Articles | Volume 14, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4507-2021
© 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-14-4507-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
18 Jun 2021
Research article |
| 18 Jun 2021
| 18 Jun 2021
Efficacy of a portable, moderate-resolution, fast-scanning differential mobility analyzer for ambient aerosol size distribution measurements
Stavros Amanatidis
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Aerosol Dynamics Inc., Berkeley, CA 94710, USA
Yuanlong Huang
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Buddhi Pushpawela
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Benjamin C. Schulze
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Christopher M. Kenseth
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Ryan X. Ward
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
John H. Seinfeld
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Susanne V. Hering
Aerosol Dynamics Inc., Berkeley, CA 94710, USA
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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Jiaoshi Zhang, Steven Spielman, Yang Wang, Guangjie Zheng, Xianda Gong, Susanne Hering, and Jian Wang
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Atmospheric particle formation, emissions, and growth process rates are significant sources of uncertainty in predicting climate change. We aim to reduce that uncertainty by using measurements from several ground-based sites across Europe. We developed an estimation technique to adapt the governing process rates so model–measurement bias decays. The estimation framework developed has potential to improve model predictions while providing insight into the underlying atmospheric particle physics.
Liqiang Wang, Shaocai Yu, Pengfei Li, Xue Chen, Zhen Li, Yibo Zhang, Mengying Li, Khalid Mehmood, Weiping Liu, Tianfeng Chai, Yannian Zhu, Daniel Rosenfeld, and John H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 14787–14800, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14787-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14787-2020, 2020
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The Chinese government has made major strides in curbing anthropogenic emissions. In this study, we constrain a state-of-the-art CTM by a reliable data assimilation method with extensive chemical and meteorological observations. This comprehensive technical design provides a crucial advance in isolating the influences of emission changes and meteorological perturbations over the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) from 2016 to 2019, thus establishing the first map of the PM2.5 mitigation across the YRD.
Brigitte Rooney, Yuan Wang, Jonathan H. Jiang, Bin Zhao, Zhao-Cheng Zeng, and John H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 14597–14616, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14597-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14597-2020, 2020
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Wildfires have become increasingly prevalent. Intense smoke consisting of particulate matter (PM) leads to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. The record-breaking Camp Fire ravaged Northern California for two weeks in 2018. Here, we employ a comprehensive chemical transport model along with ground-based and satellite observations to characterize the PM concentrations across Northern California and to investigate the pollution sensitivity predictions to key parameters of the model.
Sophia M. Charan, Reina S. Buenconsejo, and John H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 13167–13190, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13167-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13167-2020, 2020
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In urban areas, the emissions from volatile chemical products may be responsible for the formation of as much particulate matter as motor vehicles. Since exposure to particulate matter is a public health crisis, understanding its formation is critical. In this work, we investigate the secondary organic aerosol formation potential of benzyl alcohol, an important compound that is representative of some of these new emission sources, and find that more particulate matter forms than is expected.
James F. Hurley, Nathan M. Kreisberg, Braden Stump, Chenyang Bi, Purushottam Kumar, Susanne V. Hering, Pat Keady, and Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 4911–4925, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4911-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4911-2020, 2020
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The chemical composition of aerosols has implications for human and ecosystem health. Current methods for determining chemical composition are expensive and require highly trained personnel. Our method is promising for moderate-cost, low-maintenance measurements of oxygen / carbon ratios, a key chemical parameter, and other elements may also be studied. In this work, we coupled two commonly used detectors to assess O / C ratios in a variety of compounds and mixtures within an acceptable error.
Alexander B. MacDonald, Ali Hossein Mardi, Hossein Dadashazar, Mojtaba Azadi Aghdam, Ewan Crosbie, Haflidi H. Jonsson, Richard C. Flagan, John H. Seinfeld, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 7645–7665, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7645-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7645-2020, 2020
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Understanding how humans affect Earth's climate requires understanding of how particles in the air affect the number concentration of droplets in a cloud (Nd). We use the air-equivalent mass concentration of different chemical species contained in cloud water to predict Nd. In this study we found that the prediction of Nd is (1) best described by total sulfate; (2) improved when considering up to five species; and (3) dependent on factors like turbulence, smoke presence, and in-cloud height.
Dominik Stolzenburg, Mario Simon, Ananth Ranjithkumar, Andreas Kürten, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Hamish Gordon, Sebastian Ehrhart, Henning Finkenzeller, Lukas Pichelstorfer, Tuomo Nieminen, Xu-Cheng He, Sophia Brilke, Mao Xiao, António Amorim, Rima Baalbaki, Andrea Baccarini, Lisa Beck, Steffen Bräkling, Lucía Caudillo Murillo, Dexian Chen, Biwu Chu, Lubna Dada, António Dias, Josef Dommen, Jonathan Duplissy, Imad El Haddad, Lukas Fischer, Loic Gonzalez Carracedo, Martin Heinritzi, Changhyuk Kim, Theodore K. Koenig, Weimeng Kong, Houssni Lamkaddam, Chuan Ping Lee, Markus Leiminger, Zijun Li, Vladimir Makhmutov, Hanna E. Manninen, Guillaume Marie, Ruby Marten, Tatjana Müller, Wei Nie, Eva Partoll, Tuukka Petäjä, Joschka Pfeifer, Maxim Philippov, Matti P. Rissanen, Birte Rörup, Siegfried Schobesberger, Simone Schuchmann, Jiali Shen, Mikko Sipilä, Gerhard Steiner, Yuri Stozhkov, Christian Tauber, Yee Jun Tham, António Tomé, Miguel Vazquez-Pufleau, Andrea C. Wagner, Mingyi Wang, Yonghong Wang, Stefan K. Weber, Daniela Wimmer, Peter J. Wlasits, Yusheng Wu, Qing Ye, Marcel Zauner-Wieczorek, Urs Baltensperger, Kenneth S. Carslaw, Joachim Curtius, Neil M. Donahue, Richard C. Flagan, Armin Hansel, Markku Kulmala, Jos Lelieveld, Rainer Volkamer, Jasper Kirkby, and Paul M. Winkler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 7359–7372, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7359-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7359-2020, 2020
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Sulfuric acid is a major atmospheric vapour for aerosol formation. If new particles grow fast enough, they can act as cloud droplet seeds or affect air quality. In a controlled laboratory set-up, we demonstrate that van der Waals forces enhance growth from sulfuric acid. We disentangle the effects of ammonia, ions and particle hydration, presenting a complete picture of sulfuric acid growth from molecular clusters onwards. In a climate model, we show its influence on the global aerosol budget.
Khalid Mehmood, Yujie Wu, Liqiang Wang, Shaocai Yu, Pengfei Li, Xue Chen, Zhen Li, Yibo Zhang, Mengying Li, Weiping Liu, Yuesi Wang, Zirui Liu, Yannian Zhu, Daniel Rosenfeld, and John H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 2419–2443, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2419-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2419-2020, 2020
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We selected June 2014 as our study period, which exhibited a complete evolution process of open biomass burning (OBB) dominated by open crop straw burning (OCSB) over central and eastern China (CEC). We established a constraining method that integrates ground-based PM2.5 measurements with the two-way coupled WRF-CMAQ model to derive optimal OBB emissions. It was found that these emissions could allow the model to reproduce meteorological and chemical fields over CEC during the study period.
Qili Dai, Benjamin C. Schulze, Xiaohui Bi, Alexander A. T. Bui, Fangzhou Guo, Henry W. Wallace, Nancy P. Sanchez, James H. Flynn, Barry L. Lefer, Yinchang Feng, and Robert J. Griffin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 9641–9661, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-9641-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-9641-2019, 2019
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The formation processes of secondary organic aerosol remain to be fully understood. We reported the measurement data from two field campaigns within Houston, TX, to investigate the effects of aqueous-phase chemistry and photochemistry in processing oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) in winter and summer. Both photochemistry and aqueous-phase processing appear to facilitate more-oxidized OOA formation. The processing mechanism of less-oxidized OOA apparently depended on relative humidity.
Sanna Saarikoski, Leah R. Williams, Steven R. Spielman, Gregory S. Lewis, Arantzazu Eiguren-Fernandez, Minna Aurela, Susanne V. Hering, Kimmo Teinilä, Philip Croteau, John T. Jayne, Thorsten Hohaus, Douglas R. Worsnop, and Hilkka Timonen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 3907–3920, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-3907-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-3907-2019, 2019
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An air-to-air ultrafine particle concentrator (Aerosol Dynamics Inc. concentrator; ADIc) has been tailored for the low (~ 0.08 L min−1) inlet flow of aerosol mass spectrometers, and it provides a factor of 8–21 enrichment in the concentration of particles. The ADIc was evaluated in laboratory and field measurements. The results showed that the concentration factor depends primarily on the ratio between the sample flow and the output flow and is independent of particle size above about 10 nm.
Brigitte Rooney, Ran Zhao, Yuan Wang, Kelvin H. Bates, Ajay Pillarisetti, Sumit Sharma, Seema Kundu, Tami C. Bond, Nicholas L. Lam, Bora Ozaltun, Li Xu, Varun Goel, Lauren T. Fleming, Robert Weltman, Simone Meinardi, Donald R. Blake, Sergey A. Nizkorodov, Rufus D. Edwards, Ankit Yadav, Narendra K. Arora, Kirk R. Smith, and John H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 7719–7742, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-7719-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-7719-2019, 2019
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Approximately 3 billion people worldwide cook with solid fuels, such as wood, charcoal, and agricultural residues, that are often combusted in inefficient cookstoves. Here, we simulate the distribution of the two major health-damaging outdoor pollution species (PM2.5 and O3) using state-of-the-science emissions databases and atmospheric chemical transport models to estimate the impact of household combustion on ambient air quality in India.
Rebecca H. Schwantes, Sophia M. Charan, Kelvin H. Bates, Yuanlong Huang, Tran B. Nguyen, Huajun Mai, Weimeng Kong, Richard C. Flagan, and John H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 7255–7278, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-7255-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-7255-2019, 2019
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Oxidation of isoprene, the dominant non-methane biogenic volatile organic compound emitted into the atmosphere, is a significant source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Here formation of SOA from isoprene oxidation by the hydroxyl radical (OH) under high-NO conditions is measured. This work improves our understanding of isoprene SOA formation by demonstrating that low-volatility compounds formed under high-NO conditions produce significantly more aerosol than previously thought.
Lindsay D. Yee, Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz, Rebecca A. Wernis, Meng Meng, Ventura Rivera, Nathan M. Kreisberg, Susanne V. Hering, Mads S. Bering, Marianne Glasius, Mary Alice Upshur, Ariana Gray Bé, Regan J. Thomson, Franz M. Geiger, John H. Offenberg, Michael Lewandowski, Ivan Kourtchev, Markus Kalberer, Suzane de Sá, Scot T. Martin, M. Lizabeth Alexander, Brett B. Palm, Weiwei Hu, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Douglas A. Day, Jose L. Jimenez, Yingjun Liu, Karena A. McKinney, Paulo Artaxo, Juarez Viegas, Antonio Manzi, Maria B. Oliveira, Rodrigo de Souza, Luiz A. T. Machado, Karla Longo, and Allen H. Goldstein
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 10433–10457, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-10433-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-10433-2018, 2018
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Biogenic volatile organic compounds react in the atmosphere to form secondary organic aerosol, yet the chemical pathways remain unclear. We collected filter samples and deployed a semi-volatile thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatograph in the central Amazon. We measured 30 sesquiterpenes and 4 diterpenes and find them to be important for reactive ozone loss. We estimate that sesquiterpene oxidation contributes at least 0.4–5 % (median 1 %) of observed submicron organic aerosol mass.
Xuan Zhang, John Ortega, Yuanlong Huang, Stephen Shertz, Geoffrey S. Tyndall, and John J. Orlando
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 2537–2551, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-2537-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-2537-2018, 2018
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We present the development and characterization of the NCAR Atmospheric Simulation Chamber, which is operated in steady state continuous
flow mode for simulating atmospheric daytime and nighttime chemistry over chemical regimes not accessible in traditional static chamber
experiments. We focus on establishing an
intermediate NOregime characterized by a constant steady-state NO level ranging from tens of ppt to a few ppb in the chamber.
Andreas Kürten, Chenxi Li, Federico Bianchi, Joachim Curtius, António Dias, Neil M. Donahue, Jonathan Duplissy, Richard C. Flagan, Jani Hakala, Tuija Jokinen, Jasper Kirkby, Markku Kulmala, Ari Laaksonen, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Vladimir Makhmutov, Antti Onnela, Matti P. Rissanen, Mario Simon, Mikko Sipilä, Yuri Stozhkov, Jasmin Tröstl, Penglin Ye, and Peter H. McMurry
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 845–863, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-845-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-845-2018, 2018
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A recent laboratory study (CLOUD) showed that new particles nucleate efficiently from sulfuric acid and dimethylamine (DMA). The reanalysis of previously published data reveals that the nucleation rates are even faster than previously assumed, i.e., nucleation can proceed at rates that are compatible with collision-controlled new particle formation for atmospheric conditions. This indicates that sulfuric acid–DMA nucleation is likely an important source of particles in the boundary layer.
Robert Wagner, Chao Yan, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Jonathan Duplissy, Tuomo Nieminen, Juha Kangasluoma, Lauri R. Ahonen, Lubna Dada, Jenni Kontkanen, Hanna E. Manninen, Antonio Dias, Antonio Amorim, Paulus S. Bauer, Anton Bergen, Anne-Kathrin Bernhammer, Federico Bianchi, Sophia Brilke, Stephany Buenrostro Mazon, Xuemeng Chen, Danielle C. Draper, Lukas Fischer, Carla Frege, Claudia Fuchs, Olga Garmash, Hamish Gordon, Jani Hakala, Liine Heikkinen, Martin Heinritzi, Victoria Hofbauer, Christopher R. Hoyle, Jasper Kirkby, Andreas Kürten, Alexander N. Kvashnin, Tiia Laurila, Michael J. Lawler, Huajun Mai, Vladimir Makhmutov, Roy L. Mauldin III, Ugo Molteni, Leonid Nichman, Wei Nie, Andrea Ojdanic, Antti Onnela, Felix Piel, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Matti P. Rissanen, Nina Sarnela, Simon Schallhart, Kamalika Sengupta, Mario Simon, Dominik Stolzenburg, Yuri Stozhkov, Jasmin Tröstl, Yrjö Viisanen, Alexander L. Vogel, Andrea C. Wagner, Mao Xiao, Penglin Ye, Urs Baltensperger, Joachim Curtius, Neil M. Donahue, Richard C. Flagan, Martin Gallagher, Armin Hansel, James N. Smith, António Tomé, Paul M. Winkler, Douglas Worsnop, Mikael Ehn, Mikko Sipilä, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Tuukka Petäjä, and Markku Kulmala
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 15181–15197, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-15181-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-15181-2017, 2017
Tamara Pinterich, Steven R. Spielman, Yang Wang, Susanne V. Hering, and Jian Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 4915–4925, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4915-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4915-2017, 2017
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The ability of atmospheric particles to uptake water (particle hygroscopicity) is a key parameter in determining their impact on global climate.
We present a humidity-controlled fast integrated mobility spectrometer (HFIMS) for rapid measurement of particle hygroscopicity. The HFIMS' performance evaluation shows that it is about an order of magnitude faster than traditional systems, greatly improving our capability to study particle hygroscopicity especially for rapidly evolving aerosols.
Juha Kangasluoma, Susanne Hering, David Picard, Gregory Lewis, Joonas Enroth, Frans Korhonen, Markku Kulmala, Karine Sellegri, Michel Attoui, and Tuukka Petäjä
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 2271–2281, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2271-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2271-2017, 2017
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The manuscript presents a characterization of three new particle counters able to detect airborne nanoparticles smaller than 3 nm in diameter. We explored some of the parameters affecting the smallest detectable particle size, such as sample flow relative humidity, the particle chemical composition and the electrical charging state. The characterization results help one to select a suitable particle counter for a given application.
Rebecca H. Schwantes, Katherine A. Schilling, Renee C. McVay, Hanna Lignell, Matthew M. Coggon, Xuan Zhang, Paul O. Wennberg, and John H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 3453–3474, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-3453-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-3453-2017, 2017
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Toluene, one of the principle aromatic compounds present in the atmosphere, is oxidized by OH to produce cresol and other products. Here later-generation low-volatility oxygenated products from cresol oxidation by OH are detected in the gas and particle phases. This work identifies a simple and significant mechanism for toluene secondary organic aerosol formation through the cresol pathway. Likely the phenolic pathway of other aromatic compounds is also important for secondary organic aerosol.
Yuanlong Huang, Matthew M. Coggon, Ran Zhao, Hanna Lignell, Michael U. Bauer, Richard C. Flagan, and John H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 839–867, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-839-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-839-2017, 2017
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We report on the development of a new laminar flow tube reactor for the study of gas-phase atmospheric chemistry and secondary organic aerosol formation. The present paper is devoted to the design and fluid dynamical characterization of the reactor. The results of gas and particle residence time distribution experiments in the reactor, together with an evaluation of the effect of non-isothermal conditions, are reported.
Arantzazu Eiguren-Fernandez, Nathan Kreisberg, and Susanne Hering
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 633–644, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-633-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-633-2017, 2017
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The capacity of airborne particles to generate reactive oxygen species has been correlated with the generation of oxidative stress, which may lead to the development of common diseases such as asthma and Alzheimer’s. As the oxidative potential of particles varies significantly by location and time of day, there is a need for monitoring this property in a comprehensive manner. Thus, we are developing a field-deployable system for time-resolved assessment of the oxidative capacity of particles.
Theodora Nah, Renee C. McVay, Jeffrey R. Pierce, John H. Seinfeld, and Nga L. Ng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 2297–2310, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2297-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2297-2017, 2017
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We present a model framework that accounts for coagulation in chamber studies where high seed aerosol surface area concentrations are used. The uncertainties in the calculated SOA mass concentrations and yields between four different particle-wall loss correction methods over the series of α-pinene ozonolysis experiments are also assessed. We show that SOA mass yields calculated by the four methods can deviate significantly in studies where high seed aerosol surface area concentrations are used.
Natasha Hodas, Andreas Zuend, Katherine Schilling, Thomas Berkemeier, Manabu Shiraiwa, Richard C. Flagan, and John H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 12767–12792, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12767-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12767-2016, 2016
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Discontinuities in apparent hygroscopicity below and above water saturation have been observed for organic and mixed organic-inorganic aerosol particles in both laboratory studies and in the ambient atmosphere. This work explores the extent to which such discontinuities are influenced by organic component molecular mass and viscosity, non-ideal thermodynamic interactions between aerosol components, and the combination of these factors.
Theodora Nah, Renee C. McVay, Xuan Zhang, Christopher M. Boyd, John H. Seinfeld, and Nga L. Ng
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 9361–9379, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9361-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9361-2016, 2016
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The influence of seed aerosol surface area and oxidation rate on SOA formation in α-pinene ozonolysis is studied. SOA growth rate and mass yields are independent of seed surface area, consistent with the condensation of SOA-forming vapors being dominated by quasi-equilibrium growth. Faster α-pinene oxidation rates and higher SOA mass yields are observed at increasing O3 concentrations, indicating that a faster α-pinene oxidation rate leads to rapidly produced SOA-forming oxidation products.
Alessandro Franchin, Andy Downard, Juha Kangasluoma, Tuomo Nieminen, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Gerhard Steiner, Hanna E. Manninen, Tuukka Petäjä, Richard C. Flagan, and Markku Kulmala
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 2709–2720, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-2709-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-2709-2016, 2016
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High transmission efficiency is key for classifying and counting atmospheric aerosol below 10 nm. We developed a new high-transmission inlet for the Caltech nano-radial DMA (nRDMA) and successfully deployed the nRDMA, equipped with the new inlet, in chamber measurements, using a particle size magnifier (PSM) and a booster CPC as a counter. With this setup, we were able to measure size distributions of ions between 1.3 and 6 nm in mobility diameter.
Emma Järvinen, Karoliina Ignatius, Leonid Nichman, Thomas B. Kristensen, Claudia Fuchs, Christopher R. Hoyle, Niko Höppel, Joel C. Corbin, Jill Craven, Jonathan Duplissy, Sebastian Ehrhart, Imad El Haddad, Carla Frege, Hamish Gordon, Tuija Jokinen, Peter Kallinger, Jasper Kirkby, Alexei Kiselev, Karl-Heinz Naumann, Tuukka Petäjä, Tamara Pinterich, Andre S. H. Prevot, Harald Saathoff, Thea Schiebel, Kamalika Sengupta, Mario Simon, Jay G. Slowik, Jasmin Tröstl, Annele Virtanen, Paul Vochezer, Steffen Vogt, Andrea C. Wagner, Robert Wagner, Christina Williamson, Paul M. Winkler, Chao Yan, Urs Baltensperger, Neil M. Donahue, Rick C. Flagan, Martin Gallagher, Armin Hansel, Markku Kulmala, Frank Stratmann, Douglas R. Worsnop, Ottmar Möhler, Thomas Leisner, and Martin Schnaiter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 4423–4438, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4423-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4423-2016, 2016
Leonid Nichman, Claudia Fuchs, Emma Järvinen, Karoliina Ignatius, Niko Florian Höppel, Antonio Dias, Martin Heinritzi, Mario Simon, Jasmin Tröstl, Andrea Christine Wagner, Robert Wagner, Christina Williamson, Chao Yan, Paul James Connolly, James Robert Dorsey, Jonathan Duplissy, Sebastian Ehrhart, Carla Frege, Hamish Gordon, Christopher Robert Hoyle, Thomas Bjerring Kristensen, Gerhard Steiner, Neil McPherson Donahue, Richard Flagan, Martin William Gallagher, Jasper Kirkby, Ottmar Möhler, Harald Saathoff, Martin Schnaiter, Frank Stratmann, and António Tomé
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 3651–3664, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-3651-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-3651-2016, 2016
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Processes in the atmosphere are often governed by the physical and chemical properties of small cloud particles. Ice, water, and mixed clouds, as well as viscous aerosols, were formed under controlled conditions at the CLOUD-CERN facility. The experimental results show a link between cloud particle properties and their unique optical fingerprints. The classification map presented here allows easier discrimination between various particles such as viscous organic aerosol, salt, ice, and liquid.
Christopher D. Cappa, Shantanu H. Jathar, Michael J. Kleeman, Kenneth S. Docherty, Jose L. Jimenez, John H. Seinfeld, and Anthony S. Wexler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 3041–3059, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-3041-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-3041-2016, 2016
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Losses of vapors to walls of chambers can negatively bias SOA formation measurements, consequently leading to low predicted SOA concentrations in air quality models. Here, we show that accounting for such vapor losses leads to substantial increases in the predicted amount of SOA formed from VOCs and to notable increases in the O : C atomic ratio in two US regions. Comparison with a variety of observational data suggests generally improved model performance when vapor wall losses are accounted for.
Renee C. McVay, Xuan Zhang, Bernard Aumont, Richard Valorso, Marie Camredon, Yuyi S. La, Paul O. Wennberg, and John H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 2785–2802, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-2785-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-2785-2016, 2016
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Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) affects climate change, human health, and cloud formation. We examine SOA formation from the biogenic hydrocarbon α-pinene and observe unexpected experimental results that run contrary to model predictions. Various processes are explored via modeling to rationalize the observations. The paper identifies the importance of further constraining via experiments various steps in the chemical mechanism in order to accurately predict SOA worldwide.
S. H. Jathar, C. D. Cappa, A. S. Wexler, J. H. Seinfeld, and M. J. Kleeman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 2309–2322, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-2309-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-2309-2016, 2016
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Multi-generational chemistry schemes applied in regional models do not increase secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass production relative to traditional "two-product" schemes when both models are fitted to the same chamber data. The multi-generational chemistry schemes do change the predicted composition of SOA and the source attribution of SOA.
A. Hecobian, A. Evanoski-Cole, A. Eiguren-Fernandez, A. P. Sullivan, G. S. Lewis, S. V. Hering, and J. L. Collett Jr.
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 525–533, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-525-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-525-2016, 2016
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A newly developed instrument, the Sequential Spot Sampler (S3) was evaluated in the laboratory and field for the hourly measurement of ambient PM2.5 nitrate and sulfate concentrations. The results from the comparison of two S3s and the S3s with other well-established methods show that this instrument is suitable for deployment; provides high-resolution aerosol nitrate and sulfate concentrations while requiring minimal operator involvement and low power input; and has a small footprint.
J. Kim, L. Ahlm, T. Yli-Juuti, M. Lawler, H. Keskinen, J. Tröstl, S. Schobesberger, J. Duplissy, A. Amorim, F. Bianchi, N. M. Donahue, R. C. Flagan, J. Hakala, M. Heinritzi, T. Jokinen, A. Kürten, A. Laaksonen, K. Lehtipalo, P. Miettinen, T. Petäjä, M. P. Rissanen, L. Rondo, K. Sengupta, M. Simon, A. Tomé, C. Williamson, D. Wimmer, P. M. Winkler, S. Ehrhart, P. Ye, J. Kirkby, J. Curtius, U. Baltensperger, M. Kulmala, K. E. J. Lehtinen, J. N. Smith, I. Riipinen, and A. Virtanen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 293–304, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-293-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-293-2016, 2016
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The hygroscopicity of nucleated nanoparticles was measured in the presence of sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid-dimethylamine, and sulfuric acid-organics derived from α-pinene oxidation during CLOUD7 at CERN in 2012. The hygroscopicity parameter κ decreased with increasing particle size, indicating decreasing acidity of particles.
A. Kürten, S. Münch, L. Rondo, F. Bianchi, J. Duplissy, T. Jokinen, H. Junninen, N. Sarnela, S. Schobesberger, M. Simon, M. Sipilä, J. Almeida, A. Amorim, J. Dommen, N. M. Donahue, E. M. Dunne, R. C. Flagan, A. Franchin, J. Kirkby, A. Kupc, V. Makhmutov, T. Petäjä, A. P. Praplan, F. Riccobono, G. Steiner, A. Tomé, G. Tsagkogeorgas, P. E. Wagner, D. Wimmer, U. Baltensperger, M. Kulmala, D. R. Worsnop, and J. Curtius
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 10701–10721, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-10701-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-10701-2015, 2015
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New particle formation (NPF) is an important atmospheric process. At cold temperatures in the upper troposphere the binary (H2SO4-H2O) and ternary (H2SO4-H2O-NH3) system are thought to be important for NPF. Sulfuric acid monomer (H2SO4) and sulfuric acid dimer ((H2SO4)2) concentrations were measured between 208 and 248K for these systems and dimer evaporation rates were derived. These data will help to better understand and predict binary and ternary nucleation at low temperatures.
S. H. Jathar, C. D. Cappa, A. S. Wexler, J. H. Seinfeld, and M. J. Kleeman
Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 2553–2567, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-2553-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-2553-2015, 2015
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Multi-generational oxidation of organic vapors can significantly alter the mass, chemical composition and properties of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Here, we implement a semi-explicit, constrained multi-generational oxidation model of Cappa and Wilson (2012) in a 3-D air quality model. When compared with results from a current-generation SOA model, we predict similar mass concentrations of SOA but a different chemical composition. O:C ratios of SOA are in line with those measured globally.
M. J. Alvarado, C. R. Lonsdale, R. J. Yokelson, S. K. Akagi, H. Coe, J. S. Craven, E. V. Fischer, G. R. McMeeking, J. H. Seinfeld, T. Soni, J. W. Taylor, D. R. Weise, and C. E. Wold
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 6667–6688, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6667-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-6667-2015, 2015
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Being able to understand and simulate the chemical evolution of biomass burning smoke plumes under a wide variety of conditions is a critical part of forecasting the impact of these fires on air quality, atmospheric composition, and climate. Here we use an improved model of this chemistry to simulate the evolution of ozone and secondary organic aerosol within a young biomass burning smoke plume from the Williams prescribed burn in chaparral, which was sampled over California in November 2009.
E. Jung, B. A. Albrecht, H. H. Jonsson, Y.-C. Chen, J. H. Seinfeld, A. Sorooshian, A. R. Metcalf, S. Song, M. Fang, and L. M. Russell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 5645–5658, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5645-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5645-2015, 2015
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To study the effect of giant cloud condensation nuclei (GCCN) on precipitation processes in stratocumulus clouds, 1-10 µm diameter salt particles were released from an aircraft while flying near the cloud top off the central coast of California. The analyses suggest that GCCN result in a four-fold increase in the cloud base rainfall rate and depletion of the cloud water due to rainout.
N. Hodas, A. Zuend, W. Mui, R. C. Flagan, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 5027–5045, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5027-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5027-2015, 2015
X. Zhang, R. H. Schwantes, R. C. McVay, H. Lignell, M. M. Coggon, R. C. Flagan, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 4197–4214, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-4197-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-4197-2015, 2015
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We present an experimental protocol to constrain the nature of organic vapor--wall deposition in Teflon chambers and develop an empirical model to predict the wall-induced deposition rate of intermediate/semi/non-volatility organic vapors in chambers.
T. B. Nguyen, J. D. Crounse, R. H. Schwantes, A. P. Teng, K. H. Bates, X. Zhang, J. M. St. Clair, W. H. Brune, G. S. Tyndall, F. N. Keutsch, J. H. Seinfeld, and P. O. Wennberg
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 13531–13549, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-13531-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-13531-2014, 2014
J. D. Fast, J. Allan, R. Bahreini, J. Craven, L. Emmons, R. Ferrare, P. L. Hayes, A. Hodzic, J. Holloway, C. Hostetler, J. L. Jimenez, H. Jonsson, S. Liu, Y. Liu, A. Metcalf, A. Middlebrook, J. Nowak, M. Pekour, A. Perring, L. Russell, A. Sedlacek, J. Seinfeld, A. Setyan, J. Shilling, M. Shrivastava, S. Springston, C. Song, R. Subramanian, J. W. Taylor, V. Vinoj, Q. Yang, R. A. Zaveri, and Q. Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 10013–10060, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-10013-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-10013-2014, 2014
M. Shiraiwa, T. Berkemeier, K. A. Schilling-Fahnestock, J. H. Seinfeld, and U. Pöschl
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 8323–8341, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-8323-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-8323-2014, 2014
R. A. Zaveri, R. C. Easter, J. E. Shilling, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 5153–5181, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-5153-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-5153-2014, 2014
T. B. Nguyen, M. M. Coggon, K. H. Bates, X. Zhang, R. H. Schwantes, K. A. Schilling, C. L. Loza, R. C. Flagan, P. O. Wennberg, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 3497–3510, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-3497-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-3497-2014, 2014
R. Zhang, T. Duhl, M. T. Salam, J. M. House, R. C. Flagan, E. L. Avol, F. D. Gilliland, A. Guenther, S. H. Chung, B. K. Lamb, and T. M. VanReken
Biogeosciences, 11, 1461–1478, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1461-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1461-2014, 2014
J. J. Ensberg, P. L. Hayes, J. L. Jimenez, J. B. Gilman, W. C. Kuster, J. A. de Gouw, J. S. Holloway, T. D. Gordon, S. Jathar, A. L. Robinson, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 2383–2397, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-2383-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-2383-2014, 2014
X. Zhang, R. H. Schwantes, M. M. Coggon, C. L. Loza, K. A. Schilling, R. C. Flagan, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 1733–1753, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1733-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1733-2014, 2014
C. L. Loza, J. S. Craven, L. D. Yee, M. M. Coggon, R. H. Schwantes, M. Shiraiwa, X. Zhang, K. A. Schilling, N. L. Ng, M. R. Canagaratna, P. J. Ziemann, R. C. Flagan, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 1423–1439, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1423-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1423-2014, 2014
A. L. Corrigan, L. M. Russell, S. Takahama, M. Äijälä, M. Ehn, H. Junninen, J. Rinne, T. Petäjä, M. Kulmala, A. L. Vogel, T. Hoffmann, C. J. Ebben, F. M. Geiger, P. Chhabra, J. H. Seinfeld, D. R. Worsnop, W. Song, J. Auld, and J. Williams
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 12233–12256, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-12233-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-12233-2013, 2013
L. D. Yee, J. S. Craven, C. L. Loza, K. A. Schilling, N. L. Ng, M. R. Canagaratna, P. J. Ziemann, R. C. Flagan, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 11121–11140, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11121-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11121-2013, 2013
A. Wonaschütz, M. Coggon, A. Sorooshian, R. Modini, A. A. Frossard, L. Ahlm, J. Mülmenstädt, G. C. Roberts, L. M. Russell, S. Dey, F. J. Brechtel, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 9819–9835, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9819-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9819-2013, 2013
L. D. Yee, K. E. Kautzman, C. L. Loza, K. A. Schilling, M. M. Coggon, P. S. Chhabra, M. N. Chan, A. W. H. Chan, S. P. Hersey, J. D. Crounse, P. O. Wennberg, R. C. Flagan, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 8019–8043, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-8019-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-8019-2013, 2013
H. Jiang, H. Liao, H. O. T. Pye, S. Wu, L. J. Mickley, J. H. Seinfeld, and X. Y. Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 7937–7960, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-7937-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-7937-2013, 2013
X. Zhang and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 5907–5926, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-5907-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-5907-2013, 2013
T. R. Duhl, R. Zhang, A. Guenther, S. H. Chung, M. T. Salam, J. M. House, R. C. Flagan, E. L. Avol, F. D. Gilliland, B. K. Lamb, T. M. VanReken, Y. Zhang, and E. Salathé
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-6-2325-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-6-2325-2013, 2013
Revised manuscript not accepted
C. D. Cappa, X. Zhang, C. L. Loza, J. S. Craven, L. D. Yee, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 1591–1606, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-1591-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-1591-2013, 2013
J. S. Craven, L. D. Yee, N. L. Ng, M. R. Canagaratna, C. L. Loza, K. A. Schilling, R. L. N. Yatavelli, J. A. Thornton, P. J. Ziemann, R. C. Flagan, and J. H. Seinfeld
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 11795–11817, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-11795-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-11795-2012, 2012
Related subject area
Subject: Aerosols | Technique: Laboratory Measurement | Topic: Instruments and Platforms
Determining optimal sampling conditions in the TSI Nanometer Aerosol Sampler 3089
A novel methodology for assessing the hygroscopicity of aerosol filter samples
Direct calibration using atmospheric particles and performance evaluation of Particle Size Magnifier (PSM) 2.0 for sub-10 nm particle measurements
Merging holography, fluorescence, and machine learning for in situ continuous characterization and classification of airborne microplastics
Rapid quantitative analysis of semi-volatile organic compounds in indoor surface film using direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry: a case study on phthalates
The UNAM-MARine Aerosol Tank (UNAM-MARAT): An Evaluation of the Ice-Nucleating Abilities of seawater from the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Pacific
A Comprehensive Characterization of Empirical Parameterizations for OH Exposure in the Aerodyne Potential Aerosol Mass Oxidation Flow Reactor (PAM-OFR)
Exploring non-soluble particles in hailstones through innovative confocal laser and scanning electron microscopy techniques
A comprehensive evaluation of enhanced temperature influence on gas and aerosol chemistry in the lamp-enclosed oxidation flow reactor (OFR) system
An oxidation flow reactor for simulating and accelerating secondary aerosol formation in aerosol liquid water and cloud droplets
Surface equilibrium vapor pressure of organic nanoparticles measured from the dynamic-aerosol-size electrical mobility spectrometer
Quality assurance and quality control of atmospheric organosulfates measured using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)
Micro-PINGUIN: microtiter-plate-based instrument for ice nucleation detection in gallium with an infrared camera
Characterization of the Vaporization Inlet for Aerosols (VIA) for online measurements of particulate highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs)
Development and characterization of a high-performance single-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (HP-SPAMS)
Characterization of the planar differential mobility analyzer (DMA P5): resolving power, transmission efficiency and its application to atmospheric relevant cluster measurements
Airborne bacteria viability and air quality: a protocol to quantitatively investigate the possible correlation by an atmospheric simulation chamber
The viscosity and surface tension of supercooled levitated droplets determined by excitation of shape oscillations
Acoustic levitation of pollen and visualisation of hygroscopic behaviour
Concept, absolute calibration, and validation of a new benchtop laser imaging polar nephelometer
A new smog chamber system for atmospheric multiphase chemistry study: design and characterization
Stability assessment of organic sulfur and organosulfate compounds in filter samples for quantification by Fourier- transform infrared spectroscopy
Design and evaluation of a thermal precipitation aerosol electrometer (TPAE)
An automated online field instrument to quantify the oxidative potential of aerosol particles via ascorbic acid oxidation
Online measurement of highly oxygenated compounds from organic aerosol
The AERosol and TRACe gas Collector (AERTRACC): an online-measurement-controlled sampler for source-resolved emission analysis
Quantitative chemical assay of nanogram-level particulate matter using aerosol mass spectrometry: characterization of particles collected from uncrewed atmospheric measurement platforms
An optimised organic carbon ∕ elemental carbon (OC ∕ EC) fraction separation method for radiocarbon source apportionment applied to low-loaded Arctic aerosol filters
Investigating the dependence of mineral dust depolarization on complex refractive index and size with a laboratory polarimeter at 180.0° lidar backscattering angle
Evaluation of a low-cost dryer for a low-cost optical particle counter
Effects of temperature and salinity on bubble-bursting aerosol formation simulated with a bubble-generating chamber
A new hot-stage microscopy technique for measuring temperature-dependent viscosities of aerosol particles and its application to farnesene secondary organic aerosol
Characterization of a modified printed optical particle spectrometer for high-frequency and high-precision laboratory and field measurements
Design and fabrication of an electrostatic precipitator for infrared spectroscopy
Combined application of online FIGAERO-CIMS and offline LC-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS) to characterize the chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in smog chamber studies
High-frequency gaseous and particulate chemical characterization using extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (Dual-Phase-EESI-TOF)
An evaluation of the heat test for the ice-nucleating ability of minerals and biological material
Development, characterization, and application of an improved online reactive oxygen species analyzer based on the Monitor for AeRosols and Gases in ambient Air (MARGA)
Characterization of soot produced by the mini inverted soot generator with an atmospheric simulation chamber
LED-based solar simulator to study photochemistry over a wide temperature range in the large simulation chamber AIDA
Laboratory evaluation of the scattering matrix of ragweed, ash, birch and pine pollen towards pollen classification
Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity analysis of low-hygroscopicity aerosols using the aerodynamic aerosol classifier (AAC)
Characterisation of the Manchester Aerosol Chamber facility
A study on the fragmentation of sulfuric acid and dimethylamine clusters inside an atmospheric pressure interface time-of-flight mass spectrometer
A semi-automated instrument for cellular oxidative potential evaluation (SCOPE) of water-soluble extracts of ambient particulate matter
Utilizing an electrical low-pressure impactor to indirectly probe water uptake via particle bounce measurements
Calibration and evaluation of a broad supersaturation scanning (BS2) cloud condensation nuclei counter for rapid measurement of particle hygroscopicity and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity
Correcting bias in log-linear instrument calibrations in the context of chemical ionization mass spectrometry
Effects of aerosol size and coating thickness on the molecular detection using extractive electrospray ionization
The nano-scanning electrical mobility spectrometer (nSEMS) and its application to size distribution measurements of 1.5–25 nm particles
Behnaz Alinaghipour, Sadegh Niazi, Robert Groth, Branka Miljevic, and Zoran Ristovski
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 1063–1071, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1063-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1063-2025, 2025
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Airborne particles are crucial in environmental and health studies, requiring precise sampling for accurate characterisation. Our study examines the optimal sampling time for the TSI Nanometer Aerosol Sampler 3089 at different input concentrations. Aerosols from low-, medium-, and high-concentration environments were sampled over 1, 3, and 6 h. A linear relationship was observed using a regression model between the deposition densities and the product of input concentration and sampling time.
Nagendra Raparthi, Anthony S. Wexler, and Ann M. Dillner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 603–618, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-603-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-603-2025, 2025
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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.
Yiliang Liu, Arttu Yli-Kujala, Fabian Schmidt-Ott, Sebastian Holm, Lauri Ahonen, Tommy Chan, Joonas Enroth, Joonas Vanhanen, Runlong Cai, Tuukka Petäjä, Markku Kulmala, Yang Chen, and Juha Kangasluoma
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 431–442, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-431-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-431-2025, 2025
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Accurate measurement of nanoparticles is crucial for understanding their impact on new particle formation and climate change. In this study, we calibrated the Particle Size Magnifier version 2.0 (PSM 2.0), using both laboratory-generated and atmospheric particles. Some differences were observed in the calibration results, with direct calibration using atmospheric particles enhancing measurement accuracy.
Nicholas D. Beres, Julia Burkart, Elias Graf, Yanick Zeder, Lea Ann Dailey, and Bernadett Weinzierl
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6945–6964, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6945-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6945-2024, 2024
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We tested a 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 and fluorescence method improves their detection, making meaningful progress in monitoring MPs in the atmosphere.
Ying Zhou, Longkun He, Jiang Tan, Jiang Zhou, and Yingjun Liu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 6415–6423, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6415-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6415-2024, 2024
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We present a sensitive DART-MS/MS method for the fast and accurate quantification of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in organic films without the need for pre-treatment. This method offers greatly improved repeatability in the absence of internal standards. By utilizing MS/MS analysis, the separation of isomeric components within films becomes possible. These developments increase the feasibility of the DART-MS approach for studying the dynamics of SVOCs in indoor surface films.
María Fernanda Córdoba, Rachel Chang, Harry Alvarez-Ospina, Aramis Olivos, Graciela B. Raga, Daniel Rosas-Ramírez, Guadalupe Campos, Isabel Marquez, Telma Castro, and Luis A. Ladino
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-172, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-172, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for AMT
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The present study shows the development of the UNAM-MARine Aerosol Tank (UNAM-MARAT), a device that simulates wave breaking to generate marine aerosol particles. The portable and automatic tank is able to generate particle concentrations as high as 2000 cm-3 covering a wide range of sizes, similar to those found in the ambient marine boundary layer. The Sea spray aerosol generated from three natural seawater samples was found to act as ice nucleating particles (INP) via immersion freezing.
Qianying Liu, Dan Dan Huang, Andrew T. Lambe, Shengrong Lou, Lulu Zeng, Yuhang Wu, Congyan Huang, Shikang Tao, Xi Cheng, Qi Chen, Ka In Hoi, Hongli Wang, Kai Meng Mok, Cheng Huang, and Yong Jie Li
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2721, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2721, 2024
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We conducted experiments to evaluate the application of the empirical equations to estimate OHexp. For the OFR185, except for external OH reactivity, the parameters obtained within a narrow range of conditions can be extended to estimate the OHexp of wide ranges, which is also true for OFR254. Regardless of OFR185 or OFR254 mode, at least 20–30 data points from SO2 or CO decay with varying conditions are required to fit a set of empirical parameters that can accurately estimate OHexp.
Anthony C. Bernal Ayala, Angela K. Rowe, Lucia E. Arena, William O. Nachlas, and Maria L. Asar
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5561–5579, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5561-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5561-2024, 2024
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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.
Tianle Pan, Andrew T. Lambe, Weiwei Hu, Yicong He, Minghao Hu, Huaishan Zhou, Xinming Wang, Qingqing Hu, Hui Chen, Yue Zhao, Yuanlong Huang, Doug R. Worsnop, Zhe Peng, Melissa A. Morris, Douglas A. Day, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Jose-Luis Jimenez, and Shantanu H. Jathar
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4915–4939, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4915-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4915-2024, 2024
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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.
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.
Ping Liu, Xiang Ding, Bo-Xuan Li, Yu-Qing Zhang, Daniel J. Bryant, and Xin-Ming Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3067–3079, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3067-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3067-2024, 2024
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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.
Corina Wieber, Mads Rosenhøj Jeppesen, Kai Finster, Claus Melvad, and Tina Šantl-Temkiv
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2707–2719, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2707-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2707-2024, 2024
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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.
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.
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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.
We assess the performance of a highly portable mobility analyzer, the Spider DMA, in measuring...
