Articles | Volume 19, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1611-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-19-1611-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Mar 2026
Research article |
| 04 Mar 2026
| 04 Mar 2026
Hygroscopic enhancement of suburban aerosol light scattering measured using a single-nephelometer system in Central Europe
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 16500, Czech Republic
Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, 60300, Czech Republic
RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, 61137, Czech Republic
Jakub Ondráček
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 16500, Czech Republic
Naděžda Zíková
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 16500, Czech Republic
Petr Roztočil
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 16500, Czech Republic
Petr Vodička
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 16500, Czech Republic
Roman Prokeš
Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, 60300, Czech Republic
RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, 61137, Czech Republic
Ivan Holoubek
Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, 60300, Czech Republic
RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, 61137, Czech Republic
deceased
Vladimír Ždímal
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, 16500, Czech Republic
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Kajal Julaha, Vladimír Ždímal, Saliou Mbengue, David Brus, and Naděžda Zíková
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 17933–17951, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17933-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17933-2025, 2025
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This study used drones for vertical profiling of black carbon and particle number at rural and urban sites in Czechia. With aerosol drying, drone measurements matched with fixed instruments; without drying, black carbon was significantly overestimated. Rural profiles were more stratified in winter, while urban summer profiles were well-mixed. These findings can help improve air-quality monitoring and policies by capturing vertical pollution structures that ground stations cannot resolve.
Aino Ovaska, Elio Rauth, Daniel Holmberg, Paulo Artaxo, John Backman, Benjamin Bergmans, Don Collins, Marco Aurélio Franco, Shahzad Gani, Roy M. Harrison, Rakesh K. Hooda, Tareq Hussein, Antti-Pekka Hyvärinen, Kerneels Jaars, Adam Kristensson, Markku Kulmala, Lauri Laakso, Ari Laaksonen, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Colin O'Dowd, Jakub Ondracek, Tuukka Petäjä, Kristina Plauškaitė, Mira Pöhlker, Ximeng Qi, Peter Tunved, Ville Vakkari, Alfred Wiedensohler, Kai Puolamäki, Tuomo Nieminen, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Victoria A. Sinclair, and Pauli Paasonen
Aerosol Research, 3, 589–618, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-589-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-589-2025, 2025
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We trained machine learning models to estimate the number of aerosol particles large enough to form clouds and generated daily estimates for the entire globe. The models performed well in many continental regions but struggled in remote and marine areas. Still, this approach offers a way to quantify these particles in areas that lack direct measurements, helping us understand their influence on clouds and climate on a global scale.
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.
Lukáš Bartík, Peter Huszár, Jan Peiker, Jan Karlický, Ondřej Vlček, and Petr Vodička
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 15301–15328, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-15301-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-15301-2025, 2025
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This study investigates how to better understand and predict organic aerosols, which are tiny particles in the air that can affect our health and climate. By using advanced computer models, we examined the impact of different emissions and environmental conditions on these aerosols in Central Europe. Our findings show that including specific emissions significantly improved the accuracy of our predictions.
Hanna Wiedenhaus, Roland Schrödner, Ralf Wolke, Marie L. Luttkus, Shubhi Arora, Laurent Poulain, Radek Lhotka, Petr Vodička, Jaroslav Schwarz, Petra Pokorna, Jakub Ondráček, Vladimir Ždímal, Hartmut Herrmann, and Ina Tegen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 12893–12922, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12893-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12893-2025, 2025
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This study examines winter air quality in central Europe, focusing on the impact of domestic heating. Using a chemical transport model and measurements, it was found that the model underestimated organic particle concentrations. This was due to an underestimation of gases from domestic heating that form secondary organic particles. Improving the model by increasing these emissions and the particle formation led to better results, demonstrating the important role of heating emissions in winter.
Herbert G. Hartl, Janne Lampilahti, Rima Baalbaki, Lauri Ahonen, Tommy Chan, Tinghang Zhang, Joonas Vanhanen, Joonas Purén, Gerhard Steiner, Sebastian Schmitt, Amine Koched, Manuel Granzin, Petr Roztocil, Silja Häme, Tuukka Petäjä, and Katrianne Lehtipalo
Aerosol Research Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2025-27, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2025-27, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for AR
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Small airborne particles, influence how clouds form and how they affect climate. Our study compared eight different instruments that measure size distributions of these particles to understand the instruments' strengths and weaknesses. We found that some systems are more accurate, while others are more sensitive at tiny sizes. These results will help improve future monitoring of air quality and climate processes.
Petr Vodička, Kimitaka Kawamura, Bhagawati Kunwar, Lin Huang, Dhananjay Kumar, Md. Mozammel Haque, Ambarish Pokhrel, Sangeeta Sharma, and Leonard Barrie
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 10215–10228, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10215-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10215-2025, 2025
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Carbonate carbon (CC) is not negligible in Arctic total suspended particles (TSPs). If not considered, CC biases the contribution of elemental and organic carbon. CC content in TSPs was strongly reflected in the δ13C values of total carbon (TC). The carbon contribution from CaCO3 supports the strong dependence of CC and δ13C on Ca. Finally, two hypothetical CC sources were identified based on the analysis of air mass back trajectories: dust resuspension and marine microorganisms.
Teemu Lepistö, Henna Lintusaari, Laura Salo, Ville Silvonen, Luis M. F. Barreira, Jussi Hoivala, Lassi Markkula, Jarkko V. Niemi, Jakub Ondracek, Kimmo Teinilä, Hanna E. Manninen, Sanna Saarikoski, Hilkka Timonen, Miikka Dal Maso, and Topi Rönkkö
Aerosol Research, 2, 271–289, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-271-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-2-271-2024, 2024
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The performances of different particle lung-deposited surface area (LDSAal) measurement methods (Partector, ELPI+, SMPS/DMPS) were compared in ambient conditions. As LDSAal is a health-relevant metric and rather easy to utilise in air quality monitoring, it is crucial to know how the different methods agree, as there are clear differences in their operation. In all, a comparison of different methods can be complicated; still, the methods agree rather well in terms of local pollution (< 400 nm).
Jean-Philippe Putaud, Enrico Pisoni, Alexander Mangold, Christoph Hueglin, Jean Sciare, Michael Pikridas, Chrysanthos Savvides, Jakub Ondracek, Saliou Mbengue, Alfred Wiedensohler, Kay Weinhold, Maik Merkel, Laurent Poulain, Dominik van Pinxteren, Hartmut Herrmann, Andreas Massling, Claus Nordstroem, Andrés Alastuey, Cristina Reche, Noemí Pérez, Sonia Castillo, Mar Sorribas, Jose Antonio Adame, Tuukka Petaja, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Jarkko Niemi, Véronique Riffault, Joel F. de Brito, Augustin Colette, Olivier Favez, Jean-Eudes Petit, Valérie Gros, Maria I. Gini, Stergios Vratolis, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Evangelia Diapouli, Hugo Denier van der Gon, Karl Espen Yttri, and Wenche Aas
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10145–10161, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10145-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10145-2023, 2023
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Many European people are still exposed to levels of air pollution that can affect their health. COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 were used to assess the impact of the reduction in human mobility on air pollution across Europe by comparing measurement data with values that would be expected if no lockdown had occurred. We show that lockdown measures did not lead to consistent decreases in the concentrations of fine particulate matter suspended in the air, and we investigate why.
Jonas Elm, Aladár Czitrovszky, Andreas Held, Annele Virtanen, Astrid Kiendler-Scharr, Benjamin J. Murray, Daniel McCluskey, Daniele Contini, David Broday, Eirini Goudeli, Hilkka Timonen, Joan Rosell-Llompart, Jose L. Castillo, Evangelia Diapouli, Mar Viana, Maria E. Messing, Markku Kulmala, Naděžda Zíková, and Sebastian H. Schmitt
Aerosol Research, 1, 13–16, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-1-13-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-1-13-2023, 2023
Petra Pokorná, Naděžda Zíková, Petr Vodička, Radek Lhotka, Saliou Mbengue, Adéla Holubová Šmejkalová, Véronique Riffault, Jakub Ondráček, Jaroslav Schwarz, and Vladimír Ždímal
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5829–5858, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5829-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5829-2022, 2022
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By examining individual episodes of high mass and number concentrations, we show that the seasonality in the physicochemical properties of aerosol particles was caused by the sources' diversity and was related to the different air masses and meteorology. We also confirmed the relation between particle size and age that is reflected in oxidation state and shape (difference in densities; effective vs. material). The results have general validity and thus transcend the study regional character.
Clémence Rose, Martine Collaud Coen, Elisabeth Andrews, Yong Lin, Isaline Bossert, Cathrine Lund Myhre, Thomas Tuch, Alfred Wiedensohler, Markus Fiebig, Pasi Aalto, Andrés Alastuey, Elisabeth Alonso-Blanco, Marcos Andrade, Begoña Artíñano, Todor Arsov, Urs Baltensperger, Susanne Bastian, Olaf Bath, Johan Paul Beukes, Benjamin T. Brem, Nicolas Bukowiecki, Juan Andrés Casquero-Vera, Sébastien Conil, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Olivier Favez, Harald Flentje, Maria I. Gini, Francisco Javier Gómez-Moreno, Martin Gysel-Beer, Anna Gannet Hallar, Ivo Kalapov, Nikos Kalivitis, Anne Kasper-Giebl, Melita Keywood, Jeong Eun Kim, Sang-Woo Kim, Adam Kristensson, Markku Kulmala, Heikki Lihavainen, Neng-Huei Lin, Hassan Lyamani, Angela Marinoni, Sebastiao Martins Dos Santos, Olga L. Mayol-Bracero, Frank Meinhardt, Maik Merkel, Jean-Marc Metzger, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Jakub Ondracek, Marco Pandolfi, Noemi Pérez, Tuukka Petäjä, Jean-Eudes Petit, David Picard, Jean-Marc Pichon, Veronique Pont, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Fabienne Reisen, Karine Sellegri, Sangeeta Sharma, Gerhard Schauer, Patrick Sheridan, James Patrick Sherman, Andreas Schwerin, Ralf Sohmer, Mar Sorribas, Junying Sun, Pierre Tulet, Ville Vakkari, Pieter Gideon van Zyl, Fernando Velarde, Paolo Villani, Stergios Vratolis, Zdenek Wagner, Sheng-Hsiang Wang, Kay Weinhold, Rolf Weller, Margarita Yela, Vladimir Zdimal, and Paolo Laj
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17185–17223, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17185-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17185-2021, 2021
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Aerosol particles are a complex component of the atmospheric system the effects of which are among the most uncertain in climate change projections. Using data collected at 62 stations, this study provides the most up-to-date picture of the spatial distribution of particle number concentration and size distribution worldwide, with the aim of contributing to better representation of aerosols and their interactions with clouds in models and, therefore, better evaluation of their impact on climate.
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Short summary
In this work, we show how aerosol particles in city air change their ability to scatter light when exposed to humidity, which affects the climate. Using a simpler tool, we found that in Prague's suburbs, these particles showed only a small change in light scattering, likely due to carbon-rich pollution that effectively absorbs light. Our method helps to reduce certain types of measurement uncertainty and helps fill gaps in urban climate data.
In this work, we show how aerosol particles in city air change their ability to scatter light...
