scholarly journals Arctic aerosol life cycle: linking aerosol size distributions observed between 2000 and 2010 with air mass transport and precipitation at Zeppelin station, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 29967-30019 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Tunved ◽  
J. Ström ◽  
R. Krejci
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
New Particle Formation ◽  
Accumulation Mode ◽  
Source Areas ◽  
Number Size Distribution ◽  
Arctic Aerosol

Abstract. In this study we present a qualitative and quantitative assessment of more the 10 yr of aerosol number size distribution data observed in the Arctic environment (Mt Zeppelin (78°56' N, 11°53' E, 474 m a.s.l.), Ny Ålesund, Svalbard). We provide statistics on both seasonal and diurnal characteristics of the aerosol observations and conclude that the Arctic aerosol number size distribution and auxiliary parameters such as integral mass and surface have a very pronounced seasonal variation. This seasonal variation seems to be controlled by both dominating source as well as meteorological conditions in general. In principle, three distinctly different periods can be identified during the Arctic year: the haze period characterized by a dominating accumulation mode aerosol (March–May) followed by the sunlit summer period with low abundance of accumulation mode particles but high concentration of small particles which likely are recently and locally formed (June–August). The rest of the year is characterized by comparably low concentration of accumulation mode particles and negligible abundance of ultra fine particles (September–February). Minimum aerosol mass and number concentration is usually observed during September/October. We further show that the transition between the different regimes is fast, suggesting rapid change in conditions defining their appearance. A source climatology based on trajectory analysis is provided and it is shown that there is a strong seasonality of dominating source areas, with dominance of Eurasia during the autumn-winter period and dominance of North Atlantic air during the summer months. We also show that new particle formation events seem to be a rather common phenomenon during the Arctic summer, and this is the result of both photochemical production of nucleating/condensing species and low condensation sink. It is also suggested that wet removal play a key role in defining the Arctic aerosol year, and plays a crucial role for removal of accumulation mode size particles as well as it may play a pivotal role for facilitating the conditions favoring new particle formation events. In summary the aerosol Arctic year seems to be at least qualitatively predictable based on knowledge of seasonality of transport paths and associated source areas, meteorological conditions and removal processes.

scholarly journals Arctic aerosol life cycle: linking aerosol size distributions observed between 2000 and 2010 with air mass transport and precipitation at Zeppelin station, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3643-3660 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Tunved ◽  
J. Ström ◽  
R. Krejci
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
New Particle Formation ◽  
Accumulation Mode ◽  
Source Areas ◽  
Number Size Distribution ◽  
Arctic Aerosol

Abstract. In this study we present a qualitative and quantitative assessment of more than 10 yr of aerosol number size distribution data observed in the Arctic environment (Mt. Zeppelin (78°56' N, 11°53' E, 474 m a.s.l.), Ny Ålesund, Svalbard). We provide statistics on both seasonal and diurnal characteristics of the aerosol observations and conclude that the Arctic aerosol number size distribution and related parameters such as integral mass and surface area exhibit a very pronounced seasonal variation. This seasonal variation seems to be controlled by both dominating source as well as meteorological conditions. Three distinctly different periods can be identified during the Arctic year: the haze period characterized by a dominating accumulation mode aerosol (March–May), followed by the sunlit summer period with low abundance of accumulation mode particles but high concentration of small particles which are likely to be recently and locally formed (June–August). The rest of the year is characterized by a comparably low concentration of accumulation mode particles and negligible abundance of ultrafine particles (September–February). A minimum in aerosol mass and number concentration is usually observed during September/October. We further show that the transition between the different regimes is fast, suggesting rapid change in the conditions defining their appearance. A source climatology based on trajectory analysis is provided, and it is shown that there is a strong seasonality of dominating source areas, with Eurasia dominating during the Autumn–Winter period and dominance of North Atlantic air during the summer months. We also show that new-particle formation events are rather common phenomena in the Arctic during summer, and this is the result of photochemical production of nucleating/condensing species in combination with low condensation sink. It is also suggested that wet removal may play a key role in defining the Arctic aerosol year, via the removal of accumulation mode size particles, which in turn have a pivotal role in facilitating the conditions favorable for new-particle formation events. In summary the aerosol Arctic year seems to be at least qualitatively predictable based on the knowledge of seasonality of transport paths and associated source areas, meteorological conditions and removal processes.

scholarly journals Processes controlling the annual cycle of Arctic aerosol number and size distributions

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 3665-3682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betty Croft ◽  
Randall V. Martin ◽  
W. Richard Leaitch ◽  
Peter Tunved ◽  
Thomas J. Breider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Effective Diameter ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
New Particle Formation ◽  
Accumulation Mode ◽  
Arctic Aerosol ◽  
Aitken Mode ◽  
Wet Removal

Abstract. Measurements at high-Arctic sites (Alert, Nunavut, and Mt. Zeppelin, Svalbard) during the years 2011 to 2013 show a strong and similar annual cycle in aerosol number and size distributions. Each year at both sites, the number of aerosols with diameters larger than 20 nm exhibits a minimum in October and two maxima, one in spring associated with a dominant accumulation mode (particles 100 to 500 nm in diameter) and a second in summer associated with a dominant Aitken mode (particles 20 to 100 nm in diameter). Seasonal-mean aerosol effective diameter from measurements ranges from about 180 in summer to 260 nm in winter. This study interprets these annual cycles with the GEOS-Chem-TOMAS global aerosol microphysics model. Important roles are documented for several processes (new-particle formation, coagulation scavenging in clouds, scavenging by precipitation, and transport) in controlling the annual cycle in Arctic aerosol number and size. Our simulations suggest that coagulation scavenging of interstitial aerosols in clouds by aerosols that have activated to form cloud droplets strongly limits the total number of particles with diameters less than 200 nm throughout the year. We find that the minimum in total particle number in October can be explained by diminishing new-particle formation within the Arctic, limited transport of pollution from lower latitudes, and efficient wet removal. Our simulations indicate that the summertime-dominant Aitken mode is associated with efficient wet removal of accumulation-mode aerosols, which limits the condensation sink for condensable vapours. This in turn promotes new-particle formation and growth. The dominant accumulation mode during spring is associated with build up of transported pollution from outside the Arctic coupled with less-efficient wet-removal processes at colder temperatures. We recommend further attention to the key processes of new-particle formation, interstitial coagulation, and wet removal and their delicate interactions and balance in size-resolved aerosol simulations of the Arctic to reduce uncertainties in estimates of aerosol radiative effects on the Arctic climate.

scholarly journals Submicron aerosols at thirteen diversified sites in China: size distribution, new particle formation and corresponding contribution to cloud condensation nuclei production

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 15149-15189 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Peng ◽  
M. Hu ◽  
Z. B. Wang ◽  
X. F. Huang ◽  
P. Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Particle Number ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
New Particle Formation ◽  
Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Accumulation Mode ◽  
Nucleation Mode ◽  
Secondary Formation ◽  
Urban Sites

Abstract. Understanding the particle number size distributions in diversified atmospheric environments is important in order to design mitigation strategies related to submicron particles and their effect on regional air quality, haze and human health. In this study, we conducted 15 different field measurement campaigns, each one-month long, between 2007 and 2011 at 13 individual sites in China. These were 5 urban sites, 4 regional sites, 3 coastal/background sites and one ship cruise measurement along eastern coastline of China. Size resolved particles were measured in the 15–600 nm size range. The median particle number concentrations (PNC) were found to vary in the range of 1.1–2.2 × 104 cm−3 at urban sites, 0.8–1.5 × 104 cm−3 at regional sites, 0.4–0.6 × 104 cm−3 at coastal/background sites, and 0.5 × 104 cm−3 during cruise measurements. Peak diameters at each of these sites varied greatly from 24 nm to 115 nm. Particles in the 15–25 nm (nucleation mode), 25–100 nm (Aitken mode) and 100–600 nm (accumulation mode) range showed different characteristics at each of the studied sites, indicating the features of primary emissions and secondary formation in these diversified atmospheric environments. Diurnal variations show a build-up of accumulation mode particles belt at regional sites, suggesting the contribution of regional secondary aerosol pollution. Frequencies of new particle formation (NPF) events were much higher at urban and regional sites than at coastal sites and cruise measurement. The average growth rates (GRs) of nucleation mode particles were 8.0–10.9 nm h−1 at urban sites, 7.4–13.6 nm h−1 at regional sites and 2.8–7.5 nm h−1 at both coastal and cruise measurement sites. The high gaseous precursors and strong oxidation at urban and regional sites not only favored the formation of particles, but also accelerated the growth rate of the nucleation mode particles. No significant difference in condensation sink (CS) during NPF days were observed among different site types, suggesting that the NPF events in background area were more influenced by the pollutant transport. In addition, average contributions of NPF events to potential cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) at 0.2% super-saturation in the afternoon of all sampling days were calculated as 11% and 6% at urban sites and regional sites, respectively. On the other hand, NPF events at coastal and cruise measurement sites had little impact on potential production of CCN. This study provides a large dataset of aerosol size distribution in diversified atmosphere of China, improving our general understanding of emission, secondary formation, new particles formation and corresponding CCN activity of submicron aerosols in Chinese environments.

Composition and concentrations of aerosol precursor gases in the sub-Arctic boreal forest

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuija Jokinen ◽  
Katrianne Lehtipalo ◽  
Kimmo Neitola ◽  
Nina Sarnela ◽  
Totti Laitinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Sulfuric Acid ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
New Particle Formation ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Iodic Acid ◽  
Field Station

<p>One way to form aerosol particles is the condensation of oxidized atmospheric trace gases, such as sulfuric acid (SA) into small molecular clusters. After growing to larger particles by condensation of low volatile gases, they can affect the planets climate directly by scattering light and indirectly by acting as cloud condensation nuclei. Observations of low-volatility aerosol precursor gases have been reported around the world but long-term measurement series and Arctic data sets showing seasonal variation are close to non-existent. In here, we present ~7 months of aerosol precursor gas measurements performed with the nitrate based chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CI-APi-TOF). We deployed our measurements ~250 km above the Arctic Circle at the Finnish sub-Arctic field station, SMEAR I in Värriö. We report concentration measurements of the most common new particle formation related compounds; sulfuric acid, methanesulfonic acid (MSA), iodic acid (IA) and highly oxygenated organic compounds, HOMs. At this remote measurement site, surrounded by a strict nature preserve, that gets occasional pollution from a Russian city of Murmansk, SA is originated both from anthropogenic and biological sources and has a clear diurnal cycle but no significant seasonal variation, while MSA as an oxidation product of purely biogenic sources is showing a more distinct seasonal cycle. Iodic acid concentrations are the most stable throughout the measurement period, showing almost identical peak concentrations for spring, summer and autumn. HOMs are abundant during the summer months and due to their high correlation with ambient air temperature, we suggest that most of HOMs are products of monoterpene oxidation. New particle formation events at SMEAR I happen under relatively low temperatures, low relative humidity, high ozone concentration, high SA concentration in the morning and high MSA concentrations in the afternoon. The role of HOMs in aerosol formation will be discussed. All together, these are the first long term measurements of aerosol forming precursor from the sub-arctic region helping us to understand atmospheric chemical processes and aerosol formation in the rapidly changing Arctic.</p><p> </p><p> </p>

Formation and growth of aerosol particles in boreal forest of Siberia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasiia Demakova ◽  
Olga Garmash ◽  
Ekaterina Ezhova ◽  
Mikhail Arshinov ◽  
Denis Davydov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
Atmospheric Environment ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
New Particle Formation ◽  
Number Size Distribution

<p>New Particle Formation (NPF) is a process in which a large number of particles is formed in the atmosphere via gas-to-particle conversion. Previous research shows the important role of formation of new particles for atmosphere, clouds and climate (Kerminen, V.-M. et al. 2018).</p><p>              There exist measurements from different parts of the world which show that NPF is happening worldwide (Kerminen, V.-M. et al. 2018). Measurements at SMEAR II station in Hyytiälä, Finland (Hari P. and Kulmala M., 2005), show that NPF is a common process in Finland’s boreal forests. However, measurements at Zotto station in Siberia, Russia, show that NPF events are very rare in that area (Wiedensohler A. et al., 2018). Measurements in Siberian boreal forests are sparse. We have conducted new measurements at Fonovaya station near Tomsk (Siberia, Russia) using Neutral cluster Air Ion Spectrometer (NAIS), Particle Size Magnifier (PSM), Differential Mobility Particle Sizer (DMPS) and the Atmospheric Pressure interface Time-Of-Flight mass spectrometer (APi-TOF). Those instruments measure aerosol particle number size distribution (NAIS, DMPS), ion number size distribution (NAIS), size distribution of small particles (PSM) and chemical composition of aerosol particles (APi-TOF). The novelty of this work is that such complex measurements have not been done in Siberia before.</p><p>              Here we report the first results of our research on NPF phenomenon in Siberian boreal forest. We present detailed statistics of NPF events, as well as formation rates (J) and growth rates (GR) of aerosol particles. The results from Fonovaya station are compared with those from SMEAR II station and from SMEAR Estonia station in Järvselja, Estonia.</p><p>               </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Literature</p><ul><li>[1] Kerminen V.-M. et al. “Atmospheric new particle formation and growth: review of field observations”. In: Environmental Research Letters 10 (2018), p. 103003.</li> <li>[2] Wiedensohler A. et al. “Infrequent new particle formation over the remote boreal forest of Siberia”. In: Atmospheric Environment 200 (2019), pp. 167–169.</li> <li>[3] Dada L. et al. “Long-term analysis of clear-sky new particle formation events and nonevents in Hyytiälä”. In: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 10 (2017), pp. 6227–6241.</li> </ul><p> </p>

scholarly journals Long-term observations of aerosol size distributions in semi-clean and polluted savannah in South Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1751-1770 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Vakkari ◽  
J. P. Beukes ◽  
H. Laakso ◽  
D. Mabaso ◽  
J. J. Pienaar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Diurnal Variation ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
New Particle Formation

Abstract. This study presents a total of four years of sub-micron aerosol particle size distribution measurements in the southern African savannah, an environment with few previous observations covering a full seasonal cycle and the size range below 100 nm. During the first 19 months, July 2006–January 2008, the measurements were carried out at Botsalano, a semi-clean location, whereas during the latter part, February 2008–May 2010, the measurements were carried out at Marikana (approximately 150 km east of Botsalano), which is a more polluted location with both pyrometallurgical industries and informal settlements nearby. The median total concentration of aerosol particles was more than four times as high at Marikana than at Botsalano. In the size ranges of 12–840 nm, 50–840 nm and 100–840 nm the median concentrations were 1856, 1278 and 698 particles cm−3 at Botsalano and 7805, 3843 and 1634 particles cm−3 at Marikana, respectively. The diurnal variation of the size distribution for Botsalano arose as a result of frequent regional new particle formation. However, for Marikana the diurnal variation was dominated by the morning and evening household burning in the informal settlements, although regional new particle formation was even more frequent than at Botsalano. The effect of the industrial emissions was not discernible in the size distribution at Marikana although it was clear in the sulphur dioxide diurnal pattern, indicating the emissions to be mostly gaseous. Seasonal variation was strongest in the concentration of particles larger than 100 nm, which was clearly elevated at both locations during the dry season from May to September. In the absence of wet removal during the dry season, the concentration of particles larger than 100 nm had a correlation above 0.7 with CO for both locations, which implies incomplete burning to be an important source of aerosol particles during the dry season. However, the sources of burning differ: at Botsalano the rise in concentration originates from regional wild fires, while at Marikana domestic heating in the informal settlements is the main source. Air mass history analysis for Botsalano identified four regional scale source areas in southern Africa and enabled the differentiation between fresh and aged rural background aerosol originating from the clean sector, i.e., western sector with very few large anthropogenic sources. Comparison to size distributions published for other comparable environments in Northern Hemisphere shows southern African savannah to have a unique combination of sources and meteorological parameters. The observed strong link between combustion and seasonal variation is comparable only to the Amazon basin; however, the lack of long-term observations in the Amazonas does not allow a quantitative comparison. All the data presented in the figures, as well as the time series of monthly mean and median size distributions are included in numeric form as a Supplement to provide a reference point for the aerosol modelling community.

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