AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Free Tropospheric Aerosol Measurements at the Pico Mountain Observatory, Azores (2225m asl)
CLAUDIO MAZZOLENI, Lynn Mazzoleni, Paulo Fialho, Sumit Kumar, Katja Dzepina, Mike Dziobak, Louisa Kramer, Seth Olsen, Robert Owen, Detlev Helmig, Jacques Hueber, Swarup China, Michigan Technological University
Abstract Number: 764 Working Group: Remote and Regional Atmospheric Aerosols
Abstract The Pico Mountain Observatory is located in the summit caldera of Pico Mountain, an inactive volcano on Pico Island in the Azores, Portugal (38.47°N, 28.40°W, Altitude 2225m asl). Due to the elevation and steep terrain, local sources have been shown to have a negligible influence at the observatory. The value of the station stems from the fact that this is the only permanent mountaintop monitoring station in the North Atlantic which is typically located above the marine boundary layer (average MBL heights are below 1200 m and rarely exceed 1300 m) and often receives air characteristic of the lower free troposphere. The Azores are often impacted by polluted outflows from the North American continent making it an ideal site for studying long range transport. The station was installed in 2001 with a focus on gaseous species (e.g.; ozone, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides) with continuous measurements during the summer seasons. Black carbon (BC) measurements have been carried out at the station since the beginning and continue now using a seven-wavelength Aethalometer. In the summer of 2012, new aerosol instrumentation and samplers were installed at the station. The new equipment includes a three wavelength nephelometer which measure aerosol scattering and backscattering fraction, a set of four high volume samplers for the collection and chemical analysis of aerosol, a sequential sampler to collect aerosols on membranes for electron microscopy analysis, and an optical particle counter. Ancillary measurements include non-methane hydrocarbons, meteorological parameters, carbon monoxide and ozone.
In this poster we will discuss some of the analysis of the decadal BC mass data as well as some preliminary analysis of the new aerosol data with a focus on aerosol optical properties and morphology of long range transported aerosols, relevant to climate science.