Accurate measurement of black carbon (BC) particles is vital for climate models as well as air quality assessments. While the need for BC particle measurement has been recognized, standardization of instruments and procedures for ambient measurement is still underway. In this study, we used laboratory generated soot particles to assess nine instruments targeting BC mass concentration measurement. The measurement matrix included different BC concentrations (ranging from atmospheric levels to combustion emission levels), different particle coatings, two particle sources (gas burner and spark generator) and two dilution methods. The nine instruments included six different models: aethalometers AE33 and MA200, thermo-optical OC-EC analysis, multi-angle absorption photometer MAAP 5012, photoacoustic instrument MSS, and soot particle aerosol mass spectrometer SP-AMS. The main discrepancy we observed was that the SP-AMS results were systematically lower, approximately only half of the BC measured by other instruments. A portion of this is explained by particle losses in the aerodynamic lens of the SP-AMS and the parameters used in the data analysis. Some smaller discrepancies were identified for the other instruments, but overall, the median values from were within 25 % of each other. Instruments’ operation principles and covered concentration ranges need to be carefully considered especially in emission measurements where the aerosols can have high temporal variation as well as high BC concentrations. In general, the results can decrease the uncertainties in climate and air quality studies by providing tools for more accurate and comparable BC measurements and when the existing BC data is interpreted.

中文翻译：

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黑炭仪器对实验室产生的颗粒的反应

准确测量黑碳 (BC) 颗粒对于气候模型和空气质量评估至关重要。虽然BC颗粒测量的需求已被认识到，但环境测量仪器和程序的标准化仍在进行中。在这项研究中，我们使用实验室生成的烟灰颗粒来评估九种针对BC质量浓度测量的仪器。测量矩阵包括不同的BC浓度（从大气水平到燃烧排放水平）、不同的颗粒涂层、两种颗粒源（燃气燃烧器和火花发生器）和两种稀释方法。这九台仪器包括六种不同的型号：气体浓度计AE33和MA200、热光OC-EC分析仪、多角度吸收光度计MAAP 5012、光声仪器MSS和烟灰颗粒气溶胶质谱仪SP-AMS。我们观察到的主要差异是 SP-AMS 结果总体较低，大约仅为其他仪器测量的 BC 的一半。部分原因是 SP-AMS 空气动力透镜中的颗粒损失以及数据分析中使用的参数。其他工具也存在一些较小的差异，但总体而言，彼此的中值相差在 25% 以内。需要仔细考虑仪器的操作原理和涵盖的浓度范围，尤其是在气溶胶可能具有高时间变化和高BC浓度的排放测量中。一般来说，结果可以通过提供更准确和可比的BC测量以及解释现有BC数据的工具来减少气候和空气质量研究的不确定性。