scholarly journals Influence of dust and sea-salt sandwich effect on precipitation chemistry over the Western Ghats during summer monsoon

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Yang ◽  
S. Mukherjee ◽  
G. Pandithurai ◽  
V. Waghmare ◽  
P. D. Safai

AbstractAssessment of Sea Salt (SS) and Non-Sea Salt (NSS) aerosols in rainwater is important to understand the characterization of marine and continental aerosols and their source pathways. Sea salt quantification based on standard seawater ratios are primarily constrained with high uncertainty with its own limitations. Here, by the novelty of k-mean clustering and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis, we segregate the air masses into two distinct clusters (oceanic and continental) during summer monsoon period signifying the complex intermingle of sources that act concomitantly. The rainwater composition during strong south-westerly wind regimes (cluster 2-oceanic) was profoundly linked with high sea salt and dust, whereas north-westerly low wind regimes (cluster 1-continental) showed an increase in SO42− and NO3−. However, SO42− abundance over NO3− in rain-water depicted its importance as a major acidifying ion at the region. The satellite-based observations indicate the presence of mid-tropospheric dust at the top (3–5 km) and marine sea salt at bottom acts as a “sandwich effect” for maritime clouds that leads to elevated Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, and Cl− in rainwater. This characteristic feature is unique as sea spray generation due to high surface winds and dust aloft is only seen during this period. Furthermore, four source factors (secondary inorganic aerosol, mixed dust & sea salt, biomass burning & fertilizer use, and calcium neutralization) derived from PMF analysis showed contribution from local activities as well as long-range transport as dominant sources for the rainwater species.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaobin Xu ◽  
Hualong Zhang ◽  
Weili Lin ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Shihui Jia

Abstract. Both peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and ozone (O3) are key photochemical products in the atmosphere. Most of the previous in-situ observations of both gases have been made in polluted regions and at low altitude sites. Here we present first simultaneous measurements of PAN and O3 at Nam Co (NMC, 90°57′ E, 30°46′ N, 4745 m  a.s.l.), a remote site in the central Tibetan Plateau (TP). The observations were made during summer periods in 2011 and 2012. The PAN concentrations averaged 0.36 ppb (range: 0.11–0.76 ppb) and 0.44 ppb (range: 0.21–0.99 ppb) during 16–25 August 2011 and 15 May to 13 July 2012, respectively. The O3 concentration varied from 27.9 ppb to 96.4 ppb, with an average of 60.0 ppb. Profound diurnal cycles of PAN and O3 were observed, with minimum values around 05:00 LT, steep rises in the early morning, and broader platforms of high values during 09:00–20:00 LT. We find that the evolution of planetary boundary layer (PBL) played a key role in shaping the diurnal patterns of both gases, particularly the rapid increases of PAN and O3 in the early morning. Air entrainment from the free troposphere into the PBL seemed to cause the early morning increase and be a key factor of sustaining the daytime high concentrations of both gases. The days with higher daytime PBL (about 3 km) showed stronger diurnal variations of both gases and were mainly distributed in the drier pre-monsoon period, while those with shallower daytime PBL (about 2 km) showed minor diurnal variations of both gases and were mainly distributed in the humid monsoon period. Episodes of higher PAN levels were observed occasionally at NMC. These PAN episodes were caused either by rapid downward transport of air masses from the middle/upper troposphere or by long-range transport of PAN plumes from North India. The PAN level in the downward transport cases ranged from 0.5 ppb to 0.7 ppb and may indicate the PAN abundance in the middle/upper troposphere. In the long-range transport case, the PAN level varied in the range of 0.6–1.0 ppb. This long-range transport process influenced most of the western and central TP region for about a week in early June 2012. Our results suggest that polluted air masses from South Asia can significantly enhance the PAN level over the TP. As PAN act as a reservoir of NOx, the impacts of pollution transport from South Asia on tropospheric photochemistry over the TP region deserve further studies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 1373-1391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiming Lin ◽  
Yindong Tong ◽  
Xiufeng Yin ◽  
Qianggong Zhang ◽  
Hui Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract. Located in the world's “third pole” and a remote region connecting the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate, Qomolangma National Nature Preserve (QNNP) is an ideal region to study the long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants. In this study, gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) and particle-bound mercury (PBM) were continuously measured during the Indian monsoon transition period in QNNP. A slight increase in the GEM concentration was observed from the period preceding the Indian summer monsoon (1.31±0.42 ng m−3) to the Indian summer monsoon period (1.44±0.36 ng m−3), while significant decreases were observed in the GOM and PBM concentrations, with concentrations decreasing from 35.2±18.6 to 19.3±10.9 pg m−3 (p < 0.001) for GOM and from 30.5±12.5 to 24.9±19.8 pg m−3 (p < 0.001) for PBM. A unique daily pattern was observed in QNNP with respect to the GEM concentration, with a peak value before sunrise and a low value at noon. Relative to the (low) GEM concentrations, GOM concentrations (with a mean value of 21.4±13.4 pg m−3, n=1239) in this region were relatively high compared with the measured values in some other regions of China. A cluster analysis indicated that the air masses transported to QNNP changed significantly at different stages of the monsoon, and the major potential mercury (Hg) sources shifted from northern India and western Nepal to eastern Nepal and Bangladesh. As there is a large area covered in glaciers in QNNP, local glacier winds could increase the transboundary transport of pollutants and transport polluted air masses to the Tibetan Plateau. The atmospheric Hg concentration in QNNP in the Indian summer monsoon period was influenced by transboundary Hg flows. This highlights the need for a more specific identification of Hg sources impacting QNNP and underscores the importance of international cooperation regarding global Hg controls.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 3013-3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narendra Ojha ◽  
Andrea Pozzer ◽  
Armin Rauthe-Schöch ◽  
Angela K. Baker ◽  
Jongmin Yoon ◽  
...  

Abstract. We compare in situ measurements of ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) profiles from the CARIBIC program with the results from the regional chemistry transport model (WRF-Chem) to investigate the role of local and regional emissions and long-range transport over southern India during the summer monsoon of 2008. WRF-Chem successfully reproduces the general features of O3 and CO distributions over the South Asian region. However, absolute CO concentrations in the lower troposphere are typically underestimated. Here we investigate the influence of local relative to remote emissions through sensitivity simulations. The influence of 50 % increased CO emissions over South Asia leads to a significant enhancement (upto 20 % in July) in upper tropospheric CO in the northern and central Indian regions. Over Chennai in southern India, this causes a 33 % increase in surface CO during June. However, the influence of enhanced local and regional emissions is found to be smaller (5 %) in the free troposphere over Chennai, except during September. Local to regional emissions are therefore suggested to play a minor role in the underestimation of CO by WRF-Chem during June–August. In the lower troposphere, a high pollution (O3: 146.4 ± 12.8, CO: 136.4 ± 12.2 nmol mol−1) event (15 July 2008), not reproduced by the model, is shown to be due to transport of photochemically processed air masses from the boundary layer in southern India. A sensitivity simulation combined with backward trajectories indicates that long-range transport of CO to southern India is significantly underestimated, particularly in air masses from the west, i.e., from Central Africa. This study highlights the need for more aircraft-based measurements over India and adjacent regions and the improvement of global emission inventories.


1990 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 2813-2821 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. McDowell ◽  
Cindy Ginés Sánchez ◽  
Clyde E. Asbury ◽  
Carlos R. Ramos Pérez

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 5199-5217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaobin Xu ◽  
Hualong Zhang ◽  
Weili Lin ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Wanyun Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract. Both peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and ozone (O3) are key photochemical products in the atmosphere. Most of the previous in situ observations of both gases have been made in polluted regions and at low-altitude sites. Here we present the first simultaneous measurements of PAN and O3 at Nam Co (NMC; 30°46′ N, 90°57′ E, 4745 m a.s.l.), a remote site in the central Tibetan Plateau (TP). The observations were made during summer periods in 2011 and 2012. The PAN levels averaged 0.36 ppb (range: 0.11–0.76 ppb) and 0.44 ppb (range: 0.21–0.99 ppb) during 17–24 August 2011 and 15 May to 13 July 2012, respectively. The O3 level varied from 27.9 to 96.4 ppb, with an average of 60.0 ppb. Profound diurnal cycles of PAN and O3 were observed with minimum values around 05:00 LT, steep rises in the early morning, and broader platforms of high values during 09:00–20:00 LT. The evolution of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) played a key role in shaping the diurnal patterns of both gases, particularly the rapid increases of PAN and O3 in the early morning. Air entrainment from the free troposphere into the PBL seemed to cause the early-morning increase and be a key factor for sustaining the daytime high concentrations of both gases. The days with higher daytime PBL (about 3 km) showed stronger diurnal variations in both gases and were mainly distributed in the drier pre-monsoon period, while those with shallower daytime PBL (about 2 km) showed minor diurnal variations and were mainly distributed in the humid monsoon period. Episodes of higher PAN levels were occasionally observed at NMC. These PAN episodes were caused either by rapid downward transport of air masses from the middle/upper troposphere or by long-range transport of PAN plumes from north India, north Pakistan, and Nepal. The maximum PAN level in the downward transport cases ranged from 0.5 to 0.7 ppb. In the long-range transport case, the PAN level varied in the range of 0.3–1.0 ppb, with an average of 0.6 ppb. This long-range transport process influenced most of the western and central TP region for about a week in early June 2012. Our results suggest that polluted air masses from South Asia can significantly enhance the PAN level over the TP. As PAN acts as a reservoir of NOx, the impacts of pollution transport from South Asia on tropospheric photochemistry over the TP region deserve further studies.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (15) ◽  
pp. 21133-21176 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Ojha ◽  
A. Pozzer ◽  
A. Rauthe-Schöch ◽  
A. K. Baker ◽  
J. Yoon ◽  
...  

Abstract. We compare in situ measurements of ozone (O3) and carbon monoxide (CO) profiles from the CARIBIC program with the results from the regional chemistry transport model (WRF-Chem) to investigate the role of local/regional emissions and long-range transport over southern India during the summer monsoon of 2008. WRF-Chem successfully reproduces the general features of O3 and CO distributions over the South Asian region. However, the absolute CO concentrations in lower troposphere are typically underestimated. Here we investigate the influence of local relative to remote emissions through sensitivity simulations. The influence of 50 % enhanced CO emissions over South Asia is found to be 33 % increase in surface CO during June. The influence of enhanced local emissions is found to be smaller (5 %) in the free troposphere, except during September. Local to regional emissions are therefore suggested to play a minor role in the underestimation of CO by WRF-Chem during June–August. In the lower troposphere, ahigh pollution (O3: 146.4 ± 12.8 nmol mol−1, CO: 136.4 ± 12.2 nmol mol−1) event (15 July 2008), not reproduced by the model, is shown to be due to transport of photochemically processed air masses from the boundary layer into southern India. Sensitivity simulation combined with backward trajectories indicates that long-range transport of CO to southern India is significantly underestimated, particularly in air masses from the west, i.e. from Central Africa. This study highlights the need for more aircraft-based measurements over India and adjacent regions and the improvement of emission inventories.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 5047-5068 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Dzepina ◽  
C. Mazzoleni ◽  
P. Fialho ◽  
S. China ◽  
B. Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract. Free tropospheric aerosol was sampled at the Pico Mountain Observatory located at 2225 m above mean sea level on Pico Island of the Azores archipelago in the North Atlantic. The observatory is located ~ 3900 km east and downwind of North America, which enables studies of free tropospheric air transported over long distances. Aerosol samples collected on filters from June to October 2012 were analyzed to characterize organic carbon, elemental carbon, and inorganic ions. The average ambient concentration of aerosol was 0.9 ± 0.7 μg m−3. On average, organic aerosol components represent the largest mass fraction of the total measured aerosol (60 ± 51%), followed by sulfate (23 ± 28%), nitrate (13 ± 10%), chloride (2 ± 3%), and elemental carbon (2 ± 2%). Water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) extracted from two aerosol samples (9/24 and 9/25) collected consecutively during a pollution event were analyzed using ultrahigh-resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Approximately 4000 molecular formulas were assigned to each of the mass spectra in the range of m/z 100–1000. The majority of the assigned molecular formulas had unsaturated structures with CHO and CHNO elemental compositions. FLEXPART retroplume analyses showed the sampled air masses were very aged (average plume age > 12 days). These aged aerosol WSOM compounds had an average O/C ratio of ~ 0.45, which is relatively low compared to O/C ratios of other aged aerosol. The increase in aerosol loading during the measurement period of 9/24 was linked to biomass burning emissions from North America by FLEXPART retroplume analysis and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire counts. This was confirmed with biomass burning markers detected in the WSOM and with the morphology and mixing state of particles as determined by scanning electron microscopy. The presence of markers characteristic of aqueous-phase reactions of phenolic species suggests that the aerosol collected at the Pico Mountain Observatory had undergone cloud processing before reaching the site. Finally, the air masses of 9/25 were more aged and influenced by marine emissions, as indicated by the presence of organosulfates and other species characteristic of marine aerosol. The change in the air masses for the two samples was corroborated by the changes in ethane, propane, and ozone, morphology of particles, as well as by the FLEXPART retroplume simulations. This paper presents the first detailed molecular characterization of free tropospheric aged aerosol intercepted at a lower free troposphere remote location and provides evidence of low oxygenation after long-range transport. We hypothesize this is a result of the selective removal of highly aged and polar species during long-range transport, because the aerosol underwent a combination of atmospheric processes during transport facilitating aqueous-phase removal (e.g., clouds processing) and fragmentation (e.g., photolysis) of components.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1376
Author(s):  
Alex Quok An Teo ◽  
Lina Yan ◽  
Akshay Chaudhari ◽  
Gavin Kane O’Neill

Additive manufacturing of stainless steel is becoming increasingly accessible, allowing for the customisation of structure and surface characteristics; there is little guidance for the post-processing of these metals. We carried out this study to ascertain the effects of various combinations of post-processing methods on the surface of an additively manufactured stainless steel 316L lattice. We also characterized the nature of residual surface particles found after these processes via energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Finally, we measured the surface roughness of the post-processing lattices via digital microscopy. The native lattices had a predictably high surface roughness from partially molten particles. Sandblasting effectively removed this but damaged the surface, introducing a peel-off layer, as well as leaving surface residue from the glass beads used. The addition of either abrasive polishing or electropolishing removed the peel-off layer but introduced other surface deficiencies making it more susceptible to corrosion. Finally, when electropolishing was performed after the above processes, there was a significant reduction in residual surface particles. The constitution of the particulate debris as well as the lattice surface roughness following each post-processing method varied, with potential implications for clinical use. The work provides a good base for future development of post-processing methods for additively manufactured stainless steel.


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