Prescribed burnings are conducted in Queensland each year from August until November aiming to decrease the impact of bushfire hazards and maintain the health of vegetation. This study reports chemical characteristics of the ambient aerosol, with a focus on source apportionment of the organic aerosol (OA) fraction, during the prescribed biomass burning (BB) season in Brisbane 2013. All measurements were conducted within the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (ILAQH) located in Brisbane's Central Business District. Chemical composition, degree of ageing and the influence of BB emission on the air quality of central Brisbane were characterized using a compact Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (cToF-AMS). AMS loadings were dominated by OA (64%), followed by, sulfate (17%), ammonium (14%) and nitrates (5%). Source apportionment was applied on the AMS OA mass spectra via the multilinear engine solver (ME-2) implementation within the recently developed Source Finder (SoFi) interface. Six factors were extracted including hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA), cooking-related OA (COA), biomass burning OA (BBOA), low-volatility oxygenated OA (LV-OOA), semivolatile oxygenated OA (SV-OOA), and nitrogen-enriched OA (NOA). The aerosol fraction that was attributed to BB factor was 9%, on average over the sampling period. The high proportion of oxygenated OA (72%), typically representing aged emissions, could possess a fraction of oxygenated species transfored from BB components on their way to the sampling site.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.036 | DOI Listing |
Environ Sci Technol
January 2025
Research Institute for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0001, Japan.
Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) significantly influence aerosol-cloud precipitation interactions at regional and global scales. However, information regarding the concentrations and origins of INPs over the open ocean, particularly at high latitudes, remains insufficient due to access difficulties. In this study, we investigated the concentrations and origins of INPs over the western North Pacific to the Arctic Ocean through ship-borne observations conducted in the early autumn of 2016.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPaediatr Perinat Epidemiol
January 2025
Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Background: Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that ambient concentrations of particulate matter < 2.5 μm (PM) are associated with reduced fecundability, the per cycle probability of conception. The specific constituents driving this association are unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Hazard Mater
January 2025
Radiological Physics and Advisory Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India; Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400094, India.
Experiments were conducted in controlled laboratory conditions to determine the size-resolved CCN (Cloud Condensation Nuclei) activity of sub micrometer-sized aerosols containing nuclear fission products (CsI and CsOH) and abundant ambient inorganic aerosols ammonium sulphates ((NH)SO), ammonium chloride (NHCl), sodium nitrate (NaNO), and sodium chloride (NaCl). The presence of these atmospheric-relevant compounds internally mixed with fission product compounds has the potential to affect the capacity of ambient particulates of aerosols to absorb water and function as CCN. Once in the atmosphere, the dynamics of airborne radionuclides and subsequently their fate gets affected by dry and wet deposition processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Pollut Res Int
January 2025
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, 208016, India.
The atmospheric dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) have a significant impact on the climate and indirectly affect human health, making them important organic substances. PM bound DCAs were analysed for Jorhat, India, 2019. In addition to the temporal variability, seasonal variation throughout the year and the impact of varying meteorological factors on DCAs concentration have also been studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn Vitro Model
June 2024
In Vitro Toxicology Group, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea University, Sketty, Wales SA2 8PP UK.
Unlabelled: Owing to increased pressure from ethical groups and the public to avoid unnecessary animal testing, the need for new, responsive and biologically relevant in vitro models has surged. Models of the human alveolar epithelium are of particular interest since thorough investigations into air pollution and the effects of inhaled nanoparticles and e-cigarettes are needed. The lung is a crucial organ of interest due to potential exposures to endogenous material during occupational and ambient settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!