0000000001311340
AUTHOR
Frank Drewnick
The realization of autonomous, aircraft-based, real-time aerosol mass spectrometry in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere
Abstract. We report on the developments that enabled the field deployment of a fully-automated aerosol mass spectrometer, specially designed for high-altitude measurements on unpressurised aircraft. The merits of the two main categories of real-time aerosol mass spectrometry, i.e. (a) single particle laser desorption and ionization, and (b) continuous thermal desorption / electron impact ionization of aerosols, have been integrated into one compact apparatus with the aim to perform in-situ real-time analysis of aerosol chemical composition. The demonstrated instrument, named ERICA (European Research council Instrument for the Chemical composition of Aerosols), operated successfully aboard t…
Comparison of Two Aerodynamic Lenses as an Inlet for a Single Particle Laser Ablation Mass Spectrometer
By means of a newly designed portable aerosol mass spectrometer SPLAT (Single Particle Laser Ablation Time-of-flight mass spectrometer) for the analysis of single atmospheric aerosol particles we investigated the system performance in dependency on two different aerodynamic lenses (Liu and Schreiner type) capable of focusing particles with diameters ranging from 80 nm to 800 nm and 300 nm to 3000 nm, respectively. By using the pressure regulated Schreiner lens, the instrument is independent of variations in atmospheric pressure which would lead to changing dynamical properties of the aerosol particles. Active pressure control inside the inlet system facilitates airborne measurements without…
Aerosol filtration efficiency of household materials for homemade face masks: Influence of material properties, particle size, particle electrical charge, face velocity, and leaks
As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the widespread daily use of face masks is promoted worldwide. Particle-size dependent filtration efficiencies (FE; dp = 30 nm–10 µm), applying a particle counting approach, and additionally pressure drops (Δp) were determined for 44 samples of household materials and several medical masks. Huge FE differences were found between sample materials and for different particle sizes, spanning from <10% up to almost 100%. Minimum FE were determined for dp = 50–500 nm particles with significantly larger values for dp = 30 nm particles and especially for those with dp > 2.5 µm. Measurements at different numbers of layers…
Penetration efficiency of nanometer-sized aerosol particles in tubes under turbulent flow conditions
Abstract In order to quantify losses of nanometer-sized particles in turbulent flows through tubes, their penetration efficiencies were measured as a function of the particle size, Stokes number and Reynolds number. The penetration efficiency of tungsten oxide and ammonium nitrate particles with diameters between 3 and 17 nm was investigated in turbulent flow conditions with Reynolds numbers (Re) extending from 4500 to 10,500. The measured penetration efficiencies in straight tubes were found to deviate from the empirical correlation of Lee and Gieseke (1994) . In contrast, the empirical equation of Fan and Ahmadi (1993) agrees better with our experimental results, also in comparison with t…
Size Matters More Than Chemistry for Cloud-Nucleating Ability of Aerosol Particles
Size-resolved cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) spectra measured for various aerosol types at a non-urban site in Germany showed that CCN concentrations are mainly determined by the aerosol number size distribution. Distinct variations of CCN activation with particle chemical composition were observed but played a secondary role. When the temporal variation of chemical effects on CCN activation is neglected, variation in the size distribution alone explains 84 to 96% of the variation in CCN concentrations. Understanding that particles' ability to act as CCN is largely controlled by aerosol size rather than composition greatly facilitates the treatment of aerosol effects on cloud physics in re…
Application of mobile aerosol and trace gas measurements for the investigation of megacity air pollution emissions: the Paris metropolitan area
For the investigation of megacity emission development and the impact outside the source region, mobile aerosol and trace gas measurements were carried out in the Paris metropolitan area between 1 July and 31 July 2009 (summer conditions) and 15 January and 15 February 2010 (winter conditions) in the framework of the European Union FP7 MEGAPOLI project. Two mobile laboratories, MoLa and MOSQUITA, were deployed, and here an overview of these measurements and an investigation of the applicability of such measurements for the analysis of megacity emissions are presented. Both laboratories measured physical and chemical properties of fine and ultrafine aerosol particles as well as gas phase con…
Complementary online aerosol mass spectrometry and offline FT-IR spectroscopy measurements: Prospects and challenges for the analysis of anthropogenic aerosol particle emissions
Abstract The aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) is well established in investigating highly time-resolved dynamics of submicron aerosol chemical composition including organic aerosol (OA). However, interpretation of mass spectra on molecular level is limited due to strong fragmentation of organic substances and potential reactions inside the AMS ion chamber. Results from complementary filter-based FT-IR absorption measurements were used to explain features in high-resolution AMS mass spectra of different types of OA (e.g. cooking OA, cigarette smoking OA, wood burning OA). Using this approach some AMS fragment ions were validated in this study as appropriate and rather specific markers for a c…
Chemical composition of ambient aerosol, ice residues and cloud droplet residues in mixed-phase clouds: single particle analysis during the Cloud and Aerosol Characterization Experiment (CLACE 6)
Abstract. Two different single particle mass spectrometers were operated in parallel at the Swiss High Alpine Research Station Jungfraujoch (JFJ, 3580 m a.s.l.) during the Cloud and Aerosol Characterization Experiment (CLACE 6) in February and March 2007. During mixed phase cloud events ice crystals from 5–20 μm were separated from larger ice aggregates, non-activated, interstitial aerosol particles and supercooled droplets using an Ice-Counterflow Virtual Impactor (Ice-CVI). During one cloud period supercooled droplets were additionally sampled and analyzed by changing the Ice-CVI setup. The small ice particles and droplets were evaporated by injection into dry air inside the Ice-CVI. The …
How villages contribute to their local air quality – The influence of traffic- and biomass combustion-related emissions assessed by mobile mappings of PM and its components
Abstract Mobile mapping experiments were performed in two villages (~400 and ~2500 inhabitants, respectively) in France and Germany in both summer and winter in order to assess the pollutant distribution of several particulate matter (PM) related pollutants (particle number concentration, PM1, PM2.5, PM10; PM1 chemical composition, including inorganic and organic species, black carbon, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons) as well as CO2. Two dominating local emission contributions were found: traffic contributed to organic aerosol (OA), CO2, particle number concentration, PM1, black carbon, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, whereas significant primary emission contributions from biomass combustion w…
The ion trap aerosol mass spectrometer: improved design, first field deployment, and the capability of differentiating organic compound classes via MS–MS
Abstract. 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 sulphate 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 …
Characterization of a Newly Developed Aircraft-Based Laser Ablation Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (ALABAMA) and First Field Deployment in Urban Pollution Plumes over Paris During MEGAPOLI 2009
We present here the development and first field deployment of a novel Aircraft-based Laser ABlation Aerosol MAss spectrometer (ALABAMA), which is capable of measuring the chemical composition and size of individual ambient aerosol particles in the size range between 150 and 900 nm. The instrument uses a continuous wave 532 nm laser to size and detect the particles, a pulsed 266 nm laser to ablate and ionize the particles, and a bipolar, Z-shaped time-of-flight mass spectrometer to detect positive and negative ions. The ALABAMA fits into a 19"-aircraft rack of 150 cm height and has a total weight of 140 kg, thus currently being one of the smallest and lightest-weight instruments of its type.…
In situ, satellite measurement and model evidence on the dominant regional contribution to fine particulate matter levels in the Paris megacity
International audience; Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 9578 M. Beekmann et al.: Evidence for a dominant regional contribution to fine particulate matter levels Abstract. A detailed characterization of air quality in the megacity of Paris (France) during two 1-month intensive campaigns and from additional 1-year observations revealed that about 70 % of the urban background fine particulate matter (PM) is transported on average into the megacity from upwind regions. This dominant influence of regional sources was confirmed by in situ measurements during short intensive and longer-term campaigns, aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements from E…
Chemical analysis of the Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL) with emphasis on secondary aerosol particles using aircraft-based in situ aerosol mass spectrometry
Abstract. Aircraft-borne in situ measurements of the chemical aerosol composition were conducted in the Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL) over the Indian subcontinent in the summer of 2017, covering particle sizes below ∼3 µm. We have implemented a recently developed aerosol mass spectrometer, which adopts the laser desorption technique as well as the thermal desorption method for quantitative bulk information (i.e., a modified Aerodyne AMS), aboard the high-altitude research aircraft M-55 Geophysica. The instrument was deployed in July and August 2017 during the StratoClim EU campaign (Stratospheric and upper tropospheric processes for better Climate predictions) over Nepal, India, Ban…
Enhanced organic mass fraction and decreased hygroscopicity of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) during new particle formation events
In a forested near-urban location in central Germany, the CCN efficiency of particles smaller than 100 nm decreases significantly during periods of new particle formation. This results in an increase of average activation diameters, ranging from 5 to 8% at supersaturations of 0.33% and 0.74%, respectively. At the same time, the organic mass fraction in the sub-100-nm size range increases from approximately 2/3 to 3/4. This provides evidence that secondary organic aerosol (SOA) components are involved in the growth of new particles to larger sizes, and that the reduced CCN efficiency of small particles is caused by the low hygroscopicity of the condensing material. The observed dependence of…
Chemical analysis of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL) with emphasis on secondary aerosol particles using aircraft based in situ aerosol mass spectrometry
Abstract. Aircraft borne in-situ measurements of the chemical aerosol composition were conducted in the Asian Tropopause Aerosol layer (ATAL) over the Indian subcontinent in summer 2017 covering particle sizes below 3 µm. We have implemented a recently developed aerosol mass spectrometer, which adopts the laser desorption technique as well as the thermal desorption method for quantitative bulk information (i.e. a modified Aerodyne AMS), aboard the high altitude research aircraft M-55 Geophysica. The instrument was deployed in July and August 2017 during the StratoClim EU campaign (Stratospheric and upper tropospheric processes for better climate predictions) over Nepal, India, Bangladesh, a…
Variability of aerosol, gaseous pollutants and meteorological characteristics associated with continental, urban and marine air masses at the SW Atlantic coast of Iberia
Abstract. Measurements of the ambient aerosol were performed at the Southern coast of Spain, within the framework of the DOMINO (Diel Oxidant Mechanisms In relation to Nitrogen Oxides) 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&amp;deg44'6.94" 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 the origin of air masses. Backwards trajectories were examined and compared with local meteor…
Design, characterization, and first field deployment of a novel aircraft-based aerosol mass spectrometer combining the laser ablation and flash vaporization techniques
In this paper, we present the design, development, and characteristics of the novel aerosol mass spectrometer ERICA (ERC Instrument for Chemical composition of Aerosols; ERC – European Research Council) and selected results from the first airborne field deployment. The instrument combines two well-established methods of real-time in situ measurements of fine particle chemical composition. The first method is the laser desorption and ionization technique, or laser ablation technique, for single-particle mass spectrometry (here with a frequency-quadrupled Nd:YAG laser at λ = 266 nm). The second method is a combination of thermal particle desorption, also called flash vaporization, and electro…
The realization of autonomous, aircraft-based, real-time aerosol mass spectrometry in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (dataset)
Dataset accompanying the journal article titled "The realization of autonomous, aircraft-based, real-time aerosol mass spectrometry in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere". Preprint: doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-33
Chemical analysis of the Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL) with emphasis on secondary aerosol particles using aircraft-based in situ aerosol mass spectrometry
Aircraft-borne in situ measurements of the chemical aerosol composition were conducted in the Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL) over the Indian subcontinent in the summer of 2017, covering particle sizes below ∼3 µm. We have implemented a recently developed aerosol mass spectrometer, which adopts the laser desorption technique as well as the thermal desorption method for quantitative bulk information (i.e., a modified Aerodyne AMS), aboard the high-altitude research aircraft M-55 Geophysica. The instrument was deployed in July and August 2017 during the StratoClim EU campaign (Stratospheric and upper tropospheric processes for better Climate predictions) over Nepal, India, Bangladesh, a…
Chemical analysis of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL) with emphasis on secondary aerosol particles using aircraft based in situ aerosol mass spectrometry
Aircraft borne in-situ measurements of the chemical aerosol composition were conducted in the Asian Tropopause Aerosol layer (ATAL) over the Indian subcontinent in summer 2017 covering particle sizes below 3 µm. We have implemented a recently developed aerosol mass spectrometer, which adopts the laser desorption technique as well as the thermal desorption method for quantitative bulk information (i.e. a modified Aerodyne AMS), aboard the high altitude research aircraft M-55 Geophysica. The instrument was deployed in July and August 2017 during the StratoClim EU campaign (Stratospheric and upper tropospheric processes for better climate predictions) over Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and t…
The realization of autonomous, aircraft-based, real-time aerosol mass spectrometry in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere
We report on the developments that enabled the field deployment of a fully automated aerosol mass spectrometer, especially designed for high-altitude measurements on unpressurized aircraft. The merits of the two main categories of real-time aerosol mass spectrometry, i.e. (a) single-particle laser desorption and ionization and (b) continuous thermal desorption and electron impact ionization of aerosols, have been integrated into one compact apparatus with the aim to perform in situ real-time analysis of aerosol chemical composition. The demonstrated instrument, named the ERICA (European Research Council Instrument for Chemical composition of Aerosols), operated successfully aboard the high-…