Seasonal variation of atmospheric particle number concentrations, new
particle formation and atmospheric oxidation capacity at the high Arctic
site Villum Research Station, Station Nord

Abstract. This work presents an analysis of the physical properties of sub-micrometer aerosol particles measured at the high Arctic site Villum Research Station, Station Nord (VRS), northeast Greenland, between July 2010 and February 2013. The study focuses on particle number concentrations, particle number size distributions and the occurrence of new particle formation (NPF) events and their seasonality in the high Arctic, where observations and characterization of such aerosol particle properties and corresponding events are rare and understanding of related processes is lacking.A clear accumulation mode was observed during the darker months from October until mid-May, which became considerably more pronounced during the prominent Arctic haze months from March to mid-May. In contrast, nucleation- and Aitken-mode particles were predominantly observed during the summer months. Analysis of wind direction and wind speed indicated possible contributions of marine sources from the easterly side of the station to the observed summertime particle number concentrations, while southwesterly to westerly winds dominated during the darker months. NPF events lasting from hours to days were mostly observed from June until August, with fewer events observed during the months with less sunlight, i.e., March, April, September and October. The results tend to indicate that ozone (O3) might be weakly anti-correlated with particle number concentrations of the nucleation-mode range (10–30 nm) in almost half of the NPF events, while no positive correlation was observed. Calculations of air mass back trajectories using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model for the NPF event days suggested that the onset or interruption of events could possibly be explained by changes in air mass origin. A map of event occurrence probability was computed, indicating that southerly air masses from over the Greenland Sea were more likely linked to those events.

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Seasonal variation of atmospheric particle number concentrations, new particle formation and atmospheric oxidation capacity at the high Arctic site Villum Research Station, Station Nord

10.5194/acp-2016-205 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Q. T. Nguyen ◽

M. Glasius ◽

L. L. Sørensen ◽

B. Jensen ◽

H. Skov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Particle Number ◽

Ground Level ◽

High Arctic ◽

Particle Formation ◽

Research Station ◽

New Particle Formation ◽

Hysplit Model ◽

Back Trajectories ◽

Particle Properties ◽

Atmospheric Particle

Abstract. This work presents an analysis of the physical properties of sub-micrometer aerosol particles measured at the high Arctic site Villum Research Station, Station Nord (VRS), northeast Greenland between July 2010 and February 2013. The study focus on particle number concentrations, particle number size distributions, the occurrence of new particle formation (NPF) events and their seasonality in the high Arctic, where observations and characterization of such aerosol particle properties and corresponding events are rare and understanding of related processes is lacking. A clear accumulation mode was observed during the darker months from October until mid-May, which became considerably more pronounced during the prominent Arctic haze months from March to mid-May. In contrast, only nucleation and Aitken-mode particles were observed during the summer months. Analysis of wind direction and wind speed indicated possible contributions of marine sources from the easterly side of the station to the observed summertime particle number concentrations, while southwesterly to westerly winds dominated during the darker months. NPF events lasting from hours to days were mostly observed from June until August, with fewer events observed during the months with less sunlight March, April, September, and October. It was observed that ozone (O3) is likely to play an important role in the formation and growth of new particles at the site during summertime. Calculations of air-mass back trajectories using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model for the NPF event days suggested that the events possibly originated from other places and transported together with O3 in air parcels from different heights of the boundary layer down to the station at ground level. A map of event occurrence probability was computed, indicating that southerly air masses from over the Greenland Sea were more likely linked to those events.

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Dynamics of gaseous oxidized mercury at Villum Research Station during the High Arctic summer

10.5194/acp-2020-1287 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jakob Boyd Pernov ◽

Bjarne Jensen ◽

Andreas Massling ◽

Daniel Charles Thomas ◽

Henrik Skov

Keyword(s):

Meteorological Data ◽

High Arctic ◽

Atmospheric Mercury ◽

The Arctic ◽

Research Station ◽

Cold Temperatures ◽

Air Mass ◽

Back Trajectories ◽

Arctic Summer ◽

Gaseous Oxidized Mercury

Abstract. While much research has been devoted to the subject of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) and gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) in the Arctic spring, during atmospheric mercury depletion events, few studies have examined the behavior of GOM in the High Arctic summer. GOM, once introduced into the ecosystem, can pose a threat to human and wildlife health, though there remain large uncertainties regarding the transformation, deposition, and assimilation of mercury into the ecosystem. Therefore, to further our understanding of the dynamics of gaseous oxidized mercury in the High Arctic during the late summer, we performed measurements of GEM and GOM along with meteorological parameters, atmospheric constituents, and air mass history during two summer campaigns in 2019 and 2020 at Villum Research Station (Villum) in Northeastern Greenland. Five events of enhanced GOM concentrations were identified and investigated in greater detail. The origin of these events was identified, through analysis of air mass back-trajectories, associated meteorological data, and other atmospheric constituents, to be the cold, dry free troposphere. These events were associated with low RH, limited precipitation, cold temperatures, and intense sunlight along the trajectory path. Events were positively correlated with ozone, aerosol particle number, and black carbon mass concentration, which were interpreted as an indication of tropospheric air masses. This work aims to provide a better understanding of the dynamics of GOM during the High Arctic summer.

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On the annual variability of Antarctic aerosol size distributions at Halley Research Station

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-20-4461-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (7) ◽

pp. 4461-4476 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thomas Lachlan-Cope ◽

David C. S. Beddows ◽

Neil Brough ◽

Anna E. Jones ◽

Roy M. Harrison ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Particle Number ◽

Particle Formation ◽

Sea Salt ◽

Sea Spray ◽

Substantial Part ◽

Research Station ◽

Size Distributions ◽

Blowing Snow ◽

New Particle Formation ◽

The Antarctic

Abstract. The Southern Ocean and Antarctic region currently best represent one of the few places left on our planet with conditions similar to the preindustrial age. Currently, climate models have a low ability to simulate conditions forming the aerosol baseline; a major uncertainty comes from the lack of understanding of aerosol size distributions and their dynamics. Contrasting studies stress that primary sea salt aerosol can contribute significantly to the aerosol population, challenging the concept of climate biogenic regulation by new particle formation (NPF) from dimethyl sulfide marine emissions. We present a statistical cluster analysis of the physical characteristics of particle size distributions (PSDs) collected at Halley (Antarctica) for the year 2015 (89 % data coverage; 6–209 nm size range; daily size resolution). By applying the Hartigan–Wong k-mean method we find eight clusters describing the entire aerosol population. Three clusters show pristine average low particle number concentrations (< 121–179 cm−3) with three main modes (30, 75–95 and 135–160 nm) and represent 57 % of the annual PSD (up to 89 %–100 % during winter and 34 %–65 % during summer based on monthly averages). Nucleation and Aitken mode PSD clusters dominate summer months (September–January, 59 %–90 %), whereas a clear bimodal distribution (43 and 134 nm, respectively; Hoppel minimum at mode 75 nm) is seen only during the December–April period (6 %–21 %). Major findings of the current work include: (1) NPF and growth events originate from both the sea ice marginal zone and the Antarctic plateau, strongly suggesting multiple vertical origins, including the marine boundary layer and free troposphere; (2) very low particle number concentrations are detected for a substantial part of the year (57 %), including summer (34 %–65 %), suggesting that the strong annual aerosol concentration cycle is driven by a short temporal interval of strong NPF events; (3) a unique pristine aerosol cluster is seen with a bimodal size distribution (75 and 160 nm, respectively), strongly associated with high wind speed and possibly associated with blowing snow and sea spray sea salt, dominating the winter aerosol population (34 %–54 %). A brief comparison with two other stations (Dome C – Concordia – and King Sejong Station) during the year 2015 (240 d overlap) shows that the dynamics of aerosol number concentrations and distributions are more complex than the simple sulfate–sea-spray binary combination, and it is likely that an array of additional chemical components and processes drive the aerosol population. A conceptual illustration is proposed indicating the various atmospheric processes related to the Antarctic aerosols, with particular emphasis on the origin of new particle formation and growth.

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Impact of Urban Pollution on Organic-Mediated New-Particle Formation and Particle Number Concentration in the Amazon Rainforest

Environmental Science & Technology ◽

10.1021/acs.est.0c07465 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 55 (8) ◽

pp. 4357-4367

Author(s):

Bin Zhao ◽

Jerome D. Fast ◽

Neil M. Donahue ◽

Manish Shrivastava ◽

Meredith Schervish ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Particle Number ◽

Urban Pollution ◽

Particle Formation ◽

Number Concentration ◽

Amazon Rainforest ◽

Particle Number Concentration ◽

New Particle Formation

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Identification of the Aerosol Types over Athens, Greece: The Influence of Air-Mass Transport

Advances in Meteorology ◽

10.1155/2010/168346 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2010 ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

D. G. Kaskaoutis ◽

P. G. Kosmopoulos ◽

H. D. Kambezidis ◽

P. T. Nastos

Keyword(s):

Winter Season ◽

Saharan Dust ◽

Dust Particles ◽

Hysplit Model ◽

Air Mass ◽

Back Trajectories ◽

Air Masses ◽

Local Pollution ◽

Coarse Mode ◽

Aerosol Types

Aerosol optical depth at 550 nm () and fine-mode (FM) fraction data from Terra-MODIS were obtained over the Greater Athens Area covering the period February 2000–December 2005. Based on both and FM values three main aerosol types have been discriminated corresponding to urban/industrial aerosols, clean maritime conditions, and coarse-mode, probably desert dust, particles. Five main sectors were identified for the classification of the air-mass trajectories, which were further used in the analysis of the ( and FM data for the three aerosol types). The HYSPLIT model was used to compute back trajectories at three altitudes to investigate the relation between -FM and wind sector depending on the altitude. The accumulation of local pollution is favored in spring and corresponds to air masses at lower altitudes originating from Eastern Europe and the Balkan. Clean maritime conditions are rare over Athens, limited in the winter season and associated with air masses from the Western or Northwestern sector. The coarse-mode particles origin seems to be more complicated proportionally to the season. Thus, in summer the Northern sector dominates, while in the other seasons, and especially in spring, the air masses belong to the Southern sector enriched with Saharan dust aerosols.

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Atmospheric new particle formation at the research station Melpitz, Germany: connection with gaseous precursors and meteorological parameters

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-18-1835-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 1835-1861 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Johannes Größ ◽

Amar Hamed ◽

André Sonntag ◽

Gerald Spindler ◽

Hanna Elina Manninen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sulfuric Acid ◽

Solar Radiation ◽

Gas Phase ◽

Meteorological Parameters ◽

Particle Formation ◽

Number Concentration ◽

Independent Effect ◽

Research Station ◽

New Particle Formation ◽

Automated Method

Abstract. This paper revisits the atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) process in the polluted Central European troposphere, focusing on the connection with gas-phase precursors and meteorological parameters. Observations were made at the research station Melpitz (former East Germany) between 2008 and 2011 involving a neutral cluster and air ion spectrometer (NAIS). Particle formation events were classified by a new automated method based on the convolution integral of particle number concentration in the diameter interval 2–20 nm. To study the relevance of gaseous sulfuric acid as a precursor for nucleation, a proxy was derived on the basis of direct measurements during a 1-month campaign in May 2008. As a major result, the number concentration of freshly produced particles correlated significantly with the concentration of sulfur dioxide as the main precursor of sulfuric acid. The condensation sink, a factor potentially inhibiting NPF events, played a subordinate role only. The same held for experimentally determined ammonia concentrations. The analysis of meteorological parameters confirmed the absolute need for solar radiation to induce NPF events and demonstrated the presence of significant turbulence during those events. Due to its tight correlation with solar radiation, however, an independent effect of turbulence for NPF could not be established. Based on the diurnal evolution of aerosol, gas-phase, and meteorological parameters near the ground, we further conclude that the particle formation process is likely to start in elevated parts of the boundary layer rather than near ground level.

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Modeling particle nucleation and growth over northern California during the 2010 CARES campaign

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-15-12283-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (21) ◽

pp. 12283-12313 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

A. Lupascu ◽

R. Easter ◽

R. Zaveri ◽

M. Shrivastava ◽

M. Pekour ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Size Distribution ◽

Particle Number ◽

Particle Formation ◽

Number Concentration ◽

Aerosol Size Distribution ◽

Particle Nucleation ◽

Particle Number Concentration ◽

New Particle Formation ◽

Organic Vapors ◽

Diurnal Variability

Abstract. Accurate representation of the aerosol lifecycle requires adequate modeling of the particle number concentration and size distribution in addition to their mass, which is often the focus of aerosol modeling studies. This paper compares particle number concentrations and size distributions as predicted by three empirical nucleation parameterizations in the Weather Research and Forecast coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem) regional model using 20 discrete size bins ranging from 1 nm to 10 μm. Two of the parameterizations are based on H2SO4, while one is based on both H2SO4 and organic vapors. Budget diagnostic terms for transport, dry deposition, emissions, condensational growth, nucleation, and coagulation of aerosol particles have been added to the model and are used to analyze the differences in how the new particle formation parameterizations influence the evolving aerosol size distribution. The simulations are evaluated using measurements collected at surface sites and from a research aircraft during the Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) conducted in the vicinity of Sacramento, California. While all three parameterizations captured the temporal variation of the size distribution during observed nucleation events as well as the spatial variability in aerosol number, all overestimated by up to a factor of 2.5 the total particle number concentration for particle diameters greater than 10 nm. Using the budget diagnostic terms, we demonstrate that the combined H2SO4 and low-volatility organic vapor parameterization leads to a different diurnal variability of new particle formation and growth to larger sizes compared to the parameterizations based on only H2SO4. At the CARES urban ground site, peak nucleation rates are predicted to occur around 12:00 Pacific (local) standard time (PST) for the H2SO4 parameterizations, whereas the highest rates were predicted at 08:00 and 16:00 PST when low-volatility organic gases are included in the parameterization. This can be explained by higher anthropogenic emissions of organic vapors at these times as well as lower boundary-layer heights that reduce vertical mixing. The higher nucleation rates in the H2SO4-organic parameterization at these times were largely offset by losses due to coagulation. Despite the different budget terms for ultrafine particles, the 10–40 nm diameter particle number concentrations from all three parameterizations increased from 10:00 to 14:00 PST and then decreased later in the afternoon, consistent with changes in the observed size and number distribution. We found that newly formed particles could explain up to 20–30 % of predicted cloud condensation nuclei at 0.5 % supersaturation, depending on location and the specific nucleation parameterization. A sensitivity simulation using 12 discrete size bins ranging from 1 nm to 10 μm diameter gave a reasonable estimate of particle number and size distribution compared to the 20 size bin simulation, while reducing the associated computational cost by ~ 36 %.

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CCN production by new particle formation in the free troposphere

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-17-1529-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 1529-1541 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Clémence Rose ◽

Karine Sellegri ◽

Isabel Moreno ◽

Fernando Velarde ◽

Michel Ramonet ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Particle Number ◽

Particle Growth ◽

Particle Formation ◽

Number Concentration ◽

Particle Number Concentration ◽

Free Troposphere ◽

New Particle Formation ◽

Data Set ◽

Radiative Processes ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Global models predict that new particle formation (NPF) is, in some environments, responsible for a substantial fraction of the total atmospheric particle number concentration and subsequently contributes significantly to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations. NPF events were frequently observed at the highest atmospheric observatory in the world, on Chacaltaya (5240 m a.s.l.), Bolivia. The present study focuses on the impact of NPF on CCN population. Neutral cluster and Air Ion Spectrometer and mobility particle size spectrometer measurements were simultaneously used to follow the growth of particles from cluster sizes down to ∼ 2 nm up to CCN threshold sizes set to 50, 80 and 100 nm. Using measurements performed between 1 January and 31 December 2012, we found that 61 % of the 94 analysed events showed a clear particle growth and significant enhancement of the CCN-relevant particle number concentration. We evaluated the contribution of NPF, relative to the transport and growth of pre-existing particles, to CCN size. The averaged production of 50 nm particles during those events was 5072, and 1481 cm−3 for 100 nm particles, with a larger contribution of NPF compared to transport, especially during the wet season. The data set was further segregated into boundary layer (BL) and free troposphere (FT) conditions at the site. The NPF frequency of occurrence was higher in the BL (48 %) compared to the FT (39 %). Particle condensational growth was more frequently observed for events initiated in the FT, but on average faster for those initiated in the BL, when the amount of condensable species was most probably larger. As a result, the potential to form new CCN was higher for events initiated in the BL (67 % against 53 % in the FT). In contrast, higher CCN number concentration increases were found when the NPF process initially occurred in the FT, under less polluted conditions. This work highlights the competition between particle growth and the removal of freshly nucleated particles by coagulation processes. The results support model predictions which suggest that NPF is an effective source of CCN in some environments, and thus may influence regional climate through cloud-related radiative processes.

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New Particle Formation and impact on CCN concentrations in the boundary layer and free troposphere at the high altitude station of Chacaltaya (5240 m a.s.l.), Bolivia

10.5194/acp-2016-696 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

C. Rose ◽

K. Sellegri ◽

I. Moreno ◽

F. Velarde ◽

M. Ramonet ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Boundary Layer ◽

Particle Number ◽

Particle Growth ◽

Particle Formation ◽

Number Concentration ◽

Particle Number Concentration ◽

Free Troposphere ◽

New Particle Formation ◽

Radiative Processes ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Global models predict that new particle formation (NPF) is, in some environments, responsible for a substantial fraction of the total atmospheric particle number concentration and subsequently contribute significantly to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations. NPF events were frequently observed at the highest atmospheric observatory in the world, Chacaltaya (5240 m a.s.l.), Bolivia. The present study focuses on the impact of NPF on CCN population. Neutral cluster and Air Ion Spectrometer and mobility particle size spectrometer measurements were simultaneously used to follow the growth of particles from cluster sizes down to ~ 2 nm up to CCN threshold sizes set to 50, 80 and 100 nm. Using measurements performed between January 1 and December 31 2012, we found that 61% of the 94 analysed events showed a clear particle growth and significant enhancement of the CCN-relevant particle number concentration. We evaluated the contribution of NPF events relative to the transport of pre-existing particles to the site. The averaged production of 50 nm particles during those events was 5072 cm−3, and 1481 cm−3 for 100 nm particles, with a larger contribution of NPF compared to transport, especially during the wet season. The data set was further segregated into boundary layer (BL) and free troposphere (FT) conditions at the site. The NPF frequency of occurrence was higher in the BL (48 %) compared to the FT (39 %). Particle condensational growth was more frequently observed for events initiated in the FT, but on average faster for those initiated in the BL, when the amount of condensable species was most probably larger. As a result, the potential to form new CCN was higher for events initiated in the BL (67 % against 56 % in the FT). In contrast, higher CCN number concentration increases were found when the NPF process initially occurred in the FT, under less polluted conditions. This work highlights the competition between particle growth and the removal of freshly nucleated particles by coagulation processes. The results support model predictions which suggest that NPF is an effective source of CCN in some environments, and thus may influence regional climate through cloud related radiative processes.

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