0000000000751658
AUTHOR
F. Drewnick
Variability of aerosol, gaseous pollutants and meteorological characteristics associated with changes in air mass origin at the SW Atlantic coast of Iberia
Measurements of the ambient aerosol were performed at the Southern coast of Spain, within the framework of the DOMINO (<b>D</b>iel <b>O</b>xidant <b>M</b>echanisms <b>I</b>n relation to <b>N</b>itrogen <b>O</b>xides) project. The field campaign took place from 20 November until 9 December 2008 at the atmospheric research station "El Arenosillo" (37°5'47.76" N, 6°44'6.94" W). As the monitoring station is located at the interface between a natural park, industrial cities (Huelva, Seville) and the Atlantic Ocean, a variety of physical and chemical parameters of aerosols and gas phase could be characterized in dependency on…
Aerosol quantification with the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer: detection limits and ionizer background effects
Systematic laboratory experiments were performed to investigate quantification of various species with two versions of the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer, a Quadrupole Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (Q-AMS) and a compact Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (c-ToF-AMS). Here we present a new method to continuously determine the detection limits of the AMS analyzers during regular measurements, yielding detection limit (<i>DL</i>) information under various measurement conditions. Minimum detection limits range from 0.03 μg m<sup>&minus;3</sup> (nitrate, sulfate, and chloride) up to 0.5 μg m<sup>&minus;3</sup> (organics) for the Q-AMS. Those of t…
Quantitative single-particle analysis with the Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer: development of a new classification algorithm and its application to field data
Single-particle mass spectrometry has proven a valuable tool for gaining information on the mixing state of aerosol particles. With the Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) equipped with a light-scattering probe, non-refractory components of submicron particles with diameters larger than about 300 nm can even be quantified on a single-particle basis. Here, we present a new method for the analysis of AMS single-particle mass spectra. The developed algorithm classifies the particles according to their components (e.g. sulphate, nitrate, different types of organics) and simultaneously provides quantitative information about the composition of the single particles. This classification algor…
Aerosol particle measurements at three stationary sites in the megacity of Paris during summer 2009: meteorology and air mass origin dominate aerosol particle composition and size distribution
During July 2009, a one-month measurement campaign was performed in the megacity of Paris. Amongst other measurement platforms, three stationary sites distributed over an area of 40 km in diameter in the greater Paris region enabled a detailed characterization of the aerosol particle and gas phase. Simulation results from the FLEXPART dispersion model were used to distinguish between different types of air masses sampled. It was found that the origin of air masses had a large influence on measured mass concentrations of the secondary species particulate sulphate, nitrate, ammonium, and oxygenated organic aerosol measured with the Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer in the submicron particle …
Design of a mobile aerosol research laboratory and data processing tools for effective stationary and mobile field measurements
A compact mobile aerosol research laboratory (MoLa) for stationary and mobile measurements of aerosol and trace gas characteristics was developed at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (MPIC) in Mainz, Germany. Major efforts were made to design an aerosol inlet system which is optimized and characterised for both, stationary and mobile measurements using a particle loss modelling approach. The instrumentation on board allows the determination of a multitude of physical and chemical aerosol parameters, for example particle number and mass concentration (PM<sub>1/2.5/10</sub>), particle size distributions in the diameter range 6 nm up to 32 μm, and chemical composition of the s…
Quantitative single particle analysis with the Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer: development of a new classification algorithm and its application to field data
Abstract. Single particle mass spectrometry has proven a valuable tool for gaining information on the mixing state of aerosol particles. With the Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) equipped with a light scattering probe, non-refractory components of submicron particles with diameters larger than about 300 nm can even be quantified on a single particle basis. Here, we present a new method for the analysis of AMS single particle mass spectra. The developed algorithm classifies the particles according to their components (e.g., sulphate, nitrate, different types of organics) and simultaneously provides quantitative information about the composition of the single particles. This classific…
Influence of vessel characteristics and atmospheric processes on the gas and particle phase of ship emission plumes: in situ measurements in the Mediterranean Sea and around the Arabian Peninsula
A total of 252 emission plumes of ships operating in the Mediterranean Sea and around the Arabian Peninsula were investigated using a comprehensive dataset of gas- and submicron-particle-phase properties measured during the 2-month shipborne AQABA (Air Quality and Climate Change in the Arabian Basin) field campaign in summer 2017. The post-measurement identification of the corresponding ship emission events in the measured data included the determination of the plume sources (up to 38 km away) as well as the plume ages (up to 115 min) and was based on commercially available historical records of the Automatic Identification System. The dispersion lifetime of chemically inert C…
The ion trap aerosol mass spectrometer: field intercomparison with the ToF-AMS and the capability of differentiating organic compound classes via MS-MS
Further development and optimisation of a previously described ion trap aerosol mass spectrometer (IT-AMS) are presented, which resulted in more reproducible and robust operation and allowed for the instrument's first field deployment. Results from this 11-day-long measurement indicate that the instrument is capable of providing quantitative information on organics, nitrate, and sulfate mass concentrations with reasonable detection limits (0.5–1.4 µg m−3 for 1 h averages) and that results obtained with the IT-AMS can directly be related to those from Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometers. The capability of the IT-AMS to elucidate the structure of fragment ions is demonstrated via an MS4 study…
Megacity emission plume characteristics in summer and winter investigated by mobile aerosol and trace gas measurements: the Paris metropolitan area
For the investigation of megacity emission plume characteristics mobile aerosol and trace gas measurements were carried out in the greater Paris region in July 2009 and January–February 2010 within the EU FP7 MEGAPOLI project (Megacities: Emissions, urban, regional and Global Atmospheric POLlution and climate effects, and Integrated tools for assessment and mitigation). The deployed instruments measured physical and chemical properties of sub-micron aerosol particles, gas phase constituents of relevance for urban air pollution studies and meteorological parameters. The emission plume was identified based on fresh pollutant (e.g., particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, black carbon…