Empirical correlations between black carbon aerosol and carbon monoxide in the lower and middle troposphere

Spackman, J.R., J.P. Schwarz, R. Gao, L.A. Watts, . Thomson, D.W. Fahey, J.S. Holloway, J.A. de Gouw, M. Trainer, and T.B. Ryerson (2008), Empirical correlations between black carbon aerosol and carbon monoxide in the lower and middle troposphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L19816, doi:10.1029/2008GL035237.
Abstract

Single-particle measurements of black carbon (BC) aerosol and simultaneous measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) were acquired aboard the NOAA WP-3D aircraft during the 2006 Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS). Observed average BC mass loadings, estimated to account for ~90% of the ambient BC mass, decreased by more than 2 orders of magnitude from the polluted boundary layer to the clean middle troposphere (6 km). A strong positive, but non-linear, correlation was observed between simultaneous measurements of BC and CO. Based on an analysis of all the data below 1 km, we report a compact relationship between BC and CO with a slope of 5.8 ± 1.0 ng BC (kg dry air)-1 (ppb CO)-1 that is representative of regional urban and industrial emissions from Houston and Dallas. The BC/ CO emission ratio for a fresh biomass-burning plume was estimated at 9 ± 2 ng kg-1 ppb-1.

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Research Program
Radiation Science Program (RSP)
Upper Atmosphere Research Program (UARP)
Mission
TexAQS