Impact of Wildfire Emissions on Chloride and Bromide Depletion in Marine Aerosol Particles

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 51; no. 16; pp. 9013 - 9021
• Main Authors: Braun, Rachel A, Dadashazar, Hossein, MacDonald, Alexander B, Aldhaif, Abdulamonam M, Maudlin, Lindsay C, Crosbie, Ewan, Aghdam, Mojtaba Azadi, Hossein Mardi, Ali, Sorooshian, Armin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 15.08.2017
• Subjects: Aerosols; Air Pollutants; Ammonium; Bromides; California; Chemical compounds; Chloride; Chlorides; Coastal environments; Composition effects; Depletion; Emissions; Environmental Monitoring; Fires; Forest & brush fires; Hygroscopicity; Impact analysis; Neutralization; Particle Size; Particulates; Radiative forcing; Salts; Sulfates; summer; Wildfires; California
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b02039

This work examines particulate chloride (Cl–) and bromide (Br–) depletion in marine aerosol particles influenced by wildfires at a coastal California site in the summers of 2013 and 2016. Chloride exhibited a dominant coarse mode due to sea salt influence, with substantially diminished concentrations during fire periods as compared to nonfire periods. Bromide exhibited a peak in the submicrometer range during fire and nonfire periods, with an additional supermicrometer peak in the latter periods. Chloride and Br– depletions were enhanced during fire periods as compared to nonfire periods. The highest observed %Cl– depletion occurred in the submicrometer range, with maximum values of 98.9% (0.32–0.56 μm) and 85.6% (0.56–1 μm) during fire and nonfire periods, respectively. The highest %Br– depletion occurred in the supermicrometer range during fire and nonfire periods with peak depletion between 1.8–3.2 μm (78.8% and 58.6%, respectively). When accounting for the neutralization of sulfate by ammonium, organic acid particles showed the greatest influence on Cl– depletion in the submicrometer range. These results have implications for aerosol hygroscopicity and radiative forcing in areas with wildfire influence owing to depletion effects on composition.