AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Physiochemical Characterization of Ambient Aerosols and Insoluble Residues in Snow
JESSICA AXSON, Jessie Creamean, Hongru Shen, Amy Bondy, Rebecca Craig, Nathaniel May, Kerri Pratt, Andrew Ault, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI
Abstract Number: 97 Working Group: Remote and Regional Atmospheric Aerosols
Abstract Aerosol physical and chemical properties have a profound impact on cloud microphysical properties which influence precipitation patterns and, ultimately, water supply. To improve our understanding of these effects, it is important to examine particle sources. We present analysis of the size, chemical composition, and sources of aerosol particles and residues at two mountain locations, the California Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Colorado San Juan Mountains, using a variety of analytical techniques. Insoluble and soluble residues from nucleating and scavenged aerosols in snow collected in the Sierra Nevada Mountains during the 2012/2013 winter season showed that snow at each location was impacted by variable sources, leading to vastly different physiochemical properties of the snow residues. Using these methods we were able to determine temporal and spatial trends of species in the insoluble residues. Further, during the Colorado snow and aerosols study conducted in the spring of 2015, we were able to combine the insoluble residue data with that of ambient aerosol to examine dust deposition on snow. Improving our understanding of the spatial variation of aerosols sources through the physiochemical analysis of precipitation residues along with ambient aerosol measurements is important for remote mountainous regions where snowpack provides a steady, vital supply of water.