Articles | Volume 16, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2333-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2333-2023
Research article
 | 
05 May 2023
Research article |  | 05 May 2023

Performance evaluation of portable dual-spot micro-aethalometers for source identification of black carbon aerosols: application to wildfire smoke and traffic emissions in the Pacific Northwest

Mrinmoy Chakraborty, Amanda Giang, and Naomi Zimmerman

Related authors

Development of a general calibration model and long-term performance evaluation of low-cost sensors for air pollutant gas monitoring
Carl Malings, Rebecca Tanzer, Aliaksei Hauryliuk, Sriniwasa P. N. Kumar, Naomi Zimmerman, Levent B. Kara, Albert A. Presto, and R. Subramanian
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 903–920, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-903-2019,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-903-2019, 2019
Short summary
A machine learning calibration model using random forests to improve sensor performance for lower-cost air quality monitoring
Naomi Zimmerman, Albert A. Presto, Sriniwasa P. N. Kumar, Jason Gu, Aliaksei Hauryliuk, Ellis S. Robinson, Allen L. Robinson, and R. Subramanian
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 291–313, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-291-2018,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-291-2018, 2018
Short summary
Use of a global model to understand speciated atmospheric mercury observations at five high-elevation sites
P. Weiss-Penzias, H. M. Amos, N. E. Selin, M. S. Gustin, D. A. Jaffe, D. Obrist, G.-R. Sheu, and A. Giang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 1161–1173, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-1161-2015,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-1161-2015, 2015
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Aerosols | Technique: In Situ Measurement | Topic: Validation and Intercomparisons
A 2-year intercomparison of three methods for measuring black carbon concentration at a high-altitude research station in Europe
Sarah Tinorua, Cyrielle Denjean, Pierre Nabat, Véronique Pont, Mathilde Arnaud, Thierry Bourrianne, Maria Dias Alves, and Eric Gardrat
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3897–3915, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3897-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3897-2024, 2024
Short summary
Comparison of the LEO and CPMA-SP2 techniques for black-carbon mixing-state measurements
Arash Naseri, Joel C. Corbin, and Jason S. Olfert
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3719–3738, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3719-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3719-2024, 2024
Short summary
Aerosol trace element solubility determined using ultrapure water batch leaching: an intercomparison study of four different leaching protocols
Rui Li, Prema Piyusha Panda, Yizhu Chen, Zhenming Zhu, Fu Wang, Yujiao Zhu, He Meng, Yan Ren, Ashwini Kumar, and Mingjin Tang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3147–3156, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3147-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3147-2024, 2024
Short summary
Field comparison of dual- and single-spot Aethalometers: equivalent black carbon, light absorption, Ångström exponent and secondary brown carbon estimations
Liangbin Wu, Cheng Wu, Tao Deng, Dui Wu, Mei Li, Yong Jie Li, and Zhen Zhou
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2917–2936, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2917-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2917-2024, 2024
Short summary
Comparison of the imaginary parts of the atmospheric refractive index structure parameter and aerosol flux based on different measurement methods
Renmin Yuan, Hongsheng Zhang, Jiajia Hua, Hao Liu, Peizhe Wu, Xingyu Zhu, and Jianning Sun
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2089–2102, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2089-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2089-2024, 2024
Short summary

Cited articles

Alas, H. D. C., Müller, T., Weinhold, K., Pfeifer, S., Glojek, K., Gregorič, A., Močnik, G., Drinovec, L., Costabile, F., Ristorini, M., and Wiedensohler, A.: Performance of microAethalometers: Real-world Field Intercomparisons from Multiple Mobile Measurement Campaigns in Different Atmospheric Environments, Aerosol Air Qual. Res., 20, 2640–2653, https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.03.0113, 2020. a, b, c, d, e
Apte, J. S., Kirchstetter, T. W., Reich, A. H., Deshpande, S. J., Kaushik, G., Chel, A., Marshall, J. D., and Nazaroff, W. W.: Concentrations of fine, ultrafine, and black carbon particles in auto-rickshaws in New Delhi, India, Atmos. Environ., 45, 4470–4480, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.05.028, 2011. a
Aurell, J., Gullett, B., Holder, A., Kiros, F., Mitchell, W., Watts, A., and Ottmar, R.: Wildland fire emission sampling at Fishlake National Forest, Utah using an unmanned aircraft system, Atmos. Environ., 247, 118193, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2021.118193, 2021. a, b
Backman, J., Schmeisser, L., Virkkula, A., Ogren, J. A., Asmi, E., Starkweather, S., Sharma, S., Eleftheriadis, K., Uttal, T., Jefferson, A., Bergin, M., Makshtas, A., Tunved, P., and Fiebig, M.: On Aethalometer measurement uncertainties and an instrument correction factor for the Arctic, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 5039–5062, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-5039-2017, 2017. a, b, c
Bauer, J. J., Yu, X.-Y., Cary, R., Laulainen, N., and Berkowitz, C.: Characterization of the Sunset Semi-Continuous Carbon Aerosol Analyzer, J. Air Waste Manage., 59, 826–833, https://doi.org/10.3155/1047-3289.59.7.826, 2009. a
Download
Short summary
Black carbon (BC) has important climate and human health impacts. Aethalometers are used to measure BC, but they are hard to deploy in many environments (remote, mobile). We evaluate how well a portable micro-aethalometer (MA300) performs compared to a reference aethalometer at a road-side site in Vancouver, BC, Canada, during regular and wildfire conditions. We find that the MA300 can reproduce overall patterns in concentrations and source characterization but with some underestimation.