Distinguishing the relative contribution of fossil fuel and biomass combustion aerosols deposited at Summit, Greenland through isotopic and molecular characterization of insoluble carbon

Slater, John F.; Currie, Lloyd A.; Dibb, Jack E.; Benner, Bruce A.

doi:10.1016/s1352-2310(02)00402-8

Cited by 68 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Figure 4 shows that snow BC in this study was dominated by Factor 3, believed to be predominantly anthropogenic in origin. Only about 17 % of BC was loaded onto the factor most resembling biomass burning, Factor 4 carboxylic acid, similar to the findings of previous modelling and composition-based apportionment estimates for particulate matter (Slater et al, 2002;Flanner et al, 2007;Skeie et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2011;Yttri et al, 2011Yttri et al, , 2014. The dominant factor for BC varied over the campaign: Factor 3, BC, was dominant from November through April, but Factor 4, carboxylic acids, and Factor 7, sulfate, showed larger contributions in the fall and spring.…”

Section: Overall Apportionmentsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…In particular, modelling studies have shown winter Arctic BC to be dominated by flaring and other mixed industry emissions, with less impact from anthropogenic biomass burning Stohl et al, 2013). Studies of Arctic snow and aerosol composition have suggested that over 85 % of BC is from the combustion of fossil fuels year-round, based on radiocarbon analysis and measured mass ratios with biomass burning tracers (e.g., Slater et al, 2002;Yttri et al, 2011Yttri et al, , 2014Barret et al, 2015). Hegg et al (2009Hegg et al ( , 2010 completed snow PMF apportionment analyses on spatially defined samples.…”

Section: Factor 3: Black Carbonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Temporally delineated sources of major chemical species in high Arctic snow

et al. 2018

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Abstract. Long-range transport of aerosol from lower latitudes to the high Arctic may be a significant contributor to climate forcing in the Arctic. To identify the sources of key contaminants entering the Canadian High Arctic an intensive campaign of snow sampling was completed at Alert, Nunavut, from September 2014 to June 2015. Fresh snow samples collected every few days were analyzed for black carbon, major ions, and metals, and this rich data set provided an opportunity for a temporally refined source apportionment of snow composition via positive matrix factorization (PMF) in conjunction with FLEXPART (FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model) potential emission sensitivity analysis. Seven source factors were identified: sea salt, crustal metals, black carbon, carboxylic acids, nitrate, noncrustal metals, and sulfate. The sea salt and crustal factors showed good agreement with expected composition and primarily northern sources. High loadings of V and Se onto Factor 2, crustal metals, was consistent with expected elemental ratios, implying these metals were not primarily anthropogenic in origin. Factor 3, black carbon, was an acidic factor dominated by black carbon but with some sulfate contribution over the winter-haze season. The lack of K + associated with this factor, a Eurasian source, and limited known forest fire events coincident with this factor's peak suggested a predominantly anthropogenic combustion source. Factor 4, carboxylic acids, was dominated by formate and acetate with a moderate correlation to available sunlight and an oceanic and North American source. A robust identification of this factor was not possible; however, atmospheric photochemical reactions, ocean microlayer reaction, and biomass burning were explored as potential contributors. Factor 5, nitrate, was an acidic factor dominated by NO − 3 , with a likely Eurasian source and mid-winter peak. The isolation of NO − 3 on a separate factor may reflect its complex atmospheric processing, though the associated source region suggests possibly anthropogenic precursors. Factor 6, non-crustal metals, showed heightened loadings of Sb, Pb, and As, and correlation with other metals traditionally associated with industrial activities. Similar to Factor 3 and 5, this factor appeared to be largely Eurasian in origin. Factor 7, sulfate, was dominated by SO 2− 4 and MS with a fall peak and high acidity. Coincident volcanic activity and northern source regions may suggest a processed SO 2 source of this factor.

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Section: Overall Apportionmentsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Factor 3: Black Carbonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporally delineated sources of major chemical species in high Arctic snow

et al. 2018

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“…The general assumption is that the main form of BC in ice cores is soot, however, other forms of BC such as charcoal or kerogen may be eroded by wind from soils and sediments and transported to ice fields as mineral dust particles [31,32]. The majority of BC is a sub-micron aerosol and therefore can be transported across hemispheric distances.…”

Section: Black Carbonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Black carbon is exclusively produced by incomplete combustion, but the combustion source can either be biomass or fossil fuels. The combustion source can be determined by examining the 14 C/ 13 C ratio of the BC, where modern levels of 14 C suggest a biomass source, while the absence of 14 C suggests a fossil fuel source [31,32]. Up until approximately 1950 AD wildfires dominated global black carbon emissions, with prescribed fires and biofuel burning playing a minor role.…”

Section: Black Carbonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire and climate: Biomass burning recorded in ice and lake cores

Kehrwald

Zangrando

Gambaro

et al. 2010

EPJ Web of Conferences

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Abstract. Human activities including fossil fuel burning are currently altering the global climate system at rates faster than ever recorded in geologic time. Biomass burning causes carbon dioxide emissions equal to 50% of those from fossil-fuel combustion and so are highly likely to influence future climate change. However, aerosols continue to be one of the least understood aspects of the modern climate system and even less is known about their past influence. Ice and lake core proxy records provide quantifiable data on past fire regimes across most spatial and temporal scales. Some monosaccharide anhydrides such as levoglucosan, mannosan and galactosan are used as specific molecular markers for biomass burning as they can only be produced by combustion processes at temperatures greater than 300• C and are present in both ice and lake cores. Other paleofire tracers such as microcharcoal, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pollen records augment the fire history derived at single sites or across regions. As both pyrochemical and climate parameters are determined from the same depth and time within the ice or sediment matrix, the multi-proxy nature of ice and lake cores presents an ideal material to investigate the links between fires and climate change.

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“…It receives considerable amounts of organic carbon (OC) of anthropogenic origin from the atmosphere and/or local sources (28,29), including oil-derived hydrocarbons and pesticides (6,21,39). The fate of these compounds in the ice is currently unknown.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Degradation of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid on the Greenland Ice Sheet

Stibal

Bælum

Holben

et al. 2012

Appl Environ Microbiol

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ABSTRACTThe Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) receives organic carbon (OC) of anthropogenic origin, including pesticides, from the atmosphere and/or local sources, and the fate of these compounds in the ice is currently unknown. The ability of supraglacial heterotrophic microbes to mineralize different types of OC is likely a significant factor determining the fate of anthropogenic OC on the ice sheet. Here we determine the potential of the microbial community from the surface of the GrIS to mineralize the widely used herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Surface ice cores were collected and incubated for up to 529 days in microcosms simulatingin situconditions. Mineralization of side chain- and ring-labeled [14C]2,4-D was measured in the samples, and quantitative PCR targeting thetfdAgenes in total DNA extracted from the ice after the experiment was performed. We show that the supraglacial microbial community on the GrIS contains microbes that are capable of degrading 2,4-D and that they are likely present in very low numbers. They can mineralize 2,4-D at a rate of up to 1 nmol per m2per day, equivalent to ∼26 ng C m−2day−1. Thus, the GrIS should not be considered a mere reservoir of all atmospheric contaminants, as it is likely that some deposited compounds will be removed from the system via biodegradation processes before their potential release due to the accelerated melting of the ice sheet.

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Distinguishing the relative contribution of fossil fuel and biomass combustion aerosols deposited at Summit, Greenland through isotopic and molecular characterization of insoluble carbon

Cited by 68 publications

References 65 publications

Temporally delineated sources of major chemical species in high Arctic snow

Temporally delineated sources of major chemical species in high Arctic snow

Fire and climate: Biomass burning recorded in ice and lake cores

Microbial Degradation of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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