In:
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Copernicus GmbH, Vol. 20, No. 20 ( 2020-10-21), p. 11841-11854
Abstract:
Abstract. Recent studies have shown the importance of new particle formation (NPF) to global cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) production, as well as to air
pollution in megacities. In addition to the necessary presence of low-volatility vapors that can form new aerosol particles, both numerical and
observational studies have shown that the dynamics of the planetary boundary layer (BL) plays an important role in NPF. Evidence from field
observations suggests that roll vortices might be favorable for inducing NPF in a convective BL. However, direct observations and estimates of the
potential importance of this phenomenon to the production of new aerosol particles are lacking. Here we show that rolls frequently induce NPF bursts
along the horizontal circulations and that the small clusters and particles originating from these localized bursts grow in size similar to
particles typically ascribed to atmospheric NPF that occur almost homogeneously at a regional scale. We outline a method to identify roll-induced
NPF from measurements and, based on the collected data, estimate the impact of roll vortices on the overall aerosol particle production due to NPF
at a boreal forest site (83 % ± 34 % and 26 % ± 8 % overall enhancement in particle formation for 3 and 10 nm
particles, respectively). We conclude that the formation of roll vortices should be taken into account when estimating particle number budgets in
the atmospheric BL.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1680-7324
DOI:
10.5194/acp-20-11841-2020
Language:
English
Publisher:
Copernicus GmbH
Publication Date:
2020
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2092549-9
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2069847-1