AAAR 33rd Annual Conference
October 20 - October 24, 2014
Rosen Shingle Creek
Orlando, Florida, USA
Abstract View
Individual Particle Chemistry during the Summer in Remote Northern Michigan
MATTHEW GUNSCH, Nathaniel May, Daniel Gardner, Stephanie Schmit, Andrew Ault, Kerri Pratt, University of Michigan
Abstract Number: 588 Working Group: Remote and Regional Atmospheric Aerosols
Abstract Northern Michigan is a remote, heavily forested area with minimal local pollution. Therefore, it is important to characterize the types and sources of local and transported particles impacting the region to determine air quality and climate effects. Nearby metropolitan areas include Milwaukee (230 miles southwest), Detroit (located about 240 miles south), and Chicago (located about 290 miles southwest). In addition, Canadian wildfires (located to the north and northwest) frequently impact the area, and particles generated from the surface of the Great Lakes (located to the west, north and east) may be a source of particles to the area. However, there have been very few studies that measure atmospheric particles in the upper mid-western United States. During summer 2014, an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) measured the size and chemical composition of individual 0.4-2 micrometer particles above the mixed forest canopy at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) near Pellston, MI. Size-resolved atmospheric particle concentrations were measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and an aerodynamic particle sizer (APS). In addition, collected particles will be analyzed using scanning electron microscopy with energy disperse X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) for morphology and elemental composition determination. The major particle types observed included biomass burning, organic carbon-sulfate, mineral dust, and sodium chloride salts, suggested to be produced from the surface of the Great Lakes. The source regions and meteorological conditions under which various chemical mixing state particles were observed will be discussed.