Direct In Situ Mass Specific Absorption Spectra of Biomass Burning Particles Generated from Smoldering Hard and Softwoods.

Particles from smoldering biomass burning (BB) represent a major source of carbonaceous aerosol in the terrestrial atmosphere. In this study, mass specific absorption spectra of laboratory-generated smoldering wood particles (SWP) from 3 hardwood and 3 softwood species were measured in situ. Absorption data spanning from λ = 500 to 840 nm were collected using a photoacoustic spectrometer coupled to a supercontinuum laser with a tunable wavelength and bandwidth filter. SWP were size- (electrical mobility) and mass-selected prior to optical characterization allowing data to be reported as mass-specific absorption cross sections (MAC). The median measured MAC at λ = 660 nm for smoldering oak particles was 1.1 (0.57/1.8) × 10 ^-2 m ² g ^-1 spanning from 83 femtograms (fg) to 517 fg (500 nm ≤ mobility diameter ≤950 nm), MAC values in parentheses are the 16 ^th and 84 ^th percentiles of the measured data (i.e., 1σ). The collection of all six wood species (Oak, Hickory, Mesquite, Western redcedar, Baldcypress, and Blue spruce) had median MAC values ranging from 1.4 × 10 ^-2 m ² g ^-1 to 7.9 × 10 ^-2 m ² g ^-1 at λ = 550 nm with absorption Ångström exponents (AAE) between 3.5 and 6.2. Oak, Western redcedar, and Blue spruce possessed statistically similar (p > 0.05) spectra while the spectra of Hickory, Mesquite, and Baldcypress were distinct (p < 0.01) as calculated from a point-by-point analysis using the Wilcox rank-sum test.