Agricultural Contributions to Fluorescent Bioaerosol Measured by the WIBS at the AGINSGP Campaign at the Southern Great Plains Site

DORIAN SCHWARTZ, Aleksandra Volkova, Gavin Cornwell, Isabelle Steinke, Susannah Burrows, J. Alex Huffman, University of Denver

     Abstract Number: 396
     Working Group: Bioaerosols

Abstract
Bioaerosol particles play important roles in a variety of atmospheric processes, with one such process being the formation of ice in the atmosphere due to their ability to act as ice nucleating particles (INPs). One type of instrument designed to detect and characterize bioaerosol particles is the Wideband Induced Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS), which uses particle fluorescence as a proxy for the biological character of a particle. During the month of April 2022, a WIBS was brought to the US Department of Energy’s Southern Great Plains site in Oklahoma to participate in the Agricultural Ice Nuclei at Southern Great Plains (AGINSGP) field data collection campaign. The campaign aimed to obtain a better understanding of agricultural contributions to INPs. Data showed relative fractions of fluorescent particles most frequently in the range of 5 – 40% of observed particle number, with initial evidence suggesting that the biggest fraction of fluorescent particles were contributed from the B and ABC categories. Preliminary results of fluorescent particle data will be presented and compared to other particle instruments with initial interpretations based on meteorology and local sources in the agricultural region.