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Characterizing black carbon in rain and ice cores using coupled tangential flow filtration and transmission electron microscopy

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posted on 2023-05-18, 16:27 authored by Ellis, A, Edwards, R, Saunders, M, Chakrabarty, RK, Subramanian, R, van Riessen, A, Smith, AM, Lambrinidis, D, Nunes, LJ, Vallelonga, P, Goodwin, ID, Andrew MoyAndrew Moy, Mark Curran, Tasman van OmmenTasman van Ommen
Antarctic ice cores have been used to study the history of black carbon (BC), but little is known with regards to the physical and chemical characteristics of these particles in the remote atmosphere. Characterization remains limited by ultra-trace concentrations in ice core samples and the lack of adequate methods to isolate the particles unaltered from the melt water. To investigate the physical and chemical characteristics of these particles, we have developed a tangential flow filtration (TFF) method combined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Tests using ultrapure water and polystyrene latex particle standards resulted in excellent blanks and significant particle recovery. This approach has been applied to melt water from Antarctic ice cores as well as tropical rain from Darwin, Australia with successful results: TEM analysis revealed a variety of BC particle morphologies, insoluble coatings, and the attachment of BC to mineral dust particles. The TFF-based concentration of these particles has proven to give excellent results for TEM studies of BC particles in Antarctic ice cores and can be used for future studies of insoluble aerosols in rainwater and ice core samples.

History

Publication title

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques

Volume

8

Issue

9

Pagination

3959-3969

ISSN

1867-1381

Department/School

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Publisher

Copernicus GmbH

Place of publication

Germany

Rights statement

© Author(s) 2015. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Expanding knowledge in the environmental sciences

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