Browsing by Author "Subramanian, R"

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    Characterizing black carbon in rain and ice cores using coupled tangential flow filtration and transmission electron microscopy
    (European Geosciences Union, 2015-01-01) Ellis, A; Edwards, R; Saunders, M; Chakrabarty, RK; Subramanian, R; van Riessen, A; Smith, AM; Lambrinidis, D; Nunes, LJ; Vallelonga, P; Goodwin, ID; Moy, AD; Curran, MAJ; van Ommen, TD
    Antarctic ice cores have been used to study the history of black carbon (BC), but little is known with regards to the physical and chemical characteristics of these particles in the remote atmosphere. Characterization remains limited by ultra-trace concentrations in ice core samples and the lack of adequate methods to isolate the particles unaltered from the melt water. To investigate the physical and chemical characteristics of these particles, we have developed a tangential flow filtration (TFF) method combined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Tests using ultrapure water and polystyrene latex particle standards resulted in excellent blanks and significant particle recovery. This approach has been applied to melt water from Antarctic ice cores as well as tropical rain from Darwin, Australia with successful results: TEM analysis revealed a variety of BC particle morphologies, insoluble coatings, and the attachment of BC to mineral dust particles. The TFF-based concentration of these particles has proven to give excellent results for TEM studies of BC particles in Antarctic ice cores and can be used for future studies of insoluble aerosols in rainwater and ice core samples. © Author(s)
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    Individual particle morphology, coatings, and impurities of black carbon aerosols in Antarctic ice and tropical rainfall
    (John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2016-11-04) Ellis, A; Edwards, R; Saunders, M; Chakrabarty, RK; Subramanian, R; Timms, NE; van Riessen, A; Smith, AM; Lambrindis, D; Nunes, LJ; Vallelonga, P; Goodwin, ID; Moy, AD; Curran, MAJ; van Ommen, TD
    Black carbon (BC) aerosols are a large source of climate warming, impact atmospheric chemistry, and are implicated in large-scale changes in atmospheric circulation. Inventories of BC emissions suggest significant changes in the global BC aerosol distribution due to human activity. However, little is known regarding BC's atmospheric distribution or aged particle characteristics before the twentieth century. Here we investigate the prevalence and structural properties of BC particles in Antarctic ice cores from 1759, 1838, and 1930 Common Era (C.E.) using transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The study revealed an unexpected diversity in particle morphology, insoluble coatings, and association with metals. In addition to conventionally occurring BC aggregates, we observed single BC monomers, complex aggregates with internally, and externally mixed metal and mineral impurities, tar balls, and organonitrogen coatings. The results of the study show BC particles in the remote Antarctic atmosphere exhibit complexity that is unaccounted for in atmospheric models of BC. ©2016. American Geophysical Union.