Search results for "Cloud condensation nuclei"
showing 10 items of 58 documents
Aerosol Chemistry Resolved by Mass Spectrometry: Linking Field Measurements of Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity to Organic Aerosol Composition.
2016
Aerosol hygroscopic properties were linked to its chemical composition by using complementary online mass spectrometric techniques in a comprehensive chemical characterization study at a rural mountaintop station in central Germany in August 2012. In particular, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry ((-)APCI-MS) provided measurements of organic acids, organosulfates, and nitrooxy-organosulfates in the particle phase at 1 min time resolution. Offline analysis of filter samples enabled us to determine the molecular composition of signals appearing in the online (-)APCI-MS spectra. Aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) provided quantitative measurements of total submicrometer or…
Aerosol Chemistry Resolved by Mass Spectrometry: Insights into Particle Growth after Ambient New Particle Formation
2016
Atmospheric oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) yields a large number of different organic molecules which comprise a wide range of volatility. Depending on their volatility, they can be involved in new particle formation and particle growth, thus affecting the number concentration of cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere. Here, we identified oxidation products of VOCs in the particle phase during a field study at a rural mountaintop station in central Germany. We used atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry ((-)APCI-MS) and aerosol mass spectrometry for time-resolved measurements of organic species and of the total organic aerosol (OA) mass in the size r…
Evidence for marine biogenic influence on summertime Arctic aerosol
2017
International audience; We present vertically-resolved observations of aerosol composition during pristine summertime Arctic background conditions. The methansulfonic acid (MSA)-to-sulfate ratio peaked near the surface (mean 0.10), indicating a contribution from ocean-derived biogenic sulfur. Similarly, the organic aerosol (OA)-to-sulfate ratio increased towards the surface (mean 2.0). Both MSA-to-sulfate and OA-to-sulfate ratios were significantly correlated with FLEXPART-WRF-predicted airmass residence time over open water, indicating marine influenced OA. External mixing of sea salt aerosol from a larger number fraction of organic, sulfate and amine-containing particles, together with lo…
Summertime observations of ultrafine particles and cloud condensation nuclei from the boundary layer to the free troposphere in the Arctic
2016
Abstract. The Arctic is extremely sensitive to climate change. Shrinking sea ice extent increases the area covered by open ocean during Arctic summer, which impacts the surface albedo and aerosol and cloud properties among many things. In this context extensive aerosol measurements (aerosol composition, particle number and size, cloud condensation nuclei, and trace gases) were made during 11 flights of the NETCARE July, 2014 airborne campaign conducted from Resolute Bay, Nunavut (74N, 94W). Flights routinely included vertical profiles from about 60 to 3000 m a.g.l. as well as several low-level horizontal transects over open ocean, fast ice, melt ponds, and polynyas. Here we discuss the vert…
Frequent Ultrafine Particle Formation and Growth in the Canadian Arctic Marine Environment
2017
Abstract. The source strength and capability of aerosol particles in the Arctic to act as cloud condensation nuclei have important implications for understanding the indirect aerosol-cloud effect within the polar climate system. It has been shown in several Arctic regions that ultrafine particle (UFP) formation and growth is a key contributor to aerosol number concentrations during the summer. This study uses aerosol number size distribution measurements from ship-board measurement expeditions aboard the research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen in the summers of 2014 and 2016 throughout the Canadian Arctic to gain a deeper understanding of the drivers of UFP formation and growth within this marine…
Modeling of biomass smoke injection into the lower stratosphere by a large forest fire (Part II): Sensitivity studies
2006
Abstract. The Chisholm forest fire that burned in Alberta, Canada, in May 2001 resulted in injection of substantial amounts of smoke into the lower stratosphere. We used the cloud-resolving plume model ATHAM (Active Tracer High resolution Atmospheric Model) to investigate the importance of different contributing factors to the severe intensification of the convection induced by the Chisholm fire and the subsequent injection of biomass smoke into the lower stratosphere. The simulations show strong sensitivity of the pyro-convection to background meteorology. This explains the observed coincidence of the convective blow-up of the fire plume and the passage of a synoptic cold front. Furthermor…
Enhanced organic mass fraction and decreased hygroscopicity of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) during new particle formation events
2010
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…
Measurements of aerosol and CCN properties in the Mackenzie River delta (Canadian Arctic) during spring–summer transition in May 2014
2018
Within the framework of the RACEPAC (Radiation–Aerosol–Cloud Experiment in the Arctic Circle) project, the Arctic aerosol, arriving at a ground-based station in Tuktoyaktuk (Mackenzie River delta area, Canada), was characterized during a period of 3 weeks in May 2014. Basic meteorological parameters and particle number size distributions (PNSDs) were observed and two distinct types of air masses were found. One type were typical Arctic haze air masses, termed accumulation-type air masses, characterized by a monomodal PNSD with a pronounced accumulation mode at sizes above 100 nm. These air masses were observed during a period when back trajectories indicate an air mass origin in the north-e…
Primary biological aerosol particles in the atmosphere: a review
2012
Atmospheric aerosol particles of biological origin are a very diverse group of biological materials and structures, including microorganisms, dispersal units, fragments and excretions of biological organisms. In recent years, the impact of biological aerosol particles on atmospheric processes has been studied with increasing intensity, and a wealth of new information and insights has been gained. This review outlines the current knowledge on major categories of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP): bacteria and archaea, fungal spores and fragments, pollen, viruses, algae and cyanobacteria, biological crusts and lichens and others like plant or animal fragments and detritus. We give a…
African volcanic emissions influencing atmospheric aerosols over the Amazon rain forest
2018
Long-range transport (LRT) plays an important role in the Amazon rain forest by bringing in different primary and secondary aerosol particles from distant sources. The atmospheric oxidation of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), emitted from marine plankton, is considered an important sulfate source over the Amazon rain forest, with a lesser contribution from terrestrial soil and vegetation sulfur emissions. Volcanic sulfur emissions from Africa could be a source of particulate sulfate to the Amazonian atmosphere upon transatlantic transport but no observations have been published. By using satellite observations, together with ground‑based and airborne aerosol particle observations, this paper provide…