Articles | Volume 19, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1093-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1093-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Feb 2026
Research article |
| 16 Feb 2026
| 16 Feb 2026
Characterization and operation of a multi-channel Condensation Particle Counter (mc-CPC) for aircraft-based measurements
Sarah Richter
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Timo Keber
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Martin Heinritzi
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Lisa Beck
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
now at: Deutscher Wetterdienst, 63067 Offenbach am Main, Germany
Laurin Merkel
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Sarah Kirchhoff
Institute of Climate and Energy Systems ICE-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
Jann Schrod
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Patrick Weber
Institute of Climate and Energy Systems ICE-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
Joachim Curtius
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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Neil M. Donahue, Victoria Hofbauer, Henning Finkenzeller, Dominik Stolzenburg, Paulus S. Bauer, Randall Chiu, Lubna Dada, Jonathan Duplissy, Xu-Cheng He, Martin Heinritzi, Christopher R. Hoyle, Andreas Kürten, Aleksandr Kvashnin, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Naser Mahfouz, Vladimir Makhmutov, Roy L. Mauldin III, Ugo Molteni, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Matti Rissanen, Siegfried Schobesberger, Mario Simon, Andrea C. Wagner, Mingyi Wang, Chao Yan, Penglin Ye, Ilona Riipinen, Hamish Gordon, Joachim Curtius, Armin Hansel, Imad El Haddad, Markku Kulmala, Douglas R. Worsnop, Rainer Volkamer, Paul M. Winkler, Jasper Kirkby, and Richard Flagan
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Jann Schrod and Heinz G. Bingemer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 2591–2605, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2591-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2591-2025, 2025
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Ice-nucleating particle (INP) observations often differ by 1 order of magnitude, when multiple instruments measure in parallel. As INP measurements are sensitive to the activation conditions, inaccuracies in the temperature measurement may induce significant deviations in the INP concentration. It was found that typical temperature uncertainties reported in intercomparison studies may explain divergences of a factor of 2 (± 0.5 °C) or 5 to 10 (± 1 °C) between two INP counters with opposite bias.
Tanja J. Schuck, Johannes Degen, Timo Keber, Katharina Meixner, Thomas Wagenhäuser, Mélanie Ghysels, Georges Durry, Nadir Amarouche, Alessandro Zanchetta, Steven van Heuven, Huilin Chen, Johannes C. Laube, Sophie L. Baartman, Carina van der Veen, Maria Elena Popa, and Andreas Engel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4333–4348, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4333-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4333-2025, 2025
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A balloon was launched in 2021 in the Arctic to carry instruments for trace gas measurements up to 32 km. One purpose was to compare measurement techniques. We focus on the major greenhouse gases. To measure these, air was sampled with the AirCore technique and with flask sampling, and samples were analysed after the flight. In flight, observations were done with an optical method. In a companion paper, we report on observations of chlorine and bromine containing trace gases.
Paul J. DeMott, Jessica A. Mirrielees, Sarah Suda Petters, Daniel J. Cziczo, Markus D. Petters, Heinz G. Bingemer, Thomas C. J. Hill, Karl Froyd, Sarvesh Garimella, A. Gannet Hallar, Ezra J. T. Levin, Ian B. McCubbin, Anne E. Perring, Christopher N. Rapp, Thea Schiebel, Jann Schrod, Kaitlyn J. Suski, Daniel Weber, Martin J. Wolf, Maria Zawadowicz, Jake Zenker, Ottmar Möhler, and Sarah D. Brooks
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 639–672, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-639-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-639-2025, 2025
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Matthew Boyer, Diego Aliaga, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Silvia Bucci, Hélène Angot, Lubna Dada, Benjamin Heutte, Lisa Beck, Marina Duetsch, Andreas Stohl, Ivo Beck, Tiia Laurila, Nina Sarnela, Roseline C. Thakur, Branka Miljevic, Markku Kulmala, Tuukka Petäjä, Mikko Sipilä, Julia Schmale, and Tuija Jokinen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12595–12621, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12595-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12595-2024, 2024
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Dandan Li, Dongyu Wang, Lucia Caudillo, Wiebke Scholz, Mingyi Wang, Sophie Tomaz, Guillaume Marie, Mihnea Surdu, Elias Eccli, Xianda Gong, Loic Gonzalez-Carracedo, Manuel Granzin, Joschka Pfeifer, Birte Rörup, Benjamin Schulze, Pekka Rantala, Sébastien Perrier, Armin Hansel, Joachim Curtius, Jasper Kirkby, Neil M. Donahue, Christian George, Imad El-Haddad, and Matthieu Riva
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5413–5428, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5413-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5413-2024, 2024
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Due to the analytical challenges of measuring organic vapors, it remains challenging to identify and quantify organic molecules present in the atmosphere. Here, we explore the performance of the Orbitrap chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CI-Orbitrap) using ammonium ion chemistry. This study shows that ammonium-ion-based chemistry associated with the high mass resolution of the Orbitrap mass analyzer can measure almost all inclusive compounds.
Larissa Lacher, Michael P. Adams, Kevin Barry, Barbara Bertozzi, Heinz Bingemer, Cristian Boffo, Yannick Bras, Nicole Büttner, Dimitri Castarede, Daniel J. Cziczo, Paul J. DeMott, Romy Fösig, Megan Goodell, Kristina Höhler, Thomas C. J. Hill, Conrad Jentzsch, Luis A. Ladino, Ezra J. T. Levin, Stephan Mertes, Ottmar Möhler, Kathryn A. Moore, Benjamin J. Murray, Jens Nadolny, Tatjana Pfeuffer, David Picard, Carolina Ramírez-Romero, Mickael Ribeiro, Sarah Richter, Jann Schrod, Karine Sellegri, Frank Stratmann, Benjamin E. Swanson, Erik S. Thomson, Heike Wex, Martin J. Wolf, and Evelyn Freney
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2651–2678, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2651-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2651-2024, 2024
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Aerosol particles that trigger ice formation in clouds are important for the climate system but are very rare in the atmosphere, challenging measurement techniques. Here we compare three cloud chambers and seven methods for collecting aerosol particles on filters for offline analysis at a mountaintop station. A general good agreement of the methods was found when sampling aerosol particles behind a whole air inlet, supporting their use for obtaining data that can be implemented in models.
Tanja J. Schuck, Johannes Degen, Eric Hintsa, Peter Hoor, Markus Jesswein, Timo Keber, Daniel Kunkel, Fred Moore, Florian Obersteiner, Matt Rigby, Thomas Wagenhäuser, Luke M. Western, Andreas Zahn, and Andreas Engel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 689–705, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-689-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-689-2024, 2024
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We study the interhemispheric gradient of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), a strong long-lived greenhouse gas. Its emissions are stronger in the Northern Hemisphere; therefore, mixing ratios in the Southern Hemisphere lag behind. Comparing the observations to a box model, the model predicts air in the Southern Hemisphere to be older. For a better agreement, the emissions used as model input need to be increased (and their spatial pattern changed), and we need to modify north–south transport.
Patrick Weber, Oliver F. Bischof, Benedikt Fischer, Marcel Berg, Susanne Hering, Steven Spielman, Gregory Lewis, Andreas Petzold, and Ulrich Bundke
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3505–3514, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3505-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3505-2023, 2023
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Patrick Weber, Oliver F. Bischof, Benedikt Fischer, Marcel Berg, Jannik Schmitt, Gerhard Steiner, Lothar Keck, Andreas Petzold, and Ulrich Bundke
Aerosol Research, 1, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-1-1-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-1-1-2023, 2023
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The aerosol number concentration is essential information for aerosol science. A condensation particle counter (CPC) can robustly provide this information. Butanol is often used as a working fluid in a CPC. We could show that dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) behaves equivalently to butanol in terms of the instrument`s counting efficiency, cut-off diameter and concentration linearity. We tested this on different aerosols, including sodium chloride, ammonium sulfate and fresh combustion soot.
Joschka Pfeifer, Naser G. A. Mahfouz, Benjamin C. Schulze, Serge Mathot, Dominik Stolzenburg, Rima Baalbaki, Zoé Brasseur, Lucia Caudillo, Lubna Dada, Manuel Granzin, Xu-Cheng He, Houssni Lamkaddam, Brandon Lopez, Vladimir Makhmutov, Ruby Marten, Bernhard Mentler, Tatjana Müller, Antti Onnela, Maxim Philippov, Ana A. Piedehierro, Birte Rörup, Meredith Schervish, Ping Tian, Nsikanabasi S. Umo, Dongyu S. Wang, Mingyi Wang, Stefan K. Weber, André Welti, Yusheng Wu, Marcel Zauner-Wieczorek, Antonio Amorim, Imad El Haddad, Markku Kulmala, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Tuukka Petäjä, António Tomé, Sander Mirme, Hanna E. Manninen, Neil M. Donahue, Richard C. Flagan, Andreas Kürten, Joachim Curtius, and Jasper Kirkby
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6703–6718, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6703-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6703-2023, 2023
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Attachment rate coefficients between ions and charged aerosol particles determine their lifetimes and may also influence cloud dynamics and aerosol processing. Here we present novel experiments that measure ion–aerosol attachment rate coefficients for multiply charged aerosol particles under atmospheric conditions in the CERN CLOUD chamber. Our results provide experimental discrimination between various theoretical models.
Lucía Caudillo, Mihnea Surdu, Brandon Lopez, Mingyi Wang, Markus Thoma, Steffen Bräkling, Angela Buchholz, Mario Simon, Andrea C. Wagner, Tatjana Müller, Manuel Granzin, Martin Heinritzi, Antonio Amorim, David M. Bell, Zoé Brasseur, Lubna Dada, Jonathan Duplissy, Henning Finkenzeller, Xu-Cheng He, Houssni Lamkaddam, Naser G. A. Mahfouz, Vladimir Makhmutov, Hanna E. Manninen, Guillaume Marie, Ruby Marten, Roy L. Mauldin, Bernhard Mentler, Antti Onnela, Tuukka Petäjä, Joschka Pfeifer, Maxim Philippov, Ana A. Piedehierro, Birte Rörup, Wiebke Scholz, Jiali Shen, Dominik Stolzenburg, Christian Tauber, Ping Tian, António Tomé, Nsikanabasi Silas Umo, Dongyu S. Wang, Yonghong Wang, Stefan K. Weber, André Welti, Marcel Zauner-Wieczorek, Urs Baltensperger, Richard C. Flagan, Armin Hansel, Jasper Kirkby, Markku Kulmala, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Douglas R. Worsnop, Imad El Haddad, Neil M. Donahue, Alexander L. Vogel, Andreas Kürten, and Joachim Curtius
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6613–6631, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6613-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6613-2023, 2023
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In this study, we present an intercomparison of four different techniques for measuring the chemical composition of nanoparticles. The intercomparison was performed based on the observed chemical composition, calculated volatility, and analysis of the thermograms. We found that the methods generally agree on the most important compounds that are found in the nanoparticles. However, they do see different parts of the organic spectrum. We suggest potential explanations for these differences.
Thomas Wagenhäuser, Markus Jesswein, Timo Keber, Tanja Schuck, and Andreas Engel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3887–3903, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3887-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3887-2023, 2023
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A common assumption to derive mean age from trace gas observations is that all air enters the stratosphere through the tropical tropopause. Using SF6 as an age tracer, this leads to negative mean age values close to the Northern Hemispheric extra-tropical tropopause. Our improved method also considers extra-tropical input into the stratosphere. More realistic values are derived using this method. Interhemispheric differences in mean age are found when comparing data from two aircraft campaigns.
Markus Jesswein, Rafael P. Fernandez, Lucas Berná, Alfonso Saiz-Lopez, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Ryan Hossaini, Eric C. Apel, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, Elliot L. Atlas, Donald R. Blake, Stephen Montzka, Timo Keber, Tanja Schuck, Thomas Wagenhäuser, and Andreas Engel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 15049–15070, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15049-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15049-2022, 2022
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This study presents the global and seasonal distribution of the two major brominated short-lived substances CH2Br2 and CHBr3 in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere based on observations from several aircraft campaigns. They show similar seasonality for both hemispheres, except in the respective hemispheric autumn lower stratosphere. A comparison with the TOMCAT and CAM-Chem models shows good agreement in the annual mean but larger differences in the seasonal consideration.
Marcel Zauner-Wieczorek, Joachim Curtius, and Andreas Kürten
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12443–12465, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12443-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12443-2022, 2022
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We reviewed different theories of the ion–ion recombination coefficient α, which describes the reaction and mutual neutralisation of two oppositely charged ions. We focussed on temperature and pressure dependencies and the atmospheric altitude range between 0–50 km. We compared the theories for atmospheric conditions and identified the most favourable value for standard conditions, 1.7 × 10−6 cm3 s−1, and recommend different theories or parameterisations depending on the altitude.
Marcel Zauner-Wieczorek, Martin Heinritzi, Manuel Granzin, Timo Keber, Andreas Kürten, Katharina Kaiser, Johannes Schneider, and Joachim Curtius
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 11781–11794, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11781-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11781-2022, 2022
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We present measurements of ambient ions in the free troposphere and lower stratosphere over Europe in spring 2020. We observed nitrate and hydrogen sulfate, amongst others. From their ratio, the number concentrations of gaseous sulfuric acid were inferred. Nitrate increased towards the stratosphere, whilst sulfuric acid was slightly decreased there. The average values for sulfuric acid were 1.9 to 7.8 × 105 cm-3. Protonated pyridine was identified in an altitude range of 4.6 to 8.5 km.
Simon F. Reifenberg, Anna Martin, Matthias Kohl, Sara Bacer, Zaneta Hamryszczak, Ivan Tadic, Lenard Röder, Daniel J. Crowley, Horst Fischer, Katharina Kaiser, Johannes Schneider, Raphael Dörich, John N. Crowley, Laura Tomsche, Andreas Marsing, Christiane Voigt, Andreas Zahn, Christopher Pöhlker, Bruna A. Holanda, Ovid Krüger, Ulrich Pöschl, Mira Pöhlker, Patrick Jöckel, Marcel Dorf, Ulrich Schumann, Jonathan Williams, Birger Bohn, Joachim Curtius, Hardwig Harder, Hans Schlager, Jos Lelieveld, and Andrea Pozzer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10901–10917, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10901-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10901-2022, 2022
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In this work we use a combination of observational data from an aircraft campaign and model results to investigate the effect of the European lockdown due to COVID-19 in spring 2020. Using model results, we show that the largest relative changes to the atmospheric composition caused by the reduced emissions are located in the upper troposphere around aircraft cruise altitude, while the largest absolute changes are present at the surface.
Praveen Kumar Pothapakula, Amelie Hoff, Anika Obermann-Hellhund, Timo Keber, and Bodo Ahrens
Earth Syst. Dynam. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-2022-24, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-2022-24, 2022
Preprint withdrawn
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The Vb-cyclones simulated with a coupled regional climate model with two different driving data sets are compared against each other in historical period, thereafter the future climate predictions were analyzed. The Vb-cyclones in two simulations agree well in terms of their occurrence, intensity and track in two simulations, though there are discrepancies in seasonal cycles and their process linking Mediterranean Sea in historical period. So significant changes were observed in the future.
Carlton Xavier, Metin Baykara, Robin Wollesen de Jonge, Barbara Altstädter, Petri Clusius, Ville Vakkari, Roseline Thakur, Lisa Beck, Silvia Becagli, Mirko Severi, Rita Traversi, Radovan Krejci, Peter Tunved, Mauro Mazzola, Birgit Wehner, Mikko Sipilä, Markku Kulmala, Michael Boy, and Pontus Roldin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10023–10043, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10023-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10023-2022, 2022
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The focus of this work is to study and improve our understanding of processes involved in the formation and growth of new particles in a remote Arctic marine environment. We run the 1D model ADCHEM along air mass trajectories arriving at Ny-Ålesund in May 2018. The model finds that ion-mediated H2SO4–NH3 nucleation can explain the observed new particle formation at Ny-Ålesund. The growth of particles is driven via H2SO4 condensation and formation of methane sulfonic acid in the aqueous phase.
Lisa J. Beck, Siegfried Schobesberger, Heikki Junninen, Janne Lampilahti, Antti Manninen, Lubna Dada, Katri Leino, Xu-Cheng He, Iida Pullinen, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Anna Franck, Pyry Poutanen, Daniela Wimmer, Frans Korhonen, Mikko Sipilä, Mikael Ehn, Douglas R. Worsnop, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Tuukka Petäjä, Markku Kulmala, and Jonathan Duplissy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 8547–8577, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8547-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8547-2022, 2022
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The presented article introduces an overview of atmospheric ions and their composition above the boreal forest. We provide the results of an extensive airborne measurement campaign with an air ion mass spectrometer and particle measurements, showing their diurnal evolution within the boundary layer and free troposphere. In addition, we compare the airborne dataset with the co-located data from the ground at SMEAR II station, Finland.
Patrick Weber, Andreas Petzold, Oliver F. Bischof, Benedikt Fischer, Marcel Berg, Andrew Freedman, Timothy B. Onasch, and Ulrich Bundke
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3279–3296, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3279-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3279-2022, 2022
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In our laboratory closure study, we measured the full set of aerosol optical properties for different light-absorbing aerosols using a set of instruments.
Our key finding is that the extensive and intensive aerosol optical properties obtained agree with data from reference instruments, except the absorption Ångström exponent of externally mixed aerosols. The reported uncertainty in the single-scattering albedo fulfils the defined goals for Global Climate Observing System applications of 10 %.
Roseline C. Thakur, Lubna Dada, Lisa J. Beck, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Tommy Chan, Marjan Marbouti, Xu-Cheng He, Carlton Xavier, Juha Sulo, Janne Lampilahti, Markus Lampimäki, Yee Jun Tham, Nina Sarnela, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Alf Norkko, Markku Kulmala, Mikko Sipilä, and Tuija Jokinen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 6365–6391, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6365-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6365-2022, 2022
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Every year intense cyanobacterial and macroalgal blooms occur in the Baltic Sea and in the coastal areas surrounding Helsinki, yet no studies have addressed the impact of biogenic emissions from these blooms on gas vapor concentrations, which in turn could influence new particle formation. This is the first study of its kind to address the chemistry driving new particle formation (NPF) during a bloom period in this region, highlighting the role of biogenic sulfuric acid and iodic acid.
Lisa J. Beck, Siegfried Schobesberger, Mikko Sipilä, Veli-Matti Kerminen, and Markku Kulmala
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 1957–1965, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1957-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-1957-2022, 2022
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Sulfuric acid is known to be a main compound in atmospheric new particle formation. Yet, its concentration is very low, which leads to challenges in detecting it. In our study, we derive the sulfuric acid concentration from measurements of ambient ions with a mass spectrometer. Our validation shows that the theoretical approach using the bisulfate ion and its clusters with H2SO4 captures the sulfuric acid concentration very well during daytime.
Marjan Marbouti, Sehyun Jang, Silvia Becagli, Gabriel Navarro, Rita Traversi, Kitack Lee, Tuomo Nieminen, Lisa J. Beck, Markku Kulmala, Veli-Matti Kerminen, and Mikko Sipilä
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-52, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-52, 2022
Publication in ACP not foreseen
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This research was done to understand and investigate the roles of Chl-a, PP and sea ice extent in controlling and producing the in-situ measured MSA, SA, HIO3, HOM and aerosol concentrations over the Greenland and Barents Seas. Our results provide strong support to the hypothesis that MSA, SA and small-particle concentrations in the Svalbard area are directly linked to ocean biological activity and sea ice melting during springtime.
Mikko Sipilä, Nina Sarnela, Kimmo Neitola, Totti Laitinen, Deniz Kemppainen, Lisa Beck, Ella-Maria Duplissy, Salla Kuittinen, Tuuli Lehmusjärvi, Janne Lampilahti, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Pasi P. Aalto, Petri Keronen, Erkki Siivola, Pekka A. Rantala, Douglas R. Worsnop, Markku Kulmala, Tuija Jokinen, and Tuukka Petäjä
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17559–17576, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17559-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17559-2021, 2021
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Metallurgical industry in Kola peninsula is a large source of air pollution in the (sub-)Arctic domain. Sulfur dioxide emissions from the ore smelters are transported across large areas. We investigated sulfur dioxide and its transformation to sulfuric acid aerosol particles during winter months in Finnish Lapland, close to Kola industrial areas. We observed intense formation of new aerosol particles despite the low solar radiation intensity, often required for new particle formation elsewhere.
Markus Jesswein, Heiko Bozem, Hans-Christoph Lachnitt, Peter Hoor, Thomas Wagenhäuser, Timo Keber, Tanja Schuck, and Andreas Engel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17225–17241, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17225-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17225-2021, 2021
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This study presents and compares inorganic chlorine (Cly) derived from observations with the HALO research aircraft in the Antarctic late winter–early fall 2019 and the Arctic winter 2015–2016. Trend-corrected correlations from the Northern Hemisphere show excellent agreement with those from the Southern Hemisphere. After observation allocation inside and outside the vortex based on N2O measurements, results of the two campaigns reveal substantial differences in Cly within the respective vortex.
Lucía Caudillo, Birte Rörup, Martin Heinritzi, Guillaume Marie, Mario Simon, Andrea C. Wagner, Tatjana Müller, Manuel Granzin, Antonio Amorim, Farnoush Ataei, Rima Baalbaki, Barbara Bertozzi, Zoé Brasseur, Randall Chiu, Biwu Chu, Lubna Dada, Jonathan Duplissy, Henning Finkenzeller, Loïc Gonzalez Carracedo, Xu-Cheng He, Victoria Hofbauer, Weimeng Kong, Houssni Lamkaddam, Chuan P. Lee, Brandon Lopez, Naser G. A. Mahfouz, Vladimir Makhmutov, Hanna E. Manninen, Ruby Marten, Dario Massabò, Roy L. Mauldin, Bernhard Mentler, Ugo Molteni, Antti Onnela, Joschka Pfeifer, Maxim Philippov, Ana A. Piedehierro, Meredith Schervish, Wiebke Scholz, Benjamin Schulze, Jiali Shen, Dominik Stolzenburg, Yuri Stozhkov, Mihnea Surdu, Christian Tauber, Yee Jun Tham, Ping Tian, António Tomé, Steffen Vogt, Mingyi Wang, Dongyu S. Wang, Stefan K. Weber, André Welti, Wang Yonghong, Wu Yusheng, Marcel Zauner-Wieczorek, Urs Baltensperger, Imad El Haddad, Richard C. Flagan, Armin Hansel, Kristina Höhler, Jasper Kirkby, Markku Kulmala, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Ottmar Möhler, Harald Saathoff, Rainer Volkamer, Paul M. Winkler, Neil M. Donahue, Andreas Kürten, and Joachim Curtius
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17099–17114, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17099-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17099-2021, 2021
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We performed experiments in the CLOUD chamber at CERN at low temperatures to simulate new particle formation in the upper free troposphere (at −30 ºC and −50 ºC). We measured the particle and gas phase and found that most of the compounds present in the gas phase are detected as well in the particle phase. The major compounds in the particles are C8–10 and C18–20. Specifically, we showed that C5 and C15 compounds are detected in a mixed system with isoprene and α-pinene at −30 ºC, 20 % RH.
Paul D. Hamer, Virginie Marécal, Ryan Hossaini, Michel Pirre, Gisèle Krysztofiak, Franziska Ziska, Andreas Engel, Stephan Sala, Timo Keber, Harald Bönisch, Elliot Atlas, Kirstin Krüger, Martyn Chipperfield, Valery Catoire, Azizan A. Samah, Marcel Dorf, Phang Siew Moi, Hans Schlager, and Klaus Pfeilsticker
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16955–16984, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16955-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16955-2021, 2021
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Bromoform is a stratospheric ozone-depleting gas released by seaweed and plankton transported to the stratosphere via convection in the tropics. We study the chemical interactions of bromoform and its derivatives within convective clouds using a cloud-scale model and observations. Our findings are that soluble bromine gases are efficiently washed out and removed within the convective clouds and that most bromine is transported vertically to the upper troposphere in the form of bromoform.
Larissa Lacher, Hans-Christian Clemen, Xiaoli Shen, Stephan Mertes, Martin Gysel-Beer, Alireza Moallemi, Martin Steinbacher, Stephan Henne, Harald Saathoff, Ottmar Möhler, Kristina Höhler, Thea Schiebel, Daniel Weber, Jann Schrod, Johannes Schneider, and Zamin A. Kanji
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16925–16953, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16925-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16925-2021, 2021
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We investigate ice-nucleating particle properties at Jungfraujoch during the 2017 joint INUIT/CLACE field campaign, to improve the knowledge about those rare particles in a cloud-relevant environment. By quantifying ice-nucleating particles in parallel to single-particle mass spectrometry measurements, we find that mineral dust and aged sea spray particles are potential candidates for ice-nucleating particles. Our findings are supported by ice residual analysis and source region modeling.
Meike K. Rotermund, Vera Bense, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Andreas Engel, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Peter Hoor, Tilman Hüneke, Timo Keber, Flora Kluge, Benjamin Schreiner, Tanja Schuck, Bärbel Vogel, Andreas Zahn, and Klaus Pfeilsticker
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15375–15407, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15375-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15375-2021, 2021
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Airborne total bromine (Brtot) and tracer measurements suggest Brtot-rich air masses persistently protruded into the lower stratosphere (LS), creating a high Brtot region over the North Atlantic in fall 2017. The main source is via isentropic transport by the Asian monsoon and to a lesser extent transport across the extratropical tropopause as quantified by a Lagrange model. The transport of Brtot via Central American hurricanes is also observed. Lastly, the impact of Brtot on LS O3 is assessed.
Mao Xiao, Christopher R. Hoyle, Lubna Dada, Dominik Stolzenburg, Andreas Kürten, Mingyi Wang, Houssni Lamkaddam, Olga Garmash, Bernhard Mentler, Ugo Molteni, Andrea Baccarini, Mario Simon, Xu-Cheng He, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Lauri R. Ahonen, Rima Baalbaki, Paulus S. Bauer, Lisa Beck, David Bell, Federico Bianchi, Sophia Brilke, Dexian Chen, Randall Chiu, António Dias, Jonathan Duplissy, Henning Finkenzeller, Hamish Gordon, Victoria Hofbauer, Changhyuk Kim, Theodore K. Koenig, Janne Lampilahti, Chuan Ping Lee, Zijun Li, Huajun Mai, Vladimir Makhmutov, Hanna E. Manninen, Ruby Marten, Serge Mathot, Roy L. Mauldin, Wei Nie, Antti Onnela, Eva Partoll, Tuukka Petäjä, Joschka Pfeifer, Veronika Pospisilova, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Matti Rissanen, Siegfried Schobesberger, Simone Schuchmann, Yuri Stozhkov, Christian Tauber, Yee Jun Tham, António Tomé, Miguel Vazquez-Pufleau, Andrea C. Wagner, Robert Wagner, Yonghong Wang, Lena Weitz, Daniela Wimmer, Yusheng Wu, Chao Yan, Penglin Ye, Qing Ye, Qiaozhi Zha, Xueqin Zhou, Antonio Amorim, Ken Carslaw, Joachim Curtius, Armin Hansel, Rainer Volkamer, Paul M. Winkler, Richard C. Flagan, Markku Kulmala, Douglas R. Worsnop, Jasper Kirkby, Neil M. Donahue, Urs Baltensperger, Imad El Haddad, and Josef Dommen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14275–14291, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14275-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14275-2021, 2021
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Experiments at CLOUD show that in polluted environments new particle formation (NPF) is largely driven by the formation of sulfuric acid–base clusters, stabilized by amines, high ammonia concentrations or lower temperatures. While oxidation products of aromatics can nucleate, they play a minor role in urban NPF. Our experiments span 4 orders of magnitude variation of observed NPF rates in ambient conditions. We provide a framework based on NPF and growth rates to interpret ambient observations.
Mingyi Wang, Xu-Cheng He, Henning Finkenzeller, Siddharth Iyer, Dexian Chen, Jiali Shen, Mario Simon, Victoria Hofbauer, Jasper Kirkby, Joachim Curtius, Norbert Maier, Theo Kurtén, Douglas R. Worsnop, Markku Kulmala, Matti Rissanen, Rainer Volkamer, Yee Jun Tham, Neil M. Donahue, and Mikko Sipilä
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4187–4202, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4187-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4187-2021, 2021
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Atmospheric iodine species are often short-lived with low abundance and have thus been challenging to measure. We show that the bromide chemical ionization mass spectrometry, compatible with both the atmospheric pressure and reduced pressure interfaces, can simultaneously detect various gas-phase iodine species. Combining calibration experiments and quantum chemical calculations, we quantify detection sensitivities to HOI, HIO3, I2, and H2SO4, giving detection limits down to < 106 molec. cm-3.
Janne Lampilahti, Katri Leino, Antti Manninen, Pyry Poutanen, Anna Franck, Maija Peltola, Paula Hietala, Lisa Beck, Lubna Dada, Lauriane Quéléver, Ronja Öhrnberg, Ying Zhou, Madeleine Ekblom, Ville Vakkari, Sergej Zilitinkevich, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Tuukka Petäjä, and Markku Kulmala
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 7901–7915, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7901-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7901-2021, 2021
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Using airborne measurements we observed increased number concentrations of sub-25 nm particles in the upper residual layer. These particles may be entrained into the well-mixed boundary layer and observed at the surface. We attribute our observations to new particle formation in the topmost part of the residual layer.
Cited articles
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Breuninger, A., Joppe, P., Wilsch, J., Schwenk, C., Bozem, H., Emig, N., Merkel, L., Rossberg, R., Keber, T., Kutschka, A., Waleska, P., Hofmann, S., Richter, S., Ungeheuer, F., Dörholt, K., Hoffmann, T., Miltenberger, A., Schneider, J., Hoor, P., and Vogel, A. L.: Organic aerosols mixing across the tropopause and its implication for anthropogenic pollution of the UTLS, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 16533–16551, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16533-2025, 2025.
Bundke, U., Berg, M., Houben, N., Ibrahim, A., Fiebig, M., Tettich, F., Klaus, C., Franke, H., and Petzold, A.: The IAGOS-CORE aerosol package: instrument design, operation and performance for continuous measurement aboard in-service aircraft, Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology, 67, 28339, https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v67.28339, 2015.
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Donahue, N. M., Epstein, S. A., Pandis, S. N., and Robinson, A. L.: A two-dimensional volatility basis set: 1. organic-aerosol mixing thermodynamics, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 3303–3318, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-3303-2011, 2011.
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Gordon, H., Kirkby, J., Baltensperger, U., Bianchi, F., Breitenlechner, M., Curtius, J., Dias, A., Dommen, J., Donahue, N. M., Dunne, E. M., Duplissy, J., Ehrhart, S., Flagan, R. C., Frege, C., Fuchs, C., Hansel, A., Hoyle, C. R., Kulmala, M., Kürten, A., Lehtipalo, K., Makhmutov, V., Molteni, U., Rissanen, M. P., Stozkhov, Y., Tröstl, J., Tsagkogeorgas, G., Wagner, R., Williamson, C., Wimmer, D., Winkler, P. M., Yan, C., and Carslaw, K. S.: Causes and importance of new particle formation in the present-day and preindustrial atmospheres, J. Geophys. Res., 122, 8739–8760, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JD026844, 2017.
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Joppe, P., Schneider, J., Wilsch, J., Bozem, H., Breuninger, A., Curtius, J., Ebert, M., Emig, N., Hoor, P., Ismayil, S., Kandler, K., Kunkel, D., Kurth, I., Lachnitt, H.-C., Li, Y., Miltenberger, A., Richter, S., Rolf, C., Schneider, L., Schwenk, C., Spelten, N., Vogel, A. L., Cheng, Y., and Borrmann, S.: Transport of Biomass Burning Aerosol into the Extratropical Tropopause Region over Europe via Warm Conveyor Belt Uplift, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 15077–15103, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-15077-2025, 2025.
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Short summary
We constructed and characterized a Fluorinert multi-channel Condensation Particle Counter for aircraft applications that comprises three channels and a pressure regulation system to measure nucleation mode particles in the upper troposphere. The cutoffs were determined at several ambient and internal pressures and sample flows. During the first aircraft campaign TPEx we were able to identify possible new particle formation events.
We constructed and characterized a Fluorinert multi-channel Condensation Particle Counter for...
