Articles | Volume 14, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4053-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4053-2021
Research article
 | 
03 Jun 2021
Research article |  | 03 Jun 2021

Highly time-resolved characterization of carbonaceous aerosols using a two-wavelength Sunset thermal–optical carbon analyzer

Mengying Bao, Yan-Lin Zhang, Fang Cao, Yu-Chi Lin, Yuhang Wang, Xiaoyan Liu, Wenqi Zhang, Meiyi Fan, Feng Xie, Robert Cary, Joshua Dixon, and Lihua Zhou

Related authors

Measurement Report: Collocated speciation and potential mechanisms of gaseous adsorption for integrated filter-based sampling and analysis of water-soluble organic molecular markers in the atmosphere
Wei Feng, Xiangyu Zhang, Zhijuan Shao, Guofeng Shen, Hong Liao, Yuhang Wang, and Mingjie Xie
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2106,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2106, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
The Speciated Isoprene Emission Model with the MEGAN Algorithm for China (SieMAC)
Shengjun Xi, Yuhang Wang, Xiangyang Yuan, Zhaozhong Feng, Fanghe Zhao, Yanli Zhang, and Xinming Wang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2899,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2899, 2025
Short summary
Sources and trends of black carbon aerosol in the megacity of Nanjing, eastern China, after the China Clean Action Plan and Three-Year Action Plan
Abudurexiati Abulimiti, Yanlin Zhang, Mingyuan Yu, Yihang Hong, Yu-Chi Lin, Chaman Gul, and Fang Cao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 6161–6178, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6161-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6161-2025, 2025
Short summary
Hydroxymethanesulfonate (HMS) Formation under Urban and Marine Atmosphere: role of aerosol ionic strength
Rongshuang Xu, Yu-Chi Lin, Siyu Bian, Feng Xie, and Yan-Lin Zhang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-683,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-683, 2025
Short summary
The Critical Role of Volatile Organic Compounds Emission in Nitrate Formation in Lhasa, Tibetan Plateau: Insights from Oxygen Isotope Anomaly Measurements
Xueqin Zheng, Junwen Liu, Nima Chuduo, Bian Ba, Pengfei Yu, Phu Drolgar, Fang Cao, and Yanlin Zhang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-164,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-164, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Andreae, M. O. and Gelencsér, A.: Black carbon or brown carbon? The nature of light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 6, 3131–3148, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-6-3131-2006, 2006. 
Arola, A., Schuster, G., Myhre, G., Kazadzis, S., Dey, S., and Tripathi, S. N.: Inferring absorbing organic carbon content from AERONET data, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 215–225, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-215-2011, 2011. 
Bao, M.: Highly time-resolved characterization of carbonaceous aerosols using a two-wavelength Sunset thermal-optical carbon analyzer, OSF, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/MA8CU, 2021. 
Bao, M., Cao, F., Chang, Y., Zhang, Y.-L., Gao, Y., Liu, X., Zhang, Y., Zhang, W., Tang, T., Xu, Z., Liu, S., Lee, X., Li, J., and Zhang, G.: Characteristics and origins of air pollutants and carbonaceous aerosols during wintertime haze episodes at a rural site in the Yangtze River Delta, China, Atmos. Pollut. Res., 8, 900–911, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2017.03.001, 2017. 
Bhattaraia, H., Saikawac, E., Wana, X., Zhue, H., Ram, K., Gao, S., Kang, S., Zhanga, Q., Zhang, Y., Wu, G., Wang, X., Kawamura, K., Fui, P., and Cong, Z.: Levoglucosan as a tracer of biomass burning recent progress and perspectives, Atmos. Res., 220, 20–33, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2019.01.004, 2019. 
Download
Short summary
We introduce a two-wavelength method for brown C measurements with a modified Sunset carbon analyzer. We defined the enhanced concentrations and gave the possibility of providing an indicator of brown C. Compared with the strong local sources of organic and elemental C, we found that differences in EC mainly originated from regional transport. Biomass burning emissions significantly contributed to high differences in EC concentrations during the heavy biomass burning periods.
Share