Model-measurement consistency and limits of bioaerosol abundance over the continental United States
Name
acp-19-13859-2019.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
1.65 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
e3e4ad3dc3bf2d9db2b70d486deb632c
Author(s)
Zawadowicz, Maria A.
Froyd, Karl D.
Perring, Anne E.
Murphy, Daniel M.
Spracklen, Dominick V.
Heald, Colette L.
Buseck, Peter R.
Cziczo, Daniel J.
Date Issued
November 2019
Journal
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Citation
Zawadowicz, Maria A., et al. “Model-Measurement Consistency and Limits of Bioaerosol Abundance over the Continental United States.” Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 19, 22 (November 2019): 13859–70. © 2019 the Authors
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Due to low concentrations and chemical complexity, in situ observations of bioaerosol are geographically and temporally sparse, and this limits the accuracy of current emissions inventories. In this study, we apply a new methodology, including corrections for misidentification of mineral dust, to measurements of single particles over four airborne sampling campaigns to derive vertical profiles of bioaerosol over the continental United States. The new methodology is based on single-particle mass spectrometry (SPMS); it can extend historic datasets to include measurements of bioaerosol, it allows comparisons to other techniques, and it generally agrees with a global aerosol model. In the locations sampled, bioaerosols were at least a factor of 10 less abundant than mineral dust. Below 2 km, bioaerosol concentrations were measured between 6×10[superscript 3] and 2×10[superscript 4] m[superscript -3]. Between 2 and 8 km, bioaerosol concentrations were between 0 and 2 × 10[superscript 4] m[superscript -3], and above 8 km, bioaerosol concentrations were between 0 and 1 × 10[superscript 3] m[superscript -3]. Between 30 % and 80 % of single bioaerosol particles detected were internally mixed with dust. A direct comparison of the SPMS methodology with a co-located wideband integrated bioaerosol sensor (WIB) fluorescence sensor on a mountaintop site showed agreement to within a factor of 3 over the common size range.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.5194/ACP-19-13859-2019
