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Published October 13, 1981 | public
Book Section - Chapter

Wintertime Carbonaceous Aerosols in Los Angeles: An Exploration of the Role of Elemental Carbon

Abstract

Aerosol carbon concentrations have been measured under wintertime conditions at two sites in the Los Angeles basin. Samples were analyzed for total carbon by the Gamma Ray Analysis of Light Elements (GRALE) technique and for elemental carbon by reflectance. Total carbon concentrations at downtown Los Angeles averaged 24 µgm^(-3) and elemental carbon concentrations averaged 9 µgm^(-3) during the 7 am to 1 pm period. The light absorption efficiency of ambient elemental carbon particles was determined to be 11.9 + 0.9 m^2g^(-1), and it was estimated that light absorption by elemental carbon could account for up to 17% of total light extinction in downtown Los Angeles. Baseline conditions for elemental carbon concentrations in the Los Angeles area prior to the introduction of large numbers of diesel passenger cars into the vehicle fleet are established by these measurements. A method for reconstruction of a long time series of past historical air monitoring data on elemental carbon concentrations is described.

Additional Information

© 1981 American Chemical Society. Received March 25, 1981. Publication Date (Print): October 13, 1981. This work has been supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy under Grant No. DE-FG03-76AD01305, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Grant No. R806005, and by the Mellon Foundation. Thanks are due to the staff of the South Coast Air Quality Management District for their cooperation throughout the course of this project. Reprinted from ACS SYMPOSIUM SERIES , No. 167 ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOL: SOURCE-AIR QUALITY RELATIONSHIPS Edward S. Macias and Philip K. Hopke, Editors Copyright 1981 by the American Chemical Society Reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
January 13, 2024