Zeppelin-led study on the onset of new particle formation in the planetary boundary layer

Lampilahti, Janne; Manninen, Hanna E.; Nieminen, Tuomo; Mirme, Sander; Ehn, Mikael; Pullinen, Iida; Leino, Katri; Schobesberger, Siegfried; Kangasluoma, Juha; Kontkanen, Jenni; Järvinen, Emma; Väänänen, Riikka; Yli-Juuti, Taina; Krejci, Radovan; Lehtipalo, Katrianne; Levula, Janne; Mirme, A.; Decesari, Stefano; Tillmann, Ralf; Worsnop, Douglas R.; Rohrer, Franz; Kiendler‐Scharr, Astrid; Petäj̈ä, Tuukka; Kerminen, Veli‐Matti; Mentel, Thomas F.; Kulmala, Markku

doi:10.5194/acp-2021-282

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 30 publications

(38 reference statements)

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“…Field measurement data are available in ebas.nilu.no and https://actris.nilu.no/. The Zeppelin-relevant, San Pietro Capofume and Bologna data are available in https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4660145 (Lampilahti et al 2021). The field datasets for Patras, Thessaloniki and Costa Navarino can be obtained after request to the authors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Simulation of the effects of low volatility organic compounds on aerosol number concentrations in Europe

Patoulias

Pandis

2021

Preprint

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Abstract. PMCAMx-UF, a three-dimensional chemical transport model focusing on the simulation of the ultrafine particle size distribution and composition has been extended with the addition of reactions of chemical aging of semi-volatile anthropogenic organic vapors, the emissions and chemical aging by intermediate volatile organic compounds (IVOCs) and the production of extremely low volatility organic compounds (ELVOCs) by monoterpenes. The model is applied in Europe to quantify the effect of these processes on particle number concentrations. The model predictions are evaluated against both ground measurements collected during the PEGASOS 2012 summer campaign across many stations in Europe and airborne observations by a Zeppelin measuring above Po-Valley, Italy. PMCAMx-UF reproduces the ground level daily average concentrations of particles larger than 100 nm (N100) with normalized mean error (NME) of 45 % and normalized mean bias (NMB) close to 10 %. For the same simulation, PMCAMx-UF tends to overestimate the concentration of particles larger than 10 nm (N10) with a daily NMB of 23 % and a daily NME of 63 %. The model was able to reproduce more than 75 % of the N10 and N100 airborne observations (Zeppelin) within a factor of 2. The ELVOC production by monoterpenes is predicted to lead to surprisingly small changes of the average number concentrations over Europe. The total number concentration decreased due to the ELVOC formation by 0.2 %, the N10 decreases by 1.1 %, while N50 increased by 3 % and N100 by 4 % due to this new SOA source. This small change is due to the nonlinearity of the system with increases predicted in some areas and decreases in others, but also the cancelation of the effects of the various processes like accelerated growth and accelerated coagulation. Locally, the effects can be significant. For example, an increase in N100 by 20–50 % is predicted over Scandinavia and significant increases (10–20 %) over some parts of central Europe. The ELVOCs contributed on average around 0.5 μg m−3 and accounted for 10–15 % of the PM2.5 OA. The addition of IVOC emissions and their aging reactions led to surprising reduction of the total number of particles (Ntot) and N10 by 10–15 and 5–10 %, respectively, and to an increase of the concentration of N100 by 5–10 %. These were due to the accelerated coagulation and reduced nucleation rates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A SMPS was used to measure the number size distribution of particles in the size range of 10 to 430 nm. Details of the relevant PEGASOS Zeppelin measurements can be found in Lampilahti et al (2021).…”

Section: Model Application and Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation of the effects of low volatility organic compounds on aerosol number concentrations in Europe

Patoulias

Pandis

2021

Preprint

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“…Since Nilsson et al. (2001), studies have utilized airborne measurement platforms and found NPF occurring at various levels within the mixed layer and often near the top of the mixed layer (e.g., Boulon et al., 2011; Chen et al., 2018; Lampilahti, Leino, et al., 2021; Lampilahti, Manninen, et al., 2021; Leino et al., 2019; Nikandrova et al., 2018; Platis et al., 2016; Qi et al., 2019; Schobesberger et al., 2013; Wehner et al., 2007, 2010). These enhancements are still thought to be a result of the mechanisms (a–d) from Nilsson et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Look Up: Probing the Vertical Profile of New Particle Formation and Growth in the Planetary Boundary Layer With Models and Observations

O’Donnell

Akherati

et al. 2023

JGR Atmospheres

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The processes of new particle formation (NPF) and growth are important contributors to cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations, and CCN are important for climate from their impact on planetary radiative forcing. While the general ubiquity and importance of NPF is v • I would also like to extend the greatest appreciation to my advisor, Jeffrey Pierce, for his well-rounded support, affirmation, motivation, and patience throughout this project. I am consistently reminded of Jeff's enthusiasm and depth of knowledge about aerosol microphysics, and I have always appreciated our conversations about science and life in general.

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“…A Zeppelin is an ideal airborne platform to capture the vertical distribution of pollutant concentrations and gain insights into their origin and emission sources (Lampilahti et al, 2021;Li et al, 2014;Nieminen et al, 2015). It offers enough room to deploy equipment and flies precisely and slowly at desired heights.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air quality observations onboard commercial and targeted Zeppelin flights in Germany – a platform for high-resolution trace-gas and aerosol measurements within the planetary boundary layer

Tillmann¹,

Gkatzelis²,

Rohrer³

et al. 2022

Atmos. Meas. Tech.

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Abstract. A Zeppelin airship was used as a platform for in situ measurements of greenhouse gases and short-lived air pollutants within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) in Germany. A novel quantum cascade laser-based multi-compound gas analyzer (MIRO Analytical AG) was deployed to simultaneously measure in situ concentrations of greenhouse gases (CO2, N2O, H2O, and CH4) and air pollutants (CO, NO, NO2, O3, SO2, and NH3) with high precision at a measurement rate of 1 Hz. These measurements were complemented by electrochemical sensors for NO, NO2, Ox (NO2 + O3), and CO, an optical particle counter, temperature, humidity, altitude, and position monitoring. Instruments were operated remotely without the need for on-site interactions. Three 2-week campaigns were conducted in 2020 comprising commercial passenger as well as targeted flights over multiple German cities including Cologne, Mönchengladbach, Düsseldorf, Aachen, Frankfurt, but also over industrial areas and highways. Vertical profiles of trace gases were obtained during the airship landing and take-off. Diurnal variability of the Zeppelin vertical profiles was compared to measurements from ground-based monitoring stations with a focus on nitrogen oxides and ozone. We find that their variability can be explained by the increasing nocturnal boundary layer height from early morning towards midday, an increase in emissions during rush hour traffic, and the rapid photochemical activity midday. Higher altitude (250–450 m) NOx to CO ratios are further compared to the 2015 EDGAR emission inventory to find that pollutant concentrations are influenced by transportation and residential emissions as well as manufacturing industries and construction activity. Finally, we report NOx and CO concentrations from one plume transect originating from a coal power plant and compare it to the EURopean Air pollution Dispersion-Inverse Modell (EURAD-IM) model to find agreement within 15 %. However, due to the increased contribution of solar and wind energy and the impact of lockdown measures the power plant was operating at max. 50 % capacity; therefore, possible overestimation of emissions by the model cannot be excluded.

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Zeppelin-led study on the onset of new particle formation in the planetary boundary layer

Cited by 7 publications

References 30 publications

Simulation of the effects of low volatility organic compounds on aerosol number concentrations in Europe

Simulation of the effects of low volatility organic compounds on aerosol number concentrations in Europe

Look Up: Probing the Vertical Profile of New Particle Formation and Growth in the Planetary Boundary Layer With Models and Observations

Air quality observations onboard commercial and targeted Zeppelin flights in Germany – a platform for high-resolution trace-gas and aerosol measurements within the planetary boundary layer

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