Vertical evolution of black carbon characteristics and heating rate during a haze event in Beijing winter

Black carbon aerosol plays an important role on absorbing shortwave solar radiation. The absorption of BC in urban environment with intensive anthropogenic emissions may modify the atmospheric thermodynamics by heating the planetary boundary layer (PBL), however the exact impacts are still largely uncertain due to lack of in-situ observations. Here we report the detailed in-situ characterization on vertical profiles of BC-related properties including the BC mass, size distribution and mixing state over Beijing by successive flights, during which a full process of haze initialization, development and ceasing were captured and processes of BC properties during this typical haze event was in detail investigated. We found the shallow PBL and the temperature inversion importantly enhanced the BC mass loading in the polluted day and these BC particles were significantly coated with mass ratio of coating over refractory BC increasing from about 1 to 10, whereas when the capping was released the BC was dispersed throughout the column and the coating was reduced. The coatings may cause the enhancement of BC absorption by 95% and introduce additional heating rate as high as 0.1 K/h during hazy day. The absorbing power efficiency and heat rate of BC showed positive vertical gradient during peak pollution, which may enhance the temperature inversion at upper level of the PBL. These results provide impacts of BC mixing state on atmospheric heating, and emphasize the importance of including BC mixing state, especially under highly polluted environment, to model the aerosol-boundary layer interaction over urban environment with high BC emission. [Display omitted] •Successive fights were conducted to capture the evolution of BC vertical profiles.•The coatings may introduce additional heating rate as high as 0.1 K/h during hazy day.•The positive vertical gradient of heating rate may enhance temperature inversion.