[{"name":"kirago-2024-fine-aerosols-1","title":"Fine aerosols concentrations at Rwanda Climate Observatory and source apportionment of black carbon aerosols, 2014\u200a\u2013\u200a2016","summary":"The dataset contains bi-annual measurements of fine aerosols at the Rwanda climate Observatory, a mountaintop site and part of the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment network.\r\n\r\nLarge-scale biomass fires in Africa emit vast amounts of aerosols and gases into the atmosphere, perturbing the regional climate. This dataset addresses the large uncertainties related to the climate impact of key climate-warming components from these emissions.\r\n\r\nThe filter-based PM2.5 samples, collected between May 2014 and April 2016,  were analysed for carbonaceous aerosols (Organic matter and black carbon), water-soluble inorganics, and carbon isotopes (\u0394\u00b9\u2074C and \u1e9f\u00b9\u00b3C) for the black carbon fraction calculations. The dual-carbon isotope signatures were used to quantify the relative contribution of black carbon to the emissions and the relative contribution of liquid fossil C4 plants and C3 plants.","citations":"Kirago, L., Gustafsson, \u00d6., Gaita, S. M., Haslett, S. L., deWitt, H. L., Gasore, J., Potter, K. E., Prinn, R. G., Rupakheti, M., Ndikubwimana, J. de D., Safari, B., & Andersson, A. (2022). Atmospheric Black Carbon Loadings and Sources over Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa Are Governed by the Regional Savanna Fires. Environmental Science & Technology (Vol. 56, Issue 22). American Chemical Society (ACS). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1021\/acs.est.2c05837","comments":"This dataset is part of the [Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment](https:\/\/agage.mit.edu\/).\r\nCarbonaceous aerosol concentrations were obtained  by thermal optical transmission analysis (TOT; Sunset Laboratory, Tigard, Oregon) using NIOSH 5040 protocol, for each of the collected PM2.5 samples.  Anion and cations were analysed using  Dionex Aquion ion chromatography instrument (Thermo Finnigan LLC). \r\nTwenty samples over the two-year study period, mostly during high black carbon (BC) loading events in the dry season, were selected for isotope analysis of the BC isolate. Here, the BC fraction of the carbonaceous aerosols was isolated, cyro-trapped and shipped to Tandem Laboratory in Uppsala University and analyzed for dual carbon isotopes. The \u1e9f\u00b9\u00b3C signatures were measured using an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS), while radiocarbon signatures were measured using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The source fractions and their uncertainties were estimated through Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulations, implemented in Matlab 2019b (1000 000 iterations; 10 000 burn-in; 100 data thinning).","category":"Atmosphere","subcategory":"Aerosols","keywords":"Black carbon; Carbonaceous aerosol; Open fires; Carbon isotopes; Sub-Saharan Africa; Source apportionment","scientist":"Leonard Kirago, \u00d6rjan Gustafsson, Samuel M. Gaita, Sophie L. Haslett, H. Langley deWitt, Jimmy Gasore, Katherine E. Potter, Ronald G. Prinn, Maheswar Rupakheti, Jean de Dieu Ndikubwimana, Bonfils Safari, August Andersson","firstname":"\u00d6rjan","lastname":"Stockholm University","address":"Department of Environmental Science; Stockholm University","postalcode":"SE-106 91","city":"Stockholm","province":"","country":"Sweden","parameters":"Earth science > Atmosphere > Aerosols > Carbonaceous aerosols","location":"Continent > Africa > Eastern Africa > Rwanda","progress":"Completed","language":"English","project":"Constraining the uncertainties of key climate-affecting components from African large-scale fires.\r\nFunded by FORMAS, project number; 2020-01951\r\nLarge-scale biomass fires in Africa emit vast amounts of aerosols and gases into the\r\natmosphere, perturbing the regional climate. This project addresses the large uncertainties\r\nrelated to the climate impact of key, but poorly constrained, climate-warming components from\r\nthese emissions: light-absorbing aerosols and carbon monoxide (CO). The knowledge-status of\r\nthese components are particularly low for the rapidly developing African region, owing to the\r\nlack of long-term ground-based observations.\r\nThis project address key uncertainties regarding the environmental impact of\r\nlight-absorbing aerosols and CO, of central importance for sustainable development in Africa.\r\nThese results will be communicated to key stakeholders.","publisher":"Bolin Centre Database","version":"1","constrains":"","access":""}]