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“Missing” cloud condensation nuclei in peat smoke
Author(s) -
Dusek U.,
Frank G. P.,
Helas G.,
Iinuma Y.,
Zeromskiene K.,
Gwaze P.,
Hennig T.,
Massling A.,
Schmid O.,
Herrmann H.,
Wiedensohler A.,
Andreae M. O.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl022473
Subject(s) - peat , cloud condensation nuclei , smoke , supersaturation , environmental science , particle (ecology) , particulates , atmosphere (unit) , atmospheric sciences , particle size , environmental chemistry , aerosol , mineralogy , chemistry , meteorology , geology , physics , ecology , organic chemistry , oceanography , biology
We characterized particulate emissions from vegetation fires by burning Indonesian and German peat and other biomass fuels in a controlled laboratory setting. By measuring cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) both as a function of particle diameter (d p ) and supersaturation (S), we discovered particles in peat smoke that were not activated to cloud droplets at high S (1.6%). These hydrophobic particles were present predominantly in the size range of d p > 200 nm, where typical wood burning particles are activated at S < 0.3%. Ambient measurements during the 1997 Indonesian peat fires suggested that peat smoke particles are highly soluble and therefore efficient CCN. Our CCN measurements performed on fresh smoke from peat samples of the same area suggest that these Indonesian smoke particles probably acquired soluble material through chemical processing in the atmosphere. Freshly emitted peat smoke particles are at least partially not very efficient CCN.