Evidences for wide influences of incomplete combustion products from biomass burning in the East Asia region: A case study of PM2.5 aerosols at Mt. Halla, Jeju Island, Korea

ENVR 35

Hidetoshi Kumata, kumata@ls.toyaku.ac.jp1, Naoki Kaneyasu, kane.n@aist.go.jp2, Chang-Hee Kang3, Yu Goto1, Mikio Tsuzuki1, Tatsuya Uchida1, and Kitao Fujiwara1. (1) Faculty of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy & Life Sciences, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0392, Japan, (2) National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8569, Japan, (3) Department of Chemistry, Cheju National University, 66 Jejudaehakno, Jeju 690-756, South Korea
In an attempt to seek evidence for wide influences of incomplete combustion products from biomass burning in the East Asia region, we investigated seasonal variations of PAHs, molecular markers for biomass burning (levoglucosan, dehydroabietic acid and retene) in fine particulate mountain aerosols at Mt. Halla, Jeju-do. PAHs observed at the site (0.05-7 ng/m3) were mostly combustion origin and showed an intense signal in winter and several minor maxima in summer, supporting our preliminary observation of optical-BC at the site. Observations of LG and resin diterpenoid markers throughout the year evidenced biomass to be a significant source of combustion to the study site. Combination of PAHs isomer pair ratios and biomass-burning tracers revealed that biomass-burning contributions intermittently overwhelmed that from fossil fuel combustion. Strong influence of westerly for samples with intense signal of biomass burning may support, at least, partly recently reported modern 14C-signature of atmospheric PAHs in winter in Japan.
 

Symposium Honoring Dr. Walter Giger
8:30 AM-12:15 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 Boston Park Plaza -- Stanbro Rm, Oral

Division of Environmental Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007