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 Title: Aerosol particle light scattering at a perturbed mid-latitude continental northern hemisphere site and its dependence on relative humidity, wavelength of light, particle size and composition Author(s): Koloutsou-Vakakis, Sotiria Doctoral Committee Chair(s): Rood, Mark J. Department / Program: Civil and Environmental Engineering Discipline: Civil Engineering Degree Granting Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Degree: Ph.D. Genre: Dissertation Subject(s): Physics, Atmospheric Science Environmental Sciences Abstract: Recent model predictions indicate that sulfate aerosol particles cause radiative forcing of the same magnitude but of opposite sign than the forcing caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gases. The spatial and temporal variability of parameters used in the models are highly uncertain resulting in uncertain model predictions of the aerosol radiative forcing. Such parameters related to aerosol particle properties and direct radiative forcing are: the hygroscopic growth factor (f(RH)), the upscatter fraction ($\beta$), and the mass scattering efficiency, ($\alpha$). These three parameters can be estimated from regional measurements of total light scattering and back-scattering coefficients as functions of relative humidity, particle composition and size, and wavelength of light.To take and validate such measurements: (i) an ambient aerosol monitoring station was designed and built for continuous ambient aerosol measurements, south of Bondville, in Central Illinois, U.S.A., (ii) instrumentation that measures aerosol particle light scattering coefficients under controlled relative humidity conditions was designed, built, calibrated and tested, (iii) a model was developed that estimates hygroscopic particle growth under the assumption of thermodynamic equilibrium and for metastable particles, (iv) experiments with laboratory generated aerosol particles were completed to calibrate the instrumentation and test the models, and (v) tests for closure were completed using the experimental and modeled results.Examination of the measurements to date, showed that about 95% of the aerosol gravimetric mass (dp $\le$ 1 $\mu$m), at Bondville, that is identifiable with ion chromatography consists of NH$\sb4\sp+$ and SO$\sb4\sp{2-}$. Mean values and standard deviations for f(RH) were in the range 1.1 $\pm$ 0.4 to 2.3 $\pm$ 1.1 depending on wavelength and direction of scattering. Mean values and standard deviations for b were in the range 7.0% $\pm$ 1.4% to 21.7% $\pm$ 4.18% depending on relative humidity and wavelength. $\rm\alpha\sb{so\sbsp{4}{2-}}$ (estimated with multiple linear regression) was 8.25 m$\sp2$/g.A model, was developed to test closure. The model integrates results from thermodynamic equilibrium calculations and experimental data on metastable particles, with light scattering modeling. Tests for closure indicated that the water insoluble component of the aerosol, which is not accounted for by ion chromatography, can be very important in modifying the optical properties of the aerosol. Issue Date: 1996 Type: Text Language: English URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/22149 ISBN: 9780591088083 Rights Information: Copyright 1996 Koloutsou-Vakakis, Sotiria Date Available in IDEALS: 2011-05-07 Identifier in Online Catalog: AAI9702565 OCLC Identifier: (UMI)AAI9702565
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