonstrates the importance of considering atmospheric processing and the advantage of using OFRs in field studies.The relative importance of SOA in the atmospheric aerosol is believed to increase in the future. Due to complex feedbacks and the many variables affecting SOA formation, it is difficult to parameterize in a simple enough manner fit for global models. Both detailed and large-scale processes needs further investigation to improve estimations of SOA radiative forcing and the anthropogenic effect on biogenic SOA. The popularity of oxidation flow reactors in SOA research is likely to increase. The five original research manuscripts included in this thesis contributes specifically to the OFR research community, but also to improved understanding of SOA formation in the the anthropocene in general.
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