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- Heitto, Arto, et al.
(författare)
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Analysis of atmospheric particle growth based on vapor concentrations measured at the high-altitude GAW station Chacaltaya in the Bolivian Andes
- 2024
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 24, s. 1315-1328
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Early growth of atmospheric particles is essential for their survival and ability to participate in cloud formation. Many different atmospheric vapors contribute to the growth, but even the main contributors still remain poorly identified in many environments, such as high-altitude sites. Based on measured organic vapor and sulfuric acid concentrations under ambient conditions, particle growth during new particle formation events was simulated and compared with the measured particle size distribution at the Chacaltaya Global Atmosphere Watch station in Bolivia (5240ma.s.l.) during April and May 2018, as a part of the SALTENA (Southern Hemisphere high-ALTitude Experiment on particle Nucleation and growth) campaign. Despite the challenging topography and ambient conditions around the station, the simple particle growth model used in the study was able to show that the detected vapors were sufficient to explain the observed particle growth, although some discrepancies were found between modeled and measured particle growth rates. This study, one of the first of such studies conducted on high altitude, gives insight on the key factors affecting the particle growth on the site and helps to improve the understanding of important factors on high-altitude sites and the atmosphere in general. Low-volatility organic compounds originating from multiple surrounding sources such as the Amazonia and La Paz metropolitan area were found to be the main contributor to the particle growth, covering on average 65% of the simulated particle mass in particles with a diameter of 30nm. In addition, sulfuric acid made a major contribution to the particle growth, covering at maximum 37% of the simulated particle mass in 30nm particles during periods when volcanic activity was detected on the area, compared to around 1% contribution on days without volcanic activity. This suggests that volcanic emissions can greatly enhance the particle growth.
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| 2. |
- Moreno, C. Isabel, et al.
(författare)
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Tropical tropospheric aerosol sources and chemical composition observed at high altitude in the Bolivian Andes
- 2024
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 24:5, s. 2837-2860
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The chemical composition of PM10 and non-overlapping PM2.5 was studied at the summit of Mt. Chacaltaya (5380 m a.s.l., lat. −16.346950°, long. −68.128250°) providing a unique long-term record spanning from December 2011 to March 2020. The chemical composition of aerosol at the Chacaltaya Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) site is representative of the regional background, seasonally affected by biomass burning practices and by nearby anthropogenic emissions from the metropolitan area of La Paz–El Alto. Concentration levels are clearly influenced by seasons with minima occurring during the wet season (December to March) and maxima occurring during the dry and transition seasons (April to November). Ions, total carbon (EC + OC), and saccharide interquartile ranges for concentrations are 558–1785, 384–1120, and 4.3–25.5 ng m−3 for bulk PM10 and 917–2308, 519–1175, and 3.9–24.1 ng m−3 for PM2.5, respectively, with most of the aerosol seemingly present in the PM2.5 fraction. Such concentrations are overall lower compared to other high-altitude stations around the globe but higher than Amazonian remote sites (except for OC). For PM10, there is dominance of insoluble mineral matter (33 %–56 % of the mass), organic matter (7 %–34 %), and secondary inorganic aerosol (15 %–26 %). Chemical composition profiles were identified for different origins: glucose, and for the nearby urban and rural areas; OC, EC, , K+, acetate, formate, levoglucosan, and some F− and Br− for biomass burning; for aged marine emissions from the Pacific Ocean; arabitol, mannitol, and glucose for biogenic emissions; for soil dust; and and some Cl− for volcanism. Regional biomass burning practices influence the soluble fraction of the aerosol between June and November. The organic fraction is present all year round and has both anthropogenic (biomass burning and other combustion sources) and natural (primary and secondary biogenic emissions) origins, with the OC/EC mass ratio being practically constant all year round (10.5 ± 5.7, IQR 8.1–13.3). Peruvian volcanism has dominated the concentration since 2014, though it presents strong temporal variability due to the intermittence of the sources and seasonal changes in the transport patterns. These measurements represent some of the first long-term observations of aerosol chemical composition at a continental high-altitude site in the tropical Southern Hemisphere.
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