Black and Brown Light-Absorbing Carbon in the Atmosphere

Dear Colleagues,

While the most widely-recognized form of atmospheric light-absorbing carbon (LAC) is black carbon (BC) or soot, more diverse forms of LAC in the atmosphere have been increasingly recognized over the last two decades. Through solvent extractions, light-absorbing organic carbon (so-called “brown carbon”, brC) has been demonstrated as a major LAC species and in some scenarios is the dominant LAC species in terms of its contribution to regional radiative forcing. Separately, electron microscopy studies have identified the abundance of “tarballs”, the refractory, spherical, and light-absorbing particles formed from the viscous, low-volatility (tar-like) organic compounds present during biomass combustion (wildfires) or residual-fuel combustion (marine engines). Some recent studies have also suggested the possibility of measuring tarballs using real-time measurement systems, raising new possibilities for measuring their atmospheric abundance.  Both of these LAC types (soluble brC and tarballs) have wavelength-dependent mass absorption cross-sections (MACs) and are therefore brown in colour.

More research is needed to understand these brown carbon species: their origins, fate, formation mechanisms, chemistry, and physical properties. Such research will inform our understanding of combustion emissions and allow climate models to more accurately represent the Earth’s present and future atmosphere. This special issue of Atmosphere addresses this research need.

Submissions are welcome on the topics of light-absorbing aerosols, brown carbon, or related topics (see Keywords) both in the laboratory and in the field, as well as modelling studies.

Dr. Joel C. Corbin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• Light-absorbing carbon
• Black carbon
• Brown carbon
• Solvent extraction
• Tarballs / Tar balls / Tar brown carbon
• Angstrom absorption exponent
• Chromophores
• Aerosol optical properties
• Aerosol refractive index
• Mass absorption coefficient (MAC)
• Single scattering albedo
• Biomass burning aerosols
• Wildfires
• Marine engines