This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
This MRI-R2 award will fund the purchase of a particle soot photometer (SP2) for black carbon analysis. The SP2 system allows measuring mass, mixing state, and optical size of black carbon particles. It does so with lower detection limits and less sample alteration than traditional thermal-optical methods. Gaseous samples can be introduced directly while liquid samples (ice core sections, for example) are nebulized before introduction. Black carbon is produced from incomplete combustion and derives from biomass, coal and fossil-fuel burning. It absorbs light in the atmosphere and leads to increased temperature. In ice or snow, black carbon can reduce surface albedo leading to increased melting. It is thought to play a major role in global warming. Black carbon will be analyzed in ice cores to provide proxy data for paleoclimatological reconstructions. The SP2 system will be critical to obtaining high-resolution measurements on very small sample quantities. Sampling will focus on several regional systems including the Himalayas, the North Cascades, Greenland, Antarctica and other North American sites. Black carbon impacts on snow and ice albedo will be determined and the impact on climate forcing assessed. These data will be placed into context with other measures of snowmelt and climate gradients. The analyzer will also be used to better understand anthropogenic and natural aerosols. Research conducted with the new instrument will, at its core, have tremendous societal relevance as black carbon and its associated heat forcing may account for a considerable portion of the uncertainty in estimating global climate change. The SP2 will be incorporated into 2 graduate and 4 undergraduate courses at CWU. University science programs are established which target underrepresented groups. The instrument will be housed in newly renovated laboratory space. The adjacent spaces house clean laboratories and ice core processing facilities. The PI will be responsible for instrument purchase, installation, maintenance, calibration and training. The PI has managed this instrumentation as a post-doc. Two full-time engineering technicians are available through the department. Consumables will be purchased through research grants and laboratory fees charged to outside users.
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Black carbon is a dark absorptive particle produced by the incomplete combustion of bio and fossil fuels. In the atmosphere black carbon causes atmospheric heating, while black carbon deposited on snow and glacier ice causes darkening of the snow surface, which leads to greater energy absorption and accelerated snow and ice melt. The primary goal of our research has been to measure black carbon concentrations in snow and ice samples to address the following two research objectives: 1) Reconstruct black carbon concentrations in the atmosphere by measuring black carbon in ice cores. 2) Characterize black carbon concentrations in snow and ice in the context of albedo reduction and water resources. This project funded acquisition of a Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) to measure the black carbon concentration of liquid samples. Advantages of the SP2 over traditionally used methods include 1) black carbon can be analyzed on small sample volumes (~2 mL compared to 100 mL or more in other methods), and therefore can provide higher temporal resolution records for ice cores since available sample volumes are low, and 2) the SP2 black carbon analyses are not affected by the presence of other absorbing impurities (e.g., dust, organic substances). Our SP2 was the 26th SP2 to be manufactured, and we were only the third laboratory to acquire an SP2 to measure black carbon in liquid samples. Thus, using the SP2 for liquid analyses is a relatively new method, and further method development work has been needed. We have been testing various black carbon materials for use as standards, and have conducted further method development work related to sample storage, vial materials, and sample treatment. The project has been an immense contribution for training and development at the faculty, postdoc, graduate, and undergraduate levels. Acquisition of the SP2 has enabled PI Kaspari, an early career faculty member, to establish a successful research program. The SP2 was acquired during the first year of Kaspari’s appointment in a tenure track position, and has become the cornerstone of Kaspari’s research program. Because few laboratories in the world are analyzing black carbon in liquid samples, Kaspari has developed expertise in a niche area that enables her to complement the research ongoing at other larger laboratories. Three graduate students have been trained in the operation of the SP2, and the SP2 has been the main instrument the students have used for their MS theses. Three undergraduate students were trained in the operation of the SP2 and, including one Science Honors student, and two Science Talent Expansion Program (STEP) students. STEP focuses on increasing the total number of students obtaining STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) degrees at Central Washington University and the number of traditionally underrepresented students in STEM undergraduate majors. The SP2 black carbon data was the basis for all three undergraduate students’ research projects. Lastly, postdoctoral researcher Wang Mo visited Kaspari’s laboratory for two months in 2011 and was trained in operation of the SP2. This led to acquisition of an SP2 by the Tibetan Plateau Research Institute. During the award period, we have measured black carbon concentrations in ice cores from Geladandong, Central Tibetan Plateau; Mustagh Ata, Northwest Tibetan Plateau; and Tupungatito, Chilean Andes. We have also analyzed snow/ice samples from snowpits from Mera glacier, Nepal; from meltwater from Mt. Rainier, and weekly snowpit samples collected from Blewett Pass, Central Washington State.
