Studies of the Kuwait oil fire plume during midsummer 1991

P. H. Daum, A. Al-Sunaid, K. M. Busness, J. M. Hales, M. Mazurek

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Abstract

During this study the plume was transported almost exclusively to the south of Kuwait over the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula. The plume base was generally found to be well above the surface, in some cases as high as 1-2 km; plume tops did not exceed 5 km. Aerosol mass (based on measured aerosol constituents) in the central section of the plume, ca. 150-200 km downwind of the source region, was found to be >500 μg/m3, with number densities in the size range (approximate) 0.2 < d < 3 μm (where d is diameter) as high as 30 000/cm3. The aerosol was composed of (in order of approximate contribution to mass) inorganic salts, elemental carbon, and organic carbon. Sodium chloride constituted a surprisingly large component of the soluble inorganic mass. The aerosol particles appeared to function as good cloud condensation nuclei, with a large fraction of accumulation mode particles (by number) activated at a supersaturation of 0.6%. -from Authors

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)16,809-16,827
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research
Volume98
Issue numberD9
DOIs
StatePublished - 1993
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

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