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Field measurements of submicron aerosol washout by snow
Author(s) -
Graedel T. E.,
Franey J. P.
Publication year - 1975
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/gl002i008p00325
Subject(s) - snow , washout , aerosol , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , scavenging , sink (geography) , meteorology , chemistry , physics , geography , biochemistry , antioxidant , cartography
Direct field measurements of the washout of submicron aerosols by snow have been accomplished by high‐speed sampling of the atmospheric aerosol spectrum and of the rate of snowfall. For the aerosol size range 0.29 µm ≤ D ≤ 1.48 µm, the values of the measured washout coefficients are 4.82×10 −4 ≤ λ S ≤ 6.35×10 −3 sec −1 , and show no systematic dependence on aerosol diameter. Comparison of the results with those previously derived for rain washout indicate that snow scavenging is ∼28–50 times more efficient per equivalent water content. Average aerosol lifetimes due to washout by snowfall are of the order of 0.7 hours, thus establishing snow scavenging as the dominant aerosol sink in regions having significant snowfall during the winter season.