scholarly journals Measurement report: Three years of size-resolved eddy-covariance particle number flux measurements in an urban environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 18707-18726
Author(s):  
Agnes Straaten ◽  
Stephan Weber
Keyword(s):  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Ultrafine Particles ◽  
Particle Number ◽  
Particle Diameter ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
Size Spectrum ◽  
Slight Reduction ◽  
The Third ◽  
Total Particle Number ◽  
Total Particle

Abstract. Size-resolved particle number fluxes in the size range of 10 nm < particle diameter (Dp) < 200 nm were measured over a 3-year period (April 2017–March 2020) using the eddy-covariance technique at an urban site in Berlin, Germany. The observations indicated the site as a net source of particles with a median total particle number flux of FTNC=0.86 × 108 m−2 s−1. The turbulent surface–atmosphere exchange of particles was clearly dominated by ultrafine particles (Dp < 100 nm) with a share of 96 % of total particle number flux (FUFP=0.83 × 108 m−2 s−1). Annual estimates of median FTNC and FUFP slightly decreased by −9.6 % (−8.9 % for FUFP) from the first to the second observation year and a further −5.9 % (−6.1 % for FUFP) from the second to the third year. The annual variation might be due to different reasons such as the variation of flux footprints in the individual years, a slight reduction of traffic intensity in the third year, or a progressive transition of the vehicle fleet towards a higher share of low-emission standards or electric drive. Size-resolved measurements illustrated events of bidirectional fluxes, i.e. simultaneous emission and deposition fluxes within the size spectrum, which occurred more often in spring, late summer, and autumn than in winter. Multi-year observations of size-resolved particle fluxes proved to be important for a deeper understanding of particle exchange processes with the urban surface and the pronounced influence of traffic at this urban site.

scholarly journals Measurement report: Three years of size-resolved eddy-covariance particle number flux measurements in an urban environment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Straaten ◽  
Stephan Weber
Keyword(s):  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Ultrafine Particles ◽  
Particle Number ◽  
Particle Diameter ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
Size Spectrum ◽  
Slight Reduction ◽  
The Third ◽  
Total Particle Number ◽  
Total Particle

Abstract. Size-resolved particle number fluxes in the size range 10 nm <  particle diameter (Dp) < 200 nm were measured over a 3-year period (April 2017–March 2020) using the eddy covariance technique at an urban site in Berlin, Germany. The observations indicated the site as a net source of particles with a median total particle number flux of FTNC = 0.86 × 108 m−2 s−1. The turbulent surface-atmosphere exchange of particles was clearly dominated by ultrafine particles (Dp < 100 nm) with a share of 96 % of total particle number flux (FUFP = 0.83 × 108 m−2 s−1). Annual estimates of median FTNC and FUFP slightly decreased by −9.6 % (−8.9 % for FUFP) from the first to the second observation year and a further −5.9 % (−6.1 % for FUFP) from the second to the third year. The annual variation might be due to different reasons such as variation of flux footprints in the individual years, a slight reduction of traffic intensity in the third year or a progressive transition of the vehicle fleet towards a higher share of low-emission standards or electric drive. Size-resolved measurements illustrated events of bidirectional fluxes, i.e. simultaneous emission and deposition fluxes within the size spectrum, which occurred more often in spring, late summer and autumn than in winter. Multi-year observations of size-resolved particle fluxes proved to be important for deeper understanding of particle exchange processes with the urban surface and the pronounced influence of traffic at this urban site.

scholarly journals Long-Term Characterization of Submicron Atmospheric Particles in an Urban Background Site in Southern Italy

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adelaide Dinoi ◽  
Marianna Conte ◽  
Fabio M. Grasso ◽  
Daniele Contini
Keyword(s):  
Particle Number ◽  
Meteorological Parameters ◽  
Particle Diameter ◽  
Number Concentration ◽  
Total Particle Number ◽  
Total Particle ◽  
Late Evening ◽  
20 Nm

Continuous measurements of particle number size distributions in the size range from 10 nm to 800 nm were performed from 2015 to 2019 at the ECO Environmental-Climate Observatory of Lecce (Global Atmosphere Watch Programme/Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure (GAW/ACTRIS) regional station). The main objectives of this work were to investigate the daily, weekly and seasonal trends of particle number concentrations and their dependence on meteorological parameters gathering information on potential sources. The highest total number concentrations were observed during autumn-winter with average values nearly twice as high as in summer. More than 52% of total particle number concentration consisted of Aitken mode (20 nm < particle diameter (Dp) < 100 nm) particles followed by accumulation (100 nm < Dp < 800 nm) and nucleation (10 nm < Dp < 20 nm) modes representing, respectively, 27% and 21% of particles. The total number concentration was usually significantly higher during workdays than during weekends/holidays in all years, showing a trend likely correlated with local traffic activities. The number concentration of each particle mode showed a characteristic daily variation that was different in cold and warm seasons. The highest concentrations of the Aitken and accumulation particle mode were observed in the morning and the late evening, during typical rush hour traffic times, highlighting that the two-particle size ranges are related, although there was significant variation in the number concentrations. The peak in the number concentrations of the nucleation mode observed in the midday of spring and summer can be attributed to the intensive formation of new particles from gaseous precursors. Based on Pearson coefficients between particle number concentrations and meteorological parameters, temperature, and wind speed had significant negative relationships with the Aitken and accumulation particle number concentrations, whereas relative humidity was positively correlated. No significant correlations were found for the nucleation particle number concentrations.

scholarly journals Production, growth and properties of ultrafine atmospheric aerosol particles in an urban environment

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 13689-13721
Author(s):  
I. Salma ◽  
T. Borsós ◽  
T. Weidinger ◽  
P. Aalto ◽  
T. Hussein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Atmospheric Aerosol ◽  
Ultrafine Particles ◽  
Particle Number ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Number Concentration ◽  
Nucleation Mode ◽  
Total Particle Number ◽  
Total Particle

Abstract. Number concentrations of atmospheric aerosol particles were measured by a flow-switching type differential mobility particle sizer in an electrical mobility diameter range of 6–1000 nm in 30 channels near central Budapest with a time resolution of 10 min continuously from 3 November 2008 to 2 November 2009. Daily median number concentrations of particles varied from 3.8×103 to 29×103 cm−3 with a yearly median of 11.8×103 cm−3. Contribution of ultrafine particles to the total particle number ranged from 58 to 92% with a mean ratio and standard deviation of (79±6)%. Daily average number concentrations in various size fractions and contribution of ultrafine particles to the total particle number showed no seasonal dependency. Monthly mean number size distributions were similar to each other. Overall mean for the number median mobility diameter of the Aitken and accumulation modes were 26 and 93 nm, respectively, which are substantially smaller than for rural or background environments. The Aitken and accumulation modes contributed similarly to the total particle number concentrations at the actual measurement location. Median diameters of the Aitken and accumulation modes were shifted to larger values before nucleation started and over the growth process, which can be related to the presence of aged aerosol under the conditions that favour nucleation and growth. Particle concentrations were usually increased substantially after nucleations. Overall mean and standard deviation of the nucleation mode number concentrations were (10.4±2.8)×103 cm−3. Mean ratio and standard deviation of the nucleation mode number concentration to the total particle number concentration that was averaged for two hours just before the formation was detected was 2.3±1.1. Nucleation unambiguously occurred on 83 days, which represent 27% of all relevant days. Its frequency showed a remarkable seasonal variation with a minimum of 7.3% in winter and a maximum of 44% in spring. Formation rate of particles with a diameter of 6 nm varied between 1.65 and 12.5 cm−3 s−1 with a mean and standard deviation of (4.2±2.5) cm−3 s−1. Seasonal dependency for the formation rate could not be identified. Growth curves of nucleated particles were usually superimposed on the characteristic diurnal pattern of road traffic direct emissions. The growth rate of the nucleation mode with a median diameter of 6 nm varied from 2.0 to 13.3 nm h−1 with a mean and standard deviation of (7.7±2.4) nm h−1. There was an indicative tendency for larger growth rates in summer and for smaller values in winter. Several indirect evidences suggest that the nucleation events occurred at least over the whole city, and were of regional type.

scholarly journals Implementing growth and sedimentation of NAT particles in a global Eulerian model

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 1869-1883 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. P. van den Broek ◽  
J. E. Williams ◽  
A. Bregman
Keyword(s):  
Particle Number ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Particle Diameter ◽  
Particle Growth ◽  
Particle Number Density ◽  
Lagrangian Model ◽  
Number Density ◽  
Model Study ◽  
Total Particle Number ◽  
Total Particle

Abstract. Here we present a concise and efficient algorithm to mimic the growth and sedimentation of Nitric Acid Trihydate (NAT) particles in the polar vortex in a state-of-the-art 3D chemistry transport model. The particle growth and sedimentation are calculated using the microphysical formulation of Carslaw et al. (2002). Once formed, NAT particles are transported in the model as tracers in the form of size-segregated quantities or size bins. Two different approaches were adopted for this purpose: one assuming a fixed particle number density ("FixedDens") and the other assuming a discrete set of particle diameter values ("FixedRad"). Simulations were performed for three separate 10-day periods during the 1999-2000 Arctic winter and compared to the results of an existing Lagrangian model study, which uses similar microphysics in a computationally more expensive method for the simulation of NAT particle growth. The resulting particle sizes for both our approaches compare favourably at 430K with those obtained from this previous model study, and also in-situ observations related to the size of large NAT particles. The particle growth is faster for "FixedDens" resulting in a difference in (de)nitrification by a factor of ~2 for all three simulation periods. Comparisons were made with a standard equilibrium approach and the differences in the redistribution of HNO3 were found to be substantial. For both approaches the performance of the algorithm is rather insensitive to both the number of size bins and the shape of the size distribution, and show a weak dependence on the prescribed total particle number density during the coldest period. This results in an increase of 7% for the "FixedRad" approach and 17% for the "FixedDens" approach when increasing the total particle number density by a factor of 2.5.

scholarly journals Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic Lockdown on Atmospheric Nanoparticle Concentrations in Two Sites of Southern Italy

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 352
Author(s):  
Adelaide Dinoi ◽  
Daniel Gulli ◽  
Ivano Ammoscato ◽  
Claudia R. Calidonna ◽  
Daniele Contini
Keyword(s):  
Particle Number ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Atmospheric Particle ◽  
Total Particle Number ◽  
Total Particle ◽  
Consequent Reduction ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
Coronavirus Infection ◽  
The Impact

During the new coronavirus infection outbreak, the application of strict containment measures entailed a decrease in most human activities, with the consequent reduction of anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere. In this study, the impact of lockdown on atmospheric particle number concentrations and size distributions is investigated in two different sites of Southern Italy: Lecce and Lamezia Terme, regional stations of the GAW/ACTRIS networks. The effects of restrictions are quantified by comparing submicron particle concentrations, in the size range from 10 nm to 800 nm, measured during the lockdown period and in the same period of previous years, from 2015 to 2019, considering three time intervals: prelockdown, lockdown and postlockdown. Different percentage reductions in total particle number concentrations are observed, −19% and −23% in Lecce and −7% and −4% in Lamezia Terme during lockdown and postlockdown, respectively, with several variations in each subclass of particles. From the comparison, no significant variations of meteorological factors are observed except a reduction of rainfall in 2020, which might explain the higher levels of particle concentrations measured during prelockdown at both stations. In general, the results demonstrate an improvement of air quality, more conspicuous in Lecce than in Lamezia Terme, during the lockdown, with a differed reduction in the concentration of submicronic particles that depends on the different types of sources, their distance from observational sites and local meteorology.

scholarly journals Vertical marine snow distribution in the stratified, hypersaline, and anoxic Orca Basin (Gulf of Mexico)

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne Diercks ◽  
Kai Ziervogel ◽  
Ryan Sibert ◽  
Samantha B. Joye ◽  
Vernon Asper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Particle Number ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Marine Snow ◽  
Particle Volume ◽  
Total Particle Number ◽  
Total Particle ◽  
Snow Distribution ◽  
Orca Basin

We present a complete description of the depth distribution of marine snow in Orca Basin (Gulf of Mexico), from sea surface through the pycnocline to within 10 m of the seafloor. Orca Basin is an intriguing location for studying marine snow because of its unique geological and hydrographic setting: the deepest ~200 m of the basin are filled with anoxic hypersaline brine. A typical deep ocean profile of marine snow distribution was observed from the sea surface to the pycnocline, namely a surface maximum in total particle number and midwater minimum. However, instead of a nepheloid (particle-rich) layer positioned near the seabed, the nepheloid layer in the Orca Basin was positioned atop the brine. Within the brine, the total particle volume increased by a factor of 2–3 while the total particle number decreased, indicating accumulation and aggregation of material in the brine. From these observations we infer increased residence time and retention of material within the brine, which agrees well with laboratory results showing a 2.2–3.5-fold reduction in settling speed of laboratory-generated marine snow below the seawater-brine interface. Similarly, dissolved organic carbon concentration in the brine correlated positively with measured colored dissolved organic matter (r2 = 0.92, n = 15), with both variables following total particle volume inversely through the pycnocline. These data indicate the release of dissolved organic carbon concomitant with loss in total particle volume and increase in particle numbers at the brine-seawater interface, highlighting the importance of the Orca Basin as a carbon sink.

scholarly journals Urban aerosol size distributions over the Mediterranean city of Barcelona, NE Spain

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 16457-16492 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dall'Osto ◽  
D.C.S. Beddows ◽  
J. Pey ◽  
S. Rodriguez ◽  
A. Alastuey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Number ◽  
Number Concentration ◽  
Aerosol Size Distribution ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Small Contribution ◽  
Particle Number Concentration ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Total Particle Number ◽  
Total Particle ◽  
One Year

Abstract. Differential mobility particle sizer (DMPS) aerosol concentrations (N13–800) were collected over a one-year-period (2004) at an urban background site in Barcelona, North-Eastern Spain. Quantitative contributions to particle number concentrations of the nucleation (33–38%), Aitken (39–49%) and accumulation mode (18–22%) were estimated. We examined the source and time variability of atmospheric aerosol particles by using both K-means clustering and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis. Performing clustering analysis on hourly size distributions, nine K-means DMPS clusters were identified and, by directional association, diurnal variation and relationship to meteorological and pollution variables, four typical aerosol size distribution scenarios were identified: traffic (69% of the time), dilution (15% of the time), summer background conditions (4% of the time) and regional pollution (12% of the time). According to the results of PMF, vehicle exhausts are estimated to contribute at least to 62–66% of the total particle number concentration, with a slightly higher proportion distributed towards the nucleation mode (34%) relative to the Aitken mode (28–32%). Photochemically induced nucleation particles make only a small contribution to the total particle number concentration (2–3% of the total), although only particles larger than 13 nm were considered in this study. Overall the combination of the two statistical methods is successful at separating components and quantifying relative contributions to the particle number population.

A Continuous Size Spectrum for Particulate Matter in the Sea

1967 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 909-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Sheldon ◽  
T. R. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Particle Diameter ◽  
Particulate Material ◽  
Size Spectrum ◽  
Particulate Carbon ◽  
Particle Volume ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Total Particle ◽  
Volume Measurements ◽  
Good Agreement

The size spectrum of particulate material in seawater can easily be expressed as total particle volume versus the logarithm of particle diameter. This appears to be the most informative way to present the data and it is also aptly suited to the classical divisions of nanno-, micro-, and macroplankton.A realistic measure of the volume of irregularly shaped particles such as phytoplankton chains could be made with a Coulter Counter. Particle volume measurements were in good agreement with estimates based on microscopic determination of particle diameter. There were also highly significant correlations between total particle volume, as indicated by the counter, and particulate carbon and nitrogen.

scholarly journals Classification of aerosol population type and cloud condensation nuclei properties in a coastal California littoral environment using an unsupervised cluster model

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel A. Atwood ◽  
Sonia M. Kreidenweis ◽  
Paul J. DeMott ◽  
Markus D. Petters ◽  
Gavin C. Cornwell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Model ◽  
Particle Number ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Sea Breeze ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Entire Study ◽  
Total Particle Number ◽  
Total Particle

Abstract. Aerosol particle and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) measurements from a littoral location on the northern coast of California at Bodega Bay Marine Laboratory (BML) are presented for approximately six weeks of observations during the CalWater-2015 field campaign. A combination of aerosol microphysical and meteorological parameters was used to classify variability in the properties of the BML surface aerosol using a K-means cluster model. Eight aerosol population types were identified that were associated with a range of impacts from both marine and terrestrial sources. Average measured total particle number concentrations, size distributions, hygroscopicities, and activated fraction spectra between 0.08 % and 1.1 % supersaturation are given for each of the identified aerosol population types, along with meteorological observations and transport pathways during time periods associated with each type. Five terrestrially influenced aerosol population types represented different degrees of aging of the continental outflow from the coast and interior of California and their appearance at the BML site was often linked to changes in wind direction and transport pathway. In particular, distinct aerosol populations, associated with diurnal variations in source region induced by land/sea-breeze shifts, were classified by the clustering technique. A terrestrial type representing fresh emissions, and/or a recent new particle formation event, occurred in approximately 10 % of the observations. Over the entire study period, three marine influenced population types were identified that typically occurred when the regular diurnal land/sea-breeze cycle collapsed and BML was continuously ventilated by air masses from marine regions for multiple days. These marine types differed from each other primarily in the degree of cloud processing evident in the size distributions, and in the presence of an additional large-particle mode for the type associated with the highest wind speeds. One of the marine types was associated with a multi-day period during which an atmospheric river made landfall at BML. The generally higher total particle number concentrations but lower activated fractions of four of the terrestrial types yielded similar CCN number concentrations to two of the marine types for supersaturations below about 0.4 %. Despite quite different activated fraction spectra, the two remaining marine and terrestrial types had CCN spectral number concentrations very similar to each other, due in part to higher number concentrations associated with the terrestrial type.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document