Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.1
2.9
Journals
Atmosphere
Special Issues
Biomass Burning
share announcement

Biomass Burning

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2017) | Viewed by 29812

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xiaoyang Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Interests: biomass burning emissions; burned area; fire seasonality; climate change; real-time monitoring; remote sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Shobha Kondragunta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
NOAA/NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research, 5825 University Research Court, College Park, MD, USA
Interests: remote sensing of aerosols; biomass burning emissions; trace gases and application of remotely sensed data to air quality monitoring and modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass burning in wildfires and prescribed fires has a significant influence on ecosystem structure and function, trace gas emissions, carbon cycle, air quality, energy feedbacks to the climate system, regional socioeconomic conditions, and future land use planning. Biomass burning releases a large amount of trace gases and aerosol emissions, which significantly influence the Earth’s atmosphere and climate. Greenhouse gases from biomass burning lead to an increased warming of the Earth, which could result in more frequent and larger fires. Aerosol emissions from biomass burning affect both local and global air quality, which has strong impacts on human health and environmental pollution. During past decades, biomass burning has been investigated based on inventory data and satellite observations. Several regional and global biomass burning emissions products have been produced for monitoring and forecasting air quality, assessing carbon budget, and exploring climate impacts. However, the discrepancies in the current estimates of biomass burning remain considerable, which results in the large uncertainties in the environmental modeling. It is necessary to quantify biomass burning accurately, particularly with the increase of biomass burning in last decade.

We invite you to submit articles concerning your recent research in the estimates of biomass burning, the applications of fire emissions in air quality monitoring, and the climate impacts with respect to the following topics:
•    Measuring and modeling of biomass burning emissions at local and global scales
•    Evaluation and valuation of the estimates of biomass burning
•    Application of biomass burning emissions for air quality monitoring
•    Long-term biomass burning variation and climate impacts

Dr. Xiaoyang Zhang
Dr. Shobha Kondragunta
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Estimates of biomass burning
  • Satellite observations
  • Validation and evaluation
  • Air quality modeling
  • Climate impacts

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

2259 KiB  
Article
Estimation of the Elemental to Organic Carbon Ratio in Biomass Burning Aerosol Using AERONET Retrievals
by Igor B. Konovalov, Daria A. Lvova and Matthias Beekmann
Atmosphere 2017, 8(7), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos8070122 - 09 Jul 2017
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4823
Abstract
The balance between the cooling and warming effects of aerosol originating from open biomass burning (BB) critically depends on the ratio of its major absorbing and scattering components, such as elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC), but available direct measurements of this [...] Read more.
The balance between the cooling and warming effects of aerosol originating from open biomass burning (BB) critically depends on the ratio of its major absorbing and scattering components, such as elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC), but available direct measurements of this ratio in remote regions are limited and rather uncertain. Here, we propose a method to estimate the EC/OC mass ratio in BB aerosol using continuous observations of aerosol optical properties by the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and apply it to the data from two AERONET sites situated in Siberia. Our method exploits a robust experimental finding (that was reported recently based on laboratory analysis of aerosol from the combustion of wildland fuels) that the single scattering albedo of BB aerosol particles depends linearly on the EC/(EC + OC) mass ratio. We estimated that the mean value of the EC/OC ratio in BB aerosol observed in summer 2012 was 0.036 (±0.009), which is less than the corresponding value (0.061) predicted in our simulations with a chemistry transport model using the emission factors from the Global Fire Emissions Database 4 (GFED4) fire emission inventory. Based on results of our analysis, we propose a parameterization that allows constraining the EC/OC ratio in BB aerosol with available satellite observations of the absorption and extinction aerosol optical depths. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Burning)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

8396 KiB  
Article
Intercomparison of MODIS and VIIRS Fire Products in Khanty-Mansiysk Russia: Implications for Characterizing Gas Flaring from Space
by Ambrish Sharma, Jun Wang and Elizabeth M. Lennartson
Atmosphere 2017, 8(6), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos8060095 - 23 May 2017
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5622
Abstract
Gas flaring is commonly used by industrial plants for processing oil and natural gases in the atmosphere, and hence is an important anthropogenic source for various pollutants including CO2, CO, and aerosols. This study evaluates the feasibility of using satellite data [...] Read more.
Gas flaring is commonly used by industrial plants for processing oil and natural gases in the atmosphere, and hence is an important anthropogenic source for various pollutants including CO2, CO, and aerosols. This study evaluates the feasibility of using satellite data to characterize gas flaring from space by focusing on the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug in Russia, a region that is well known for its dominant gas flaring activities. Multiple satellite-based thermal anomaly data products at night are intercompared and analyzed, including MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Terra level 2 Thermal Anomalies product (MOD14), MODIS Aqua level 2 Thermal Anomalies product (MYD14), VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) Active Fires Applications Related Product (VAFP), and VIIRS level 2 Nightfire product (VNF). The analysis compares and contrasts the efficacy of these sensor products in detecting small, hot sources like flares on the ground in extremely cold environments such as Russia. We found that the VNF algorithm recently launched by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has the unprecedented accuracy and efficiency in characterizing gas flares in the region owing primarily to the use of Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) bands. Reconciliation of VNF’s differences and similarities with other nighttime fire products is also conducted, indicating that MOD14/MYD14 and VAFP data are only effective in detecting those gas flaring pixels that are among the hottest in the region; incorporation of shortwave infrared (1.6 µm) band used in VNF may improve the detection of relatively cooler gas flares. The gas flaring locations from the VNF product are validated using Google Earth images. It is shown that VNF’s estimates of the area of gas flaring agree well with the Google image counterparts with a linear correlation of 0.91, highlighting its potential use for routinely monitoring emissions of gas flaring from space. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Burning)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

561 KiB  
Review
Effects of Agricultural Biomass Burning on Regional Haze in China: A Review
by Hongmei Zhao, Xuelei Zhang, Shichun Zhang, Weiwei Chen, Daniel Q. Tong and Aijun Xiu
Atmosphere 2017, 8(5), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos8050088 - 18 May 2017
Cited by 63 | Viewed by 8023
Abstract
Burning agricultural straw before and/or after harvest is a common farming practice. Regional and extensive agricultural open field straw burning can cause serious air pollution events. This paper looks at the effects of biomass burning emission on regional haze that should be considered [...] Read more.
Burning agricultural straw before and/or after harvest is a common farming practice. Regional and extensive agricultural open field straw burning can cause serious air pollution events. This paper looks at the effects of biomass burning emission on regional haze that should be considered in the forecasting of regional haze. It describes the current state of crop residue burning in China, and analyzes the relationship between biomass burning and regional haze in terms of temporal/spatial patterns and chemical composition. Finally, some suggestions/recommendations are proposed for the recycling of agricultural straw to reduce the impact of biomass burning on regional haze and air quality. We suggest that prescribed open burning would be a more suitable solution in China. We hope that this report about biomass burning and regional haze will bring the issue to the attention of governments and other researchers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Burning)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

301 KiB  
Review
Particulate Matter Emission Factors for Biomass Combustion
by Simone Simões Amaral, João Andrade de Carvalho, Maria Angélica Martins Costa and Cleverson Pinheiro
Atmosphere 2016, 7(11), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos7110141 - 31 Oct 2016
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 10654
Abstract
Emission factor is a relative measure and can be used to estimate emissions from multiple sources of air pollution. For this reason, data from literature on particulate matter emission factors from different types of biomass were evaluated in this paper. Initially, the main [...] Read more.
Emission factor is a relative measure and can be used to estimate emissions from multiple sources of air pollution. For this reason, data from literature on particulate matter emission factors from different types of biomass were evaluated in this paper. Initially, the main sources of particles were described, as well as relevant concepts associated with particle measurements. In addition, articles about particle emissions were classified and described in relation to the sampling environment (open or closed) and type of burned biomass (agricultural, garden, forest, and dung). Based on this analysis, a set of emission factors was presented and discussed. Important observations were made about the main emission sources of particulate matter. Combustion of compacted biomass resulted in lower particulate emission factors. PM2.5 emissions were predominant in the burning of forest biomass. Emission factors were more elevated in laboratory burning, followed by burns in the field, residences and combustors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomass Burning)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop