10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Abstract View
Observation of New Particle Formation and Growth for Rural Southwestern New York State
JOSEPH P. MARTO, James Schwab, Fangqun Yu, Gan Luo, University at Albany, SUNY
Abstract Number: 350 Working Group: Remote/Regional Atmospheric Aerosol
Abstract New particle formation (NPF) and growth events are known to introduce significant numbers of particles into the atmosphere which have implications for public health, climate, and atmospheric chemistry. A Fast Mobility Particle Sizer (FMPS) and an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS) continuously measured particle size distributions from 6nm to 20µm to detect changes in particle number and size distribution at Pinnacle State Park (PSP) in rural southwest New York state (42°05′42″N 77°12′54″W) for a year starting March 2017. These measurements indicate dozens of NPF events in a variety of meteorological conditions with most events occurring in the Spring and Fall, and fewer in Winter with a minimal number of events during the Summer. The particle data is combined with collocated measurements of meteorological parameters and numerous gaseous and aerosol properties in an effort to better understand the trigger mechanism and dynamics of nucleation and growth events. Data from the 2017 campaign was compared with observations from briefer field intensives in Summer 2004 and Spring 2009, and a six-month observation period in 2012 to assess any changes in NPF events, specifically in relation to changes in concentrations of chemical precursors. Observational results were also compared to results from a GEOS-Chem model with size-resolved advanced particle microphysics to better interpret the specific chemical and meteorological conditions during these events.