Search results for "Spectrometry"
showing 10 items of 3206 documents
Aerosol Chemistry Resolved by Mass Spectrometry: Linking Field Measurements of Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity to Organic Aerosol Composition.
2016
Aerosol hygroscopic properties were linked to its chemical composition by using complementary online mass spectrometric techniques in a comprehensive chemical characterization study at a rural mountaintop station in central Germany in August 2012. In particular, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry ((-)APCI-MS) provided measurements of organic acids, organosulfates, and nitrooxy-organosulfates in the particle phase at 1 min time resolution. Offline analysis of filter samples enabled us to determine the molecular composition of signals appearing in the online (-)APCI-MS spectra. Aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) provided quantitative measurements of total submicrometer or…
Passive and Active Biomonitoring of Atmospheric Aerosol with the Use of Mosses
2021
Abstract The aim of the carried out research was passive and active biomonitoring of woodlands in the Opole province. Pleurozium schreberi mosses were used during the research, in which the following heavy metals concentrations were determined: Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb. Concentrations were determined with absorption atomic spectrometry (AAS). On the basis of the carried out research, concentrations of heavy metals in moss samples used in the passive and active biomonitoring methods were compared. The obtained results indicate that Pleurozium schreberi mosses can be successfully used in both passive and active biomonitoring, however, these methods should not be used interchangeably in a…
Aerosol Chemistry Resolved by Mass Spectrometry: Insights into Particle Growth after Ambient New Particle Formation
2016
Atmospheric oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) yields a large number of different organic molecules which comprise a wide range of volatility. Depending on their volatility, they can be involved in new particle formation and particle growth, thus affecting the number concentration of cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere. Here, we identified oxidation products of VOCs in the particle phase during a field study at a rural mountaintop station in central Germany. We used atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry ((-)APCI-MS) and aerosol mass spectrometry for time-resolved measurements of organic species and of the total organic aerosol (OA) mass in the size r…
Processing and Assessment of Spectrometric, Stereoscopic Imagery Collected Using a Lightweight UAV Spectral Camera for Precision Agriculture
2013
Imaging using lightweight, unmanned airborne vehicles (UAVs) is one of the most rapidly developing fields in remote sensing technology. The new, tunable, Fabry-Perot interferometer-based (FPI) spectral camera, which weighs less than 700 g, makes it possible to collect spectrometric image blocks with stereoscopic overlaps using light-weight UAV platforms. This new technology is highly relevant, because it opens up new possibilities for measuring and monitoring the environment, which is becoming increasingly important for many environmental challenges. Our objectives were to investigate the processing and use of this new type of image data in precision agriculture. We developed the entire pro…
Collapse of a two-dimensional brittle granular column: Implications for understanding dynamic rock fragmentation in a landslide
2015
We investigate numerically the failure, collapse and flow of a two-dimensional brittle granular column over a horizontal surface. In our discrete element simulations, we consider a vertical monolayer of spherical particles that are initially held together by tensile bonds, which can be irreversibly broken during the collapse. This leads to dynamic fragmentation within the material during the flow. Compared to what happens in the case of a non-cohesive granular column, the deposit is much rougher, and the internal stratigraphic structure of the column is not preserved during the collapse. As has been observed in natural rockslides, we find that the deposit consists of large blocks laying on …
Steroid Biomarkers Revisited - Improved Source Identification of Faecal Remains in Archaeological Soil Material.
2017
Steroids are used as faecal markers in environmental and in archaeological studies, because they provide insights into ancient agricultural practices and the former presence of animals. Up to now, steroid analyses could only identify and distinguish between herbivore, pig, and human faecal matter and their residues in soils and sediments. We hypothesized that a finer differentiation between faeces of different livestock animals could be achieved when the analyses of several steroids is combined (Δ5-sterols, 5α-stanols, 5β-stanols, epi-5β-stanols, stanones, and bile acids). We therefore reviewed the existing literature on various faecal steroids from livestock and humans and analysed faeces …
Occurrence, distribution, and risk assessment of pharmerciuticals in wastewater and open surface drains of peri-urban areas: Case study of Juja town,…
2020
Abstract The occurrence of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in the environment is becoming a major area of concern due to their undesirable effects on non-target organisms. This study investigated the occurrence and risk of contamination by five antibiotics and three antiretrovirals drugs in a fast-growing peri-urban area in Kenya, with inadequate sewer system coverage. Due to poor sewage connectivity and poorly designed decentralized systems, wastewater is directly released in open drains. Water and sediment samples were collected from open surface water drains, while wastewater samples were collected from centralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Solid-phase extraction and u…
Characterisation of the magmatic signature in gas emissions from Turrialba Volcano, Costa Rica
2014
The equilibrium composition of volcanic gases with their magma is often overprinted by interaction with a shallow hydrothermal system. Identifying the magmatic signature of volcanic gases is critical to relate their composition to properties of the magma (temperature, fO2, gas-melt segregation depth). We report measurements of the chemical composition and flux of the major gas species emitted from Turrialba Volcano during March 2013. Measurements were made of two vents in the summit region, one of which opened in 2010 and the other in 2012. We determined an average SO2 flux of 5.2 ± 1.9 kg s-1 using scanning ultraviolet spectroscopy, and molar proportions of H2O, CO2, SO2, HCl, CO and H2 ga…
Volatile Profiles of Emissions from Different Activities Analyzed Using Canister Samplers and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) Analysis: …
2017
The objective of present study was to identify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from several sources (fuels, traffic, landfills, coffee roasting, a street-food laboratory, building work, indoor use of incense and candles, a dental laboratory, etc.) located in Palermo (Italy) by using canister autosamplers and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. In this study, 181 VOCs were monitored. In the atmosphere of Palermo city, propane, butane, isopentane, methyl pentane, hexane, benzene, toluene, meta- and para-xylene, 1,2,4 trimethyl benzene, 1,3,5 trimethyl benzene, ethylbenzene, 4 ethyl toluene and heptane were identified and quantified in all sampling sites.
Evidence for marine biogenic influence on summertime Arctic aerosol
2017
International audience; We present vertically-resolved observations of aerosol composition during pristine summertime Arctic background conditions. The methansulfonic acid (MSA)-to-sulfate ratio peaked near the surface (mean 0.10), indicating a contribution from ocean-derived biogenic sulfur. Similarly, the organic aerosol (OA)-to-sulfate ratio increased towards the surface (mean 2.0). Both MSA-to-sulfate and OA-to-sulfate ratios were significantly correlated with FLEXPART-WRF-predicted airmass residence time over open water, indicating marine influenced OA. External mixing of sea salt aerosol from a larger number fraction of organic, sulfate and amine-containing particles, together with lo…