Journal Menu
► Journal MenuJournal Browser
► Journal BrowserSpecial Issue "Chemical and Morphological Characterization of Atmospheric Aerosols"
A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Aerosols".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 October 2023 | Viewed by 1954
Special Issue Editor
Interests: geochemistry; mineralogy; individual particle analysis; particulate matter; dust sources; aerosol science and technology; air quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Aerosols are a major part of atmospheric air. They are complex mixtures originating from a variety of natural and anthropogenic processes in different contexts. The morphology and chemical composition, as well as the chemical–physical state of surfaces, say a lot about the “history” and surface reactivity of aerosol particles, thus allowing to reconstruct their origin as well as to predict their effects on the environment and human health—hence the need for combined chemical and morphological/morphostructural studies in the detailed characterization of aerosols.
The goal of this Special Issue is to collect scientific contributions on the characterization of aerosols sharing a dual chemical and morphological approach in the analysis of the constituent particles. All types of aerosols from outdoor (e.g., rural, urban, remote) and indoor (e.g., domestic, occupational) environments, along with their mutual relationships, can be considered, and both micro- and nanoparticles can be treated. Analytical techniques can also be very diverse, ranging from the most popular (e.g., scanning and transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman microspectroscopy, X-ray microscopy with near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with laser ablation or time-of-flight) to the latest and most cutting-edge ones.
Dr. Beatrice Moroni
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
- anthropogenic and natural aerosols
- secondary aerosols
- structure and texture
- mineralogy and geochemistry
- surface analysis
- image analysis
- urban, remote, indoor environments
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Abstract: The cryosphere is a fundamental, though fragile component of the Earth system. For various reasons, including progressive modification of atmospheric circulation and increasing production of dust directly in Arctic areas, it has been experiencing a dramatic evolution in the very recent times.
Snow analysis provides a huge amount of information about the nature and fate of atmospheric aerosols in the Arctic. First of all, and with respect to the aerosol, snow gets the the actual budget of deposition (both wet and dry) in respect to the total aerosol insisting at ground level. Furthermore, snow retains the total record of aerosol deposition after the last snow/rain event and before the sampling date. The problem is, if anything, that of discriminating between the different components of the aerosol (local, long-range transported, secondary), where present. Therefore the study of snow cannot ignore the comparative study of aerosols and local soils in order to reconstruct their origin and evolution on a local scale in the light of atmospheric circulation in the period of interest.
The relationships between snow, aerosol and local soils were investigated in Hornsund, Svalbard, in April-May 2019. This period marks the beginning of the thaw phase when atmospheric instability and variable provenance of incoming air masses typically occur. Snow, aerosol and local soils were collected during the sampling campaign and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on individual silicate and metal oxide Fe-bearing particles. These particles were chosen for their ability to discriminate aerosols from different contexts (e.g., Iceland rather than Greenland or N-Europe), and also because they are easily identifiable by SEM analysis due to their good contrast in back-scattered electron imaging.
The results show a large geochemical overlap of the aerosol particles with local sediments, but also a certain degree of affinity with dust of North Atlantic origin (Iceland, Greenland, British Isles). In particular, the detailed analysis of the snow samples revealed the occurrence of a strong wet deposition event on a sector of the glaciated area. Which demonstrates the ability of snow analysis of reconstructing the type (dry, wet) and the extent of aerosol deposition on the snowpack as a function of altitude and exposure conditions.
