Anthropogenic pollution elevates the peak height of new particle formation from planetary boundary layer to lower free troposphere

Quan, Jiannong; Liu, Yangang; Liu, Quan; Jia, Xingcan; Li, Xia; Gao, Yang; Ding, Deping; Li, Jie; Wang, Zifa

doi:10.1002/2017gl074553

Cited by 28 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(80 reference statements)

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“…Airborne observations suggest that in some regions NPF and subsequent particle growth seem to be confined into the BL (O'Dowd et al , Crumeyrolle et al 2010, while in other regions this phenomenon may also take place in the FT (Rose et al 2015a, Bianchi et al 2016, Berland et al 2017 or at the interface between the BL and FT (Siebert et al 2004, Dadashazar et al 2018. In Beijing, China, the height in the atmosphere having the strongest NPF was observed to move from within the BL at low aerosol loadings to the top of the BL or to the lower FT at high aerosol loadings (Quan et al 2017). Observations in several mountain-top locations indicate a relatively frequent occurrence of seemingly regional NPF events at high altitudes (see section 3.2.5).…”

Section: Spatial Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric new particle formation and growth: review of field observations

Kerminen

Chen

Vakkari

et al. 2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

428

405

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This review focuses on the observed characteristics of atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) in different environments of the global troposphere. After a short introduction, we will present a theoretical background that discusses the methods used to analyze measurement data on atmospheric NPF and the associated terminology. We will update on our current understanding of regional NPF, i.e. NPF taking simultaneously place over large spatial scales, and complement that with a full review on reported NPF and growth rates during regional NPF events. We will shortly review atmospheric NPF taking place at sub-regional scales. Since the growth of newly-formed particles into larger sizes is of great current interest, we will briefly discuss our observation-based understanding on which gaseous compounds contribute to the growth of newly-formed particles, and what implications this will have on atmospheric cloud condensation nuclei formation. We will finish the review with a summary of our main findings and future outlook that outlines the remaining research questions and needs for additional measurements.

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Section: Spatial Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric new particle formation and growth: review of field observations

Kerminen

Chen

Vakkari

et al. 2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

428

405

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“…Clarke et al (1998) observed nucleation in cloud outflow regions when SA concentrations approached or dropped below ∼ 5-10 µm 2 cm −3 . However, recent work shows that increased aerosol loadings suppress nucleation in the boundary layer but enhance it in the lower FT owing to a chain of aerosol-radiation-photochemistry interactions (Quan et al, 2017). Nucleation events in Birmingham, United Kingdom, occurred for SA concentrations up to 300 µm 2 cm −3 , but with most events below 100 µm 2 cm −3 (Alam et al, 2003).…”

Section: Nucleation In the Eilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerosol Characteristics in the Entrainment Interface Layer In Relation to the Marine Boundary Layer and Free Troposphere

Dadashazar¹,

Braun²,

Crosbie³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> This study uses airborne data from two field campaigns off the California coast to characterize aerosol size distribution characteristics in the entrainment interface layer (EIL), a thin and turbulent layer above marine stratocumulus cloud tops, that separates the stratocumulus-topped boundary layer (STBL) from the free troposphere (FT). The vertical bounds of the EIL are defined in this work based on considerations of buoyancy and turbulence using thermodynamic and dynamic data. Aerosol number concentrations are examined from three different probes with varying particle diameter (Dp) ranges: > 3 nm, > 10 nm, 0.11&#8211;3.4 &#181;m. Relative to the EIL and FT layers, the sub-cloud (SUB) layer exhibited lower aerosol number concentrations and higher surface area concentrations. High particle number concentrations between 3 and 10 nm in the EIL is indicative of enhanced nucleation, assisted by high actinic fluxes, cool and moist air, and much lower surface area concentrations than the STBL. Slopes of number concentration versus altitude in the EIL were correlated with the particle number concentration difference between the SUB and lower FT layers. The EIL aerosol size distribution was influenced by varying degrees from STBL aerosol versus subsiding FT aerosol depending on the case examined. These results emphasize the important role of the EIL in influencing nucleation and aerosol-cloud-climate interactions. &#8195;</p>

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“…As underscored by Kumula's protocol [10], sensitive differential mobility analyzers and mass spectrometers are required to evaluate the number and the nanometer size of the newly-formed particles. As a result, field observations of NPF in free troposphere are rather scarce and restricted to only a few mountain locations [16] or to very interesting but sporadic airplane field campaigns [23], which can hardly provide the spatial and temporal extent of nucleation [24], due to their intrinsics limit duration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remote Sensing Observation of New Particle Formation Events with a (UV, VIS) Polarization Lidar

et al. 2019

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Observations of new particle formation events in free troposphere are rather seldom and limited in time and space, mainly due to the complexity and the cost of the required on-board instrumentation for airplane field campaigns. In this paper, a calibrated (UV, VIS) polarization elastic lidar (2β + 2δ) is used to remotely sense new particle formation events in the free troposphere in the presence of mineral dust particles. Using very efficient (UV, VIS) light polarization discriminators (1:107) and after robust calibration, the contribution of mineral dust particles to the co-polarized (UV, VIS) lidar channels could be removed, to reveal the backscattering coefficient of the newly nucleated particles after these numerous particles have grown to a size detectable with our lidar. Since our polarization and wavelength cross-talks are fully negligible, the observed variation in the (UV, VIS) particle backscattering time–altitude maps could be related to variations in the particle microphysics. Hence, day and nighttime differences, at low and high dust loadings, were observed in agreement with the observed nucleation process promoted by mineral dust. While light backscattering is more sensitive to small-sized particles at the UV lidar wavelength of 355 nm, such new particle formation events are here for the first time also remotely sensed at the VIS lidar wavelength of 532 nm at which most polarization lidars operate. Moreover, by addressing the (UV, VIS) backscattering Angstrom exponent, we could discuss the particles’ sizes addressed with our (UV, VIS) polarization lidar. As nucleation concerns the lowest modes of the particles’ size distribution, such a methodology may then be applied to reveal the lowest particle sizes that a (UV, VIS) polarization lidar can address, thus improving our understanding of the vertical and temporal extent of nucleation in free troposphere, where measurements are rather seldom.

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Anthropogenic pollution elevates the peak height of new particle formation from planetary boundary layer to lower free troposphere

Cited by 28 publications

References 60 publications

Atmospheric new particle formation and growth: review of field observations

Atmospheric new particle formation and growth: review of field observations

Aerosol Characteristics in the Entrainment Interface Layer In Relation to the Marine Boundary Layer and Free Troposphere

Remote Sensing Observation of New Particle Formation Events with a (UV, VIS) Polarization Lidar

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