6533b854fe1ef96bd12addd7
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Enhanced organic mass fraction and decreased hygroscopicity of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) during new particle formation events
Stephan BorrmannUlrich PöschlUlrike DusekJohannes SchneiderDiana RoseAndreas KürtenGöran FrankMeinrat O. AndreaeJoachim CurtiusJoachim CurtiusFrank Drewnicksubject
Ammonium sulfateAnalytical chemistryMineralogyAerosolchemistry.chemical_compoundGeophysicschemistryGeneral Earth and Planetary SciencesParticleCloud condensation nucleiAerosol mass spectrometryParticle sizeMass fractionChemical compositiondescription
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 particle hygroscopicity (k) on chemical composition can be parameterized as a function of organic and inorganic mass fractions (forg, finorg) determined by aerosol mass spectrometry: k = korg forg + kinorg finorg. The obtained value of korg ~ 0.1 is characteristic for SOA, and kinorg ~ 0.7 is consistent with the observed mix of ammonium, sulfate and nitrate ions. (Less)
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-02-01 | Geophysical Research Letters |