Articles | Volume 18, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-6435-2025
© Author(s) 2025. 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-18-6435-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
12 Nov 2025
Research article |
| 12 Nov 2025
| 12 Nov 2025
Intercomparison of online and offline XRF spectrometers for determining the PM10 elemental composition of ambient aerosol
Laura Cadeo
Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, 20133, Italy
Beatrice Biffi
ARPA Lombardia, Milan, 20124, Italy
Benjamin Chazeau
PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS, LCE, Marseille, France
Cristina Colombi
ARPA Lombardia, Milan, 20124, Italy
Rosario Cosenza
ARPA Lombardia, Milan, 20124, Italy
Eleonora Cuccia
ARPA Lombardia, Milan, 20124, Italy
Manousos-Ioannis Manousakas
PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
Kaspar R. Daellenbach
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
André S. H. Prévôt
PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, 20133, Italy
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Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 3491–3509, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3491-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3491-2026, 2026
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We compared near real-time and benchtop XRF spectrometers measuring trace elements in airborne particles across three European cities. Results show filter material dictates accuracy: Teflon yielded strong inter-instrument agreement, while quartz caused systematic attenuation errors for light elements. Because empirical corrections left residual biases, using optimal substrates—preferably Teflon—is essential for accurately tracking pollution sources.
Luca D'Angelo, Florian Ungeheuer, Jialiang Ma, Luca Ferrero, Cristina Colombi, Eleonora Cuccia, Umberto Dal Santo, Beatrice Biffi, and Alexander L. Vogel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 6799–6823, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6799-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6799-2026, 2026
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Molecular characterization of organic aerosol in the Po Valley exhibits differences between an urban and an agricultural site, despite similar concentration of organic aerosol mass. Multivariate statistical analysis on one year of samples further reveals specific sources such as biomass burning, agricultural activities and biogenic secondary organic aerosol. Light-absorbing molecules appear to be linked to combustion, peaking at both sites during winter season.
Myriam Agrò, Manuel Bettineschi, Silvia Melina, Diego Aliaga, Andrea Bergomi, Beatrice Biffi, Alessandro Bigi, Giancarlo Ciarelli, Cristina Colombi, Paola Fermo, Ivan Grigioni, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Markku Kulmala, Janne Lampilahti, Angela Marinoni, Celestine Oliewo, Juha Sulo, Gianluigi Valli, Roberta Vecchi, Tuukka Petäjä, Katrianne Lehtipalo, and Federico Bianchi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 6521–6539, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6521-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6521-2026, 2026
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This study investigates new particle formation (NPF) in Milan, the most populated city in the Po Valley (Italy), using one year of particle number size distribution data (1.2–480 nm). NPF is enhanced under cleaner air conditions with lower pollution, reduced condensation sink, stronger ventilation, and stronger northwesterly winds (e.g., Foehn events). In contrast, longer air mass residence time in the Po Valley and higher air mass exposure to anthropogenic emissions suppress it.
Marta Via, Jure Demšar, Yufang Hao, Manousos Manousakas, Anton Rusanen, Jianhui Jiang, Stuart K. Grange, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Vy Ngoc Thuy Dinh, Gaëlle Uzu, Griša Močnik, and Kaspar R. Daellenbach
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 2175–2195, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2175-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2175-2026, 2026
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We introduce BAMF+HS (Bayesian Autocorrelated Matrix Factorisation+Horseshoe), an enhanced Bayesian receptor model for particulate matter (PM) source apportionment. By applying a regularised horseshoe prior to the chemical composition matrix, BAMF+HS enforces sparsity, filtering out irrelevant species and improving source separation. Tests on synthetic and real datasets show BAMF+HS consistently outperforms previous models in accuracy and clarity.
Karin Stegelius, Pauline Thompson, Pia Karbiener, Piotr Markuszewski, Andre S. H. Prevot, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Claudia Mohr, Liine Heikkinen, Krishnakant Budhavant, and Sophie L. Haslett
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-914, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-914, 2026
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High-time-resolution observations in the Maldives indicate that submicron aerosol over the northern Indian Ocean is primarily composed of inorganic sulfate and highly oxidised organic matter, indicative of aged continental outflow. The consistent composition across various air mass origins, alongside identification of sulfur-containing organics, underscores the influence of long-range transport and sulfate-driven secondary chemistry on regional aerosol characteristics and their climate impacts.
Willem Elias van Caspel, Olivier Favez, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Gaëlle Uzu, Kaspar Rudolf Daellenbach, Imad El Haddad, and David Simpson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5547, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5547, 2026
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Exposure to particulate matter, or aerosols, is the most important environmental risk factor for negative health impacts. Understanding the sources of aerosols is therefore of great importance. This paper compares modelled aerosol source contributions to those from three European observationally derived datasets. Urban-scale modelling is shown to be impactful, although modelling of anthropogenic sources (argued to be the most toxic) remains challenging.
Quentin Gunti, Benjamin Chazeau, Brice Temime-Roussel, Irène Xueref-Remy, Alexandre Armengaud, Henri Wortham, and Barbara D'Anna
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 2893–2919, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2893-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2893-2026, 2026
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A measurement campaign in Toulon's port in 2021 showed a strong decrease in sulfur-related emissions after IMO2020, while black carbon, organics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) remained at previous levels, as confirmed by their emission factors. Source analysis indicated that ships contributed notably to organic aerosol and alkylated PAHs, and dominated ultrafine particles. These results support continued monitoring as the Mediterranean becomes a sulfur emission control area in 2025.
Feng Jiang, Jun Zhang, David Bell, Kun Li, Nadine Borduas-Dedekind, Andre S. H. Prevot, Hongbiao Cui, Harald Saathoff, and Thomas Leisner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-559, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-559, 2026
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We studied chemical compositions and chromophores of brown carbon aerosol from combustion emission before and after photooxidation using an oxidative flow reactor. The chromophore and chemical composition of brown carbon were determined by excitation-emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. This work helps to get a better understanding of evolution process of the chromophores from primary combustion emissions during the real atmospheric transportation.
Mathilde Brezins, Benjamin Chazeau, Nicolas Marchand, Amandine Durand, Grégory Gille, Romain Bourjot, Andre S. H. Prévôt, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Gaëlle Uzu, and Barbara D'Anna
Aerosol Research Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2026-5, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2026-5, 2026
Revised manuscript accepted for AR
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The Marseille-Fos basin faces high anthropogenic pressure from industry, maritime and road transport, combined with specific weather conditions that further degrade air quality. Our study focuses on fine metallic pollution, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause harmful effects. Using one year of measurements at two sites, we identified ten main pollution sources, half directly linked to human activities, highlighting clear risks for the environment and public health.
Laurence C. Windell, Saliou Mbengue, Petra Pokorná, Jaroslav Schwarz, André S. H. Prévôt, Manousos I. Manousakas, Stefanos Papagiannis, Jakub Ondráček, Roman Prokeš, and Vladimir Ždímal
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 7021–7038, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-7021-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-7021-2025, 2025
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In this work, we compare the two most widely used online XRF monitors for ambient elemental analysis, the Xact625i and PX-375. We found strong correlations between the online instruments and the reference method (better so for the Xact625i), while in terms of absolute concentrations, some elements were over- and underestimated. Overall, we determined both instruments can be used as powerful tools to produce high-time resolution elemental data for use in air quality monitoring.
Marco Paglione, Yufang Hao, Stefano Decesari, Mara Russo, Karam Mansour, Mauro Mazzola, Diego Fellin, Andrea Mazzanti, Emilio Tagliavini, Manousos Ioannis Manousakas, Evangelia Diapouli, Elena Barbaro, Matteo Feltracco, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, and Matteo Rinaldi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 12853–12874, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12853-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12853-2025, 2025
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A year-long set of submicron aerosol samples (PM1) from Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, was analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-NMR) and high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometry (HR-TOF-AMS) to characterize the organic fraction. Positive matrix factorization identified five organic aerosol sources. Winter–spring was dominated by Eurasian pollution and summer by marine biogenic aerosols, with occasional wildfire events.
Amna Ijaz, Brice Temime-Roussel, Benjamin Chazeau, Sarah Albertin, Stephen R. Arnold, Brice Barret, Slimane Bekki, Natalie Brett, Meeta Cesler-Maloney, Elsa Dieudonne, Kayane K. Dingilian, Javier G. Fochesatto, Jingqiu Mao, Allison Moon, Joel Savarino, William Simpson, Rodney J. Weber, Kathy S. Law, and Barbara D'Anna
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 11789–11811, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-11789-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-11789-2025, 2025
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Fairbanks is among the most polluted cities, with the highest particulate matter (PM) levels in the US during winters. Highly time-resolved measurements of the submicron PM found residential heating with wood and oil and hydrocarbon-like organics from traffic, as well as sulfur-containing aerosol, to be the key pollution sources. Remarkable differences existed between complementary instruments, warranting the deployment of multiple tools at sites, with wide-ranging influences.
Sophie Bogler, Jun Zhang, Rico K. Y. Cheung, Kun Li, André S. H. Prévôt, Imad El Haddad, and David M. Bell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 10229–10243, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10229-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10229-2025, 2025
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Authentic aerosols emitted from residential wood stoves and open burning processes are only slightly oxidized by ozone in the atmosphere. Under dry conditions, the reaction does not proceed to completion, while under high humidity conditions, the reactivity proceeds further. These results indicate that the reactivity with ozone is likely impacted by aerosol phase state (e.g., aerosol viscosity).
Manousos I. Manousakas, Olga Zografou, Francesco Canonaco, Evangelia Diapouli, Stefanos Papagiannis, Maria Gini, Vasiliki Vasilatou, Anna Tobler, Stergios Vratolis, Jay G. Slowik, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, André S. H. Prevot, and Konstantinos Eleftheriadis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 3983–4002, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3983-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3983-2025, 2025
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Air pollution from airborne particles is a major health and environmental concern, especially in cities. Understanding the particles' sources is key to addressing this issue, but traditional methods require time-consuming sampling, delaying action. Our study introduces a real-time monitoring system that uses advanced instruments and software to track pollution instantly. This technology allows faster, more precise pollution analysis, helping cities create targeted strategies to improve air quality.
Junke Zhang, Xinyi Fu, Chunying Chen, Yunfei Su, Siyu Liu, Luyao Chen, Yubao Chen, Gehui Wang, and Andre S. H. Prevot
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 8983–9004, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8983-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8983-2025, 2025
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We measured (at the molecular level) the 125 organic aerosol (OA) compounds present in Chengdu in winter. OA was dominated by fatty acids, phthalate esters, and anhydrosugars, and it was deeply influenced by anthropogenic sources. As pollution worsened, secondary inorganic species and secondary organic carbon (OC) dominated the increase in PM2.5, fatty acids and anhydrosugars dominated the increase in OA, and the contributions of secondary formation and biomass burning to OC increased markedly.
Jiamao Zhou, Jiarui Wu, Xiaoli Su, Ruonan Wang, Imad EI Haddad, Xia Li, Qian Jiang, Ting Zhang, Wenting Dai, Junji Cao, Andre S. H. Prevot, Xuexi Tie, and Guohui Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7563–7580, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7563-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7563-2025, 2025
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Brown carbon (BrC) is a type of airborne particle produced from various combustion sources which is light absorption. Historically, climate models have categorizing organic particles as either non-absorbing or purely reflective. Our study shows that BrC can reduce the usual cooling effect of organic particles. While BrC is often linked to biomass burning, however, BrC from fossil fuels contributes significantly to atmospheric heating.
Florin Unga, Giulia Calzolai, Massimo Chiari, Eleonora Cuccia, Cristina Colombi, Mariolina Franciosa, Adelaide Dinoi, Eva Merico, Antonio Pennetta, Noelia Gómez-Sánchez, Caterina Mapelli, Salvatore Pareti, Cinzia Perrino, Eduardo Yubero, and Daniele Contini
Aerosol Research, 3, 405–415, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-405-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-405-2025, 2025
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This study evaluates the performance of energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) on particulate matter (PM10) samples collected on quartz and Teflon filters through an inter-laboratory comparison. Detection limits were higher on quartz, but measurement repeatability was similar. Strong elemental correlations suggest that, with proper corrections, quartz filters can provide reliable results. These findings support their feasibility for ED-XRF analysis.
Johannes Heuser, Claudia Di Biagio, Jérôme Yon, Mathieu Cazaunau, Antonin Bergé, Edouard Pangui, Marco Zanatta, Laura Renzi, Angela Marinoni, Satoshi Inomata, Chenjie Yu, Vera Bernardoni, Servanne Chevaillier, Daniel Ferry, Paolo Laj, Michel Maillé, Dario Massabò, Federico Mazzei, Gael Noyalet, Hiroshi Tanimoto, Brice Temime-Roussel, Roberta Vecchi, Virginia Vernocchi, Paola Formenti, Bénédicte Picquet-Varrault, and Jean-François Doussin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 6407–6428, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6407-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6407-2025, 2025
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The spectral optical properties of combustion soot aerosols with varying black (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) content were studied in an atmospheric simulation chamber. Measurements of the mass spectral absorption cross section (MAC), supplemented by literature data, allowed us to establish a generalised exponential relationship between the spectral absorption and the elemental-to-total-carbon ratio (EC / TC) in soot. This relationship can provide a useful tool for modelling the properties of soot.
Silvia Nava, Roberta Vecchi, Paolo Prati, Vera Bernardoni, Laura Cadeo, Giulia Calzolai, Luca Carraresi, Carlo Cialdai, Massimo Chiari, Federica Crova, Alice Forello, Cosimo Fratticioli, Fabio Giardi, Marco Manetti, Dario Massabò, Federico Mazzei, Luca Repetto, Gianluigi Valli, Virginia Vernocchi, and Franco Lucarelli
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 2137–2147, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2137-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2137-2025, 2025
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The new high-time-resolution sampler STRAS has been designed, developed and tested. It enables automatic sequential sampling of up to 168 hourly samples of PM10, PM2.5 or PM1. It has been conceived for subsequent elemental composition analysis (from Na to Pb) by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), but optical techniques may also be applied to measure black and brown carbon. Its use combined with other high-temporal-resolution instrumentation can provide complete chemical speciation of aerosols on an hourly basis.
Natalie M. Mahowald, Longlei Li, Julius Vira, Marje Prank, Douglas S. Hamilton, Hitoshi Matsui, Ron L. Miller, P. Louis Lu, Ezgi Akyuz, Daphne Meidan, Peter Hess, Heikki Lihavainen, Christine Wiedinmyer, Jenny Hand, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Célia Alves, Andres Alastuey, Paulo Artaxo, Africa Barreto, Francisco Barraza, Silvia Becagli, Giulia Calzolai, Shankararaman Chellam, Ying Chen, Patrick Chuang, David D. Cohen, Cristina Colombi, Evangelia Diapouli, Gaetano Dongarra, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Johann Engelbrecht, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Cassandra Gaston, Dario Gomez, Yenny González Ramos, Roy M. Harrison, Chris Heyes, Barak Herut, Philip Hopke, Christoph Hüglin, Maria Kanakidou, Zsofia Kertesz, Zbigniew Klimont, Katriina Kyllönen, Fabrice Lambert, Xiaohong Liu, Remi Losno, Franco Lucarelli, Willy Maenhaut, Beatrice Marticorena, Randall V. Martin, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera-Gómez, Adina Paytan, Joseph Prospero, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricia Smichowski, Daniela Varrica, Brenna Walsh, Crystal L. Weagle, and Xi Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4665–4702, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, 2025
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Aerosol particles are an important part of the Earth system, but their concentrations are spatially and temporally heterogeneous, as well as being variable in size and composition. Here, we present a new compilation of PM2.5 and PM10 aerosol observations, focusing on the spatial variability across different observational stations, including composition, and demonstrate a method for comparing the data sets to model output.
Ashutosh K. Shukla, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Shamitaksha Talukdar, Vishnu Murari, Sreenivas Gaddamidi, Manousos-Ioannis Manousakas, Vipul Lalchandani, Kuldeep Dixit, Vinayak M. Ruge, Peeyush Khare, Mayank Kumar, Vikram Singh, Neeraj Rastogi, Suresh Tiwari, Atul K. Srivastava, Dilip Ganguly, Kaspar Rudolf Daellenbach, and André S. H. Prévôt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3765–3784, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3765-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3765-2025, 2025
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Our study delves into the elemental composition of aerosols at three sites across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), revealing distinct patterns during pollution episodes. We found significant increases in chlorine (Cl)-rich and solid fuel combustion (SFC) sources, indicating dynamic emission sources, agricultural burning impacts, and meteorological influences. Surges in Cl-rich particles during cold periods highlight their role in particle growth under high-relative-humidity conditions.
Tiantian Wang, Jun Zhang, Houssni Lamkaddam, Kun Li, Ka Yuen Cheung, Lisa Kattner, Erlend Gammelsæter, Michael Bauer, Zachary C. J. Decker, Deepika Bhattu, Rujin Huang, Rob L. Modini, Jay G. Slowik, Imad El Haddad, Andre S. H. Prevot, and David M. Bell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2707–2724, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2707-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2707-2025, 2025
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Our study analyzes real-time emissions of organic vapors from solid fuel combustion. Using the mass spectrometer, we tested various fuels, finding higher emission factors for organic vapors from wood burning. Intermediate-volatility organic compounds constituted a significant fraction of emissions in solid fuel combustion. Statistical tests identified unique potential markers. Our insights benefit air quality, climate, and health, aiding accurate emission assessments.
Hector Navarro-Barboza, Jordi Rovira, Vincenzo Obiso, Andrea Pozzer, Marta Via, Andres Alastuey, Xavier Querol, Noemi Perez, Marjan Savadkoohi, Gang Chen, Jesus Yus-Díez, Matic Ivancic, Martin Rigler, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Stergios Vratolis, Olga Zografou, Maria Gini, Benjamin Chazeau, Nicolas Marchand, Andre S. H. Prevot, Kaspar Dallenbach, Mikael Ehn, Krista Luoma, Tuukka Petäjä, Anna Tobler, Jaroslaw Necki, Minna Aurela, Hilkka Timonen, Jarkko Niemi, Olivier Favez, Jean-Eudes Petit, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Christoph Hueglin, Nicolas Pascal, Aurélien Chauvigné, Sébastien Conil, Marco Pandolfi, and Oriol Jorba
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2667–2694, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2667-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2667-2025, 2025
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Brown carbon (BrC) absorbs ultraviolet (UV) and visible light, influencing climate. This study explores BrC's imaginary refractive index (k) using data from 12 European sites. Residential emissions are a major organic aerosol (OA) source in winter, while secondary organic aerosol (SOA) dominates in summer. Source-specific k values were derived, improving model accuracy. The findings highlight BrC's climate impact and emphasize source-specific constraints in atmospheric models.
Benjamin Heutte, Nora Bergner, Hélène Angot, Jakob B. Pernov, Lubna Dada, Jessica A. Mirrielees, Ivo Beck, Andrea Baccarini, Matthew Boyer, Jessie M. Creamean, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Imad El Haddad, Markus M. Frey, Silvia Henning, Tiia Laurila, Vaios Moschos, Tuukka Petäjä, Kerri A. Pratt, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Matthew D. Shupe, Paul Zieger, Tuija Jokinen, and Julia Schmale
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2207–2241, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2207-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2207-2025, 2025
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Limited aerosol measurements in the central Arctic hinder our understanding of aerosol–climate interactions in the region. Our year-long observations of aerosol physicochemical properties during the MOSAiC expedition reveal strong seasonal variations in aerosol chemical composition, where the short-term variability is heavily affected by storms in the Arctic. Local wind-generated particles are shown to be an important source of cloud seeds, especially in autumn.
Pamela A. Dominutti, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Anouk Marsal, Takoua Mhadhbi, Rhabira Elazzouzi, Camille Rak, Fabrizia Cavalli, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Despina Paraskevopoulou, Ian Mudway, Athanasios Nenes, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Catherine Banach, Steven J. Campbell, Hana Cigánková, Daniele Contini, Greg Evans, Maria Georgopoulou, Manuella Ghanem, Drew A. Glencross, Maria Rachele Guascito, Hartmut Herrmann, Saima Iram, Maja Jovanović, Milena Jovašević-Stojanović, Markus Kalberer, Ingeborg M. Kooter, Suzanne E. Paulson, Anil Patel, Esperanza Perdrix, Maria Chiara Pietrogrande, Pavel Mikuška, Jean-Jacques Sauvain, Katerina Seitanidi, Pourya Shahpoury, Eduardo J. d. S. Souza, Sarah Steimer, Svetlana Stevanovic, Guillaume Suarez, P. S. Ganesh Subramanian, Battist Utinger, Marloes F. van Os, Vishal Verma, Xing Wang, Rodney J. Weber, Yuhan Yang, Xavier Querol, Gerard Hoek, Roy M. Harrison, and Gaëlle Uzu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 177–195, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-177-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-177-2025, 2025
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In this work, 20 labs worldwide collaborated to evaluate the measurement of air pollution's oxidative potential (OP), a key indicator of its harmful effects. The study aimed to identify disparities in the widely used OP dithiothreitol assay and assess the consistency of OP among labs using the same protocol. The results showed that half of the labs achieved acceptable results. However, variability was also found, highlighting the need for standardisation in OP procedures.
Hasna Chebaicheb, Joel F. de Brito, Tanguy Amodeo, Florian Couvidat, Jean-Eudes Petit, Emmanuel Tison, Gregory Abbou, Alexia Baudic, Mélodie Chatain, Benjamin Chazeau, Nicolas Marchand, Raphaële Falhun, Florie Francony, Cyril Ratier, Didier Grenier, Romain Vidaud, Shouwen Zhang, Gregory Gille, Laurent Meunier, Caroline Marchand, Véronique Riffault, and Olivier Favez
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 5089–5109, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5089-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5089-2024, 2024
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Long-term (2015–2021) quasi-continuous measurements have been obtained at 13 French urban sites using online mass spectrometry, to acquire the comprehensive chemical composition of submicron particulate matter. The results show their spatial and temporal differences and confirm the predominance of organics in France (40–60 %). These measurements can be used for many future studies, such as trend and epidemiological analyses, or comparisons with chemical transport models.
Imad El Haddad, Danielle Vienneau, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Robin Modini, Jay G. Slowik, Abhishek Upadhyay, Petros N. Vasilakos, David Bell, Kees de Hoogh, and Andre S. H. Prevot
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11981–12011, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11981-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11981-2024, 2024
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This opinion paper explores how advances in aerosol science inform our understanding of the health impacts of outdoor particulate pollution. We advocate for a shift in the way we target PM pollution, focusing on the most harmful anthropogenic emissions. We highlight key observations, modelling developments, and emission measurements needed to achieve this shift.
Julie Camman, Benjamin Chazeau, Nicolas Marchand, Amandine Durand, Grégory Gille, Ludovic Lanzi, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Henri Wortham, and Gaëlle Uzu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 3257–3278, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3257-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3257-2024, 2024
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Fine particle (PM1) pollution is a major health issue in the city of Marseille, which is subject to numerous pollution sources. Sampling carried out during the summer enabled a fine characterization of the PM1 sources and their oxidative potential, a promising new metric as a proxy for health impact. PM1 came mainly from combustion sources, secondary ammonium sulfate, and organic nitrate, while the oxidative potential of PM1 came from these sources and from resuspended dust in the atmosphere.
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.
Natalie M. Mahowald, Longlei Li, Julius Vira, Marje Prank, Douglas S. Hamilton, Hitoshi Matsui, Ron L. Miller, Louis Lu, Ezgi Akyuz, Daphne Meidan, Peter Hess, Heikki Lihavainen, Christine Wiedinmyer, Jenny Hand, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Célia Alves, Andres Alastuey, Paulo Artaxo, Africa Barreto, Francisco Barraza, Silvia Becagli, Giulia Calzolai, Shankarararman Chellam, Ying Chen, Patrick Chuang, David D. Cohen, Cristina Colombi, Evangelia Diapouli, Gaetano Dongarra, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Cassandra Gaston, Dario Gomez, Yenny González Ramos, Hannele Hakola, Roy M. Harrison, Chris Heyes, Barak Herut, Philip Hopke, Christoph Hüglin, Maria Kanakidou, Zsofia Kertesz, Zbiginiw Klimont, Katriina Kyllönen, Fabrice Lambert, Xiaohong Liu, Remi Losno, Franco Lucarelli, Willy Maenhaut, Beatrice Marticorena, Randall V. Martin, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera-Gomez, Adina Paytan, Joseph Prospero, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricia Smichowski, Daniela Varrica, Brenna Walsh, Crystal Weagle, and Xi Zhao
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-1, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-1, 2024
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Aerosol particles can interact with incoming solar radiation and outgoing long wave radiation, change cloud properties, affect photochemistry, impact surface air quality, and when deposited impact surface albedo of snow and ice, and modulate carbon dioxide uptake by the land and ocean. Here we present a new compilation of aerosol observations including composition, a methodology for comparing the datasets to model output, and show the implications of these results using one model.
Jun Zhang, Kun Li, Tiantian Wang, Erlend Gammelsæter, Rico K. Y. Cheung, Mihnea Surdu, Sophie Bogler, Deepika Bhattu, Dongyu S. Wang, Tianqu Cui, Lu Qi, Houssni Lamkaddam, Imad El Haddad, Jay G. Slowik, Andre S. H. Prevot, and David M. Bell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14561–14576, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14561-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14561-2023, 2023
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We conducted burning experiments to simulate various types of solid fuel combustion, including residential burning, wildfires, agricultural burning, cow dung, and plastic bag burning. The chemical composition of the particles was characterized using mass spectrometers, and new potential markers for different fuels were identified using statistical analysis. This work improves our understanding of emissions from solid fuel burning and offers support for refined source apportionment.
Yong Zhang, Jie Tian, Qiyuan Wang, Lu Qi, Manousos Ioannis Manousakas, Yuemei Han, Weikang Ran, Yele Sun, Huikun Liu, Renjian Zhang, Yunfei Wu, Tianqu Cui, Kaspar Rudolf Daellenbach, Jay Gates Slowik, André S. H. Prévôt, and Junji Cao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9455–9471, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9455-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9455-2023, 2023
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PM2.5 pollution still frequently occurs in northern China during winter, and it is necessary to figure out the causes of air pollution based on intensive real-time measurement. The findings elaborate the chemical characteristics and source contributions of PM2.5 in three pilot cities, reveal potential formation mechanisms of secondary aerosols, and highlight the importance of controlling biomass burning and inhibiting generation of secondary aerosol for air quality improvement.
Sophie L. Haslett, David M. Bell, Varun Kumar, Jay G. Slowik, Dongyu S. Wang, Suneeti Mishra, Neeraj Rastogi, Atinderpal Singh, Dilip Ganguly, Joel Thornton, Feixue Zheng, Yuanyuan Li, Wei Nie, Yongchun Liu, Wei Ma, Chao Yan, Markku Kulmala, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, David Hadden, Urs Baltensperger, Andre S. H. Prevot, Sachchida N. Tripathi, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9023–9036, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9023-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9023-2023, 2023
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In Delhi, some aspects of daytime and nighttime atmospheric chemistry are inverted, and parodoxically, vehicle emissions may be limiting other forms of particle production. This is because the nighttime emissions of nitrogen oxide (NO) by traffic and biomass burning prevent some chemical processes that would otherwise create even more particles and worsen the urban haze.
Samira Atabakhsh, Laurent Poulain, Gang Chen, Francesco Canonaco, André S. H. Prévôt, Mira Pöhlker, Alfred Wiedensohler, and Hartmut Herrmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6963–6988, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6963-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6963-2023, 2023
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The study focuses on the aerosol chemical variations found in the rural-background station of Melpitz based on ACSM and MAAP measurements. Source apportionment on both organic aerosol (OA) and black carbon (eBC) was performed, and source seasonality was also linked to air mass trajectories. Overall, three anthropogenic sources were identified in OA and eBC plus two additional aged OA. Our results demonstrate the influence of transported coal-combustion-related OA even during summer time.
Vaishali Jain, Nidhi Tripathi, Sachchida N. Tripathi, Mansi Gupta, Lokesh K. Sahu, Vishnu Murari, Sreenivas Gaddamidi, Ashutosh K. Shukla, and Andre S. H. Prevot
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3383–3408, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3383-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3383-2023, 2023
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This research chemically characterises 173 different NMVOCs (non-methane volatile organic compounds) measured in real time for three seasons in the city of the central Indo-Gangetic basin of India, Lucknow. Receptor modelling is used to analyse probable sources of NMVOCs and their crucial role in forming ozone and secondary organic aerosols. It is observed that vehicular emissions and solid fuel combustion are the highest contributors to the emission of primary and secondary NMVOCs.
Jing Cai, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Cheng Wu, Yan Zheng, Feixue Zheng, Wei Du, Sophie L. Haslett, Qi Chen, Markku Kulmala, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1147–1165, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1147-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1147-2023, 2023
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We introduce the offline application of FIGAERO-CIMS by analyzing Teflon and quartz filter samples that were collected at a typical urban site in Beijing with the deposition time varying from 30 min to 24 h. This method provides a feasible, simple, and quantitative way to investigate the molecular composition and volatility of OA compounds by using FIGAERO-CIMS to analyze offline samples.
Tingting Feng, Yingkun Wang, Weiwei Hu, Ming Zhu, Wei Song, Wei Chen, Yanyan Sang, Zheng Fang, Wei Deng, Hua Fang, Xu Yu, Cheng Wu, Bin Yuan, Shan Huang, Min Shao, Xiaofeng Huang, Lingyan He, Young Ro Lee, Lewis Gregory Huey, Francesco Canonaco, Andre S. H. Prevot, and Xinming Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 611–636, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-611-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-611-2023, 2023
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To investigate the impact of aging processes on organic aerosols (OA), we conducted a comprehensive field study at a continental remote site using an on-line mass spectrometer. The results show that OA in the Chinese outflows were strongly influenced by upwind anthropogenic emissions. The aging processes can significantly decrease the OA volatility and result in a varied viscosity of OA under different circumstances, signifying the complex physiochemical properties of OA in aged plumes.
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.
David M. Bell, Cheng Wu, Amelie Bertrand, Emelie Graham, Janne Schoonbaert, Stamatios Giannoukos, Urs Baltensperger, Andre S. H. Prevot, Ilona Riipinen, Imad El Haddad, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 13167–13182, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13167-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13167-2022, 2022
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A series of studies designed to investigate the evolution of organic aerosol were performed in an atmospheric simulation chamber, using a common oxidant found at night (NO3). The chemical composition steadily changed from its initial composition via different chemical reactions that were taking place inside of the aerosol particle. These results show that the composition of organic aerosol steadily changes during its lifetime in the atmosphere.
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.
Yishuo Guo, Chao Yan, Yuliang Liu, Xiaohui Qiao, Feixue Zheng, Ying Zhang, Ying Zhou, Chang Li, Xiaolong Fan, Zhuohui Lin, Zemin Feng, Yusheng Zhang, Penggang Zheng, Linhui Tian, Wei Nie, Zhe Wang, Dandan Huang, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Lei Yao, Lubna Dada, Federico Bianchi, Jingkun Jiang, Yongchun Liu, Veli-Matti Kerminen, and Markku Kulmala
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10077–10097, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10077-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10077-2022, 2022
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Gaseous oxygenated organic molecules (OOMs) are able to form atmospheric aerosols, which will impact on human health and climate change. Here, we find that OOMs in urban Beijing are dominated by anthropogenic sources, i.e. aromatic (29 %–41 %) and aliphatic (26 %–41 %) OOMs. They are also the main contributors to the condensational growth of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). Therefore, the restriction on anthropogenic VOCs is crucial for the reduction of SOAs and haze formation.
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.
Varun Kumar, Stamatios Giannoukos, Sophie L. Haslett, Yandong Tong, Atinderpal Singh, Amelie Bertrand, Chuan Ping Lee, Dongyu S. Wang, Deepika Bhattu, Giulia Stefenelli, Jay S. Dave, Joseph V. Puthussery, Lu Qi, Pawan Vats, Pragati Rai, Roberto Casotto, Rangu Satish, Suneeti Mishra, Veronika Pospisilova, Claudia Mohr, David M. Bell, Dilip Ganguly, Vishal Verma, Neeraj Rastogi, Urs Baltensperger, Sachchida N. Tripathi, André S. H. Prévôt, and Jay G. Slowik
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 7739–7761, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7739-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7739-2022, 2022
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Here we present source apportionment results from the first field deployment in Delhi of an extractive electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (EESI-TOF). The EESI-TOF is a recently developed instrument capable of providing uniquely detailed online chemical characterization of organic aerosol (OA), in particular the secondary OA (SOA) fraction. Here, we are able to apportion not only primary OA but also SOA to specific sources, which is performed for the first time in Delhi.
Marilena Teri, Thomas Müller, Josef Gasteiger, Sara Valentini, Helmuth Horvath, Roberta Vecchi, Paulus Bauer, Adrian Walser, and Bernadett Weinzierl
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3161–3187, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3161-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3161-2022, 2022
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We performed an extensive closure study including laboratory and simulated experiments to evaluate various angular corrections for the Aurora 4000 polar nephelometer, focusing on irregularly shaped aerosols such as mineral dust. We describe the impact of particle size, refractive index, and shape on the determination of the particle scattering coefficient and propose a guideline to establish the most appropriate angular correction depending on the aerosol type and the investigated size range.
Amir Yazdani, Nikunj Dudani, Satoshi Takahama, Amelie Bertrand, André S. H. Prévôt, Imad El Haddad, and Ann M. Dillner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2857–2874, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2857-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2857-2022, 2022
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While the aerosol mass spectrometer provides high-time-resolution characterization of the overall extent of oxidation, the extensive fragmentation of molecules and specificity of the technique have posed challenges toward deeper understanding of molecular structures in aerosols. This work demonstrates how functional group information can be extracted from a suite of commonly measured mass fragments using collocated infrared spectroscopy measurements.
Jing Cai, Cheng Wu, Jiandong Wang, Wei Du, Feixue Zheng, Simo Hakala, Xiaolong Fan, Biwu Chu, Lei Yao, Zemin Feng, Yongchun Liu, Yele Sun, Jun Zheng, Chao Yan, Federico Bianchi, Markku Kulmala, Claudia Mohr, and Kaspar R. Daellenbach
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 1251–1269, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1251-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1251-2022, 2022
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This study investigates the connection between organic aerosol (OA) molecular composition and particle absorptive properties in autumn in Beijing. We find that the molecular properties of OA compounds in different episodes influence particle light absorption properties differently: the light absorption enhancement of black carbon and light absorption coefficient of brown carbon were mostly related to more oxygenated OA (low C number and four O atoms) and aromatics/nitro-aromatics, respectively.
Dongyu S. Wang, Chuan Ping Lee, Jordan E. Krechmer, Francesca Majluf, Yandong Tong, Manjula R. Canagaratna, Julia Schmale, André S. H. Prévôt, Urs Baltensperger, Josef Dommen, Imad El Haddad, Jay G. Slowik, and David M. Bell
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6955–6972, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6955-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6955-2021, 2021
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To understand the sources and fate of particulate matter in the atmosphere, the ability to quantitatively describe its chemical composition is essential. In this work, we developed a calibration method for a state-of-the-art measurement technique without the need for chemical standards. Statistical analyses identified the driving factors behind instrument sensitivity variability towards individual components of particulate matter.
Wenfei Zhu, Song Guo, Zirui Zhang, Hui Wang, Ying Yu, Zheng Chen, Ruizhe Shen, Rui Tan, Kai Song, Kefan Liu, Rongzhi Tang, Yi Liu, Shengrong Lou, Yuanju Li, Wenbin Zhang, Zhou Zhang, Shijin Shuai, Hongming Xu, Shuangde Li, Yunfa Chen, Min Hu, Francesco Canonaco, and Andre S. H. Prévôt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15065–15079, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15065-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15065-2021, 2021
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The experiments of primary emissions and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from urban lifestyle sources (cooking and vehicles) were conducted. The mass spectral features of primary organic aerosol (POA) and SOA were characterized by using a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer. This work, for the first time, establishes the vehicle and cooking SOA source profiles and can be further used as source constraints in the OA source apportionment in the ambient atmosphere.
Gang Chen, Yulia Sosedova, Francesco Canonaco, Roman Fröhlich, Anna Tobler, Athanasia Vlachou, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Carlo Bozzetti, Christoph Hueglin, Peter Graf, Urs Baltensperger, Jay G. Slowik, Imad El Haddad, and André S. H. Prévôt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15081–15101, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15081-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15081-2021, 2021
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A novel, advanced source apportionment technique was applied to a dataset measured in Magadino. Rolling positive matrix factorisation (PMF) allows for retrieving more realistic, time-dependent, and detailed information on organic aerosol sources. The strength of the rolling PMF mechanism is highlighted by comparing it with results derived from conventional seasonal PMF. Overall, this comprehensive interpretation of aerosol chemical speciation monitor data could be a role model for similar work.
Cheng Wu, David M. Bell, Emelie L. Graham, Sophie Haslett, Ilona Riipinen, Urs Baltensperger, Amelie Bertrand, Stamatios Giannoukos, Janne Schoonbaert, Imad El Haddad, Andre S. H. Prevot, Wei Huang, and Claudia Mohr
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14907–14925, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14907-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14907-2021, 2021
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Night-time reactions of biogenic volatile organic compounds and nitrate radicals can lead to the formation of secondary organic aerosol (BSOANO3). Here, we study the impacts of light exposure on the BSOANO3 from three biogenic precursors. Our results suggest that photolysis causes photodegradation of a substantial fraction of BSOANO3, changes the chemical composition and bulk volatility, and might be a potentially important loss pathway of BSOANO3 during the night-to-day transition.
Anna K. Tobler, Alicja Skiba, Francesco Canonaco, Griša Močnik, Pragati Rai, Gang Chen, Jakub Bartyzel, Miroslaw Zimnoch, Katarzyna Styszko, Jaroslaw Nęcki, Markus Furger, Kazimierz Różański, Urs Baltensperger, Jay G. Slowik, and Andre S. H. Prevot
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14893–14906, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14893-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14893-2021, 2021
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Kraków is among the cities with the highest particulate matter levels within Europe. We conducted long-term and highly time-resolved measurements of the chemical composition of submicron particlulate matter (PM1). Combined with advanced source apportionment techniques, which allow for time-dependent factor profiles, our results elucidate that traffic and residential heating (biomass burning and coal combustion) as well as oxygenated organic aerosol are the key PM sources in Kraków.
Jesús Yus-Díez, Vera Bernardoni, Griša Močnik, Andrés Alastuey, Davide Ciniglia, Matic Ivančič, Xavier Querol, Noemí Perez, Cristina Reche, Martin Rigler, Roberta Vecchi, Sara Valentini, and Marco Pandolfi
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6335–6355, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6335-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6335-2021, 2021
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Here we characterize the multiple-scattering factor, C, of the dual-spot Aethalometer AE33 and its cross-sensitivity to scattering and wavelength dependence for three background stations: urban, regional and mountaintop. C was obtained for two sets of filter tapes: M8020 and M8060. The cross-sensitivity to scattering and wavelength dependence of C were determined by inter-comparing with other absorption and scattering measurements including multi-angle off-line absorption measurements.
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.
Vaios Moschos, Martin Gysel-Beer, Robin L. Modini, Joel C. Corbin, Dario Massabò, Camilla Costa, Silvia G. Danelli, Athanasia Vlachou, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Sönke Szidat, Paolo Prati, André S. H. Prévôt, Urs Baltensperger, and Imad El Haddad
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 12809–12833, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12809-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12809-2021, 2021
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This study provides a holistic approach to studying the spectrally resolved light absorption by atmospheric brown carbon (BrC) and black carbon using long time series of daily samples from filter-based measurements. The obtained results provide (1) a better understanding of the aerosol absorption profile and its dependence on BrC and on lensing from less absorbing coatings and (2) an estimation of the most important absorbers at typical European locations.
Evelyn Freney, Karine Sellegri, Alessia Nicosia, Leah R. Williams, Matteo Rinaldi, Jonathan T. Trueblood, André S. H. Prévôt, Melilotus Thyssen, Gérald Grégori, Nils Haëntjens, Julie Dinasquet, Ingrid Obernosterer, France Van Wambeke, Anja Engel, Birthe Zäncker, Karine Desboeufs, Eija Asmi, Hilkka Timonen, and Cécile Guieu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10625–10641, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10625-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10625-2021, 2021
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In this work, we present observations of the organic aerosol content in primary sea spray aerosols (SSAs) continuously generated along a 5-week cruise in the Mediterranean. This information is combined with seawater biogeochemical properties also measured continuously along the ship track to develop a number of parametrizations that can be used in models to determine SSA organic content in oligotrophic waters that represent 60 % of the oceans from commonly measured seawater variables.
Amir Yazdani, Nikunj Dudani, Satoshi Takahama, Amelie Bertrand, André S. H. Prévôt, Imad El Haddad, and Ann M. Dillner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10273–10293, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10273-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10273-2021, 2021
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Functional group compositions of primary and aged aerosols from wood burning and coal combustion sources from chamber experiments are interpreted through compounds present in the fuels and known gas-phase oxidation products. Infrared spectra of aged wood burning in the chamber and ambient biomass burning samples reveal striking similarities, and a new method for identifying burning-impacted samples in monitoring network measurements is presented.
Liine Heikkinen, Mikko Äijälä, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Gang Chen, Olga Garmash, Diego Aliaga, Frans Graeffe, Meri Räty, Krista Luoma, Pasi Aalto, Markku Kulmala, Tuukka Petäjä, Douglas Worsnop, and Mikael Ehn
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10081–10109, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10081-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10081-2021, 2021
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In many locations worldwide aerosol particles have been shown to be made up of organic aerosol (OA). The boreal forest is a region where aerosol particles possess a high OA mass fraction. Here, we studied OA composition using the longest time series of OA composition ever obtained from a boreal environment. For this purpose, we tested a new analysis framework and discovered that most of the OA was highly oxidized, with strong seasonal behaviour reflecting different sources in summer and winter.
Yandong Tong, Veronika Pospisilova, Lu Qi, Jing Duan, Yifang Gu, Varun Kumar, Pragati Rai, Giulia Stefenelli, Liwei Wang, Ying Wang, Haobin Zhong, Urs Baltensperger, Junji Cao, Ru-Jin Huang, André S. H. Prévôt, and Jay G. Slowik
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 9859–9886, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9859-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9859-2021, 2021
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We investigate SOA sources and formation processes by a field deployment of the EESI-TOF-MS and L-TOF AMS in Beijing in late autumn and early winter. Our study shows that the sources and processes giving rise to haze events in Beijing are variable and seasonally dependent: (1) in the heating season, SOA formation is driven by oxidation of aromatics from solid fuel combustion; and (2) under high-NOx and RH conditions, aqueous-phase chemistry can be a major contributor to SOA formation.
Cited articles
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Short summary
This study presents the deployment of the Xact® 625i Ambient Metals Monitor in Milan (Po Valley, Italy) and its performance in measuring particulate matter elemental composition at a high temporal resolution. Our findings demonstrate strong agreement between online and offline X-ray fluorescence analyses, underscoring the potential of advanced monitoring technologies for air quality research.
This study presents the deployment of the Xact® 625i Ambient Metals Monitor in Milan (Po Valley,...
