Atmospheric black carbon in the metropolitan area of La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia: concentration levels and emission sources

Abstract. Black carbon (BC) is a major component of submicron particulate matter (PM), with significant health and climate impacts. Many cities in emerging countries lack comprehensive knowledge about BC emissions and exposure levels. This study investigates BC concentration levels, identifies its emission sources, and characterizes the optical properties of BC at urban background sites of the two largest high-altitude Bolivian cities: La Paz (LP) (3600 m above sea level) and El Alto (EA) (4050 m a.s.l.), where atmospheric oxygen levels and intense radiation may affect BC production. The study relies on concurrent measurements of equivalent black carbon (eBC), elemental carbon (EC), and refractory black carbon (rBC) and their comparison with analogous data collected at the nearby Chacaltaya Global Atmosphere Watch Station (5240 m a.s.l). The performance of two independent source apportionment techniques was compared: a bilinear model and a least-squares multilinear regression (MLR). Maximum eBC concentrations were observed during the local dry season (LP: eBC = 1.5 ± 1.6 µg m−3; EA: 1.9±2.0 µg m−3). While eBC concentrations are lower at the mountain station, daily transport from urban areas is evident. Average mass absorption cross sections of 6.6–8.2 m2 g−1 were found in the urban area at 637 nm. Both source apportionment methods exhibited a reasonable level of agreement in the contribution of biomass burning (BB) to absorption. The MLR method allowed the estimation of the contribution and the source-specific optical properties for multiple sources, including open waste burning.

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Publication Details

Journal
Atmospheric chemistry and physics
Published
2024-10-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12055-2024
Citations
6
Primary Topic
Air Quality and Health Impacts
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.89

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article

Atmospheric black carbon in the metropolitan area of La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia: concentration levels and emission sources

Claudia Mohr, Griša Močnik, Isabel Moreno, Radovan Krejčí et al.
6 citations
Atmospheric chemistry and physics
Air Quality and Health Impacts
1.89
article

Atmospheric black carbon in the metropolitan area of La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia: concentration levels and emission sources

Claudia Mohr, Griša Močnik, Isabel Moreno, Radovan Krejčí, Patrick Ginot, Laura Renzi, Angela Marinoni, Marco Pandolfi, Gaëlle Uzu, Robin L. Modini, Alfred Wiedensohler, Jean‐Luc Jaffrezo, Paolo Laj, Martin Gysel‐Beer, Marcos Andrade, Federico Bianchi, Fernando Velarde, Diego Aliaga, Valeria Mardoñez-Balderrama
article en
6 citations

Abstract

Abstract. Black carbon (BC) is a major component of submicron particulate matter (PM), with significant health and climate impacts. Many cities in emerging countries lack comprehensive knowledge about BC emissions and exposure levels. This study investigates BC concentration levels, identifies its emission sources, and characterizes the optical properties of BC at urban background sites of the two largest high-altitude Bolivian cities: La Paz (LP) (3600 m above sea level) and El Alto (EA) (4050 m a.s.l.), where atmospheric oxygen levels and intense radiation may affect BC production. The study relies on concurrent measurements of equivalent black carbon (eBC), elemental carbon (EC), and refractory black carbon (rBC) and their comparison with analogous data collected at the nearby Chacaltaya Global Atmosphere Watch Station (5240 m a.s.l). The performance of two independent source apportionment techniques was compared: a bilinear model and a least-squares multilinear regression (MLR). Maximum eBC concentrations were observed during the local dry season (LP: eBC = 1.5 ± 1.6 µg m−3; EA: 1.9±2.0 µg m−3). While eBC concentrations are lower at the mountain station, daily transport from urban areas is evident. Average mass absorption cross sections of 6.6–8.2 m2 g−1 were found in the urban area at 637 nm. Both source apportionment methods exhibited a reasonable level of agreement in the contribution of biomass burning (BB) to absorption. The MLR method allowed the estimation of the contribution and the source-specific optical properties for multiple sources, including open waste burning.

Atmospheric chemistry and physicsVol. 24(20)
Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (BO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Stockholm University (SE), University of Nova Gorica (SI), Helsinki Institute of Physics (FI), NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (US), Jožef Stefan Institute (SI), Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (FI), ETH Zurich (CH), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (IT), Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (DE), Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (FR), Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (ES), National Research Council (IT), Bolin Centre for Climate Research (SE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), University of Maryland, College Park (US), Université Grenoble Alpes (FR)
Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Javna Agencija za Raziskovalno Dejavnost RS, Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
Openalex Percentile: Top 15%
Air Quality and Health Impacts
1.89
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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