scholarly journals New particle formation events observed at King Sejong Station, Antarctic Peninsula – Part 1: Physical characteristics and contribution to cloud condensation nuclei

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 7583-7594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaeseok Kim ◽  
Young Jun Yoon ◽  
Yeontae Gim ◽  
Jin Hee Choi ◽  
Hyo Jin Kang ◽  
...  

Abstract. The physical characteristics of aerosol particles during particle bursts observed at King Sejong Station in the Antarctic Peninsula from March 2009 to December 2016 were analyzed. This study focuses on the seasonal variation in parameters related to particle formation such as the occurrence, formation rate (FR) and growth rate (GR), condensation sink (CS) and source rate of condensable vapor. The number concentrations during new particle formation (NPF) events varied from 1707 to 83 120 cm−3, with an average of 20 649 ± 9290 cm−3, and the duration of the NPF events ranged from 0.6 to 14.4 h, with a mean of 4.6±1.5 h. The NPF event dominantly occurred during austral summer period (∼72 %). The measured mean values of FR and GR of the aerosol particles were 2.79±1.05 cm−3 s−1 and 0.68±0.27 nm h−1, respectively, showing enhanced rates in the summer season. The mean value of FR at King Sejong Station was higher than that at other sites in Antarctica, at 0.002–0.3 cm−3 s−1, while those of growth rates were relatively similar to the results observed by previous studies, at 0.4–4.3 nm h−1. The derived average values of CS and source rate of condensable vapor were (6.04±2.74)×10-3 s−1 and (5.19±3.51)×104 cm−3 s−1, respectively. The contribution of particle formation to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration was also investigated. The CCN concentration during the NPF period increased by approximately 11 % compared with the background concentration. In addition, the effects of the origin and pathway of air masses on the characteristics of aerosol particles during a NPF event were determined. The FRs were similar regardless of the origin and pathway, whereas the GRs of particles originating from the Antarctic Peninsula and the Bellingshausen Sea, at 0.77±0.25 and 0.76±0.30 nm h−1, respectively, were higher than those of particles originating from the Weddell Sea (0.41±0.15 nm h−1).

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaeseok Kim ◽  
Young Jun Yoon ◽  
Yeontae Gim ◽  
Jin Hee Choi ◽  
Hyo Jin Kang ◽  
...  

Abstract. The physical characteristics of aerosol particles during a particle burst observed at King Sejong Station in Antarctic Peninsula from March 2009 to December 2016 were analyzed. This study focuses on the seasonal variation in parameters related to particle formation such as the occurrence, formation rate (FR) and growth rate (GR), condensation sink (CS), and source rate of condensable vapor. The number concentrations during new particle formation (NPF) events varied from 1707 cm−3 to 83 120 cm−3, with an average of 20 649 ± 9290 cm−3, and the duration of the NPF events ranged from 0.6 h to 14.4 h, with a mean of 4.6 ± 1.5 h. The NPF event dominantly occurred during austral summer period (~ 72 %). The mean values of FR and GR of the aerosol particles were 2.79 ± 1.05 cm−3 s−1 and 0.68 ± 0.27 nm h−1, respectively showing enhanced rates in the summer season. The mean value of FR at King Sejong Station was higher than that at other sites in Antarctica, at 0.002–0.3 cm−3 s−1, while those of growth rates was relatively similar results observed by precious studies, at 0.4~4.3 nm h−1. The average values of CS and source rate of condensable vapor were (6.04 ± 2.74) × 10−3 s−1 and (5.19 ± 3.51) × 104 cm−3 s−1, respectively. The contribution of particle formation to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration was also investigated. The CCN concentration during the NPF period increased approximately 9 % compared with the background concentration. In addition, the effects of the origin and pathway of air masses on the characteristics of aerosol particles during a NPF event were determined. The FRs were similar regardless of the origin and pathway, whereas the GRs of particles originating from the Antarctic Peninsula and the Bellingshausen Sea, at 0.77 ± 0.25 nm h−1 and 0.76 ± 0.30 nm h−1, respectively, were higher than those of particles originating from the Weddell Sea (0.41 ± 0.15 nm h−1).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Brean ◽  
Manuel Dall’Osto ◽  
Rafel Simó ◽  
Zongbo Shi ◽  
David C. S. Beddows ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maija Peltola ◽  
Manon Rocco ◽  
Neill Barr ◽  
Erin Dunne ◽  
James Harnwell ◽  
...  

<p>Even though oceans cover over 70% of the Earth’s surface, the ways in which oceans interact with climate are not fully known. Marine micro-organisms such as phytoplankton can play an important role in regulating climate by releasing different chemical species into air. In air these chemical species can react and form new aerosol particles. If grown to large enough sizes, aerosols can influence climate by acting as cloud condensation nuclei which influence the formation and properties of clouds. Even though a connection of marine biology and climate through aerosol formation was first proposed already over 30 years ago, the processes related to this connection are still uncertain.</p><p>To unravel how seawater properties affect aerosol formation and to identify which chemical species are responsible for aerosol formation, we built two Air-Sea-Interaction Tanks (ASIT) that isolate 1000 l of seawater and 1000 l of air directly above the water. The used seawater was collected from different locations during a ship campaign on board the R/V Tangaroa in the South West Pacific Ocean, close to Chatham Rise, east of New Zealand. Seawater from one location was kept in the tanks for 2-3 days and then changed. By using seawater collected from different locations, we could obtain water with different biological populations. To monitor the seawater, we took daily samples to determine its chemical and biological properties.</p><p>The air in the tanks was continuously flushed with particle filtered air. This way the air had on average 40 min to interact with the seawater surface before being sampled. Our air sampling was continuous and consisted of aerosol and air chemistry measurements. The instrumentation included measurements of aerosol number concentration from 1 to 500 nm and  chemical species ranging from ozone and sulphur dioxide to volatile organic compounds and chemical composition of molecular clusters.</p><p>Joining the seawater and atmospheric data together can give us an idea of what chemical species are emitted from the water into the atmosphere and whether these species can form new aerosol particles. Our preliminary results show a small number of particles in the freshly nucleated size range of 1-3 nm in the ASIT headspaces, indicating that new aerosol particles can form in the ASIT headspaces. In this presentation, we will also explore which chemical species could be responsible for aerosol formation and which plankton groups could be related to the emissions of these species. Combining these results with ambient data and modelling work can shed light on how important new particle formation from marine sources is for climate.</p><p>Acknowledgements: Sea2Cloud project is funded by European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 771369).</p>


Nature ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 574 (7778) ◽  
pp. 399-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina J. Williamson ◽  
Agnieszka Kupc ◽  
Duncan Axisa ◽  
Kelsey R. Bilsback ◽  
ThaoPaul Bui ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 5911-5922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hing Cho Cheung ◽  
Charles Chung-Kuang Chou ◽  
Celine Siu Lan Lee ◽  
Wei-Chen Kuo ◽  
Shuenn-Chin Chang

Abstract. The chemical composition of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the size distribution and number concentration of aerosol particles (NCN), and the number concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (NCCN) were measured at the northern tip of Taiwan during an intensive observation experiment from April 2017 to March 2018. The parameters of aerosol hygroscopicity (i.e., activation ratio, activation diameter and kappa of CCN) were retrieved from the measurements. Significant variations were found in the hygroscopicity of aerosols (kappa – κ – of 0.18–0.56, for water vapor supersaturation – SS – of 0.12 %–0.80 %), which were subject to various pollution sources, including aged air pollutants originating in eastern and northern China and transported by the Asian continental outflows and fresh particles emitted from local sources and distributed by land–sea breeze circulations as well as produced by processes of new particle formation (NPF). Cluster analysis was applied to the back trajectories of air masses to investigate their respective source regions. The results showed that aerosols associated with Asian continental outflows were characterized by lower NCN and NCCN values and by higher kappa values of CCN, whereas higher NCN and NCCN values with lower kappa values of CCN were observed in the aerosols associated with local air masses. Besides, it was revealed that the kappa value of CCN exhibited a decrease during the early stage of an event of new particle formation, which turned to an increasing trend over the later period. The distinct features in the hygroscopicity of aerosols were found to be consistent with the characteristics in the chemical composition of PM2.5. This study has depicted a clear seasonal characteristic of hygroscopicity and CCN activity under the influence of a complex mixture of pollutants from different regional and/or local pollution sources. Nevertheless, the mixing state and chemical composition of the aerosols critically influence the aerosol hygroscopicity, and further investigations are necessary to elucidate the atmospheric processing involved in the CCN activation in coastal areas.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 2591-2601
Author(s):  
Fangqun Yu ◽  
Gan Luo ◽  
Arshad Arjunan Nair ◽  
James J. Schwab ◽  
James P. Sherman ◽  
...  

Abstract. Atmospheric particles can act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and modify cloud properties and precipitation and thus indirectly impact the hydrological cycle and climate. New particle formation (NPF or nucleation), frequently observed at locations around the globe, is an important source of ultrafine particles and CCN in the atmosphere. In this study, wintertime NPF over the Northeastern United States (NEUS) is simulated with WRF-Chem coupled with a size-resolved (sectional) advanced particle microphysics (APM) model. Model-simulated variations in particle number concentrations during a 2-month period (November–December 2013) are in agreement with corresponding measurements taken at Pinnacle State Park (PSP), New York, and Appalachian State University (APP), North Carolina. We show that, even during wintertime, regional nucleation occurs and contributes significantly to ultrafine-particle and CCN number concentrations over the NEUS. The model shows that, due to low biogenic emissions during this period, wintertime regional nucleation is solely controlled by inorganic species and the newly developed ternary ion-mediated nucleation scheme is able to capture the variations in observed particle number concentrations (ranging from ∼200 to 20 000 cm−3) at both PSP and APP. Total particle and CCN number concentrations dramatically increase following NPF events and have the highest values over the Ohio Valley region, where elevated [SO2] is sustained by power plants. Secondary particles dominate particle number abundance over the NEUS, and their fraction increases with altitude from ≳85 % near the surface to ≳95 % in the upper troposphere. The secondary fraction of CCN also increases with altitude, from 20 %–50 % in the lower boundary layer to 50 %–60 % in the middle troposphere to 70 %–85 % in the upper troposphere.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 7595-7608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunho Jang ◽  
Ki-Tae Park ◽  
Young Jun Yoon ◽  
Tae-Wook Kim ◽  
Sang-Bum Hong ◽  
...  

Abstract. Marine biota is an important source of atmospheric aerosol particles in the remote marine atmosphere. However, the relationship between new particle formation and marine biota is poorly quantified. Long-term observations (from 2009 to 2016) of the physical properties of atmospheric aerosol particles measured at the Antarctic Peninsula (King Sejong Station; 62.2∘ S, 58.8∘ W) and satellite-derived estimates of the biological characteristics were analyzed to identify the link between new particle formation and marine biota. New particle formation events in the Antarctic atmosphere showed distinct seasonal variations, with the highest values occurring when the air mass originated from the ocean domain during the productive austral summer (December, January and February). Interestingly, new particle formation events were more frequent in the air masses that originated from the Bellingshausen Sea than in those that originated from the Weddell Sea. The monthly mean number concentration of nanoparticles (2.5–10 nm in diameter) was >2-fold higher when the air masses passed over the Bellingshausen Sea than the Weddell Sea, whereas the biomass of phytoplankton in the Weddell Sea was more than ∼70 % higher than that of the Bellingshausen Sea during the austral summer period. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is of marine origin and its oxidative products are known to be one of the major components in the formation of new particles. Both satellite-derived estimates of the biological characteristics (dimethylsulfoniopropionate, DMSP; precursor of DMS) and phytoplankton taxonomic composition and in situ methanesulfonic acid (84 daily measurements during the summer period in 2013 and 2014) analysis revealed that DMS(P)-rich phytoplankton were more dominant in the Bellingshausen Sea than in the Weddell Sea. Furthermore, the number concentration of nanoparticles was positively correlated with the biomass of phytoplankton during the period when DMS(P)-rich phytoplankton predominate. These results indicate that oceanic DMS emissions could play a key role in the formation of new particles; moreover, the taxonomic composition of phytoplankton could affect the formation of new particles in the Antarctic Ocean.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document