Impurities in snowpacks

Snow can be involved in the acquisition, transport, storage and release of atmospheric impurities. Because it can store impurities for periods of time ranging from hours to millenia, it provides a medium for monitoring atmospheric impurities for a wide range of time scales.In most climates, snow is involved in the precipitation process. It can acquire atmospheric impurities either as aerosols or as gases. The aereosols can be included in the body of the snow crystals or adhered to their surfaces. Gases may be included in bubbles, particularly in the case of rime, or adsorbed on the ice surfaces. The amount of ice surface in a small storm is about 10¹⁰ m².Snow on the ground can store the impurities acquired in the precipitation process and can acquire additional impurities as dry deposition. The low temperatures and the fact that ice is a solid reduces biological activity and rates of inorganic reactions. However, the assumption that there is no activity in the winter is not well found. Exchange is possible between different layers of the snow and between the snow and the atmosphere, resulting in relocation of gases and aerosols. These processes also insure that the impurities reside on the exterior surfaces of the ice particles that form the snowpack. Biological activity is possible near the ground-snow interface in most climates.The seasonal snowpack releases its impurities when it melts. Because below freezing processes relocate any internal impurities to the ice surfaces within the snowpack, the impurities are available to the first melt water. Pulses of both acidic and alkalinic impurities have been observed with the initial snow melt water. However, the monitoring of such pulses is difficult and the measurements are inconsistent.Impurities are incorporated for longer periods of time in perennial snowpacks and finally in ice fields. These can be glaciers, or, at the largest scale, continental ice sheets. Coring such ice is expensive but provides data on atmospheric composition and climate for periods of time up to millenia. Such data are not available from other sources.Not all the problems associated with using snow as an environmental monitor have been resolved. In general, a good qualitative understanding is available but in many cases basic, quantitative data on the processes are not available. Work is in progress to acquire such data.Contribution from Fourth World Wilderness Congress—Acid Rain Symposium, Denver (Estes Park), Colorado, September 11–18, 1987.     

An instrumented station for the survey of ozone and climate change in the southern tropics

The assessment of changes induced by human activities on Earth atmospheric composition and thus on global climate requires a long-term and regular survey of the stratospheric and tropospheric atmospheric layers. The objective of this paper is to describe the atmospheric observations performed continuously at Reunion Island (55.5 degrees east, 20.8 degrees south) for 15 years. The various instruments contributing to the systematic observations are described as well as the measured parameters, the accuracy and the database. The LiDAR systems give profiles of temperature, aerosols and ozone in the troposphere and stratosphere, probes give profiles of temperature, ozone and relative humidity, radiometers and spectrometers give stratospheric and tropospheric integrated columns of a variety of atmospheric trace gases. Data are included in international networks, and used for satellite validation. Moreover, some scientific activities for which this station offers exceptional opportunities are highlighted, especially air mass exchanges nearby dynamical barriers: (1) On the vertical scale through the tropical tropopause layer (stratosphere-troposphere exchange). (2) On the quasi-horizontal scale across the southern subtropical barrier separating the tropical stratospheric reservoir from mid- and high latitudes.     

Application of wind-profiling radar data to the analysis of dust weather in the Taklimakan Desert

The Urumqi Institute of Desert Meteorology of the China Meteorological Administration carried out an atmospheric scientific experiment to detect dust weather using a wind-profiling radar in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert in April 2010. Based on the wind-profiling data obtained from this experiment, this paper seeks to (a) analyze the characteristics of the horizontal wind field and vertical velocity of a breaking dust weather in a desert hinterland; (b) calculate and give the radar echo intensity and vertical distribution of a dust storm, blowing sand, and floating dust weather; and (c) discuss the atmosphere dust counts/concentration derived from the wind-profiling radar data. Studies show that: (a) A wind-profiling radar is an upper-air atmospheric remote sensing system that effectively detects and monitors dust. It captures the beginning and ending of a dust weather process as well as monitors the sand and dust being transported in the air in terms of height, thickness, and vertical intensity. (b) The echo intensity of a blowing sand and dust storm weather episode in Taklimakan is about ?1~10 dBZ while that of floating dust ?1~?15 dBZ, indicating that the dust echo intensity is significantly weaker than that of precipitation but stronger than that of clear air. (c) The vertical shear of horizontal wind and the maintenance of low-level east wind are usually dynamic factors causing a dust weather process in Taklimakan. The moment that the low-level horizontal wind field finds a shear over time, it often coincides with the onset of a sand blowing and dust storm weather process. (d) When a blowing sand or dust storm weather event occurs, the atmospheric vertical velocity tends to be of upward motion. This vertical upward movement of the atmosphere supported with a fast horizontal wind and a dry underlying surface carries dust particles from the ground up to the air to form blown sand or a dust storm.     

Comparison of analytical results for chloride, sulfate and nitrate obtained from adjacent ice core samples by two ion chromatographic methods

The anions chloride, sulfate and nitrate in nearly 500 pairs of ice core samples from the same depth were determined in a 121 m long ice core from Svalbard. The analyses were performed separately using an ion chromatograph with Dionex AS9 and AS15 columns with Na(2)CO(3) and NaOH eluents. Results showed a small (5-6 microg l(-1)) but statistically significant difference in mean concentrations for chloride and sulfate but not for nitrate. 2% of the data indicate real differences in concentrations across the ice core. Despite these differences ion information in ice core layers are comparable for ice core paleoclimate and environmental studies even though analyses are made using two different procedures.     

北京地区不同季节PM2.5和PM10浓度对地面气象因素的响应

利用2013年1月—2014年12月北京地区PM_(2.5)和PM_(10)监测数据和同期近地面气象观测数据,采用非参数分析法(Spearman秩相关系数)研究了北京地区PM_(2.5)和PM_(10)的浓度对不同季节地面气象因素的响应。结果表明:北京地区大气颗粒物浓度水平具有明显的季节特征,冬季大气颗粒物污染最严重,夏季最轻。不同季节影响颗粒物浓度水平的气象因素各不相同,其中风速和日照时数为主要影响因素。PM_(2.5)和PM_(10)质量浓度对气象因素变化的响应程度也有较大区别,PM_(2.5)/PM_(10)比值冬季最高,PM_(2.5)影响最大,春季最低,PM_(10)影响最大。这些结论可对制订科学有效的大气污染控制策略提供参考。     

Characteristics of aerosol types during large-scale transport of air pollution over the Yellow Sea region and at Cheongwon,Korea, in 2008

Episodes of large-scale transport of airborne dust and anthropogenic pollutant particles from different sources in the East Asian continent in 2008 were identified by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite RGB (red, green, and blue)-composite images and the mass concentrations of ground level particulate matter. These particles were divided into dust, sea salt, smoke plume, and sulfate by an aerosol classification algorithm. To analyze the aerosol size distribution during large-scale transport of atmospheric aerosols, aerosol optical depth (AOD) and fine aerosol weighting (FW) of moderate imaging spectroradiometer aerosol products were used over the East Asian region. Six episodes of massive airborne dust particles, originating from sandstorms in northern China, Mongolia, and the Loess Plateau of China, were observed at Cheongwon. Classified dust aerosol types were distributed on a large-scale over the Yellow Sea region. The average PM10 and PM2.5 ratio to the total mass concentration TSP were 70% and 15%, respectively. However, the mass concentration of PM2.5 among TSP increased to as high as 23% in an episode where dust traveled in by way of an industrial area in eastern China. In the other five episodes of anthropogenic pollutant particles that flowed into the Korean Peninsula from eastern China, the anthropogenic pollutant particles were largely detected in the form of smoke over the Yellow Sea region. The average PM10 and PM2.5 ratios to TSP were 82% and 65%, respectively. The ratio of PM2.5 mass concentrations among TSP varied significantly depending on the origin and pathway of the airborne dust particles. The average AOD for the large-scale transport of anthropogenic pollutant particles in the East Asian region was measured to be 0.42 ± 0.17, which is higher in terms of the rate against atmospheric aerosols as compared with the AOD (0.36 ± 0.13) for airborne dust particles with sandstorms. In particular, the region ranging from eastern China, the Yellow Sea, and the Korean Peninsula to the Korea East Sea was characterized by high AOD distributions. In the episode of anthropogenic polluted aerosols, FW averaged 0.63 ± 0.16, a value higher than that in the episode of airborne dust particles (0.52 ± 0.13) with sandstorms, showing that fine anthropogenic pollutant particles contribute greatly to atmospheric aerosols in East Asia.     

Increasing atmospheric antimony contamination in the northern hemisphere: snow and ice evidence from Devon Island, Arctic Canada

Adopting recently developed clean laboratory techniques, antimony (Sb) and scandium (Sc) deposition were measured in a 63.72 m-long ice core (1842-1996) and a 5 m deep snow pit (1994-2004) collected on Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic. Antimony concentrations ranged from 0.07 to 108 pg g(-1) with a median of 0.98 pg g(-1)(N= 510). Scandium, used as a conservative reference element, revealed that dust inputs were effectively constant during the last 160 years. The atmospheric Sb signal preserved in the ice core reflects contamination from industrialisation, the economic boom which followed WWII, as well as the comparatively recent introduction of flue gas filter technologies and emission reduction efforts. Natural contributions to the total Sb inventory are negligible, meaning that anthropogenic emissions have dominated atmospheric Sb deposition throughout the entire period. The seasonal resolution of the snow pit showed that aerosols deposited during the Arctic winter, when air masses are derived mainly from Eurasia, show the greatest Sb concentrations. Deposition during summer, when air masses come mainly from North America, is still enriched in Sb, but less so. Snow and ice provide unambiguous evidence that enrichments of Sb in Arctic air have increased 50% during the past three decades, with two-thirds being deposited during winter. Most Sb is produced in Asia, primarily from Sb sulfides such as stibnite (Sb2S3), but also as a by-product of lead and copper smelting. In addition there is a growing worldwide use of Sb in automobile brake pads, plastics and flame retardants. In contrast to Pb which has gone into decline during the same interval because of the gradual elimination of gasoline lead additives, the enrichments of Sb have been increasing and today clearly exceed those of Pb. Given that the toxicity of Sb is comparable to that of Pb, Sb has now replaced Pb in the rank of potentially toxic trace metals in the Arctic atmosphere.     

Bricks as historical record of heavy metals fallout: Study on copper accumulation in Agra soils since 1910

Peat, ice deposits and aquatic sediments, which have been used as a geochemical monitor of atmospheric heavy metal pollution until now, are open and dynamic systems and can be easily affected by climatic variations. In contrast, bricks, which are more compact, can act as a better geochemical monitor. Analysis of Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn in scores of soil and brick (baked/unbaked) samples, collected from a large area in and around a rapidly growing Indian city, Agra, reveals approximately similar concentrations in soils and bricks, thereby showing insignificant fractionation of these metals during brick making. Further, metals concentration in the core of bricks remains unaffected by any significant amount of acidic and alkaline rain. Thus, the feasibility of a novel role of bricks as a geochemical monitor of atmospheric heavy metal pollution has been tested. Utilizing this concept, an attempt has also been made to trace the history of atmospheric copper depositions in the soils of Agra during the last 100 years.     

基于空气质量自动监测站PM10滤纸的新型大气二NFDA1英监测技术研究

通过典型空气质量自动监测站PM10滤纸(结合气固相分配模拟)和传统大流量大气采样仪的比对试验,探讨了基于空气质量自动监测站PM10滤纸的新型大气二英监测技术的可行性。研究表明,基于空气质量自动监测站PM10滤纸的大气固相二英毒性当量浓度和指纹特征与传统大流量大气监测技术的监测结果具有很好的可比性;基于空气质量自动监测站PM10滤纸气固相分配模拟(利用Harner-Bidleman模型)的大气二英毒性当量浓度和指纹特征与传统大流量大气监测技术的监测结果具有很好的可比性。与传统大流量大气监测技术相比,基于空气质量自动监测站PM10滤纸的新型大气二英监测技术可以利用现有的大气自动监测网络和气固相分配模型,具有采样成本低、代表性强和易于普及等优点,适合不同区域尺度大气二英的长期同步监测。     

Characterization of PM10-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the ambient air of Spanish urban and rural areas

Urban areas constitute major pollution sources due to anthropogenic activities located in these areas. Among the legislated air pollutants, the particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 microns (PM10) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are controlled under Directive 2008/50/EC and Directive 2004/107/EC, respectively due to their adverse health effects. A study was carried out at four urban and rural Spanish areas during the warm and cold seasons in 2008-2009 to quantify 19 PAH associated with the atmospheric PM10 by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry detection (GC-MS-MS) with the internal standard method. The particle-bound composition of the analysed PAH was 5 and 10 times greater in industrial and urban areas, respectively when compared to those measured in rural areas. The highest PAH concentrations during the cold period were possibly due to the additional contribution of domestic heating sources and meteorological conditions such as low temperature and solar irradiation. The use of molecular diagnostic ratios indicated that the possible, major PAH pollution sources in the most polluted areas were pyrogenic sources, mainly attributed to petroleum combustion sources (motor vehicle emissions and crude oil combustion). Petrogenic sources related to evaporative emissions also seemed to contribute in the most polluted area during the warm period. Those dates with high carcinogenic character according to the benzo(a)pyrene equivalent (BaP-eq) were also possibly attributed to petroleum combustion sources.     

基于激光雷达走航车的大气污染物探测技术及其应用

大气气溶胶对人体健康环境和全球气候都有一定的影响,是大气污染的主要来源。为了提升空气质量,大气污染防治刻不容缓。把气溶胶探测激光雷达和测风激光雷达集成在车辆上,进行走航和扫描探测可获得立体的大气气溶胶时空变化状态图。以合肥和芜湖等地大气气溶胶探测为例,基于激光雷达走航车的探测数据,获得大气气溶胶消光系数时空分布图,搜寻污染物排放源和估算颗粒物的PM_2.5输送通量。由此可知,激光雷达走航式探测技术是获得大气污染立体图像便捷的、有效的方法,可为大气污染防治提供精准的科学依据,具有重要的应用价值。     

Mathematical models for accurate prediction of atmospheric visibility with particular reference to the seasonal and environmental patterns in Hong Kong

Atmospheric visibility impairment has gained increasing concern as it is associated with the existence of a number of aerosols as well as common air pollutants and produces unfavorable conditions for observation, dispersion, and transportation. This study analyzed the atmospheric visibility data measured in urban and suburban Hong Kong (two selected stations) with respect to time-matched mass concentrations of common air pollutants including nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), nitrogen monoxide (NO), respirable suspended particulates (PM(10)), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), carbon monoxide (CO), and meteorological parameters including air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. No significant difference in atmospheric visibility was reported between the two measurement locations (p > or = 0.6, t test); and good atmospheric visibility was observed more frequently in summer and autumn than in winter and spring (p < 0.01, t test). It was also found that atmospheric visibility increased with temperature but decreased with the concentrations of SO(2), CO, PM(10), NO, and NO(2). The results showed that atmospheric visibility was season dependent and would have significant correlations with temperature, the mass concentrations of PM(10) and NO(2), and the air pollution index API (correlation coefficients mid R: R mid R: > or = 0.7, p < or = 0.0001, t test). Mathematical expressions catering to the seasonal variations of atmospheric visibility were thus proposed. By comparison, the proposed visibility prediction models were more accurate than some existing regional models. In addition to improving visibility prediction accuracy, this study would be useful for understanding the context of low atmospheric visibility, exploring possible remedial measures, and evaluating the impact of air pollution and atmospheric visibility impairment in this region.     

A comparison of radiometric correction techniques in the evaluation of the relationship between LST and NDVI in Landsat imagery

Atmospheric corrections for multi-temporal optical satellite images are necessary, especially in change detection analyses, such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) rationing. Abrupt change detection analysis using remote-sensing techniques requires radiometric congruity and atmospheric correction to monitor terrestrial surfaces over time. Two atmospheric correction methods were used for this study: relative radiometric normalization and the simplified method for atmospheric correction (SMAC) in the solar spectrum. A multi-temporal data set consisting of two sets of Landsat images from the period between 1991 and 2002 of Penang Island, Malaysia, was used to compare NDVI maps, which were generated using the proposed atmospheric correction methods. Land surface temperature (LST) was retrieved using ATCOR3_T in PCI Geomatica 10.1 image processing software. Linear regression analysis was utilized to analyze the relationship between NDVI and LST. This study reveals that both of the proposed atmospheric correction methods yielded high accuracy through examination of the linear correlation coefficients. To check for the accuracy of the equation obtained through linear regression analysis for every single satellite image, 20 points were randomly chosen. The results showed that the SMAC method yielded a constant value (in terms of error) to predict the NDVI value from linear regression analysis-derived equation. The errors (average) from both proposed atmospheric correction methods were less than 10%.     

欧洲大气挥发性有机物大尺度监测进展及启示

开展大气臭氧前体物挥发性有机物(VOCs)的大尺度监测对于臭氧污染的联防联控有重要意义。欧洲早在20世纪90年代初就开展VOCs大尺度监测,而中国自2018年才开始建设全国性的VOCs监测网络,目前处于起步发展阶段。通过总结欧洲VOCs大尺度监测的发展历程、监测指标、质量保证及监测结果等,对中国VOCs监测提出建议:开展VOCs监测的顶层设计,对全国VOCs监测进行统一科学规划,保持VOCs监测的稳定性和持续性;通过科学方法筛选优化VOCs监测指标体系,构建统一的监测技术体系和质量管理体系,优先确保监测结果的准确性和可比性;将VOCs监测与现有的大气常规六参数常规监测网、颗粒物组分监测网等其他大气监测网有机融合,形成一个综合而丰富的大气环境监测网络,同时满足业务和科研需求。     

北京城区降水对PM2.5和PM10清除作用分析

基于北京市PM_2.5和PM₁₀质量浓度、组分浓度以及降水数据,利用数理统计、相关性分析等方法分别从降水总量、降水时长和降水前颗粒物浓度3个角度研究降水对PM_2.5、PM₁₀的清除作用,同时以一次典型降水过程为例,具体分析降水对颗粒物的影响。结果表明：降水总量的增加有助于促进PM_2.5、PM₁₀的清除,随着降水总量增加,PM_2.5、PM₁₀的平均清除率提高,有效清除的比例增加;连续降水可增强对大气颗粒物的湿清除作用,连续降水达3d可有效降低PM_2.5、PM₁₀浓度;降水对PM_2.5、PM₁₀浓度的清除率和大气颗粒物前一日的平均浓度有较好的正相关性。降水对大气颗粒物的清除可分为清除、回升和平稳3个阶段,各个阶段大气颗粒物的变化趋势不同。降水对于大气气溶胶化学组分和酸碱性的改变具有明显作用,对于大气颗粒物各种组分的清除效果不完全相同。对于大气中OC、NO₃^-、SO₄^2-和NH₄⁺去除率较高,且这4种组分主要以颗粒态形式被冲刷进入降水中,加剧了北京市降水酸化程度。     

Patterns and Trends in Southern Ontario Lake ice Phenology

An analysis is presented of 46 ice break up and 15 ice free season phenology data series obtained largely through volunteer monitoring efforts in Southern Ontario. Observations spanned the years 1853–2001. Available data included dates of ice formation and ice break up as well as the number of ice free days in a year. A high degree of temporal coherence in ice phenology between lakes was observed (137/365 pairwise correlations significant at P<0.05). Significant monotonic trends towards earlier break up dates and longer ice free seasons were observed across the region both in the entire series and in the last thirty years of data. Trends in longer series may be associated with the end of the Little Ice Age. The significantly longer ice free seasons and earlier ice break up dates observed in the study area have important implications for lakes in other parts of Canada where climate change effects are predicted to be more extreme than in South-Central Ontario.     

Change of atmospheric condition in an urbanized area of Japan from the viewpoint of rainfall intensity

The atmospheric condition in an urbanized area of Japan was examined from the viewpoint of a 14-year trend in the rainfall intensity. To cancel the wide-area meteorological phenomena such as a typhoon and a front, the rainfall datasets obtained not only in an urban area but also in a rural area was studied. The rainfall datasets collected on a 0.5 mm rainfall basis was used. The rainfall intensity dominantly increased in urban area, while that in rural area neither increased nor decreased. An increasing trend was clearly observed for rainfall with precipitation amounts of 5 and 10 mm. Rainfall with precipitation amounts of 15 and 20 mm showed neither an increasing nor a decreasing trend. The results of this study show that there is a high probability of a connection between the urbanization and the change of rainfall intensity.     

大气中PM2.5污染现状、健康效应及其致炎症机制研究进展

空气细颗粒物(PM_(2.5))污染已成为影响人体健康的重要因素,其健康效应及致炎症机制已经受到人们的广泛关注。简述了PM_(2.5)国内外污染现状,从PM_(2.5)的质量浓度和组成成分2个方面系统地阐述了其对人体健康的危害,并重点从介导信号通路和介导细胞自噬2个方面对PM_(2.5)导致机体炎症反应的毒性机制进行了总结和讨论,为后续研究和控制PM_(2.5)对机体健康的危害提供科学参考。     

北京市2013年1月一次空气重污染过程分析

采用数值模式与观测资料相结合的方式，对北京市2013年1月9～15日一次空气重污染过程的大气环境背景、气象条件和形成原因进行了初步分析。结果表明，此次重污染过程北京市空气质量从9日的二级跳至10日五级重度污染，11日一13日空气质量维持连续3d严重污染，14日降为重度污染，15日转为轻度污染；重污染过程期间10—14日P（PM2.5）平均值为323μg／m。，平均风速为1．47m／s，平均相对湿度为73．6％，24h变温基本为一2．72～2．68℃，24h平均变压为一3．65～2．63hPa。指出，此次重污染过程与当地气象条件密切相关，稳定的大气环流形势为污染的持续提供了大气环流背景，风速较小、湿度较大、边界层较低、持续逆温是造成重污染的主要原因，地面风场辐合及边界层下沉运动是造成重污染的重要原因。     

Polychlorinated biphenyls in two salt marsh sediments of the Venice Lagoon

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in two dated salt marsh cores of the Venice Lagoon to assess their input chronology and to evaluate the importance of atmospheric deposition as a source. Sampling sites were chosen in order to evidence the differences between areas located leeward and windward with respect to inputs originating in both the city of Venice and the industrial area. Concentrations of PCB indicators (0.13-15.6 ng g?1) increased gradually from the 1930s, reached maxima from the 1950s to the late 1970s, and then decreased. PCB loadings to marshes are driven by both the atmospheric deposition and the resuspension of subtidal sediments, this latter being more important for heavier congeners. The downwind marsh recorded higher fluxes (0.06-9.72 ng cm?2 year?1) than the upwind one (0.01-0.53 ng cm?2 year?1). Recent fluxes are rather consistent with bulk deposition measurements. A higher contribution of CB-101 and CB-118 was detected in the intermediate layers of the downwind site, suggesting a different PCB source for the corresponding time interval. In the other marsh, PCBs showed a rather constant composition at all levels (mostly CB-153, CB-138 and CB-180), accounting for a regional influence. Deep layers showed an enrichment of higher chlorinated congeners at both sites, whereas recent samples conserve the patterns typical of surficial and subsurficial subtidal sediments. The scientific approach adopted in this research can be considered as a sort of methodological procedure for the determination of fluxes and pathways of PCBs through the study of marsh cores.