Articles | Volume 15, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6309-2022
© Author(s) 2022. 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-15-6309-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
02 Nov 2022
Research article |
| 02 Nov 2022
| 02 Nov 2022
Calibrating networks of low-cost air quality sensors
Priyanka deSouza
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Colorado Denver, CO 80202, USA
CU Population Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
Ralph Kahn
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA
Tehya Stockman
Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver CO 80202, USA
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering,
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
William Obermann
Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver CO 80202, USA
Ben Crawford
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of
Colorado, Denver, CO 80202, USA
An Wang
Senseable City Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
James Crooks
Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 2930, USA
Department of Epidemiology, University of Colorado at Denver – Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO 129263, USA
Jing Li
Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80210, USA
Patrick Kinney
Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA
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Katherine T. Junghenn Noyes and Ralph A. Kahn
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-395, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-395, 2025
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With observations from NASA’s Multi-Angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) satellite instrument, we can constrain wildfire plume heights, smoke age, and particle size, shape, and light-absorption properties. We study over 3,600 wildfire plumes across Siberia by statistically comparing the MISR results to observations of fire strength, land cover type, and meteorology. We then stratify plumes by land cover type and infer the dominant aerosol aging mechanisms among different plume types.
Mariya Petrenko, Ralph Kahn, Mian Chin, Susanne E. Bauer, Tommi Bergman, Huisheng Bian, Gabriele Curci, Ben Johnson, Johannes W. Kaiser, Zak Kipling, Harri Kokkola, Xiaohong Liu, Keren Mezuman, Tero Mielonen, Gunnar Myhre, Xiaohua Pan, Anna Protonotariou, Samuel Remy, Ragnhild Bieltvedt Skeie, Philip Stier, Toshihiko Takemura, Kostas Tsigaridis, Hailong Wang, Duncan Watson-Parris, and Kai Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1545–1567, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1545-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1545-2025, 2025
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We compared smoke plume simulations from 11 global models to each other and to satellite smoke amount observations aimed at constraining smoke source strength. In regions where plumes are thick and background aerosol is low, models and satellites compare well. However, the input emission inventory tends to underestimate in many places, and particle property and loss rate assumptions vary enormously among models, causing uncertainties that require systematic in situ measurements to resolve.
Xin Xi, Jun Wang, Zhendong Lu, Andrew Sayer, Jaehwa Lee, Robert Levy, Yujie Wang, Alexei Lyapustin, Hongqing Liu, Istvan Laszlo, Changwoo Ahn, Omar Torres, Sabur Abdullaev, and Ralph Kahn
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3416, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3416, 2024
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Currently there are a number of satellite aerosol products available for dust research. The consistency between them is generally poor understood. This paper reveals significant inconsistency between different satellite sensors and techniques in observing the wind-blown saline dust from the Aralkum Desert, and demonstrates the potential of a multisensor approach for robust characterization of airborne dust over desert areas.
Myungje Choi, Alexei Lyapustin, Gregory L. Schuster, Sujung Go, Yujie Wang, Sergey Korkin, Ralph Kahn, Jeffrey S. Reid, Edward J. Hyer, Thomas F. Eck, Mian Chin, David J. Diner, Olga Kalashnikova, Oleg Dubovik, Jhoon Kim, and Hans Moosmüller
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10543–10565, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10543-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10543-2024, 2024
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This paper introduces a retrieval algorithm to estimate two key absorbing components in smoke (black carbon and brown carbon) using DSCOVR EPIC measurements. Our analysis reveals distinct smoke properties, including spectral absorption, layer height, and black carbon and brown carbon, over North America and central Africa. The retrieved smoke properties offer valuable observational constraints for modeling radiative forcing and informing health-related studies.
James A. Limbacher, Ralph A. Kahn, Mariel D. Friberg, Jaehwa Lee, Tyler Summers, and Hai Zhang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 471–498, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-471-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-471-2024, 2024
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We present the new Multi-Angle Geostationary Aerosol Retrieval Algorithm (MAGARA) that fuses observations from GOES-16 and GOES-17 to retrieve information about aerosol loading (at 10–15 min cadence) and aerosol particle properties (daily), all at pixel-level resolution. We present MAGARA results for three case studies: the 2018 California Camp Fire, the 2019 Williams Flats Fire, and the 2019 Kincade Fire. We also compare MAGARA aerosol loading and particle properties with AERONET.
Robert R. Nelson, Marcin L. Witek, Michael J. Garay, Michael A. Bull, James A. Limbacher, Ralph A. Kahn, and David J. Diner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4947–4960, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4947-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4947-2023, 2023
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Shallow and coastal waters are nutrient-rich and turbid due to runoff. They are also located in areas where the atmosphere has more aerosols than open-ocean waters. NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) has been monitoring aerosols for over 23 years but does not report results over shallow waters. We developed a new algorithm that uses all four of MISR’s bands and considers light leaving water surfaces. This algorithm performs well and increases over-water measurements by over 7 %.
Michail Mytilinaios, Sara Basart, Sergio Ciamprone, Juan Cuesta, Claudio Dema, Enza Di Tomaso, Paola Formenti, Antonis Gkikas, Oriol Jorba, Ralph Kahn, Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Serena Trippetta, and Lucia Mona
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5487–5516, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5487-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5487-2023, 2023
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Multiscale Online Non-hydrostatic AtmospheRe CHemistry model (MONARCH) dust reanalysis provides a high-resolution 3D reconstruction of past dust conditions, allowing better quantification of climate and socioeconomic dust impacts. We assess the performance of the reanalysis needed to reproduce dust optical depth using dust-related products retrieved from satellite and ground-based observations and show that it reproduces the spatial distribution and seasonal variability of atmospheric dust well.
Yunyao Li, Daniel Tong, Siqi Ma, Saulo R. Freitas, Ravan Ahmadov, Mikhail Sofiev, Xiaoyang Zhang, Shobha Kondragunta, Ralph Kahn, Youhua Tang, Barry Baker, Patrick Campbell, Rick Saylor, Georg Grell, and Fangjun Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3083–3101, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3083-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3083-2023, 2023
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Plume height is important in wildfire smoke dispersion and affects air quality and human health. We assess the impact of plume height on wildfire smoke dispersion and the exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. A higher plume height predicts lower pollution near the source region, but higher pollution in downwind regions, due to the faster spread of the smoke once ejected, affects pollution exceedance forecasts and the early warning of extreme air pollution events.
James A. Limbacher, Ralph A. Kahn, and Jaehwa Lee
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6865–6887, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6865-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6865-2022, 2022
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Launched in December 1999, NASA’s Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) has given researchers qualitative constraints on aerosol particle properties for the past 22 years. Here, we present a new MISR research aerosol retrieval algorithm (RA) that utilizes over-land surface reflectance data from the Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) to address limitations of the MISR operational aerosol retrieval algorithm and improve retrievals of aerosol particle properties.
Mathew Lipson, Sue Grimmond, Martin Best, Winston T. L. Chow, Andreas Christen, Nektarios Chrysoulakis, Andrew Coutts, Ben Crawford, Stevan Earl, Jonathan Evans, Krzysztof Fortuniak, Bert G. Heusinkveld, Je-Woo Hong, Jinkyu Hong, Leena Järvi, Sungsoo Jo, Yeon-Hee Kim, Simone Kotthaus, Keunmin Lee, Valéry Masson, Joseph P. McFadden, Oliver Michels, Wlodzimierz Pawlak, Matthias Roth, Hirofumi Sugawara, Nigel Tapper, Erik Velasco, and Helen Claire Ward
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 5157–5178, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5157-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5157-2022, 2022
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We describe a new openly accessible collection of atmospheric observations from 20 cities around the world, capturing 50 site years. The observations capture local meteorology (temperature, humidity, wind, etc.) and the energy fluxes between the land and atmosphere (e.g. radiation and sensible and latent heat fluxes). These observations can be used to improve our understanding of urban climate processes and to test the accuracy of urban climate models.
Lauren M. Zamora, Ralph A. Kahn, Nikolaos Evangeliou, Christine D. Groot Zwaaftink, and Klaus B. Huebert
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12269–12285, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12269-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12269-2022, 2022
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Arctic dust, smoke, and pollution particles can affect clouds and Arctic warming. The distributions of these particles were estimated in three different satellite, reanalysis, and model products. These products showed good agreement overall but indicate that it is important to include local dust in models. We hypothesize that mineral dust effects on ice processes in the Arctic atmosphere might be highest over Siberia, where it is cold, moist, and subject to relatively high dust levels.
Katherine T. Junghenn Noyes, Ralph A. Kahn, James A. Limbacher, and Zhanqing Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10267–10290, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10267-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10267-2022, 2022
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We compare retrievals of wildfire smoke particle size, shape, and light absorption from the MISR satellite instrument to modeling and other satellite data on land cover type, drought conditions, meteorology, and estimates of fire intensity (fire radiative power – FRP). We find statistically significant differences in the particle properties based on burning conditions and land cover type, and we interpret how changes in these properties point to specific aerosol aging mechanisms.
Matthew W. Christensen, Andrew Gettelman, Jan Cermak, Guy Dagan, Michael Diamond, Alyson Douglas, Graham Feingold, Franziska Glassmeier, Tom Goren, Daniel P. Grosvenor, Edward Gryspeerdt, Ralph Kahn, Zhanqing Li, Po-Lun Ma, Florent Malavelle, Isabel L. McCoy, Daniel T. McCoy, Greg McFarquhar, Johannes Mülmenstädt, Sandip Pal, Anna Possner, Adam Povey, Johannes Quaas, Daniel Rosenfeld, Anja Schmidt, Roland Schrödner, Armin Sorooshian, Philip Stier, Velle Toll, Duncan Watson-Parris, Robert Wood, Mingxi Yang, and Tianle Yuan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 641–674, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-641-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-641-2022, 2022
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Trace gases and aerosols (tiny airborne particles) are released from a variety of point sources around the globe. Examples include volcanoes, industrial chimneys, forest fires, and ship stacks. These sources provide opportunistic experiments with which to quantify the role of aerosols in modifying cloud properties. We review the current state of understanding on the influence of aerosol on climate built from the wide range of natural and anthropogenic laboratories investigated in recent decades.
Tianmeng Chen, Zhanqing Li, Ralph A. Kahn, Chuanfeng Zhao, Daniel Rosenfeld, Jianping Guo, Wenchao Han, and Dandan Chen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6199–6220, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6199-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6199-2021, 2021
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A convective cloud identification process is developed using geostationary satellite data from Himawari-8.
Convective cloud fraction is generally larger before noon and smaller in the afternoon under polluted conditions, but megacities and complex topography can influence the pattern.
A robust relationship between convective cloud and aerosol loading is found. This pattern varies with terrain height and is modulated by varying thermodynamic, dynamical, and humidity conditions during the day.
Priyanka deSouza, Ralph A. Kahn, James A. Limbacher, Eloise A. Marais, Fábio Duarte, and Carlo Ratti
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 5319–5334, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5319-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5319-2020, 2020
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This paper presents a novel method to constrain the size distribution derived from low-cost optical particle counters (OPCs) using satellite data to develop higher-quality particulate matter (PM) estimates. Such estimates can enable cities that do not have access to expensive reference air quality monitors, especially those in the global south, to develop effective air quality management plans.
Larisa Sogacheva, Thomas Popp, Andrew M. Sayer, Oleg Dubovik, Michael J. Garay, Andreas Heckel, N. Christina Hsu, Hiren Jethva, Ralph A. Kahn, Pekka Kolmonen, Miriam Kosmale, Gerrit de Leeuw, Robert C. Levy, Pavel Litvinov, Alexei Lyapustin, Peter North, Omar Torres, and Antti Arola
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 2031–2056, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2031-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2031-2020, 2020
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The typical lifetime of a single satellite platform is on the order of 5–15 years; thus, for climate studies the usage of multiple satellite sensors should be considered.
Here we introduce and evaluate a monthly AOD merged product and AOD global and regional time series for the period 1995–2017 created from 12 individual satellite AOD products, which provide a long-term perspective on AOD changes over different regions of the globe.
Michael J. Garay, Marcin L. Witek, Ralph A. Kahn, Felix C. Seidel, James A. Limbacher, Michael A. Bull, David J. Diner, Earl G. Hansen, Olga V. Kalashnikova, Huikyo Lee, Abigail M. Nastan, and Yan Yu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 593–628, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-593-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-593-2020, 2020
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The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument has been operational since early 2000, creating an extensive data set of global Earth observations. Here we introduce the latest version (V23) of the MISR aerosol products, which is reported on a 4.4 km spatial grid and contains retrieved aerosol optical depth and aerosol particle property information derived over both land and water. The changes implemented in V23 have significant impacts on the data product and its interpretation.
Laura Gonzalez-Alonso, Maria Val Martin, and Ralph A. Kahn
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 1685–1702, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1685-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1685-2019, 2019
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The vertical distribution of fire smoke and factors that control its rise had not yet been quantified across the Amazon. We developed a satellite-based long record of smoke plume heights. We find that smoke heights are driven by many factors: vegetation, seasonality, time of day, fire intensity, and atmospheric and drought conditions. Also, drought increases fire pollution, with implications for air quality. Policies to control fires may be crucial in the future as more droughts are projected.
James A. Limbacher and Ralph A. Kahn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 675–689, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-675-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-675-2019, 2019
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Coastal waters serve as transport pathways to the ocean for all runoff from terrestrial sources; they are also some of the most biologically productive waters on the planet. Here, we retrieve atmospheric aerosol loading (and properties) from the space-based instrument MISR over all types of water (dark, coastal, etc). Results from the MISR research aerosol retrieval algorithm agree well with validation, indicating that MISR may add value to commonly used ocean color imagers such as MODIS.
Charles J. Vernon, Ryan Bolt, Timothy Canty, and Ralph A. Kahn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 6289–6307, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-6289-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-6289-2018, 2018
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The height that aerosols are injected into the atmosphere can significantly impact the dispersion of aerosol plumes. We use direct observations from the MISR instrument to determine aerosol injection height and constrain the HYSPLIT Dispersion model with these data. We have shown that the nominal plume-rise calculation within HYSPLIT tends to underestimate injection heights of wildfires and that simulations constrained with MISR injection height can show better agreement with MODIS observations.
Tianning Su, Zhanqing Li, and Ralph Kahn
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15921–15935, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15921-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15921-2018, 2018
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Surface particulate concentration has often been estimated from column-integrated aerosol optical depth (AOD). Their relationship is affected by various factors, such as the planetary layer height, meteorology (atmospheric stability, wind, relative humidity, etc.), and topography, which are investigated thoroughly using a combination of ~1500 surface station datasets, two ground-based lidars, and CALIPSO space-based lidar measurements made across China. Improved estimation of PM2.5 is achieved.
Lauren M. Zamora, Ralph A. Kahn, Klaus B. Huebert, Andreas Stohl, and Sabine Eckhardt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 14949–14964, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14949-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-14949-2018, 2018
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We use satellite data and model output to estimate how airborne particles (aerosols) affect cloud ice particles and droplets over the Arctic Ocean. Aerosols from sources like smoke and pollution can change cloud cover, precipitation frequency, and the portion of liquid- vs. ice-containing clouds, which in turn can impact the surface energy budget. By improving our understanding these aerosol–cloud interactions, this work can help climate predictions for the rapidly changing Arctic.
Liye Zhu, Maria Val Martin, Luciana V. Gatti, Ralph Kahn, Arsineh Hecobian, and Emily V. Fischer
Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 4103–4116, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4103-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4103-2018, 2018
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The evolution of smoke depends acutely on where the smoke is injected into the atmosphere. This paper presents the development and implementation of a new global biomass burning emissions injection scheme for GEOS-Chem. The new scheme is based on monthly gridded Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) global plume-height stereoscopic observations in 2008.
Mariel D. Friberg, Ralph A. Kahn, James A. Limbacher, K. Wyat Appel, and James A. Mulholland
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 12891–12913, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12891-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12891-2018, 2018
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Advances in satellite retrieval of aerosol type can improve ambient air quality concentration estimates by providing regional context where surface monitors are scarce or absent. This work focuses on the degree to which regional-scale satellite and model data can be combined to improve surface estimates of fine particles and their major speciated components. The physically based method applies satellite-derived column observations directly to total and speciated surface particle concentrations.
Verity J. B. Flower and Ralph A. Kahn
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 3903–3918, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3903-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3903-2018, 2018
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Karymsky volcano was used as a test case for identifying the underlying geology of a volcano, solely from satellite-based observations. Fifteen volcanic plumes were observed, ranging in length from 30 to 220 km and primarily dispersing at an altitude of 2–4 km. This technique distinguishes plume components and particle evolution using MISR and combines these with lava flow details from MODIS. The results have relevance in global volcanic assessment, particularly in remote regions.
Lauren M. Zamora, Ralph A. Kahn, Sabine Eckhardt, Allison McComiskey, Patricia Sawamura, Richard Moore, and Andreas Stohl
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 7311–7332, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-7311-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-7311-2017, 2017
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Clouds have a major but uncertain effect on Arctic surface temperatures. Here, we used remote sensing observations to better understand aerosol effects on one type of Arctic cloud. By modifying a variety of cloud properties, aerosols in this type of cloud indirectly reduced the net warming effect of these clouds on the surface by ~ 10 % of the clean-background cloud effect, not including changes in cloud fraction. This work will improve our ability to predict future Arctic surface temperatures.
James A. Limbacher and Ralph A. Kahn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 1539–1555, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1539-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-1539-2017, 2017
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Aerosol amount and type affect the “atmospheric correction” needed to derive ocean surface chlorophyll a concentration (Chl) from satellite remote sensing and, conversely, the ocean surface representation affects aerosol retrieval products. We introduce a coupled atmosphere-surface retrieval for Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer observations over dark water aimed at improving both aerosol and Chl results. We also refine the MISR calibration, critical to achieving high-quality retrievals.
Graydon Snider, Crystal L. Weagle, Kalaivani K. Murdymootoo, Amanda Ring, Yvonne Ritchie, Emily Stone, Ainsley Walsh, Clement Akoshile, Nguyen Xuan Anh, Rajasekhar Balasubramanian, Jeff Brook, Fatimah D. Qonitan, Jinlu Dong, Derek Griffith, Kebin He, Brent N. Holben, Ralph Kahn, Nofel Lagrosas, Puji Lestari, Zongwei Ma, Amit Misra, Leslie K. Norford, Eduardo J. Quel, Abdus Salam, Bret Schichtel, Lior Segev, Sachchida Tripathi, Chien Wang, Chao Yu, Qiang Zhang, Yuxuan Zhang, Michael Brauer, Aaron Cohen, Mark D. Gibson, Yang Liu, J. Vanderlei Martins, Yinon Rudich, and Randall V. Martin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 9629–9653, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9629-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9629-2016, 2016
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We examine the chemical composition of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) collected on filters at traditionally undersampled, globally dispersed urban locations. Several PM2.5 chemical components (e.g. ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and black carbon) vary by more than an order of magnitude between sites while aerosol hygroscopicity varies by a factor of 2. Enhanced anthropogenic dust fractions in large urban areas are apparent from high Zn : Al ratios.
Huikyo Lee, Olga V. Kalashnikova, Kentaroh Suzuki, Amy Braverman, Michael J. Garay, and Ralph A. Kahn
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 6627–6640, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-6627-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-6627-2016, 2016
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The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) on NASA's TERRA satellite has provided a global distribution of aerosol amount and type information for each month over 16+ years since March 2000. This study analyzes, for the first time, characteristics of observed and simulated distributions of aerosols for three broad classes of aerosols: spherical nonabsorbing, spherical absorbing, and nonspherical – near or downwind of their major source regions.
L. M. Zamora, R. A. Kahn, M. J. Cubison, G. S. Diskin, J. L. Jimenez, Y. Kondo, G. M. McFarquhar, A. Nenes, K. L. Thornhill, A. Wisthaler, A. Zelenyuk, and L. D. Ziemba
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 715–738, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-715-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-715-2016, 2016
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Based on extensive aircraft campaigns, we quantify how biomass burning smoke affects subarctic and Arctic liquid cloud microphysical properties. Enhanced cloud albedo may decrease short-wave radiative flux by between 2 and 4 Wm2 or more in some subarctic conditions. Smoke halved average cloud droplet diameter. In one case study, it also appeared to limit droplet formation. Numerous Arctic background Aitken particles can also interact with combustion particles, perhaps affecting their properties.
J. A. Limbacher and R. A. Kahn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 2927–2943, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-2927-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-2927-2015, 2015
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We address mirroring, blurring, and background radiometric anomalies in the MISR standard Level 1 product empirically by comparing nadir-view near-infrared MISR with simultaneous MODIS images in high-contrast scenes. These anomalies affect aerosol optical depth and aerosol type results, especially over dark ocean scenes with broken cloud. We validate the corrections in all MISR channels by comparing multi-angle research retrievals with 1100 simultaneous surface sun photometer observations.
S. Li, R. Kahn, M. Chin, M. J. Garay, and Y. Liu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 1157–1171, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-1157-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-1157-2015, 2015
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We demonstrate a post-processing technique to improve MISR-retrieved aerosol optical properties when information content is low. By filtering the list of aerosol mixtures that pass the MISR retrieval acceptance criteria using pre-defined discrepancy thresholds between MISR and GOCART model simulations, the adjusted MISR Angstrom exponent (ANG) and absorbing AOD (AAOD) agree significantly better with sun-photometer validation data, especially when AOD<0.2 for ANG and AOD<0.5 for AAOD.
G. Snider, C. L. Weagle, R. V. Martin, A. van Donkelaar, K. Conrad, D. Cunningham, C. Gordon, M. Zwicker, C. Akoshile, P. Artaxo, N. X. Anh, J. Brook, J. Dong, R. M. Garland, R. Greenwald, D. Griffith, K. He, B. N. Holben, R. Kahn, I. Koren, N. Lagrosas, P. Lestari, Z. Ma, J. Vanderlei Martins, E. J. Quel, Y. Rudich, A. Salam, S. N. Tripathi, C. Yu, Q. Zhang, Y. Zhang, M. Brauer, A. Cohen, M. D. Gibson, and Y. Liu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 505–521, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-505-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-505-2015, 2015
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We have initiated a global network of ground-level monitoring stations to measure concentrations of fine aerosols in urban environments. Our findings include major ions species, total mass, and total scatter at three wavelengths. Results will be used to further evaluate and enhance satellite remote sensing estimates.
J. A. Limbacher and R. A. Kahn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 3989–4007, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-3989-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-3989-2014, 2014
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We systematically explore the cumulative effect of MISR research aerosol retrieval algorithm assumptions, quantifying and correcting the main sources of uncertainty over ocean. High median spectral aerosol optical depth biases of ~0.024 at low AOD are reduced to ~0.01 with an improved, physically based ocean surface model, particle properties and mixtures, adaptive reflectance uncertainty estimates and pixel selection, minor radiometric calibration adjustments and more stringent cloud screening.
P. R. Colarco, R. A. Kahn, L. A. Remer, and R. C. Levy
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 2313–2335, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-2313-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-2313-2014, 2014
M. Chin, T. Diehl, Q. Tan, J. M. Prospero, R. A. Kahn, L. A. Remer, H. Yu, A. M. Sayer, H. Bian, I. V. Geogdzhayev, B. N. Holben, S. G. Howell, B. J. Huebert, N. C. Hsu, D. Kim, T. L. Kucsera, R. C. Levy, M. I. Mishchenko, X. Pan, P. K. Quinn, G. L. Schuster, D. G. Streets, S. A. Strode, O. Torres, and X.-P. Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 3657–3690, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-3657-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-3657-2014, 2014
F. Patadia, R. A. Kahn, J. A. Limbacher, S. P. Burton, R. A. Ferrare, C. A. Hostetler, and J. W. Hair
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 9525–9541, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9525-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9525-2013, 2013
M. Mallet, O. Dubovik, P. Nabat, F. Dulac, R. Kahn, J. Sciare, D. Paronis, and J. F. Léon
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 9195–9210, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9195-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-9195-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Subject: Aerosols | Technique: In Situ Measurement | Topic: Data Processing and Information Retrieval
Inversion algorithm of black carbon mixing state based on machine learning
Performance evaluation of Atmotube PRO sensors for air quality measurements in an urban location
Development and validation of a NOx+ ratio method for the quantitative separation of inorganic and organic nitrate aerosol using CV-UMR-ToF-ACSM
Retrieval of Bulk Hygroscopicity From PurpleAir PM2.5 Sensor Measurements
Spatial analysis of PM2.5 using a concentration similarity index applied to air quality sensor networks
A novel probabilistic source apportionment approach: Bayesian auto-correlated matrix factorization
Towards a hygroscopic growth calibration for low-cost PM2.5 sensors
Enhancing characterization of organic nitrogen components in aerosols and droplets using high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometry
Machine learning approaches for automatic classification of single-particle mass spectrometry data
A searchable database and mass spectral comparison tool for the Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) and the Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM)
Numerical investigation on retrieval errors of mixing states of fractal black carbon aerosols using single-particle soot photometer based on Mie scattering and the effects on radiative forcing estimation
Performance evaluation of MOMA (MOment MAtching) – a remote network calibration technique for PM2.5 and PM10 sensors
Mapping the performance of a versatile water-based condensation particle counter (vWCPC) with numerical simulation and experimental study
Development and evaluation of an improved offline aerosol mass spectrometry technique
SMEARcore – modular data infrastructure for atmospheric measurement stations
A multiple-charging correction algorithm for a broad-supersaturation scanning cloud condensation nuclei (BS2-CCN) system
An evaluation of the U.S. EPA's correction equation for PurpleAir sensor data in smoke, dust, and wintertime urban pollution events
Typhoon-associated air quality over the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, China: machine-learning-based prediction and assessment
Quantification of primary and secondary organic aerosol sources by combined factor analysis of extractive electrospray ionisation and aerosol mass spectrometer measurements (EESI-TOF and AMS)
A new method for calculating average visibility from the relationship between extinction coefficient and visibility
In situ particle sampling relationships to surface and turbulent fluxes using large eddy simulations with Lagrangian particles
The effect of the averaging period for PMF analysis of aerosol mass spectrometer measurements during offline applications
Source apportionment resolved by time of day for improved deconvolution of primary source contributions to air pollution
Information content and aerosol property retrieval potential for different types of in situ polar nephelometer data
Rolling vs. seasonal PMF: real-world multi-site and synthetic dataset comparison
Comprehensive detection of analytes in large chromatographic datasets by coupling factor analysis with a decision tree
Combined organic and inorganic source apportionment on yearlong ToF-ACSM dataset at a suburban station in Athens
Retrieval of the sea spray aerosol mode from submicron particle size distributions and supermicron scattering during LASIC
Automated identification of local contamination in remote atmospheric composition time series
Ch3MS-RF: a random forest model for chemical characterization and improved quantification of unidentified atmospheric organics detected by chromatography–mass spectrometry techniques
Regularized inversion of aerosol hygroscopic growth factor probability density function: application to humidity-controlled fast integrated mobility spectrometer measurements
A systematic re-evaluation of methods for quantification of bulk particle-phase organic nitrates using real-time aerosol mass spectrometry
Revisiting matrix-based inversion of scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) and humidified tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA) data
Data imputation in in situ-measured particle size distributions by means of neural networks
Analysis of mobile monitoring data from the microAeth® MA200 for measuring changes in black carbon on the roadside in Augsburg
New correction method for the scattering coefficient measurements of a three-wavelength nephelometer
Estimating mean molecular weight, carbon number, and OM∕OC with mid-infrared spectroscopy in organic particulate matter samples from a monitoring network
Modeled source apportionment of black carbon particles coated with a light-scattering shell
Estimation of particulate organic nitrates from thermodenuder–aerosol mass spectrometer measurements in the North China Plain
Aerosol pH indicator and organosulfate detectability from aerosol mass spectrometry measurements
Determination of equivalent black carbon mass concentration from aerosol light absorption using variable mass absorption cross section
Effects of multi-charge on aerosol hygroscopicity measurement by a HTDMA
A new method for long-term source apportionment with time-dependent factor profiles and uncertainty assessment using SoFi Pro: application to 1 year of organic aerosol data
Estimation of pollen counts from light scattering intensity when sampling multiple pollen taxa – establishment of an automated multi-taxa pollen counting estimation system (AME system)
A novel lidar gradient cluster analysis method of nocturnal boundary layer detection during air pollution episodes
Assessment of particle size magnifier inversion methods to obtain the particle size distribution from atmospheric measurements
A global analysis of climate-relevant aerosol properties retrieved from the network of Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) near-surface observatories
Development of an automatic linear calibration method for high-resolution single-particle mass spectrometry: improved chemical species identification for atmospheric aerosols
A hybrid method for reconstructing the historical evolution of aerosol optical depth from sunshine duration measurements
The influence of the baseline drift on the resulting extinction values of a cavity attenuated phase shift-based extinction monitor (CAPS PMex)
Zeyuan Tian, Jiandong Wang, Jiaping Wang, Chao Liu, Jia Xing, Jinbo Wang, Zhouyang Zhang, Yuzhi Jin, Sunan Shen, Bin Wang, Wei Nie, Xin Huang, and Aijun Ding
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 1149–1162, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1149-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1149-2025, 2025
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The radiative effect of black carbon (BC) is substantially modulated by its mixing state, which is challenging to derive physically with a single-particle soot photometer. This study establishes a machine-learning-based inversion model which can accurately and efficiently acquire the BC mixing state. Compared to the widely used leading-edge-only method, our model utilizes a broader scattering signal coverage to more accurately capture diverse particle characteristics.
Aishah I. Shittu, Kirsty J. Pringle, Stephen R. Arnold, Richard J. Pope, Ailish M. Graham, Carly Reddington, Richard Rigby, and James B. McQuaid
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 817–828, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-817-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-817-2025, 2025
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The study highlighted the performance of Atmotube PRO sensor particulate matter (PM) data. The result showed inter-sensor variability among the Atmotube PRO sensor data. This study showed 62.5 % of the sensors used for the study exhibited greater precision in their PM2.5 measurements. The overall performance showed that sensors passed the base testing using 1 h averaged data and that a multiple linear regression model using relative humidity values improved the performance of the PM2.5 data.
Farhan R. Nursanto, Douglas A. Day, Roy Meinen, Rupert Holzinger, Harald Saathoff, Jinglan Fu, Jan Mulder, Ulrike Dusek, and Juliane L. Fry
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-191, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2024-191, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for AMT
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It is of increasing importance to monitor nitrate pollution that can harm ecosystems. However, commonly used aerosol monitoring equipment cannot distinguish inorganic from organic forms of nitrate, which may have different consequences for the environment. We describe a method to differentiate types of nitrates that can be applied to ambient monitoring to improve understanding of its formation and impact.
Jillian Psotka, Emily Tracey, and Robert Sica
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3618, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3618, 2024
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PurpleAir sensors provide a low-cost way to monitor air quality, with over 30,000 sensors available worldwide. However, their measurements require calibration with trusted data for accuracy. Our new technique builds on previous calibration methods by also enabling the measurement of a quantity related to how pollutants grow with humidity. Mapping this new quantity will improve air quality forecasting.
Rósín Byrne, John C. Wenger, and Stig Hellebust
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5129–5146, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5129-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5129-2024, 2024
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This study presents the concentration similarity index (CSI) for a quantitative and robust comparison of PM2.5 measurements within air quality sensor networks. Developed and tested on two Irish sensor networks, the CSI revealed real spatial variations in PM2.5 and enables assessment of the representativeness of regulatory monitoring locations. It underscores the impact of solid fuel combustion on PM2.5 and highlights the importance of wintertime data for accurate exposure assessments.
Anton Rusanen, Anton Björklund, Manousos I. Manousakas, Jianhui Jiang, Markku T. Kulmala, Kai Puolamäki, and Kaspar R. Daellenbach
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1251–1277, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1251-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1251-2024, 2024
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We present a Bayesian non-negative matrix factorization model that performs better on our test datasets than currently widely used models. Its advantages are better use of time information and providing a direct error estimation. We believe this could lead to better estimates of emission sources from measurements.
Milan Y. Patel, Pietro F. Vannucci, Jinsol Kim, William M. Berelson, and Ronald C. Cohen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1051–1060, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1051-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1051-2024, 2024
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Low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors are becoming increasingly common in community monitoring and atmospheric research, but these sensors require proper calibration to provide accurate reporting. Here, we propose a hygroscopic growth calibration scheme that evolves in time to account for seasonal changes in hygroscopic growth. In San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA, applying a seasonal hygroscopic growth calibration can account for sensor biases driven by the seasonal cycles in PM composition.
Xinlei Ge, Yele Sun, Justin Trousdell, Mindong Chen, and Qi Zhang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 423–439, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-423-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-423-2024, 2024
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This study aims to enhance the application of the Aerodyne high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-AMS) in characterizing organic nitrogen (ON) species within aerosol particles and droplets. A thorough analysis was conducted on 75 ON standards that represent a diverse spectrum of ambient ON types. The results underscore the capacity of the HR-AMS in examining the concentration and chemistry of atmospheric ON compounds, thereby offering insights into their sources and environmental impacts.
Guanzhong Wang, Heinrich Ruser, Julian Schade, Johannes Passig, Thomas Adam, Günther Dollinger, and Ralf Zimmermann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 299–313, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-299-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-299-2024, 2024
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This research aims to develop a novel warning system for the real-time monitoring of pollutants in the atmosphere. The system is capable of sampling and investigating airborne aerosol particles on-site, utilizing artificial intelligence to learn their chemical signatures and to classify them in real time. We applied single-particle mass spectrometry for analyzing the chemical composition of aerosol particles and suggest several supervised algorithms for highly reliable automatic classification.
Sohyeon Jeon, Michael J. Walker, Donna T. Sueper, Douglas A. Day, Anne V. Handschy, Jose L. Jimenez, and Brent J. Williams
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 6075–6095, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-6075-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-6075-2023, 2023
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A searchable database tool for the Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) and Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) mass spectral datasets was built to improve the efficiency of data analysis using Igor Pro. The tool incorporates the published mass spectra (MS) and sample information uploaded on the website. The tool allows users to compare their own mass spectrum with the reference MS in the database.
Jia Liu, Guangya Wang, Cancan Zhu, Donghui Zhou, and Lin Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4961–4974, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4961-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4961-2023, 2023
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Single-particle soot photometer (SP2) employs the core-shell model to represent coated BC particles, which introduces retrieval errors in the mixing state (Dp/Dc) of BC. We construct fractal models to represent thinly and thickly coated BC particles, and the retrieval errors of the mixing state are investigated from the numerical aspect. We find that errors in Dp/Dc are noteworthy, and the errors in Dp/Dc can further affect the evaluation accuracy of the radiative forcing of BC.
Lena Francesca Weissert, Geoff Steven Henshaw, David Edward Williams, Brandon Feenstra, Randy Lam, Ashley Collier-Oxandale, Vasileios Papapostolou, and Andrea Polidori
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4709–4722, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4709-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4709-2023, 2023
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We apply a previously developed remote calibration framework to a network of particulate matter (PM) sensors deployed in Southern California. Our results show that a remote calibration can improve the accuracy of PM data, which was particularly visible for PM10. We highlight that sensor drift was mostly due to differences in particle composition than monitor operational factors. Thus, PM sensors may require frequent calibration if PM sources vary with different wind conditions or seasons.
Weixing Hao, Fan Mei, Susanne Hering, Steven Spielman, Beat Schmid, Jason Tomlinson, and Yang Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3973–3986, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3973-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3973-2023, 2023
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Airborne aerosol instrumentation plays a crucial role in understanding the spatial distribution of ambient aerosol particles. This study investigates a versatile water-based condensation particle counter through simulations and experiments. It provides valuable insights to improve versatile water-based condensation particle counter (vWCPC) aerosol measurement and operation for the community.
Christina N. Vasilakopoulou, Kalliopi Florou, Christos Kaltsonoudis, Iasonas Stavroulas, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, and Spyros N. Pandis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2837–2850, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2837-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2837-2023, 2023
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The offline aerosol mass spectrometry technique is a useful tool for the source apportionment of organic aerosol in areas and periods during which an aerosol mass spectrometer is not available. In this work, an improved offline technique was developed and evaluated in an effort to capture most of the partially soluble and insoluble organic aerosol material, reducing the uncertainty of the corresponding source apportionment significantly.
Anton Rusanen, Kristo Hõrrak, Lauri R. Ahonen, Tuomo Nieminen, Pasi P. Aalto, Pasi Kolari, Markku Kulmala, Tuukka Petäjä, and Heikki Junninen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2781–2793, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2781-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2781-2023, 2023
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We present a framework for setting up SMEAR (Station for Measuring Ecosystem–Atmosphere Relations) type measurement station data flows. This framework, called SMEARcore, consists of modular open-source software components that can be chosen to suit various station configurations. The benefits of using this framework are automation of routine operations and real-time monitoring of measurement results.
Najin Kim, Hang Su, Nan Ma, Ulrich Pöschl, and Yafang Cheng
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2771–2780, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2771-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2771-2023, 2023
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We propose a multiple-charging correction algorithm for a broad-supersaturation scanning cloud condensation nuclei (BS2-CCN) system which can obtain high time-resolution aerosol hygroscopicity and CCN activity. The correction algorithm aims at deriving the activation fraction's true value for each particle size. The meaningful differences between corrected and original κ values (single hygroscopicity parameter) emphasize the correction algorithm's importance for ambient aerosol measurement.
Daniel A. Jaffe, Colleen Miller, Katie Thompson, Brandon Finley, Manna Nelson, James Ouimette, and Elisabeth Andrews
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1311–1322, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1311-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1311-2023, 2023
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PurpleAir sensors (PASs) are low-cost tools to measure fine particulate matter (PM) concentrations. However, the raw PAS data have significant biases, so the sensors must be corrected. We analyzed data from numerous sites and found that the standard correction to the PAS Purple Air data is accurate in urban pollution events and smoke events but leads to a 6-fold underestimate in the PM2.5 concentrations in dust events. We propose a new correction algorithm to address this problem.
Yilin Chen, Yuanjian Yang, and Meng Gao
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1279–1294, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1279-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1279-2023, 2023
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The Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area suffers from summertime air pollution events related to typhoons. The present study leverages machine learning to predict typhoon-associated air quality over the area. The model evaluation shows that the model performs excellently. Moreover, the change in meteorological drivers of air quality on typhoon days and non-typhoon days suggests that air pollution control strategies should have different focuses on typhoon days and non-typhoon days.
Yandong Tong, Lu Qi, Giulia Stefenelli, Dongyu Simon Wang, Francesco Canonaco, Urs Baltensperger, André Stephan Henry Prévôt, and Jay Gates Slowik
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 7265–7291, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7265-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7265-2022, 2022
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We present a method for positive matrix factorisation (PMF) analysis on a single dataset that includes measurements from both EESI-TOF and AMS in Zurich, Switzerland. For the first time, we resolved and quantified secondary organic aerosol (SOA) sources. Meanwhile, we also determined the retrieved EESI-TOF factor-dependent sensitivities. This method provides a framework for exploiting semi-quantitative, high-resolution instrumentation for quantitative source apportionment.
Zefeng Zhang, Hengnan Guo, Hanqing Kang, Jing Wang, Junlin An, Xingna Yu, Jingjing Lv, and Bin Zhu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 7259–7264, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7259-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7259-2022, 2022
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In this study, we first analyze the relationship between the visibility, the extinction coefficient, and atmospheric compositions. Then we propose to use the harmonic average of visibility data as the average visibility, which can better reflect changes in atmospheric extinction coefficients and aerosol concentrations. It is recommended to use the harmonic average visibility in the studies of climate change, atmospheric radiation, air pollution, environmental health, etc.
Hyungwon John Park, Jeffrey S. Reid, Livia S. Freire, Christopher Jackson, and David H. Richter
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 7171–7194, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7171-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7171-2022, 2022
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We use numerical models to study field measurements of sea spray aerosol particles and conclude that both the atmospheric state and the methods of instrument sampling are causes for the variation in the production rate of aerosol particles: a critical metric to learn the aerosol's effect on processes like cloud physics and radiation. This work helps field observers improve their experimental design and interpretation of measurements because of turbulence in the atmosphere.
Christina Vasilakopoulou, Iasonas Stavroulas, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, and Spyros N. Pandis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6419–6431, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6419-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6419-2022, 2022
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Offline aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements can provide valuable information about ambient organic aerosols when online AMS measurements are not available. In this study, we examine whether and how the low time resolution (usually 24 h) of the offline technique affects source apportionment results. We concluded that use of the daily averages resulted in estimated average contributions that were within 8 % of the total OA compared with the high-resolution analysis.
Sahil Bhandari, Zainab Arub, Gazala Habib, Joshua S. Apte, and Lea Hildebrandt Ruiz
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6051–6074, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6051-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6051-2022, 2022
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We present a new method to conduct source apportionment resolved by time of day using the underlying approach of positive matrix factorization. We report results for four example time periods in two seasons (winter and monsoon 2017) in Delhi, India. Compared to the traditional approach, we extract a larger number of factors that represent the expected sources of primary organic aerosol. This method can capture diurnal time series patterns of sources at low computational cost.
Alireza Moallemi, Rob L. Modini, Tatyana Lapyonok, Anton Lopatin, David Fuertes, Oleg Dubovik, Philippe Giaccari, and Martin Gysel-Beer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5619–5642, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5619-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5619-2022, 2022
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Aerosol properties (size distributions, refractive indices) can be retrieved from in situ, angularly resolved light scattering measurements performed with polar nephelometers. We apply an established framework to assess the aerosol property retrieval potential for different instrument configurations, target applications, and assumed prior knowledge. We also demonstrate how a reductive greedy algorithm can be used to determine the optimal placements of the angular sensors in a polar nephelometer.
Marta Via, Gang Chen, Francesco Canonaco, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Benjamin Chazeau, Hasna Chebaicheb, Jianhui Jiang, Hannes Keernik, Chunshui Lin, Nicolas Marchand, Cristina Marin, Colin O'Dowd, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Jean-Eudes Petit, Michael Pikridas, Véronique Riffault, Jean Sciare, Jay G. Slowik, Leïla Simon, Jeni Vasilescu, Yunjiang Zhang, Olivier Favez, André S. H. Prévôt, Andrés Alastuey, and María Cruz Minguillón
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5479–5495, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5479-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5479-2022, 2022
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This work presents the differences resulting from two techniques (rolling and seasonal) of the positive matrix factorisation model that can be run for organic aerosol source apportionment. The current state of the art suggests that the rolling technique is more accurate, but no proof of its effectiveness has been provided yet. This paper tackles this issue in the context of a synthetic dataset and a multi-site real-world comparison.
Sungwoo Kim, Brian M. Lerner, Donna T. Sueper, and Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertz
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5061–5075, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5061-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5061-2022, 2022
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Atmospheric samples can be complex, and current analysis methods often require substantial human interaction and discard potentially important information. To improve analysis accuracy and computational cost of these large datasets, we developed an automated analysis algorithm that utilizes a factor analysis approach coupled with a decision tree. We demonstrate that this algorithm cataloged approximately 10 times more analytes compared to a manual analysis and in a quarter of the analysis time.
Olga Zografou, Maria Gini, Manousos I. Manousakas, Gang Chen, Athina C. Kalogridis, Evangelia Diapouli, Athina Pappa, and Konstantinos Eleftheriadis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4675–4692, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4675-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4675-2022, 2022
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A yearlong ToF-ACSM dataset was used to characterize ambient aerosols over a suburban Athenian site, and innovative software for source apportionment was implemented in order to distinguish the sources of the total non-refractory species of PM1. A comparison between the methodology of combined organic and inorganic PMF analysis and the conventional organic PMF took place.
Jeramy L. Dedrick, Georges Saliba, Abigail S. Williams, Lynn M. Russell, and Dan Lubin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4171–4194, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4171-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4171-2022, 2022
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A new method is presented to retrieve the sea spray aerosol size distribution by combining submicron size and nephelometer scattering based on Mie theory. Using available sea spray tracers, we find that this approach serves as a comparable substitute to supermicron size distribution measurements, which are limited in availability at marine sites. Application of this technique can expand sea spray observations and improve the characterization of marine aerosol impacts on clouds and climate.
Ivo Beck, Hélène Angot, Andrea Baccarini, Lubna Dada, Lauriane Quéléver, Tuija Jokinen, Tiia Laurila, Markus Lampimäki, Nicolas Bukowiecki, Matthew Boyer, Xianda Gong, Martin Gysel-Beer, Tuukka Petäjä, Jian Wang, and Julia Schmale
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4195–4224, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4195-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4195-2022, 2022
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We present the pollution detection algorithm (PDA), a new method to identify local primary pollution in remote atmospheric aerosol and trace gas time series. The PDA identifies periods of contaminated data and relies only on the target dataset itself; i.e., it is independent of ancillary data such as meteorological variables. The parameters of all pollution identification steps are adjustable so that the PDA can be tuned to different locations and situations. It is available as open-access code.
Emily B. Franklin, Lindsay D. Yee, Bernard Aumont, Robert J. Weber, Paul Grigas, and Allen H. Goldstein
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3779–3803, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3779-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3779-2022, 2022
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The composition of atmospheric aerosols are extremely complex, containing hundreds of thousands of estimated individual compounds. The majority of these compounds have never been catalogued in widely used databases, making them extremely difficult for atmospheric chemists to identify and analyze. In this work, we present Ch3MS-RF, a machine-learning-based model to enable characterization of complex mixtures and prediction of structure-specific properties of unidentifiable organic compounds.
Jiaoshi Zhang, Yang Wang, Steven Spielman, Susanne Hering, and Jian Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2579–2590, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2579-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2579-2022, 2022
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New nonparametric, regularized methods are developed to invert the growth factor probability density function (GF-PDF) from humidity-controlled fast integrated mobility spectrometer measurements. These algorithms are computationally efficient, require no prior assumptions of the GF-PDF distribution, and reduce the error in inverted GF-PDF. They can be applied to humidified tandem differential mobility analyzer data. Among all algorithms, Twomey’s method retrieves GF-PDF with the smallest error.
Douglas A. Day, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Benjamin A. Nault, Brett B. Palm, Weiwei Hu, Hongyu Guo, Paul J. Wooldridge, Ronald C. Cohen, Kenneth S. Docherty, J. Alex Huffman, Suzane S. de Sá, Scot T. Martin, and Jose L. Jimenez
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 459–483, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-459-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-459-2022, 2022
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Particle-phase nitrates are an important component of atmospheric aerosols and chemistry. In this paper, we systematically explore the application of aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) to quantify the organic and inorganic nitrate fractions of aerosols in the atmosphere. While AMS has been used for a decade to quantify nitrates, methods are not standardized. We make recommendations for a more universal approach based on this analysis of a large range of field and laboratory observations.
Markus D. Petters
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7909–7928, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7909-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7909-2021, 2021
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Inverse methods infer physical properties from a measured instrument response. Measurement noise often interferes with the inversion. This work presents a general, domain-independent, accessible, and computationally efficient software implementation of a common class of statistical inversion methods. In addition, a new method to invert data from humidified tandem differential mobility analyzers is introduced. Results show that the approach is suitable for inversion of large-scale datasets.
Pak Lun Fung, Martha Arbayani Zaidan, Ola Surakhi, Sasu Tarkoma, Tuukka Petäjä, and Tareq Hussein
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 5535–5554, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5535-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5535-2021, 2021
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Aerosol size distribution measurements rely on a variety of techniques to classify the aerosol size and measure the size distribution. However, due to the instrumental insufficiency and inversion limitations, the raw dataset contains missing gaps or negative values, which hinder further analysis. With a merged particle size distribution in Jordan, this paper suggests a neural network method to estimate number concentrations at a particular size bin by the number concentration at other size bins.
Xiansheng Liu, Hadiatullah Hadiatullah, Xun Zhang, L. Drew Hill, Andrew H. A. White, Jürgen Schnelle-Kreis, Jan Bendl, Gert Jakobi, Brigitte Schloter-Hai, and Ralf Zimmermann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 5139–5151, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5139-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5139-2021, 2021
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A monitoring campaign was conducted in Augsburg to determine a suitable noise reduction algorithm for the MA200 Aethalometer. Results showed that centred moving average (CMA) post-processing effectively removed spurious negative concentrations without major bias and reliably highlighted effects from local sources, effectively increasing spatio-temporal resolution in mobile measurements. Evaluation of each method on peak sample reduction and background correction further supports the reliability.
Jie Qiu, Wangshu Tan, Gang Zhao, Yingli Yu, and Chunsheng Zhao
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4879–4891, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4879-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4879-2021, 2021
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Considering nephelometers' major problems of a nonideal Lambertian light source and angle truncation, a new correction method based on a machine learning model is proposed. Our method has the advantage of obtaining data with high accuracy while achieving self-correction, which means that researchers can get more accurate scattering coefficients without the need for additional observation data. This method provides a more precise estimation of the aerosol’s direct radiative forcing.
Amir Yazdani, Ann M. Dillner, and Satoshi Takahama
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4805–4827, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4805-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4805-2021, 2021
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We propose a spectroscopic method for estimating several mixture-averaged molecular properties (carbon number and molecular weight) in particulate matter relevant for understanding its chemical origins. This estimation is enabled by calibration models built and tested using laboratory standards containing molecules with known structure, and can be applied to filter samples of PM2.5 currently collected in existing air pollution monitoring networks and field campaigns.
Aki Virkkula
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 3707–3719, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3707-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3707-2021, 2021
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The Aethalometer model is used widely for estimating the contributions of fossil fuel emissions and biomass burning to black carbon. The calculation is based on measured absorption Ångström exponents, which is ambiguous since it not only depends on the dominant absorber but also on the size and internal structure of the particles, core size, and shell thickness. The uncertainties of the fractions of absorption by eBC from fossil fuel and biomass burning are evaluated with a core–shell Mie model.
Weiqi Xu, Masayuki Takeuchi, Chun Chen, Yanmei Qiu, Conghui Xie, Wanyun Xu, Nan Ma, Douglas R. Worsnop, Nga Lee Ng, and Yele Sun
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 3693–3705, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3693-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3693-2021, 2021
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Here we developed a method for estimation of particulate organic nitrates (pON) from the measurements of a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer coupled with a thermodenuder based on the volatility differences between inorganic nitrate and pON. The results generally had improvements in reducing negative values due to the influences of a high concentration of inorganic nitrate and a constant ratio of NO+ to NO2+ of organic nitrates (RON).
Melinda K. Schueneman, Benjamin A. Nault, Pedro Campuzano-Jost, Duseong S. Jo, Douglas A. Day, Jason C. Schroder, Brett B. Palm, Alma Hodzic, Jack E. Dibb, and Jose L. Jimenez
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 2237–2260, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-2237-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-2237-2021, 2021
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This work focuses on two important properties of the aerosol, acidity, and sulfate composition, which is important for our understanding of aerosol health and environmental impacts. We explore different methods to understand the composition of the aerosol with measurements from a specific instrument and apply those methods to a large dataset. These measurements are confounded by other factors, making it challenging to predict aerosol sulfate composition; pH estimations, however, show promise.
Weilun Zhao, Wangshu Tan, Gang Zhao, Chuanyang Shen, Yingli Yu, and Chunsheng Zhao
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 1319–1331, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-1319-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-1319-2021, 2021
Chuanyang Shen, Gang Zhao, and Chunsheng Zhao
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 1293–1301, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-1293-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-1293-2021, 2021
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Aerosol hygroscopicity measured by the humidified tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA) is affected by multiply charged particles from two aspects: (1) number contribution and (2) the weakening effect. An algorithm is proposed to do the multi-charge correction and applied to a field measurement. Results show that the difference between corrected and measured size-resolved κ can reach 0.05, highlighting that special attention needs to be paid to the multi-charge effect when using HTDMA.
Francesco Canonaco, Anna Tobler, Gang Chen, Yulia Sosedova, Jay Gates Slowik, Carlo Bozzetti, Kaspar Rudolf Daellenbach, Imad El Haddad, Monica Crippa, Ru-Jin Huang, Markus Furger, Urs Baltensperger, and André Stephan Henry Prévôt
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 923–943, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-923-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-923-2021, 2021
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Long-term ambient aerosol mass spectrometric data were analyzed with a statistical model (PMF) to obtain source contributions and fingerprints. The new aspects of this paper involve time-dependent source fingerprints by a rolling technique and the replacement of the full visual inspection of each run by a user-defined set of criteria to monitor the quality of each of these runs more efficiently. More reliable sources will finally provide better instruments for political mitigation strategies.
Kenji Miki and Shigeto Kawashima
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 685–693, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-685-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-685-2021, 2021
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Laser optics have long been used in pollen counting systems. To clarify the limitations and potential new applications of laser optics for automatic pollen counting and discrimination, we determined the light scattering patterns of various pollen types, tracked temporal changes in these distributions, and introduced a new theory for automatic pollen discrimination.
Yinchao Zhang, Su Chen, Siying Chen, He Chen, and Pan Guo
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 6675–6689, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-6675-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-6675-2020, 2020
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Air pollution has an important impact on human health, climatic patterns, and the ecological environment. The complexity of the nocturnal boundary layer (NBL), combined with its strong physio-chemical effect, induces worse polluted episodes. Therefore, we present a new approach named cluster analysis of gradient method (CA-GM) to overcome the multilayer structure and remove the fluctuation of NBL height using raw data resolution.
Tommy Chan, Runlong Cai, Lauri R. Ahonen, Yiliang Liu, Ying Zhou, Joonas Vanhanen, Lubna Dada, Yan Chao, Yongchun Liu, Lin Wang, Markku Kulmala, and Juha Kangasluoma
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 4885–4898, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4885-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4885-2020, 2020
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Using a particle size magnifier (PSM; Airmodus, Finland), we determined the particle size distribution using four inversion methods and compared each method to the others to establish their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, we provided a step-by-step procedure on how to invert measured data using the PSM. Finally, we provided recommendations, code and data related to the data inversion. This is an important paper, as no operating procedure exists regarding how to process measured PSM data.
Paolo Laj, Alessandro Bigi, Clémence Rose, Elisabeth Andrews, Cathrine Lund Myhre, Martine Collaud Coen, Yong Lin, Alfred Wiedensohler, Michael Schulz, John A. Ogren, Markus Fiebig, Jonas Gliß, Augustin Mortier, Marco Pandolfi, Tuukka Petäja, Sang-Woo Kim, Wenche Aas, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Olga Mayol-Bracero, Melita Keywood, Lorenzo Labrador, Pasi Aalto, Erik Ahlberg, Lucas Alados Arboledas, Andrés Alastuey, Marcos Andrade, Begoña Artíñano, Stina Ausmeel, Todor Arsov, Eija Asmi, John Backman, Urs Baltensperger, Susanne Bastian, Olaf Bath, Johan Paul Beukes, Benjamin T. Brem, Nicolas Bukowiecki, Sébastien Conil, Cedric Couret, Derek Day, Wan Dayantolis, Anna Degorska, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Prodromos Fetfatzis, Olivier Favez, Harald Flentje, Maria I. Gini, Asta Gregorič, Martin Gysel-Beer, A. Gannet Hallar, Jenny Hand, Andras Hoffer, Christoph Hueglin, Rakesh K. Hooda, Antti Hyvärinen, Ivo Kalapov, Nikos Kalivitis, Anne Kasper-Giebl, Jeong Eun Kim, Giorgos Kouvarakis, Irena Kranjc, Radovan Krejci, Markku Kulmala, Casper Labuschagne, Hae-Jung Lee, Heikki Lihavainen, Neng-Huei Lin, Gunter Löschau, Krista Luoma, Angela Marinoni, Sebastiao Martins Dos Santos, Frank Meinhardt, Maik Merkel, Jean-Marc Metzger, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Nhat Anh Nguyen, Jakub Ondracek, Noemi Pérez, Maria Rita Perrone, Jean-Eudes Petit, David Picard, Jean-Marc Pichon, Veronique Pont, Natalia Prats, Anthony Prenni, Fabienne Reisen, Salvatore Romano, Karine Sellegri, Sangeeta Sharma, Gerhard Schauer, Patrick Sheridan, James Patrick Sherman, Maik Schütze, Andreas Schwerin, Ralf Sohmer, Mar Sorribas, Martin Steinbacher, Junying Sun, Gloria Titos, Barbara Toczko, Thomas Tuch, Pierre Tulet, Peter Tunved, Ville Vakkari, Fernando Velarde, Patricio Velasquez, Paolo Villani, Sterios Vratolis, Sheng-Hsiang Wang, Kay Weinhold, Rolf Weller, Margarita Yela, Jesus Yus-Diez, Vladimir Zdimal, Paul Zieger, and Nadezda Zikova
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 4353–4392, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4353-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4353-2020, 2020
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The paper establishes the fiducial reference of the GAW aerosol network providing the fully characterized value chain to the provision of four climate-relevant aerosol properties from ground-based sites. Data from almost 90 stations worldwide are reported for a reference year, 2017, providing a unique and very robust view of the variability of these variables worldwide. Current gaps in the GAW network are analysed and requirements for the Global Climate Monitoring System are proposed.
Shengqiang Zhu, Lei Li, Shurong Wang, Mei Li, Yaxi Liu, Xiaohui Lu, Hong Chen, Lin Wang, Jianmin Chen, Zhen Zhou, Xin Yang, and Xiaofei Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 4111–4121, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4111-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4111-2020, 2020
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Single-particle aerosol mass spectrometry (SPAMS) is widely used to detect chemical compositions and sizes of individual aerosol particles. However, it has a major issue: the mass accuracy of high-resolution SPAMS is relatively low. Here we developed an automatic linear calibration method to greatly improve the mass accuracy of SPAMS spectra so that the elemental compositions of organic peaks, such as Cx, CxHy, CxHyOz and CxHyNO peaks, can be directly identified just based on their m / z values.
William Wandji Nyamsi, Antti Lipponen, Arturo Sanchez-Lorenzo, Martin Wild, and Antti Arola
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 3061–3079, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3061-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3061-2020, 2020
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This paper proposes a novel and accurate method for estimating and reconstructing aerosol optical depth from sunshine duration measurements under cloud-free conditions at any place and time since the late 19th century. The method performs very well when compared to AErosol RObotic NETwork measurements and operates an efficient detection of signals from massive volcanic eruptions. Reconstructed long-term aerosol optical depths are in agreement with the dimming/brightening phenomenon.
Sascha Pfeifer, Thomas Müller, Andrew Freedman, and Alfred Wiedensohler
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 2161–2167, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-2161-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-2161-2020, 2020
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The effect of the baseline drift on the resulting extinction values of three CAPS PMex monitors with different wavelengths was analysed for an urban background station. A significant baseline drift was observed, which leads to characteristic measurement artefacts for particle extinction. Two alternative methods for recalculating the baseline are shown. With these methods the extinction artefacts are diminished and the effective scattering of the resulting extinction values is reduced.
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Short summary
How sensitive are the spatial and temporal trends of PM2.5 derived from a network of low-cost sensors to the calibration adjustment used? How transferable are calibration equations developed at a few co-location sites to an entire network of low-cost sensors? This paper attempts to answer this question and offers a series of suggestions on how to develop the most robust calibration function for different end uses. It uses measurements from the Love My Air network in Denver as a test case.
How sensitive are the spatial and temporal trends of PM2.5 derived from a network of low-cost...
