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Electron Microscopy Characterization of Aerosols Collected at Mauna Loa Observatory During Asian Dust Storm Event
Citation:
Conny, J., R. Willis, D. Ortiz, AND A. Colton. Electron Microscopy Characterization of Aerosols Collected at Mauna Loa Observatory During Asian Dust Storm Event. Presented at Dust 2014 International Conference on Atmospheric Dust, Castellaneta Marina, ITALY, June 01 - 06, 2014.
Impact/Purpose:
The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source to contact with humans. Our multidisciplinary research program produces Methods, Measurements, and Models to identify relationships between and characterize processes that link source emissions, environmental concentrations, human exposures, and target-tissue dose. The impact of these tools is improved regulatory programs and policies for EPA.
Description:
Atmospheric aerosol particles have a significant influence on global climate due to their ability to absorb and scatter incoming solar radiation. Size, composition, and morphology affect a particle’s radiative properties and these can be characterized by electron microscopy. Located in the remote marine free troposphere, the Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) represents a clean airshed that can be used to study anthropogenic pollution influences and long-range transport of aerosol particles from the Asian mainland. The trans-Pacific transport of Asian dust, typically peaking in March, has been well documented. It has been proposed that aerosols transported to the Mauna Loa Observatory during upslope wind conditions (typically daytime) are local in origin while aerosols transported during downslope conditions (typically nighttime) represent long-range transport in the free troposphere. Because of the global nature of Asian dust storms, the radiative properties of these long-range transported particles can significantly impact global climate and are therefore of interest to aerosol scientists and climate researchers. The goal of this study is an improved understanding, obtained through high-resolution electron microscopy, of the sources and radiative properties of natural and anthropogenic particles that influence global climate change.