Effects of biomass burning and photochemical oxidation on the black carbon mixing state and light absorption in summer season

To investigate the effects of biomass burning and photochemical oxidation on the black carbon (BC) mixing state and light absorption, a tandem centrifugal particle mass analyzer (CPMA) and single-particle soot photometer (SP2) system was used to measure ambient fine particulate BC during EXPLORE-YRD 2018 campaign (EXPeriment on the eLucidation of the atmospheric Oxidation capacity and aerosol foRmation, and their Effects in Yangtze River Delta). The mass ratio (M-R) of the non-BC coating to BC core, a morphology-independent parameter to quantify the mixing state of BC-containing aerosols, is derived. Two types of periods were identified, namely non-significant biomass-burning period (NB), and enhanced biomass burning period (EB). The M-R was higher during EB (2.3 +/- 0.5), compared with during the NB (2.0 +/- 0.5). M-R showed bimodal diurnal variation with peaks in the early morning and early afternoon, mainly due to the biomass burning and photochemical processes, respectively. The light-absorbing enhancement ranged from 1.0 to 1.19 when MR was from 1.4 to 3.4. The relationship of rBC mixing state and its optical properties was parameterized, which can further be used in the regional model.

Automated summary

The study investigated the effects of biomass burning and photochemical oxidation on the black carbon mixing state and light absorption, finding higher M-R during enhanced biomass burning periods. M-R showed bimodal diurnal variation, with peaks linked to biomass burning and photochemical processes. The relationship between rBC mixing state and optical properties was parameterized for potential use in regional models.