Summary of the CARBOSOL project: Present and retrospective state of organic versus inorganic aerosol over Europe

[1] Aerosol is an important source of uncertainty concerning the role of the atmosphere in climate forcing. In particular, major gaps exist with respect to its carbonaceous fraction in terms of composition, source apportionment (natural versus anthropogenic), change over the past, and radiative impact. The CARBOSOL project contributes to reduce these uncertainties. CARBOSOL combines a 2-year study of present-day carbonaceous aerosol in air and precipitation in western/central Europe with the trends of climatically relevant species in Alpine ice cores. Comparisons between observed atmospheric distributions (present and proxy of past) and transport/chemistry model simulations allow to test the accuracy of present and past anthropogenic emission inventories and enable for the first time a comparison of the model results for individual components (primary, secondary, fossil fuel, and biogenic) against data derived from measurements. The net radiative effect of the aerosol load and composition (inorganic/organic) in Europe is evaluated using radiative/chemistry/transport models. This summary paper gives an overview of the CARBOSOL goals, and reports on the key findings as a guide to the results detailed in the papers that follow.

[1]  Alexandre Caseiro,et al.  Climatology of aerosol composition (organic versus inorganic) at nonurban sites on a west-east transect across Europe , 2007 .

[2]  M. Legrand,et al.  Acidic gases (HCOOH, CH3COOH, HNO3, HCl, and SO2) and related aerosol species at a high mountain Alpine site (4360 m elevation) in Europe , 2007 .

[3]  Barbara J. Turpin,et al.  Measuring and simulating particulate organics in the atmosphere: problems and prospects , 2000 .

[4]  M. Legrand,et al.  Origin of C2-C5 dicarboxylic acids in the European atmosphere inferred from year-round aerosol study conducted at a west-east transect , 2007 .

[5]  T. Trautmann,et al.  Aerosol modeling over Europe: 2. Interannual variability of aerosol shortwave direct radiative forcing , 2007 .

[6]  Annmarie G Carlton,et al.  Evidence for oligomer formation in clouds: reactions of isoprene oxidation products. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[7]  Hans-Christen Hansson,et al.  Inorganic, organic and macromolecular components of fine aerosol in different areas of Europe in relation to their water solubility , 1999 .

[8]  U. Baltensperger,et al.  Historical record of carbonaceous particle concentrations from a European high-alpine glacier (Colle Gnifetti, Switzerland) , 1999 .

[9]  H. Puxbaum,et al.  Size distribution and seasonal variation of atmospheric cellulose , 2003 .

[10]  P. Hobbs,et al.  Airborne measurements of carbonaceous aerosols on the East Coast of the United States , 1997 .

[11]  T. Kirchstetter,et al.  Airborne measurements of carbonaceous aerosols in southern Africa during the dry biomass burning season , 2003 .

[12]  Peter Wåhlin,et al.  A European aerosol phenomenology—1: physical characteristics of particulate matter at kerbside, urban, rural and background sites in Europe , 2004 .

[13]  Margarita Evtyugina,et al.  Seasonal variation of particulate lipophilic organic compounds at nonurban sites in Europe , 2007 .

[14]  M. Legrand,et al.  Seasonal trends and possible sources of brown carbon based on 2-year aerosol measurements at six sites in Europe , 2007 .

[15]  H. Synal,et al.  Radiocarbon analysis in an Alpine ice core: record of anthropogenic and biogenic contributions to carbonaceous aerosols in the past (1650-1940) , 2006 .

[16]  H. Fagerli,et al.  Direct shortwave radiative forcing of sulfate aerosol over Europe from 1900 to 2000 , 2007 .

[17]  Z. Klimont,et al.  Modeling of elemental carbon over Europe , 2007 .

[18]  M. Legrand,et al.  Concentration of atmospheric cellulose: A proxy for plant debris across a west-east transect over Europe , 2007 .

[19]  B. Simoneit,et al.  Organic Matter of the Troposphere-II. Natural Background of biogenic lipid matter in aerosols over the rural western United States ††Contribution No. 2088: Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California at Los Angeles. , 2007 .

[20]  M. Legrand,et al.  Major 20th century changes of carbonaceous aerosol components (EC, WinOC, DOC, HULIS, carboxylic acids, and cellulose) derived from Alpine ice cores , 2007 .

[21]  Alexandre Caseiro,et al.  Source apportionment of PM2.5 organic aerosol over Europe: Primary/secondary, natural/anthropogenic, and fossil/biogenic origin , 2007 .

[22]  Andreas Limbeck,et al.  Determination of water and alkaline extractable atmospheric humic-like substances with the TU Vienna HULIS analyzer in samples from six background sites in Europe , 2007 .

[23]  B. Langmann,et al.  Aerosol modeling over Europe: 1. Interannual variability of aerosol distribution , 2007 .

[24]  T. Kirchstetter,et al.  Carbonaceous aerosols over the Indian Ocean during the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX): Chemical characterization, optical properties, and probable sources , 2002 .

[25]  M. Legrand,et al.  Modeling historical long‐term trends of sulfate, ammonium, and elemental carbon over Europe: A comparison with ice core records in the Alps , 2007 .

[26]  Kaarle Kupiainen,et al.  Modeling carbonaceous aerosol over Europe: Analysis of the CARBOSOL and EMEP EC/OC campaigns , 2007 .

[27]  Alexandre Caseiro,et al.  Levoglucosan levels at background sites in Europe for assessing the impact of biomass combustion on the European aerosol background , 2007 .

[28]  F. Meinhardt,et al.  Lead-210 observations within CARBOSOL: A diagnostic tool for assessing the spatiotemporal variability of related chemical aerosol species? , 2007 .

[29]  J. Heintzenberg.  Fine particles in the global troposphere. A review , 1989 .

[30]  J. Lelieveld,et al.  The Indian Ocean Experiment: Widespread Air Pollution from South and Southeast Asia , 2001, Science.