Articles | Volume 14, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4461-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4461-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Jun 2021
Research article |
| 17 Jun 2021
| 17 Jun 2021
Comparative characterization of the performance of bio-aerosol nebulizers in connection with atmospheric simulation chambers
Silvia G. Danelli
Dipartimento di Fisica – Università di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
INFN – Sezione di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
Marco Brunoldi
Dipartimento di Fisica – Università di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
INFN – Sezione di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
Dipartimento di Fisica – Università di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
INFN – Sezione di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
Franco Parodi
INFN – Sezione di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
Virginia Vernocchi
Dipartimento di Fisica – Università di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
INFN – Sezione di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
Paolo Prati
Dipartimento di Fisica – Università di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
INFN – Sezione di Genova, via Dodecaneso 33, 16146, Genova, Italy
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Related subject area
Subject: Aerosols | Technique: Laboratory Measurement | Topic: Instruments and Platforms
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Hail is a challenging weather phenomenon to forecast due to an incomplete understanding of hailstone formation. Microscopy temperature limitations required previous studies to melt hail for analysis. This paper introduces a unique technique using a plastic cover to preserve particles in their location within the hailstone without melting. Therefore, CLSM and SEM–EDS microscopes can be used to determine individual particle sizes and their chemical composition related to hail-formation processes.
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This study systematically characterizes the temperature enhancement in the lamp-enclosed oxidation flow reactor (OFR). The enhancement varied multiple dimensional factors, emphasizing the complexity of temperature inside of OFR. The effects of temperature on the flow field and gas- or particle-phase reaction inside OFR were also evaluated with experiments and model simulations. Finally, multiple mitigation strategies were demonstrated to minimize this temperature increase.
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Accurate measurement of nanoparticles is crucial for understanding their impact on new particle formation and climate change. In our study, we calibrated the Particle Size Magnifier version 2.0, a novel instrument designed for nanoparticle analysis, using both lab-generated and atmospheric particles. Significant differences were observed in the calibration results, with direct calibration using atmospheric particles enhancing measurement accuracy.
Nagendra Raparthi, Anthony S. Wexler, and Ann M. Dillner
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Quantifying the composition-dependent hygroscopicity of aerosol particles is essential for advancing our understanding of atmospheric processes. Existing methods do not integrate chemical composition with hygroscopicity. We developed a novel method to assess the water uptake of particles sampled on aerosol filters at relative humidity levels up to 97 % and link it with their composition. This approach allows for the separation of total water uptake into inorganic and organic components.
Ningjin Xu, Chen Le, David R. Cocker, Kunpeng Chen, Ying-Hsuan Lin, and Don R. Collins
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4227–4243, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4227-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4227-2024, 2024
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A flow-through reactor was developed that exposes known mixtures of gases or ambient air to very high concentrations of the oxidants that are responsible for much of the chemistry that takes place in the atmosphere. Like other reactors of its type, it is primarily used to study the formation of particulate matter from the oxidation of common gases. Unlike other reactors of its type, it can simulate the chemical reactions that occur in liquid water that is present in particles or cloud droplets.
Ella Häkkinen, Huan Yang, Runlong Cai, and Juha Kangasluoma
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4211–4225, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4211-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4211-2024, 2024
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We report measurements of evaporation kinetics and surface equilibrium vapor pressures for various laboratory-generated organic nanoparticles using the dynamic-aerosol-size electrical mobility spectrometer (DEMS), a recent advancement in aerosol process characterization. Our findings align well with literature values, demonstrating DEMS's effectiveness. We suggest future improvements to DEMS and anticipate its potential for probing aerosol-related kinetic processes with unknown mechanisms.
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In this paper, we further optimize the measurement of atmospheric organosulfates by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC), offering an improved method for quantifying and speciating atmospheric organosulfates. These efforts will contribute to a deeper understanding of secondary organic aerosol precursors, formation mechanisms, and the contribution of organosulfate to atmospheric aerosols, ultimately guiding research in the field of air pollution prevention and control.
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We developed a novel instrument to determine the quality and number of biological and non-biological particles, with respect to their ice-promoting capacity as a function of temperature. The measurement uncertainty was determined, and the instrument produced reliable results. Further, repeated measurements of the same suspension showed that the instrument had high reproducibility.
Jian Zhao, Valter Mickwitz, Yuanyuan Luo, Ella Häkkinen, Frans Graeffe, Jiangyi Zhang, Hilkka Timonen, Manjula Canagaratna, Jordan E. Krechmer, Qi Zhang, Markku Kulmala, Juha Kangasluoma, Douglas Worsnop, and Mikael Ehn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1527–1543, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1527-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1527-2024, 2024
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Organic aerosol constitutes a significant portion of atmospheric fine particles but is less characterized due to its vast number of constituents. Recently, we developed a system for online measurements of particle-phase highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs). In this work, we systematically characterized the system, developed a new unit to enhance its performance, and demonstrated the essential role of thermograms in inferring volatility and quantifying HOMs in organic aerosols.
Xubing Du, Qinhui Xie, Qing Huang, Xuan Li, Junlin Yang, Zhihui Hou, Jingjing Wang, Xue Li, Zhen Zhou, Zhengxu Huang, Wei Gao, and Lei Li
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1037–1050, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1037-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1037-2024, 2024
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Currently, the limitations of single-particle mass spectrometry detection capabilities render it not yet well suited for analyzing complex aerosol components in low-concentration environments. In this study, a new high-performance single-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (HP-SPAMS) is developed to enhance instrument performance regarding the number of detected particles, transmission efficiency, resolution, and sensitivity, which will help in aerosol science.
Nicholas D. Beres, Julia Burkart, Elias Graf, Yanick Zeder, Lea Ann Dailey, and Bernadett Weinzierl
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2853, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2853, 2023
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We tested a new method to identify airborne microplastics (MPs), merging imaging, fluorescence, and machine learning of single particles. We examined whether combining imaging and fluorescence data enhances classification accuracy compared to using each method separately and tested these methods with other particle types. The tested MPs have distinct fluorescence and a combined imaging + fluorescence method improves their detection, making meaningful progress in monitoring MPs in the atmosphere.
Zhengning Xu, Jian Gao, Zhuanghao Xu, Michel Attoui, Xiangyu Pei, Mario Amo-González, Kewei Zhang, and Zhibin Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5995–6006, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5995-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5995-2023, 2023
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Planar differential mobility analyzers (DMAs) have higher ion transmission efficiency and sizing resolution compared to cylindrical DMAs and are more suitable for use with mass spectrometers (MSs). Performance of the latest planar DMA (P5) was characterized. Sizing resolution and ion transmission efficiency were 5–16 times and ∼10 times higher than cylindrical DMAs. Sulfuric acid clusters were measured by DMA(P5)-MSs. This technique can be applied for natural products and biomolecule analysis.
Virginia Vernocchi, Elena Abd El, Marco Brunoldi, Silvia Giulia Danelli, Elena Gatta, Tommaso Isolabella, Federico Mazzei, Franco Parodi, Paolo Prati, and Dario Massabò
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5479–5493, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5479-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5479-2023, 2023
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Bioaerosol are airborne particles or droplets that contain living organisms or biological materials, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, pollen, or other organic matter. The study of the relationship between bioaerosol viability and air quality or meteorological conditions is an open field, and running experiments of the bioareosol viability in an atmospheric simulation chamber gives the possibility to set up well-defined conditions to evaluate the interaction between bioaerosol and pollutants.
Mohit Singh, Stephanie Helen Jones, Alexei Kiselev, Denis Duft, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5205–5215, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5205-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5205-2023, 2023
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We introduce a novel method for simultaneous measurement of the viscosity and surface tension of metastable liquids. Our approach is based on the phase analysis of excited shape oscillations in levitated droplets. It is applicable to a wide range of atmospheric conditions and can monitor changes in real time. The technique holds great promise for investigating the effect of atmospheric processing on the viscosity and surface tension of solution droplets in equilibrium with water vapour.
Sophie A. Mills, Adam Milsom, Christian Pfrang, A. Rob MacKenzie, and Francis D. Pope
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4885–4898, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4885-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4885-2023, 2023
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Pollen grains are important components of the atmosphere and have the potential to impact upon cloud processes via their ability to help in the formation of rain droplets. This study investigates the hygroscopicity of two different pollen species using an acoustic levitator. Pollen grains are levitated, and their response to changes in relative humidity is investigated. A key advantage of this method is that it is possible study pollen shape under varying environmental conditions.
Alireza Moallemi, Robin L. Modini, Benjamin T. Brem, Barbara Bertozzi, Philippe Giaccari, and Martin Gysel-Beer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3653–3678, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3653-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3653-2023, 2023
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Polarimetric data, i.e., the angular and polarization dependence of light scattering by aerosols, contain ample information on optical and microphysical properties. Retrieval of these properties is a central approach in aerosol remote sensing. We present a description, calibration, validation, and a first application of a new benchtop polar nephelometer, which provides in situ polarimetric measurements of an aerosol. Such data facilitate agreement between retrieval results and independent data.
Taomou Zong, Zhijun Wu, Junrui Wang, Kai Bi, Wenxu Fang, Yanrong Yang, Xuena Yu, Zhier Bao, Xiangxinyue Meng, Yuheng Zhang, Song Guo, Yang Chen, Chunshan Liu, Yue Zhang, Shao-Meng Li, and Min Hu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3679–3692, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3679-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3679-2023, 2023
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This study developed and characterized an indoor chamber system (AIR) to simulate atmospheric multiphase chemistry processes. The AIR chamber can accurately control temperature and relative humidity (RH) over a broad range and simulate diurnal variation of ambient atmospheric RH. The aerosol generation unit can generate organic-coating seed particles with different phase states. The AIR chamber demonstrates high-quality performance in simulating secondary aerosol formation.
Marife B. Anunciado, Miranda De Boskey, Laura Haines, Katarina Lindskog, Tracy Dombek, Satoshi Takahama, and Ann M. Dillner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3515–3529, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3515-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3515-2023, 2023
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Organic sulfur compounds are used to identify sources and atmospheric processing of aerosol. Our paper evaluates the potential of using a non-destructive measurement technique to measure organic sulfur compounds in filter samples by assessing their chemical stability over time. Some were stable, but some evaporated or changed chemically. Future work includes evaluating the stability and potential interference of multiple organic sulfur compounds in laboratory mixtures and ambient aerosol.
Shipeng Kang, Tongzhu Yu, Yixin Yang, Jiguang Wang, Huaqiao Gui, Jianguo Liu, and Da-Ren Chen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3245–3255, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3245-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3245-2023, 2023
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A new aerosol electrometer, the thermal precipitation aerosol electrometer (TPAE), was designed for particles in sizes less than 300 nm, and its prototype performance was experimentally evaluated. The TPAE combines the thermal precipitator in the disk-to-disk configuration with a microcurrent measurement circuit board (i.e., pre-amplifier) for measuring the current carried by collected particles. Our performance study shows that the TPAE performance is consistent with the reference.
Battist Utinger, Steven John Campbell, Nicolas Bukowiecki, Alexandre Barth, Benjamin Gfeller, Ray Freshwater, Hans-Rudolf Rüegg, and Markus Kalberer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2641–2654, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2641-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2641-2023, 2023
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Exposure to atmospheric aerosols can lead to adverse health effect, but particle components responsible for this are unknown. Redox-active compounds, some with very short lifetimes, are considered to be a toxic class of compounds in particles. We developed the first online field instrument to quantify short-lived and stable redox-active compounds with a physiological assay based on ascorbic acid and a high time resolution and detection limits to allow measurements at unpolluted locations.
Ella Häkkinen, Jian Zhao, Frans Graeffe, Nicolas Fauré, Jordan E. Krechmer, Douglas Worsnop, Hilkka Timonen, Mikael Ehn, and Juha Kangasluoma
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1705–1721, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1705-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1705-2023, 2023
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Highly oxygenated compounds contribute to the formation and growth of atmospheric organic aerosol and thus impact the global climate. Knowledge of their transformations and fate after condensing into the particle phase has been limited by the lack of suitable detection techniques. Here, we present an online method for measuring highly oxygenated compounds from organic aerosol. We evaluate the performance of the method and demonstrate that the method is applicable to different organic species.
Julia Pikmann, Lasse Moormann, Frank Drewnick, and Stephan Borrmann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1323–1341, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1323-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1323-2023, 2023
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Aerosols measured in complex environments are usually a mixture of emissions from different sources. To characterize sources individually, we developed a sampling system for particles and organic trace gases which is coupled to real-time data of physical and chemical aerosol properties, gas concentrations, and meteorological variables. Using suitable sampling conditions for individual aerosols which are compared with the real-time data the desired aerosols are sampled separately from each other.
Christopher R. Niedek, Fan Mei, Maria A. Zawadowicz, Zihua Zhu, Beat Schmid, and Qi Zhang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 955–968, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-955-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-955-2023, 2023
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This novel micronebulization aerosol mass spectrometry (MS) technique requires a low sample volume (10 μL) and can quantify nanogram levels of organic and inorganic particulate matter (PM) components when used with 34SO4. This technique was successfully applied to PM samples collected from uncrewed atmospheric measurement platforms and provided chemical information that agrees well with real-time data from a co-located aerosol chemical speciation monitor and offline data from secondary ion MS.
Martin Rauber, Gary Salazar, Karl Espen Yttri, and Sönke Szidat
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 825–844, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-825-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-825-2023, 2023
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Carbon-containing aerosols from ambient air are analysed for radioactive isotope radiocarbon to determine the contribution from fossil-fuel emissions. Light-absorbing soot-like aerosols are isolated by water extraction and thermal separation. This separation is affected by artefacts, for which we developed a new correction method. The investigation of aerosols from the Arctic shows that our approach works well for such samples, where many artefacts are expected.
Alain Miffre, Danaël Cholleton, Clément Noël, and Patrick Rairoux
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 403–417, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-403-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-403-2023, 2023
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The depolarization ratio of hematite, silica, Arizona and Asian dust is evaluated in a lab with a π-polarimeter operating at lidar 180 ° and at (355, 532) nm wavelengths. The hematite depolarization equals (10±1) % at 355 nm for coarser particles, while that of silica is (33±1) %. This huge difference is explained by accounting for the high imaginary part of the hematite complex refractive index, thus revealing the key role played by light absorption in mineral dust lidar depolarization.
Miriam Chacón-Mateos, Bernd Laquai, Ulrich Vogt, and Cosima Stubenrauch
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 7395–7410, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7395-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7395-2022, 2022
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The study evaluates a low-cost dryer to avoid the negative effect of hygroscopic growth and fog droplets in the particulate matter (PM) concentrations of sensors. The results show a reduction in the overestimation of the PM but also an underestimation compared to reference devices. Special care is needed when designing a dryer as high temperatures change the sampled air by evaporating the most volatile particulate species. Low-cost dryers are very promising for different sensor applications.
Svetlana Sofieva, Eija Asmi, Nina S. Atanasova, Aino E. Heikkinen, Emeline Vidal, Jonathan Duplissy, Martin Romantschuk, Rostislav Kouznetsov, Jaakko Kukkonen, Dennis H. Bamford, Antti-Pekka Hyvärinen, and Mikhail Sofiev
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6201–6219, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6201-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6201-2022, 2022
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A new bubble-generating glass chamber design with an extensive set of aerosol production experiments is presented to re-evaluate bubble-bursting-mediated aerosol production as a function of water parameters: bubbling air flow, water salinity, and temperature. Our main findings suggest modest dependence of aerosol production on the water salinity and a strong dependence on temperature below ~ 10 °C.
Kristian J. Kiland, Kevin L. Marroquin, Natalie R. Smith, Shaun Xu, Sergey A. Nizkorodov, and Allan K. Bertram
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5545–5561, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5545-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5545-2022, 2022
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Information on the viscosity of secondary organic aerosols is needed when making air quality, climate, and atmospheric chemistry predictions. Viscosity depends on temperature, so we developed a new method for measuring the temperature-dependent viscosity of small samples. As an application of the method, we measured the viscosity of farnesene secondary organic aerosol at different temperatures.
Sabin Kasparoglu, Mohammad Maksimul Islam, Nicholas Meskhidze, and Markus D. Petters
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5007–5018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5007-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5007-2022, 2022
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A modified version of a Handix Scientific printed optical particle spectrometer is introduced. The paper presents characterization experiments, including concentration, size, and time responses. Integration of an external multichannel analyzer card removes counting limitations of the original instrument. It is shown that the high-resolution light-scattering amplitude data can be used to sense particle-phase transitions.
Nikunj Dudani and Satoshi Takahama
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4693–4707, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4693-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4693-2022, 2022
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We designed and fabricated an aerosol collector with high collection efficiency that enables quantitative infrared spectroscopy analysis. By collecting particles on optical windows, typical substrate interferences are eliminated. New methods for fabricating aerosol devices using 3D printing with post-treatment to reduce the time and cost of prototyping are described.
Mao Du, Aristeidis Voliotis, Yunqi Shao, Yu Wang, Thomas J. Bannan, Kelly L. Pereira, Jacqueline F. Hamilton, Carl J. Percival, M. Rami Alfarra, and Gordon McFiggans
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4385–4406, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4385-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4385-2022, 2022
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Atmospheric chemistry plays a key role in the understanding of aerosol formation and air pollution. We designed chamber experiments for the characterization of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from a biogenic precursor with inorganic seed. Our results highlight the advantages of a combination of online FIGAERO-CIMS and offline LC-Orbitrap MS analytical techniques to characterize the chemical composition of SOA in chamber studies.
Chuan Ping Lee, Mihnea Surdu, David M. Bell, Josef Dommen, Mao Xiao, Xueqin Zhou, Andrea Baccarini, Stamatios Giannoukos, Günther Wehrle, Pascal André Schneider, Andre S. H. Prevot, Jay G. Slowik, Houssni Lamkaddam, Dongyu Wang, Urs Baltensperger, and Imad El Haddad
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3747–3760, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3747-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3747-2022, 2022
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Real-time detection of both the gas and particle phase is needed to elucidate the sources and chemical reaction pathways of organic vapors and particulate matter. The Dual-EESI was developed to measure gas- and particle-phase species to provide new insights into aerosol sources or formation mechanisms. After characterizing the relative gas and particle response factors of EESI via organic aerosol uptake experiments, the Dual-EESI is more sensitive toward gas-phase analyes.
Martin I. Daily, Mark D. Tarn, Thomas F. Whale, and Benjamin J. Murray
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2635–2665, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2635-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2635-2022, 2022
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Mineral dust and particles of biological origin are important types of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that can trigger ice formation of supercooled cloud droplets. Heat treatments are used to detect the presence of biological INPs in samples collected from the environment as the activity of mineral INPs is assumed unchanged, although not fully assessed. We show that the ice-nucleating ability of some minerals can change after heating and discuss how INP heat tests should be interpreted.
Jiyan Wu, Chi Yang, Chunyan Zhang, Fang Cao, Aiping Wu, and Yanlin Zhang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2623–2633, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2623-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2623-2022, 2022
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We introduced an online method to simultaneously determine the content of inorganic salt ions and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in PM2.5 hour by hour. We verified the accuracy and precision of the instrument. And we got the daily changes in ROS and the main sources that affect ROS. This breakthrough enables the quantitative assessment of atmospheric particulate matter ROS at the diurnal scale, providing an effective tool to study sources and environmental impacts of ROS.
Virginia Vernocchi, Marco Brunoldi, Silvia G. Danelli, Franco Parodi, Paolo Prati, and Dario Massabò
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2159–2175, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2159-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2159-2022, 2022
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The performance of a mini inverted soot generator was investigated at a simulation chamber facility by studying the soot generated by ethylene and propane combustion, together with the number, size, optical properties, and EC / OC concentrations. Mass absorption coefficients and Ångström absorption exponents are compatible with the literature, with some differences. The characterization of MISG soot particles is fundamental to design and perform experiments in atmospheric simulation chambers.
Magdalena Vallon, Linyu Gao, Feng Jiang, Bianca Krumm, Jens Nadolny, Junwei Song, Thomas Leisner, and Harald Saathoff
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 1795–1810, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1795-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1795-2022, 2022
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A LED-based light source has been constructed for the AIDA simulation chamber at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. It allows aerosol formation and ageing studies under atmospherically relevant illumination intensities and spectral characteristics at temperatures from –90 °C to 30 °C with the possibility of changing the photon flux and irradiation spectrum at any point. The first results of photolysis experiments with 2,3-pentanedione, iron oxalate and a brown carbon component are shown.
Danaël Cholleton, Émilie Bialic, Antoine Dumas, Pascal Kaluzny, Patrick Rairoux, and Alain Miffre
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 1021–1032, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1021-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1021-2022, 2022
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While pollen impacts public health and the Earth’s climate, the identification of each pollen taxon remains challenging. In this context, a laboratory evaluation of the polarimetric light-scattering characteristics of ragweed, ash, birch and pine pollen, when embedded in ambient air, is here performed at two wavelengths. Interestingly, the achieved precision of the retrieved scattering matrix elements allows unequivocal light scattering characteristics of each studied taxon to be identified.
Kanishk Gohil and Akua A. Asa-Awuku
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 1007–1019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1007-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1007-2022, 2022
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This work develops a methodology and software to study and analyze the cloud-droplet-forming ability of aerosols with an aerodynamic aerosol classifier (AAC). This work quantifies the uncertainties in size-resolved measurements and subsequent uncertainties propagated to cloud droplet parameterizations. Lastly, we present the best practices for AAC cloud droplet measurement.
Yunqi Shao, Yu Wang, Mao Du, Aristeidis Voliotis, M. Rami Alfarra, Simon P. O'Meara, S. Fiona Turner, and Gordon McFiggans
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 539–559, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-539-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-539-2022, 2022
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A comprehensive description and characterisation of the Manchester Aerosol Chamber (MAC) was conducted. The MAC has good temperature and relative humidity homogeneity, fast mixing times, and comparable losses of gases and particles with other chambers. The MAC's bespoke control system allows improved duty cycles and repeatable experiments. Moreover, the effect of contamination on performance was also investigated. It is highly recommended to regularly track the chamber's performance.
Dina Alfaouri, Monica Passananti, Tommaso Zanca, Lauri Ahonen, Juha Kangasluoma, Jakub Kubečka, Nanna Myllys, and Hanna Vehkamäki
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 11–19, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-11-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-11-2022, 2022
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To study what is happening in the atmosphere, it is important to be able to measure the molecules and clusters present in it. In our work, we studied an artifact that happens inside a mass spectrometer, in particular the fragmentation of clusters. We were able to quantify the fragmentation and retrieve the correct concentration and composition of the clusters using our dual (experimental and theoretical) approach.
Sudheer Salana, Yixiang Wang, Joseph V. Puthussery, and Vishal Verma
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7579–7593, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7579-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7579-2021, 2021
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Oxidative potential (OP) of particulate matter (PM) is an important indicator of PM toxicity. However, no automated instrument has ever been developed to provide a rapid high-throughput analysis of cell-based OP measurements. Here, we developed a semi-automated instrument, the first of its kind, for measuring oxidative potential using rat alveolar cells. We also developed a dataset on the intrinsic cellular OP of several compounds commonly known to be present in ambient PM.
Kevin B. Fischer and Giuseppe A. Petrucci
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7565–7577, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7565-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7565-2021, 2021
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The viscosity of organic particles in atmospheric aerosol is sometimes correlated to bounce factor. It is generally accepted that more viscous particles will be more likely to bounce following acceleration toward and impaction on a surface. We demonstrate that use of multi-stage low-pressure impactors for this purpose may result in measurement artifacts that depend on chemical composition, particle size, and changing relative humidity. A hypothesis for the observed effect is presented.
Najin Kim, Yafang Cheng, Nan Ma, Mira L. Pöhlker, Thomas Klimach, Thomas F. Mentel, Ovid O. Krüger, Ulrich Pöschl, and Hang Su
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6991–7005, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6991-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6991-2021, 2021
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A broad supersaturation scanning CCN (BS2-CCN) system, in which particles are exposed to a range of supersaturation simultaneously, can measure a broad range of CCN activity distribution with a high time resolution. We describe how the BS2-CCN system can be effectively calibrated and which factors can affect the calibration curve. Intercomparison experiments between typical DMA-CCN and BS2-CCN measurements to evaluate the BS2-CCN system showed high correlation and good agreement.
Chenyang Bi, Jordan E. Krechmer, Manjula R. Canagaratna, and Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6551–6560, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6551-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6551-2021, 2021
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Calibration techniques have been recently developed to log-linearly correlate analyte sensitivity with CIMS operating conditions particularly for compounds without authentic standards. In this work, we examine the previously ignored bias in the log-linear-based calibration method and estimate an average bias of 30 %, with 1 order of magnitude for less sensitive compounds in some circumstances. A step-by-step guide was provided to reduce and even remove the bias.
Chuan Ping Lee, Mihnea Surdu, David M. Bell, Houssni Lamkaddam, Mingyi Wang, Farnoush Ataei, Victoria Hofbauer, Brandon Lopez, Neil M. Donahue, Josef Dommen, Andre S. H. Prevot, Jay G. Slowik, Dongyu Wang, Urs Baltensperger, and Imad El Haddad
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 5913–5923, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5913-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5913-2021, 2021
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Extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (EESI-MS) has been deployed for high throughput online detection of particles with minimal fragmentation. Our study elucidates the extraction mechanism between the particles and electrospray (ES) droplets of different properties. The results show that the extraction rate is likely affected by the coagulation rate between the particles and ES droplets. Once coagulated, the particles undergo complete extraction within the ES droplet.
Weimeng Kong, Stavros Amanatidis, Huajun Mai, Changhyuk Kim, Benjamin C. Schulze, Yuanlong Huang, Gregory S. Lewis, Susanne V. Hering, John H. Seinfeld, and Richard C. Flagan
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 5429–5445, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5429-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5429-2021, 2021
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We present the design, modeling, and experimental characterization of the nano-scanning electrical mobility spectrometer (nSEMS), a recently developed instrument that probes particle physical properties in the 1.5–25 nm range. The nSEMS has proven to be extremely powerful in examining atmospheric nucleation and the subsequent growth of nanoparticles in the CERN CLOUD experiment, which provides a valuable asset to study atmospheric nanoparticles and to evaluate their impact on climate.
Jack M. Choczynski, Ravleen Kaur Kohli, Craig S. Sheldon, Chelsea L. Price, and James F. Davies
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 5001–5013, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5001-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5001-2021, 2021
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Relative humidity (RH) and hygroscopicity play an important role in regulating the physical, chemical, and optical properties of aerosol. In this work, we develop a new method to characterize hygroscopicity using particle levitation. We levitate two droplets with an electrodynamic balance and measure their size with light-scattering methods using one droplet as a probe of the RH. We demonstrate highly accurate and precise measurements of the RH and hygroscopic growth of a range of samples.
Yuhan Yang, Dong Gao, and Rodney J. Weber
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4707–4719, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4707-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4707-2021, 2021
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Iron and copper are commonly found in ambient aerosols and have been linked to adverse health effects. We describe a relatively simple benchtop instrument that can be used to quantify these metals in aqueous solutions and verify the method by comparison with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The approach is based on forming light-absorbing metal–ligand complexes that can be measured with high sensitivity utilizing a long-path liquid waveguide capillary cell.
Stavros Amanatidis, Yuanlong Huang, Buddhi Pushpawela, Benjamin C. Schulze, Christopher M. Kenseth, Ryan X. Ward, John H. Seinfeld, Susanne V. Hering, and Richard C. Flagan
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4507–4516, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4507-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4507-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We assess the performance of a highly portable mobility analyzer, the Spider DMA, in measuring ambient aerosol particle size distributions, with specific attention to its moderate sizing resolution (R=3). Long-term field testing showed excellent correlation with a conventional mobility analyzer (R=10) over the 17–500 nm range, suggesting that moderate resolution may be sufficient to obtain key properties of ambient size distributions, enabling smaller instruments and better counting statistics.
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Short summary
Experiments conducted inside confined artificial environments, such as atmospheric simulation chambers (ASCs), where atmospheric conditions and composition are controlled, can provide valuable information on bio-aerosol viability, dispersion, and impact. We focus here on the reproducible aerosolization and injection of viable microorganisms into an ASC, the first and crucial step of any experimental protocol to expose bio-aerosols to different atmospheric conditions.
Experiments conducted inside confined artificial environments, such as atmospheric simulation...
