Sulfur isotope anomalies (Δ33S) in urban air pollution linked to mineral-dust-associated sulfateclick to copy article link

<p>Sulfur isotope analysis provides a unique probe for source-specific information and certain atmospheric reactions. Globally, atmospheric aerosols in urban locations exhibit significant sulfur mass-independent fractionation (i.e., S-MIF, &Delta;<sup>33</sup>S &ne; 0). The...

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Main Authors: Dasari, S, Paris, G, Saar, B, Pei, Q, Cong, Z, Widory, D
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: American Chemical Society 2022
_version_ 1811140545484947456
author Dasari, S
Paris, G
Saar, B
Pei, Q
Cong, Z
Widory, D
author_facet Dasari, S
Paris, G
Saar, B
Pei, Q
Cong, Z
Widory, D
author_sort Dasari, S
collection OXFORD
description <p>Sulfur isotope analysis provides a unique probe for source-specific information and certain atmospheric reactions. Globally, atmospheric aerosols in urban locations exhibit significant sulfur mass-independent fractionation (i.e., S-MIF, &Delta;<sup>33</sup>S &ne; 0). The origin(s) of these S-MIF anomalies remains unclear, thereby limiting the interpretation and/or application of such signals. Here, we conducted dual-isotope (&Delta;<sup>33</sup>S and &delta;<sup>34</sup>S) fingerprinting of sulfate aerosols from summertime megacity Delhi in south Asia. A shift toward concomitantly high &Delta;<sup>33</sup>S (from 0.2&permil; to 0.5&permil;) and low &delta;<sup>34</sup>S (from 5&permil; to 1&permil;) values was observed with the influx of mineral dust. The Fe:Al ratio showed significant correlations with both sulfate loadings (<em>R</em><sup>2</sup>&nbsp;= 0.84) and &Delta;<sup>33</sup>S signatures (<em>R</em><sup>2</sup>&nbsp;= 0.77). Contrary to the prevailing paradigm, this observational evidence suggests that mineral-dust-associated sulfate exhibits S-MIF anomalies. Atmospheric processing of mineral dust plausibly leads to the production of these anomalies. Our evaluation suggests that an inherent mechanism(s) remains elusive. Although hindered by end-member uncertainties, we show that S-MIF signals can be source apportioned to quantitatively constrain the fraction of mineral-dust-associated sulfate in urban locations. The influx of mineral-dust-associated sulfate can influence urban air pollution affecting air quality and/or human health and as such requires monitoring. Urban &Delta;<sup>33</sup>S signals can therefore be used to trace this sulfate fraction, thereby improving our understanding of sulfate aerosol dynamics.</p>
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spelling oxford-uuid:7d27842c-a29a-421d-bf8c-ff35831d38552024-08-20T09:35:38ZSulfur isotope anomalies (Δ33S) in urban air pollution linked to mineral-dust-associated sulfateclick to copy article linkJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:7d27842c-a29a-421d-bf8c-ff35831d3855EnglishSymplectic ElementsAmerican Chemical Society2022Dasari, SParis, GSaar, BPei, QCong, ZWidory, D<p>Sulfur isotope analysis provides a unique probe for source-specific information and certain atmospheric reactions. Globally, atmospheric aerosols in urban locations exhibit significant sulfur mass-independent fractionation (i.e., S-MIF, &Delta;<sup>33</sup>S &ne; 0). The origin(s) of these S-MIF anomalies remains unclear, thereby limiting the interpretation and/or application of such signals. Here, we conducted dual-isotope (&Delta;<sup>33</sup>S and &delta;<sup>34</sup>S) fingerprinting of sulfate aerosols from summertime megacity Delhi in south Asia. A shift toward concomitantly high &Delta;<sup>33</sup>S (from 0.2&permil; to 0.5&permil;) and low &delta;<sup>34</sup>S (from 5&permil; to 1&permil;) values was observed with the influx of mineral dust. The Fe:Al ratio showed significant correlations with both sulfate loadings (<em>R</em><sup>2</sup>&nbsp;= 0.84) and &Delta;<sup>33</sup>S signatures (<em>R</em><sup>2</sup>&nbsp;= 0.77). Contrary to the prevailing paradigm, this observational evidence suggests that mineral-dust-associated sulfate exhibits S-MIF anomalies. Atmospheric processing of mineral dust plausibly leads to the production of these anomalies. Our evaluation suggests that an inherent mechanism(s) remains elusive. Although hindered by end-member uncertainties, we show that S-MIF signals can be source apportioned to quantitatively constrain the fraction of mineral-dust-associated sulfate in urban locations. The influx of mineral-dust-associated sulfate can influence urban air pollution affecting air quality and/or human health and as such requires monitoring. Urban &Delta;<sup>33</sup>S signals can therefore be used to trace this sulfate fraction, thereby improving our understanding of sulfate aerosol dynamics.</p>
spellingShingle Dasari, S
Paris, G
Saar, B
Pei, Q
Cong, Z
Widory, D
Sulfur isotope anomalies (Δ33S) in urban air pollution linked to mineral-dust-associated sulfateclick to copy article link
title Sulfur isotope anomalies (Δ33S) in urban air pollution linked to mineral-dust-associated sulfateclick to copy article link
title_full Sulfur isotope anomalies (Δ33S) in urban air pollution linked to mineral-dust-associated sulfateclick to copy article link
title_fullStr Sulfur isotope anomalies (Δ33S) in urban air pollution linked to mineral-dust-associated sulfateclick to copy article link
title_full_unstemmed Sulfur isotope anomalies (Δ33S) in urban air pollution linked to mineral-dust-associated sulfateclick to copy article link
title_short Sulfur isotope anomalies (Δ33S) in urban air pollution linked to mineral-dust-associated sulfateclick to copy article link
title_sort sulfur isotope anomalies δ33s in urban air pollution linked to mineral dust associated sulfateclick to copy article link
work_keys_str_mv AT dasaris sulfurisotopeanomaliesd33sinurbanairpollutionlinkedtomineraldustassociatedsulfateclicktocopyarticlelink
AT parisg sulfurisotopeanomaliesd33sinurbanairpollutionlinkedtomineraldustassociatedsulfateclicktocopyarticlelink
AT saarb sulfurisotopeanomaliesd33sinurbanairpollutionlinkedtomineraldustassociatedsulfateclicktocopyarticlelink
AT peiq sulfurisotopeanomaliesd33sinurbanairpollutionlinkedtomineraldustassociatedsulfateclicktocopyarticlelink
AT congz sulfurisotopeanomaliesd33sinurbanairpollutionlinkedtomineraldustassociatedsulfateclicktocopyarticlelink
AT widoryd sulfurisotopeanomaliesd33sinurbanairpollutionlinkedtomineraldustassociatedsulfateclicktocopyarticlelink