Characterization of the inter-annual, seasonal, and diurnal variations of condensation particle concentrations at Neumayer, Antarctica

Continuous condensation particle (CP) observations were conducted from 1984 through 2009 at Neumayer Station under stringent contamination control. During this period, the CP concentration (median 258 cm<sup>−3</sup>) showed no significant long term trend but exhibited a pronounced seasonality characterized by a stepwise increase starting in September and reaching its annual maximum of around 10<sup>3</sup> cm<sup>−3</sup> in March. Minimum values below 10<sup>2</sup> cm<sup>–3</sup> were observed during June/July. Dedicated time series analyses in the time and frequency domain revealed no significant correlations between…

Measurements of aerosol size distributions with a pocket counter with variable expansion ratio

The ACRIDICON-CHUVA campaign: Studying tropical deep convective clouds and precipitation over Amazonia using the new German research aircraft HALO

Abstract Between 1 September and 4 October 2014, a combined airborne and ground-based measurement campaign was conducted to study tropical deep convective clouds over the Brazilian Amazon rain forest. The new German research aircraft, High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO), a modified Gulfstream G550, and extensive ground-based instrumentation were deployed in and near Manaus (State of Amazonas). The campaign was part of the German–Brazilian Aerosol, Cloud, Precipitation, and Radiation Interactions and Dynamics of Convective Cloud Systems–Cloud Processes of the Main Precipitation Systems in Brazil: A Contribution to Cloud Resolving Modeling and to the GPM (Global Precipitatio…

Condensation nuclei at the German Antarctic Station “Georg von Neumayer”

Evaluations of measurements of the tropospheric surface condensation nuclei at the German Antarctic station for the last 8 years are presented. They show clearly the annual variation of the concentration with a maximum in austral summer, as previously seen by other investigators. In addition, a pronounced increase of the concentration of 9.63% per year has been found. The size distributions of the condensation nuclei of measurements over 2 years are evaluated and discussed. On average, they are of mono-modal shape, but individually most of them show a bimodal shape. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0889.1992.00009.x

Aircraft-based observations of isoprene-epoxydiol-derived secondary organic aerosol (IEPOX-SOA) in the tropical upper troposphere over the Amazon region

During the ACRIDICON-CHUVA field project (September–October 2014; based in Manaus, Brazil) aircraft-based in situ measurements of aerosol chemical composition were conducted in the tropical troposphere over the Amazon using the High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO), covering altitudes from the boundary layer (BL) height up to 14.4 km. The submicron non-refractory aerosol was characterized by flash-vaporization/electron impact-ionization aerosol particle mass spectrometry. The results show that significant secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation by isoprene oxidation products occurs in the upper troposphere (UT), leading to increased organic aerosol mass concentratio…

ML-CIRRUS: The Airborne Experiment on Natural Cirrus and Contrail Cirrus with the High-Altitude Long-Range Research Aircraft HALO

Abstract The Midlatitude Cirrus experiment (ML-CIRRUS) deployed the High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO) to obtain new insights into nucleation, life cycle, and climate impact of natural cirrus and aircraft-induced contrail cirrus. Direct observations of cirrus properties and their variability are still incomplete, currently limiting our understanding of the clouds’ impact on climate. Also, dynamical effects on clouds and feedbacks are not adequately represented in today’s weather prediction models. Here, we present the rationale, objectives, and selected scientific highlights of ML-CIRRUS using the G-550 aircraft of the German atmospheric science community. The first combi…

Observations of meteoric material and implications for aerosol nucleation in the winter Arctic lower stratosphere derived from in situ particle measurements

Number concentrations of total and non-volatile aerosol particles with size diameters >0.01 μm as well as particle size distributions (0.4–23 μm diameter) were measured in situ in the Arctic lower stratosphere (10–20.5 km altitude). The measurements were obtained during the campaigns European Polar Stratospheric Cloud and Lee Wave Experiment (EUPLEX) and Envisat-Arctic-Validation (EAV). The campaigns were based in Kiruna, Sweden, and took place from January to March 2003. Measurements were conducted onboard the Russian high-altitude research aircraft Geophysica using the low-pressure Condensation Nucleus Counter COPAS (COndensation PArticle Counter System) and a modified F…

HNO3 partitioning in cirrus clouds

During the 1997 POLSTAR-1 winter campaign in northern Sweden a flight was performed across a cold trough of air (similar or equal to 196 K) in the tropopause region. Measurements of total water vapour, nitric acid, particles and reactive nitrogen (NOy) were taken. The particle measurements indicate that about 3% of the particles in the moist tropospheric air were ice particles. Forward and backward facing NOy inlets were used simultaneously to determine condensed phase HNO3. The combined NOy and particle measurements reveal that less than 1% of a monolayer of NOy could have resided on the ice particles. This casts doubt on the hypothesis that sedimenting cirrus particles generally lead to a…