An air-mass trajectory study of the transport of radioactivity from Fukushima to Thessaloniki, Greece and Milan, Italy

In this study atmospheric aerosols distribution over Lagos area of southwestern part of Nigeria was analyzed using backward air mass trajectory model. GPS information of the study region was used to simulate meteorological variables and aerosol data that have been stored by satellite imagery from the National Oceanography and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Air Resource Laboratory (ARL). Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectories HYSPLIT was used to determine the wind-field information and also to obtain the backward air mass trajectory for atmospheric aerosols transport pattern at heights 0, 1000m and 2000m above ground level. The result showed that aerosols of sea-salt origin evolved from Atlantic ocean and spread over Lagos during the period under consideration. The average wind speed observed within the period ranged between 4 and 7m/s in south westerly direction which is attributed to the influence Atlantic Ocean. The results also showed that aerosol traversing Lagos area are mainly sea salts

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The Relationship between Air-Mass Trajectories and the Abundance of Dust-Borne Prokaryotes at the SE Mediterranean Sea

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos10050280 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 280 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Eyal Rahav ◽

Natalia Belkin ◽

Adina Paytan ◽

Barak Herut

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Temporal Variability ◽

Airborne Microorganisms ◽

Coastal Site ◽

Air Mass ◽

Dust Aerosols ◽

Air Mass Trajectories ◽

Airborne Microbes ◽

The Relationship ◽

Air Mass Trajectory

Airborne prokaryotes are transported along with dust/aerosols, yet very little attention is given to their temporal variability above the oceans and the factors that govern their abundance. We analyzed the abundance of autotrophic (cyanobacteria) and heterotopic airborne microbes in 34 sampling events between 2015–2018 at a coastal site in the SE Mediterranean Sea. We show that airborne autotrophic (0.2–7.6 cells × 103 m−3) and heterotrophic (0.2–30.6 cells × 103 m−3) abundances were affected by the origin and air mass trajectory, and the concentration of dust/aerosols in the air, while seasonality was not coherent. The averaged ratio between heterotrophic and autotrophic prokaryotes in marine-dominated trajectories was ~1.7 ± 0.6, significantly lower than for terrestrial routes (6.8 ± 6.1). Airborne prokaryotic abundances were linearly and positively correlated to the concentrations of total aerosol, while negatively correlated with the aerosol’s anthropogenic fraction (using Pb/Al or Cu/Al ratios as proxies). While aerosols may play a major role in dispersing terrestrial and marine airborne microbes in the SE Mediterranean Sea, the mechanisms involved in the dispersal and diversity of airborne microorganisms remain to be studied and should include standardization in collection and analysis protocols.

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Distant source contributions to PM10 profile evaluated by SOM based cluster analysis of air mass trajectory sets

Atmospheric Environment ◽

10.1016/j.atmosenv.2009.12.006 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 44 (7) ◽

pp. 892-899 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

Ferhat Karaca ◽

Fatih Camci

Keyword(s):

Cluster Analysis ◽

Distant Source ◽

Air Mass ◽

Source Contributions ◽

Air Mass Trajectory

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Biogenic SOA formation through gas-phase oxidation and gas-to-particle partitioning – comparison between process models of varying complexity

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-14-11001-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (8) ◽

pp. 11001-11040

Author(s):

E. Hermansson ◽

P. Roldin ◽

A. Rusanen ◽

D. Mogensen ◽

N. Kivekäs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gas Phase ◽

Global Climate Models ◽

Process Models ◽

Oxidation Products ◽

Basis Set ◽

Chemical Mechanism ◽

Air Mass ◽

Phase Oxidation ◽

Gas Phase Oxidation ◽

Air Mass Trajectory

Abstract. Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted by the vegetation play an important role for the aerosol mass loadings since the oxidation products of these compounds can take part in the formation and growth of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). The concentrations and properties of BVOCs and their oxidation products in the atmosphere are poorly characterized, which leads to high uncertainties in modeled SOA mass and properties. In this study the formation of SOA has been modeled along an air mass trajectory over the northern European boreal forest using two aerosol dynamics box models where the prediction of the condensable organics from the gas-phase oxidation of BVOC is handled with schemes of varying complexity. The use of box model simulations along an air mass trajectory allows us to, under atmospheric relevant conditions, compare different model parameterizations and their effect on SOA formation. The result of the study shows that the modeled mass concentration of SOA is highly dependent on the organic oxidation scheme used to predict the oxidation products. A near-explicit treatment of organic gas-phase oxidation (Master Chemical Mechanism version 3.2) was compared to oxidation schemes that use the volatility basis set (VBS) approach. The resulting SOA mass modeled with different VBS-schemes varies by a factor of about 7 depending on how the first generation oxidation products are parameterized and how they subsequently age (e.g. how fast the gas-phase oxidation products react with the OH-radical, how they respond to temperature changes and if they are allowed to fragment during the aging process). Since the VBS approach is frequently used in regional and global climate models due to its relatively simple treatment of the oxidation products compared to near-explicit oxidation schemes; better understanding of the abovementioned processes are needed. Compared to the most commonly used VBS-schemes, the near-explicit method produces less – but more oxidized – SOA.

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Boundaries of air mass trajectory clustering: key points and applications

International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology ◽

10.1007/s13762-016-1140-y ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 653-662

Author(s):

I. A. Pérez ◽

M. L. Sánchez ◽

M. A. García ◽

N. Pardo

Keyword(s):

Trajectory Clustering ◽

Air Mass ◽

Key Points ◽

Air Mass Trajectory

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Biogenic SOA formation through gas-phase oxidation and gas-to-particle partitioning – a comparison between process models of varying complexity

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-14-11853-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (21) ◽

pp. 11853-11869 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

E. Hermansson ◽

P. Roldin ◽

A. Rusanen ◽

D. Mogensen ◽

N. Kivekäs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gas Phase ◽

Global Climate Models ◽

Process Models ◽

Oxidation Products ◽

Basis Set ◽

Chemical Mechanism ◽

Air Mass ◽

Phase Oxidation ◽

Gas Phase Oxidation ◽

Air Mass Trajectory

Abstract. Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted by vegetation play an important role for aerosol mass loadings since the oxidation products of these compounds can take part in the formation and growth of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). The concentrations and properties of BVOCs and their oxidation products in the atmosphere are poorly characterized, which leads to high uncertainties in modeled SOA mass and properties. In this study, the formation of SOA has been modeled along an air-mass trajectory over northern European boreal forest using two aerosol dynamics box models where the prediction of the condensable organics from the gas-phase oxidation of BVOC is handled with schemes of varying complexity. The use of box model simulations along an air-mass trajectory allows us to compare, under atmospheric relevant conditions, different model parameterizations and their effect on SOA formation. The result of the study shows that the modeled mass concentration of SOA is highly dependent on the organic oxidation scheme used to predict oxidation products. A near-explicit treatment of organic gas-phase oxidation (Master Chemical Mechanism version 3.2) was compared to oxidation schemes that use the volatility basis set (VBS) approach. The resulting SOA mass modeled with different VBS schemes varies by a factor of about 7 depending on how the first-generation oxidation products are parameterized and how they subsequently age (e.g., how fast the gas-phase oxidation products react with the OH radical, how they respond to temperature changes, and if they are allowed to fragment during the aging process). Since the VBS approach is frequently used in regional and global climate models due to its relatively simple treatment of the oxidation products compared to near-explicit oxidation schemes, a better understanding of the above-mentioned processes is needed. Based on the results of this study, fragmentation should be included in order to obtain a realistic SOA formation. Furthermore, compared to the most commonly used VBS schemes, the near-explicit method produces less – but more oxidized – SOA.

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