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Development of a New Analytical Method for the Characterization and Quantification of the Organic and Inorganic Carbonaceous Fractions in Snow Samples Using TOC and TOT Analysis

Development of a New Analytical Method for the Characterization and Quantification of the Organic and Inorganic Carbonaceous Fractions in Snow Samples Using TOC and TOT Analysis

Authors :
Mattia Borelli
Andrea Bergomi
Valeria Comite
Vittoria Guglielmi
Chiara Andrea Lombardi
Stefania Gilardoni
Biagio Di Mauro
Marina Lasagni
Paola Fermo
Source :
Atmosphere, Vol 14, Iss 2, p 371 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

Different Light-Absorbing Snow Impurities (LASI) can deposit on snow- and ice-covered surfaces. These particles are able to decrease snow and ice albedo and trigger positive albedo feedback. The aim of this work was to develop a new method to quantify the carbonaceous fractions that are present in snow and ice samples that contribute significantly to their darkening. Currently, in the literature, there is an absence of a unified and accepted method to perform these studies. To set up the method proposed here, snow samples were collected at two Italian locations, Claviere and Val di Pejo (Northern Italy). The samples were analyzed using two main techniques, Total Organic Carbon analysis (TOC analysis) and Thermal Optical analysis in Transmittance mode (TOT), which enabled the speciation of the carbonaceous fraction into organic (OC), inorganic (IC), and elemental carbon (EC), and further into the soluble and insoluble parts. The results highlighted a correlation between the nature of the sample (i.e., location, age, and exposure of the snow) and the experimental results, giving validity to the method. For example, the abundant presence of terrigenous constituents was reflected in high amounts of insoluble IC. Moreover, due to the trend between insoluble IC and Elemental Carbon (EC), the role of IC in TOT analysis was investigated. Indeed, IC turned out to be an interfering agent, suggesting that the two techniques (TOC analysis and TOT) are complementary and therefore need to be used in parallel when performing these studies. Finally, the results obtained indicate that the newly proposed method is suitable for studying the carbonaceous fractions in snow samples.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20734433
Volume :
14
Issue :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Atmosphere
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.46c434a40b7847b1a97cee032f7e6fef
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14020371