Carbonaceous Particles in the Atmosphere: Experimental and Modelling Issues

Abstract

Carbonaceous particles and their organic component are one of the major combustion by-products and they are recognized to play a relevant role in radiative transfer, air quality, and human health, due to their fine-submicrometric nature. These effects are magnified by transboundary air masses transport of natural fires plumes or anthropogenic emissions from domestic heating and industrial activities, affecting not only the source areas. In fact, analysis on snow samples from different arctic sites revealed the presence of carbonaceous particulate matter, with biomass burning identified as responsible for more than 90% of these particles. As a consequence of this deposition, snow albedo variations are added to the other factors influencing Earth’s radiative budget.

For these reasons, there is a growing interest toward the above-mentioned arguments, but there is also a need to assess the role of carbonaceous particles and to review the different measurements techniques, highlighting their limitations and uncertainties.

The papers included in this special issue improve the comprehension of processes involving carbonaceous particles considering them under different points of view because both experimental and modeling approaches are examined.