Rapid changes in biomass burning aerosols by atmospheric oxidation

Primary and secondary aerosol particles originating from biomass burning contribute significantly to the atmospheric aerosol budget and thereby to both direct and indirect radiative forcing. Based on detailed measurements of a large number of biomass burning plumes of variable age in southern Africa, we show that the size distribution, chemical composition, single‐scattering albedo, and hygroscopicity of biomass burning particles change considerably during the first 2–4 h of their atmospheric transport. These changes, driven by atmospheric oxidation and subsequent secondary aerosol formation, may reach a factor of 6 for the aerosol scattering coefficient and a factor >10 for the cloud condensation nuclei concentration. Since the observed changes take place over the spatial and temporal scales that are neither covered by emission inventories nor captured by large‐scale model simulations, the findings reported here point out a significant gap in our understanding on the climatic effects of biomass burning aerosols.

• Publication year

  2014

• Venue

  Geophysical Research Letters

• Publication date

  2014-04-16

• Fields of study

  Geology, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1002/2014GL059396
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• atmospheric chemistry

  2015cited by this paper
• Aerosol single scattering albedo dependence on biomass combustion efficiency: Laboratory and field studies

  2014cited by this paper
• Bounding the role of black carbon in the climate system: A scientific assessment

  2013cited by this paper
• Secondary organic aerosol formation and primary organic aerosol oxidation from biomass-burning smoke in a flow reactor during FLAME-3

  2013cited by this paper
• Transportable Aerosol Characterization Trailer with Trace Gas Chemistry: Design, Instruments and Verification

  2013cited by this paper
• Aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions

  2013cited by this paper
• Sensitivity of tropospheric oxidants to biomass burning emissions: implications for radiative forcing

  2013cited by this paper
• Cloud condensation nuclei activity of fresh primary and aged biomass burning aerosol

  2012cited by this paper
• New particle formation and growth in biomass burning plumes: An important source of cloud condensation nuclei

  2012cited by this paper
• Coupling field and laboratory measurements to estimate the emission factors of identified and unidentified trace gases for prescribed fires

  2012cited by this paper
• Cloud condensation nuclei production associated with atmospheric nucleation: a synthesis based on existing literature and new results

  2012cited by this paper
• Brown carbon and internal mixing in biomass burning particles

  2012cited by this paper
• Brown carbon absorption linked to organic mass tracers in biomass burning particles

  2012cited by this paper
• Chemical and physical transformations of organic aerosol from the photo-oxidation of open biomass burning emissions in an environmental chamber

  2011cited by this paper
• Evolution of trace gases and particles emitted by a chaparral fire in California

  2011cited by this paper
• Effects of aging on organic aerosol from open biomass burning smoke in aircraft and laboratory studies

  2011cited by this paper
• Global cloud condensation nuclei influenced by carbonaceous combustion aerosol

  2011cited by this paper
• An Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) for Routine Monitoring of the Composition and Mass Concentrations of Ambient Aerosol

  2011cited by this paper
• Global fire emissions and the contribution of deforestation, savanna, forest, agricultural, and peat fires (1997-2009)

  2010cited by this paper
• Relationship between aerosol oxidation level and hygroscopic properties of laboratory generated secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles

  2010cited by this paper
• MODIS Collection 5 global land cover: Algorithm refinements and characterization of new datasets

  2010cited by this paper
• Chemical, physical, and optical evolution of biomass burning aerosols: a case study

  2010cited by this paper
• Emission factors for open and domestic biomass burning for use in atmospheric models

  2010cited by this paper
• Biomass burning aerosol emissions from vegetation fires: particle number and mass emission factors and size distributions

  2009cited by this paper
• Vegetation fire emissions and their impact on air pollution and climate

  2009cited by this paper
• Atmospheric Chemistry

  2009cited by this paper
• Emissions from biomass burning in the Yucatan

  2009cited by this paper
• Strong spectral variation of biomass smoke light absorption and single scattering albedo observed with a novel dual-wavelength photoacoustic instrument

  2008influential reference
• The collection 5 MODIS burned area product — Global evaluation by comparison with the MODIS active fire product

  2008cited by this paper
• Aging of biomass burning aerosols over West Africa: Aircraft measurements of chemical composition, microphysical properties, and emission ratios

  2008cited by this paper
• Aerosol cloud precipitation interactions. Part 1. The nature and sources of cloud-active aerosols

  2008cited by this paper
• Characterization of the tropical diurnal fire cycle using VIRS and MODIS observations

  2007cited by this paper
• A synthesis of single scattering albedo of biomass burning aerosol over southern Africa during SAFARI 2000

  2007influential reference
• Particle emissions from laboratory combustion of wildland fuels: In situ optical and mass measurements

  2006cited by this paper
• MODIS bidirectional reflectance distribution function and albedo Climate Modeling Grid products and the variability of albedo for major global vegetation types

  2005influential reference
• Emissions from savanna fires in southern Africa

  2004cited by this paper
• Dynamics of atmospheric nucleation mode particles: a timescale analysis

  2004cited by this paper
• A review of biomass burning emissions part III: intensive optical properties of biomass burning particles

  2004cited by this paper
• Comprehensive Laboratory Measurements of Biomass-Burning Emissions: 1. Emissions from Indonesian, African, and Other Fuels

  2003cited by this paper
• Evolution of biomass burning aerosol properties from an agricultural fire in southern Africa

  2003influential reference
• Inorganic and carbonaceous aerosols during the Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000) experiment: Chemical characteristics, physical properties, and emission data for smoke from African biomass burning

  2003influential reference
• Evolution of gases and particles from a savanna fire in South Africa

  2003cited by this paper
• Global land cover mapping from MODIS: algorithms and early results

  2002cited by this paper
• Emission of trace gases and aerosols from biomass burning

  2001cited by this paper
• Thematic validation of high-resolution Global Land-Cover Data sets

  1999cited by this paper
• Remote Sensing of Tropospheric Aerosols from Space: Past, Present, and Future.

  1999cited by this paper
• Physical and optical properties of young smoke from individual biomass fires in Brazil

  1998influential reference
• The IGBP-DIS global 1 km land cover data set

  1997cited by this paper
• 1. Aerosol emissions measured with a laser optical particle counter

  1996cited by this paper

• Ambient air quality and health impacts of PM2.5 from US residential wood combustion

  2026influential citation
• Atmospheric Submicron Aerosols Over the Tibetan Plateau: A Review

  2026cites this paper
• Chemical and isotopic characterization of carbonaceous aerosol particles from burning of different fuels

  2026cites this paper
• Semi‐Volatile Organic Partitioning Improves Simulation of Biomass Burning Aerosol Mixing State Evolution

  2026cites this paper
• Spectral Transmission Properties (0.35–25 µm) of Some Anthropogenic and Natural Atmospheric Aerosol Constituents

  2026cites this paper
• Smoke absorption retrieval algorithm using critical reflectance method with geostationary satellite over North America

  2025cites this paper
• Organic and elemental carbon at a regional background site in South Africa

  2025cites this paper
• Brown carbon emissions from laboratory combustion of Eurasian arctic-boreal and South African savanna biomass

  2025cites this paper
• Seasonal variations of primary biological and biomass burning aerosols in the central Himalayas

  2024cites this paper
• Wildfire smoke and health impacts: a narrative review

  2024cites this paper
• Aromatic Nitration Enhances Absorption of Biomass Burning Brown Carbon in an Oxidizing Urban Environment.

  2024cites this paper
• Organic Vapors from Residential Biomass Combustion: Emission Characteristics and Conversion to Secondary Organic Aerosols

  2024cites this paper
• Formation of secondary organic aerosol from wildfire emissions enhanced by long-time ageing

  2024cites this paper
• Effect of Long‐Range Transported Fire Aerosols on Cloud Condensation Nuclei Concentrations and Cloud Properties at High Latitudes

  2024cites this paper
• Real-time chemical characterization of primary and aged biomass burning aerosols derived from sub-Saharan African biomass fuels in smoldering fires

  2024cites this paper
• Formation of secondary organic aerosols from Cl-initiated oxidation of anisole: rapid release of ultrafine particles and organic chlorides

  2024cites this paper
• Intense formation of secondary ultrafine particles from Amazonian vegetation fires and their invigoration of deep clouds and precipitation

  2024cites this paper
• Establishing a baseline of published air pollution and health research studies in the Waterberg-Bojanala Priority Area

  2023cites this paper
• Intensive aerosol properties of boreal and regional biomass burning aerosol at Mt. Bachelor Observatory: larger and black carbon (BC)-dominant particles transported from Siberian wildfires

  2023cites this paper
• Photochemical Aging Induces Changes in the Effective Densities, Morphologies, and Optical Properties of Combustion Aerosol Particles

  2023cites this paper
• The hygroscopic properties of biomass burning aerosol from Eucalyptus and cow dung under different combustion conditions

  2023cites this paper
• Aging effects on residential biomass burning emissions under quasi-real atmospheric conditions.

  2023cites this paper
• Satellite observations of smoke–cloud–radiation interactions over the Amazon rainforest

  2023cites this paper
• Trend relationship between mountain normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) across two decades: implication for water quality within the Lesotho Highlands, Drakensberg, South Africa

  2023cites this paper
• Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX‐AQ)

  2022cites this paper
• Aerosol size distribution changes in FIREX-AQ biomass burning plumes: the impact of plume concentration on coagulation and OA condensation/evaporation

  2022cites this paper
• Intensive aerosol properties of Boreal and regional biomass burning aerosol at Mt. Bachelor Observatory: Larger and BC-dominant particles transported from Siberian wildfires

  2022cites this paper
• A quadcopter unmanned aerial system (UAS)-based methodology for measuring biomass burning emission factors

  2022cites this paper
• Wildfire Smoke Influence on Cloud Water Chemical Composition at Whiteface Mountain, New York

  2022cites this paper
• Smoke Chemistry

  2022cites this paper
• An Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) based methodology for measuring biomass burning emission factors

  2022cites this paper
• Mechanisms of soot restructuring and compaction

  2022cites this paper
• Mechanisms of soot-aggregate restructuring and compaction

  2022cites this paper
• Key challenges for tropospheric chemistry in the Southern Hemisphere

  2022influential citation
• Estimation of Emission Flux of Particulate Matter by Agricultural Burning in Rural Areas using Scanning LIDAR

  2022cites this paper
• How villages contribute to their local air quality – The influence of traffic- and biomass combustion-related emissions assessed by mobile mappings of PM and its components

  2021cites this paper
• Rapid transformation of ambient absorbing aerosols from West African biomass burning

  2021cites this paper
• Chemical composition of rain at a regional site on the South African Highveld

  2021cites this paper
• Solar Ultraviolet Radiation in Pretoria and Its Relations to Aerosols and Tropospheric Ozone during the Biomass Burning Season

  2021cites this paper
• Dilution impacts on smoke aging: evidence in Biomass Burning Observation Project (BBOP) data

  2021cites this paper
• Rapid transformation of ambient absorbing aerosols from West African biomass burning

  2021cites this paper
• Assessment of biomass-burning types and transport over Thailand and the associated health risks

  2021cites this paper
• Determination of Emission Factors of Pollutants From Biomass Burning of African Fuels in Laboratory Measurements

  2021cites this paper
• Long-range transport of Siberian biomass burning emissions to North America during FIREX-AQ

  2021cites this paper
• Impact of wildfire smoke on atmospheric environment over the Southeast Atlantic during ORACLEs 2017

  2021cites this paper
• Modeling Biomass Burning Organic Aerosol Atmospheric Evolution and Chemical Aging

  2021cites this paper
• Biomass burning aerosols in most climate models are too absorbing

  2021cites this paper
• The Influence of Smoke From Forest Fires on the Meteorological and Electrical Characteristics of the Atmosphere

  2020cites this paper
• Investigation of size distribution and mass characteristics of ambient aerosols and their combustion sources during post-monsoon in northern India

  2020cites this paper
• Impact of combustion conditions on physical and morphological properties of biomass burning aerosol

  2020cites this paper
• Biomass-burning-derived particles from a wide variety of fuels – Part 2: Effects of photochemical aging on particle optical and chemical properties

  2020cites this paper
• Characterizing Light-absorbing Aerosols in a Low-income Settlement in South Africa

  2020cites this paper
• FINE PARTICLE FORMATION IN BIOMASS COMBUSTION AND FLAME SYNTHESIS – MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES AND TOXICITY

  2020cites this paper
• Rapid evolution of aerosol particles and their optical properties downwind of wildfires in the western US

  2020cites this paper
• Observations of ozone formation in southern African savanna and grassland fire plumes

  2020cites this paper
• Six-year observations of aerosol optical properties at a southern African grassland savannah site

  2020cites this paper
• Rapid Evolution of Aerosol Particles and their Optical Properties Downwind of Wildfires in the Western U.S.

  2020cites this paper
• Overview of aerosol optical properties over southern West Africa from DACCIWA aircraft measurements

  2020cites this paper
• Primary Evaluation of the GCOM-C Aerosol Products at 380 nm Using Ground-Based Sky Radiometer Observations

  2020cites this paper
• Biomass-burning-derived particles from a wide variety of fuels: Part 2: Effects of photochemical aging on particle optical and chemical properties

  2020cites this paper
• Long-range transported North American wildfire aerosols observed in marine boundary layer of eastern North Atlantic.

  2020cites this paper
• Atmospheric aging of small-scale wood combustion emissions (model MECHA 1.0) – is it possible to distinguish causal effects from non-causal associations?

  2020cites this paper
• Simultaneous Transmission/Absorption Photometry of Particle-Laden Filters from Wildland Fires during the Biomass Burning Observation Project (BBOP) Field Campaign.

  2020cites this paper
• Dilution impacts on smoke aging: Evidence in BBOP data

  2020cites this paper
• A Decadal Climatology of Chemical, Physical, and Optical Properties of Ambient Smoke in the Western and Southeastern United States

  2020cites this paper
• Optimization of the Photon Path Length Probability Density Function-Simultaneous (PPDF-S) Method and Evaluation of CO2 Retrieval Performance Under Dense Aerosol Conditions

  2019cites this paper
• Production of Secondary Organic Aerosol During Aging of Biomass Burning Smoke From Fresh Fuels and Its Relationship to VOC Precursors

  2019influential citation
• Evolution in physiochemical and cloud condensation nuclei activation properties of crop residue burning particles during photochemical aging.

  2019cites this paper
• Interactive comment on “Remote biomass burning dominates southern West African air pollution during the monsoon” by Sophie L. Haslett et al

  2019influential citation
• Secondary organic aerosol formation from the laboratory oxidation of biomass burning emissions

  2019cites this paper
• How emissions uncertainty influences the distribution and radiative impacts of smoke from fires in North America

  2019cites this paper
• Modelling source contributions to ambient particulate matter in Kwadela, Mpumalanga

  2019cites this paper
• Anhydrosugars as tracers in the Earth system

  2019cites this paper
• Smoke Exposure

  2019cites this paper
• Temporal and source assessments of organic and elemental carbon at sites in the northern South African interior

  2019cites this paper
• Intercomparison of biomass burning aerosol optical properties from in situ and remote-sensing instruments in ORACLES-2016

  2019cites this paper
• Observing continental boundary-layer structure and evolution over the South African savannah using a ceilometer

  2019cites this paper
• Intercomparison of biomass burning aerosol optical properties from in-situ and remote-sensing instruments in ORACLES-2016

  2019cites this paper
• Transformation and ageing of biomass burning carbonaceous aerosol over tropical South America from aircraft in situ measurements during SAMBBA

  2019cites this paper
• Eurasian Large-Scale Hazes in Summer 2016

  2019cites this paper
• A multi-technique appraisal of city-scale atmospheric pollution in Nigeria

  2019cites this paper
• More Than Emissions and Chemistry: Fire Size, Dilution, and Background Aerosol Also Greatly Influence Near‐Field Biomass Burning Aerosol Aging

  2019influential citation
• Secondary organic aerosol formation from biomass burning emissions

  2019cites this paper
• Assessment of polar organic aerosols at a regional background site in southern Africa

  2019cites this paper
• Preliminary comparison of the direct aerosol radiative forcing over Ukraine and Antarctic AERONET sites

  2019cites this paper
• Remote biomass burning dominates southern West African air pollution during the monsoon

  2019influential citation
• MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF FREE TROPOSPHERIC ORGANIC AEROSOL AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS FOR MOLECULAR FORMULA ASSIGNMENT

  2019cites this paper
• Sulfate alters aerosol absorption properties in East Asian outflow

  2018cites this paper
• A low-cost particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) monitor for wildland fire smoke

  2018cites this paper
• Response Documents with Tracked Manuscript Changes

  2018cites this paper
• Identification and Chemical Characteristics of Distinctive Chinese Outflow Plumes Associated with Enhanced Submicron Aerosols at the Gosan Climate Observatory

  2018cites this paper
• Impact of Biomass Burning Plumes on Photolysis Rates and Ozone Formation at the Mount Bachelor Observatory

  2018cites this paper
• Responses to Anonymous Referee #1

  2018cites this paper
• Interactive comment on “ Seasonal influences on surface ozone variability in continental South Africa and implications for air quality ” by Tracey

  2018influential citation
• Atmospheric new particle formation and growth: review of field observations

  2018cites this paper
• The use of satellite observations of fire radiative power to estimate the availabilities (activity patterns) of pyrometallurgical smelters

  2018cites this paper
• New Strategies for Addressing Anthropogenic-Biogenic Interactions of SOA in Climate Models

  2018cites this paper
• Size-resolved characteristics of inorganic ionic species in atmospheric aerosols at a regional background site on the South African Highveld

  2018cites this paper
• Interagency Intensive Study of North American Fires NOAA Points of Contact :

  2018cites this paper
• Analysis of the physical and chemical properties of atmospheric aerosol at the Puy de Dôme station

  2018influential citation