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Physical and Chemical Properties of Aerosols and Their Role in...
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Physical and Chemical Properties of Aerosols and Their Role in Weather and Climate

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Aerosols".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 14900

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Saehee Lim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Interests: black carbon; carbon-nitrogen-oxygen isotope ratios; aerosol’s climate effect; aerosol formation/transformation; emission sources
Dr. Juan Hong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
Interests: hygroscopicity; volatility; mixing state; new particle formation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural and anthropogenic aerosols significantly affect the weather and the Earth’s climate system by scattering and absorbing solar radiation, acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nuclei (IN), and modifying the microphysical properties and the life cycle of clouds through various processes. The changes in weather and climate systems in turn impact on humans and a wide range of ecosystems and environments from urban areas to high-altitude areas/arctic regions. Given the significance of the interactions between aerosols and weather/climate, accurately determining the microphysical and chemical properties of aerosols is of great importance.

In the past several decades, a wide range of studies have focused on physical-chemical properties of aerosols via observations, laboratory experiments, as well as model simulations. However, due to the complexity of atmospheric aerosols and their interactions with weather/climate, the data on detailed physical-chemical properties of aerosols is still limited, and large uncertainties associated with aerosol–weather/climate interactions are still present. In this Special Issue, we welcome all studies based on ambient observations, laboratory experiments, model simulations, and theoretical approaches that investigate the physical and chemical properties of aerosols and their impacts on and/or interaction with weather and climate systems. Our Special Issue aims to fill the data pool of physical-chemical properties of aerosols with the most recent developments and discoveries and address these to improve our understanding and quantify the roles of aerosols in weather/climate. Relevant topics include: (1) aerosol microphysical and chemical properties, investigated both by bulk and single-particle approaches (size, morphology, mixing/phase state, chemical composition, hygroscopicity, volatility, refractive index, etc.), and their changes during atmospheric evolution; (2) relationships of these aerosol properties with radiation, clouds/fogs, precipitation, extreme weather like heat waves, and large-scale atmospheric circulation; and (3) roles of the interactions of aerosols’ physical and chemical properties with weather and climate and implications for future mitigation strategies involving air quality/weather/climate change.

Dr. Saehee Lim
Dr. Juan Hong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aerosols
  • size distribution
  • morphology
  • mixing state
  • chemical composition
  • hygroscopicity & volatility
  • phase state
  • weather
  • climate
  • aerosol formation
  • atmospheric processes

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 427 KiB  
Article
Detecting the Causal Nexus between Particulate Matter (PM10) and Rainfall in the Caribbean Area
by Thomas Plocoste
Atmosphere 2022, 13(2), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13020175 - 21 Jan 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2947
Abstract
In this study, we investigate the interactions between particulate matter that have an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm diameter (PM10) and rainfall (RR) in entropy framework. Our results showed there is a bidirectional causality [...] Read more.
In this study, we investigate the interactions between particulate matter that have an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm diameter (PM10) and rainfall (RR) in entropy framework. Our results showed there is a bidirectional causality between PM10 concentrations and RR values. This means that PM10 concentrations influence RR values while RR induces the wet scavenging process. Rainfall seasonality has a significant impact on the wet scavenging process while African dust seasonality strongly influence RR behavior. Indeed, the wet scavenging process is 5 times higher during the wet season while PM10 impact on RR is 2.5 times higher during the first part of the high dust season. These results revealed two types of causality: a direct causality (RR to PM10) and an indirect causality (PM10 to RR). All these elements showed that entropy is an efficient way to quantify the behavior of atmospheric processes using ground-based measurements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical and Chemical Properties of Aerosols and Their Role in Weather and Climate)
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15 pages, 10201 KiB  
Article
Elemental Carbon Observed at a Peri-Urban Forest Site near the Seoul Metropolitan Area as a Tracer of Seasonal Haze Occurrence
by Jeeyoung Ham, Inseon Suh, Meehye Lee, Hyunseok Kim and Soyoung Kim
Atmosphere 2021, 12(12), 1627; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12121627 - 6 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2630
Abstract
In order to identify the seasonal variability and source of carbonaceous aerosols in relation to haze occurrence, organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were continuously measured at the Taehwa Research Forest (TRF) near the Seoul metropolitan area from May 2013 to April [...] Read more.
In order to identify the seasonal variability and source of carbonaceous aerosols in relation to haze occurrence, organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were continuously measured at the Taehwa Research Forest (TRF) near the Seoul metropolitan area from May 2013 to April 2014. For the entire experiment, the mean OC (5.1 µgC/m3) and EC (1.7 µgC/m3) concentrations of TRF were comparable to those of Seoul, with noticeably higher concentrations in winter and spring than in other seasons, and during haze days (6.6 ± 3.2 and 2.1 ± 1.0 μgC/m3) than during non-haze days (3.5 ± 2.2 and 1.3 ± 0.8 μgC/m3). The seasonal characteristics of OC and EC reveal the various sources of haze, including biomass combustion haze either transported for long distances or, in spring, from domestic regions, the greatest contribution of secondary organic carbon (SOC) in summer, and fossil fuel combustion in winter and fall. In addition, the seasonal OC/EC ratios between haze and non-haze days highlights that the increase in EC was more distinct than that of OC during haze episodes, thus suggesting that EC observed at a peri-urban forest site serves as a useful indicator for seasonally varying source types of haze aerosols in the study region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical and Chemical Properties of Aerosols and Their Role in Weather and Climate)
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14 pages, 3626 KiB  
Article
Dust Criteria Derived from Long-Term Filter and Online Observations at Gosan in South Korea
by Xiaona Shang, Meehye Lee, Saehee Lim, Örjan Gustafsson, Gangwoong Lee and Limseok Chang
Atmosphere 2021, 12(11), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12111419 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2346
Abstract
Dust and pollution are frequently mixed together in East Asia, causing large uncertainties in assessing climate change and environmental influence and in relevant policymaking. To discern the dust effect on particle mass, we carried out long-term measurements of the mass and key chemical [...] Read more.
Dust and pollution are frequently mixed together in East Asia, causing large uncertainties in assessing climate change and environmental influence and in relevant policymaking. To discern the dust effect on particle mass, we carried out long-term measurements of the mass and key chemical compositions of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 from August 2007 to February 2012 and collected hourly data of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations from January 2012 to October 2020 at Gosan, South Korea. The principal component analysis of measured species reveals two dominant factors, pollution and dust, accounting for 46% and 16% of the total variance, respectively. The mode distribution of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 mass in addition to the dust events helps to provide a robust criterion of the dust impact. Dust can be identified by the mean + standard deviation (σ) of PM10, while the threshold is down to the mean concentration when dust particles experience precipitation. High PM2.5 concentration also presents dust impact; however, the criterion decreases from mean + σ in 2007–2012 to mean in 2012–2020. It indicates that dust is no longer a high-concentration event of PM2.5, but its influence gradually appears in low-concentration particles. Therefore, the dust criterion obtained from long-term PM10 concentration data is robust; however, the standard is based on PM2.5 changes over time and still needs to be determined by follow-up long-term observations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical and Chemical Properties of Aerosols and Their Role in Weather and Climate)
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15 pages, 3908 KiB  
Article
Hygroscopicity of Fresh and Aged Salt Mixtures from Saline Lakes
by Jun Li, Wanyu Liu, Linjie Li, Wenjun Gu, Xiying Zhang, Mattias Hallquist, Mingjin Tang, Sen Wang and Xiangrui Kong
Atmosphere 2021, 12(9), 1203; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12091203 - 16 Sep 2021
Viewed by 2563
Abstract
The high hygroscopicity of salt aerosol particles makes the particles active in aerosol and cloud formations. Inland saline lakes are an important and dynamic source of salt aerosol. The salt particles can be mixed with mineral dust and transported over long distances. During [...] Read more.
The high hygroscopicity of salt aerosol particles makes the particles active in aerosol and cloud formations. Inland saline lakes are an important and dynamic source of salt aerosol. The salt particles can be mixed with mineral dust and transported over long distances. During transportation, these particles participate in atmospheric heterogeneous chemistry and further impact the climate and air quality on a global scale. Despite their importance and potential, relatively little research has been done on saline lake salt mixtures from atmospheric perspectives. In this study, we use experimental and model methods to evaluate the hygroscopic properties of saline lake brines, fresh salt aerosol particles, and aged salt aerosol particles. Both original samples and literature data are investigated. The original brine samples are collected from six salt lakes in Shanxi and Qinghai provinces in China. The ionic compositions of the brines are determined and the hygroscopicity measurements are performed on crystallized brines. The experimental results agree well with theoretical deliquescence relative humidity (DRH) values estimated by a thermodynamic model. The correlations between DRHs of different salt components and the correlations between DRHs and ionic concentrations are presented and discussed. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis is performed on the ionic concentrations data and the hygroscopicity results, and the solutions are interpreted and discussed. The fresh and aged salt aerosol particles are analyzed in the same way as the brines, and the comparison shows that the aged salt aerosol particles completely alter their hygroscopic property, i.e., transferring from MgCl2− governed to NH4NO3− governed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical and Chemical Properties of Aerosols and Their Role in Weather and Climate)
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12 pages, 2596 KiB  
Article
Modeling Investigation of Brown Carbon Aerosol and Its Light Absorption in China
by Yong Zhu, Qiaoqiao Wang, Xiajie Yang, Ning Yang and Xurong Wang
Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 892; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12070892 - 9 Jul 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3160
Abstract
Brown carbon (BrC) is a type of organic carbon with light-absorbing abilities, especially in ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which could significantly contribute to global warming. Observations have shown high BrC concentrations and absorption in China, suggesting potentially large BrC emissions. The potential contribution of [...] Read more.
Brown carbon (BrC) is a type of organic carbon with light-absorbing abilities, especially in ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which could significantly contribute to global warming. Observations have shown high BrC concentrations and absorption in China, suggesting potentially large BrC emissions. The potential contribution of fossil fuel combustion to BrC emission has been ignored in most previous studies. Here, we use GEOS-Chem to simulate BrC distribution and absorption in China, accounting for three major primary BrC sources: residential coal and biofuel combustion, vehicle exhausts, and open biomass burning. Based on the literature and related energy consumption data, we estimate the specific emission ratio of BrC versus BC, and BrC mass absorption efficiency (MAE) for each source. Combined with BC emission, total BrC emission in China is then estimated to be 3.42 Tg yr−1 in 2018, of which 71% is from residential combustion, 14% is from vehicle exhaust, and 15% is from open biomass burning. Residential combustion is the main source of surface BrC in China, accounting for 60% on average, followed by open biomass burning (23%) and vehicle exhaust emissions (17%). There is a clear seasonality in surface BrC concentrations with the maximum in winter (5.1 µg m−3), followed by spring (2.8 µg m−3), autumn (2.3 µg m−3), and summer (1.3 µg m−3). BrC AAOD at 365 nm ranges from 0.0017 to 0.060 in China, mainly dominated by residential combustion (73%), followed by open biomass burning (16%), and vehicle exhaust emissions (11%). It is also estimated that BrC accounts for 45–67% (52% on average) of total carbonaceous aerosol AAOD at 365 nm, implying an equal importance of BrC and BC regarding the absorption in UV radiation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical and Chemical Properties of Aerosols and Their Role in Weather and Climate)
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