Understanding the Chemical Processes That Affect Growth Rates of Atmospheric Nanoparticles (Invited Presentation)

In this talk I will give an update on progress in understanding the chemical processes that contribute to the growth of atmospheric nanoparticles. I will include observations from three recent studies that were supported by the DOE’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) program: Biogenic Aerosols – Effects on Clouds and Climate (BAECC in Hyytiälä, Finland), Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon in the Amazon Basin, Brazil), and the New Particle Formation Study (NPFS in Lamont, OK).  We used data from NPFS to achieve closure between measured gas and particle phase species using models that account for particle-phase salt formation and non-volatile vapor condensation. We also studied the impacts of new particle formation on cloud formation during NPFS by combining our surface measurements with vertically-resolved measurements of ultrafine aerosol concentration as well as water vapor concentration and temperature. I will close my talk with a presentation of observations and preliminary analysis from the Holistic Interactions of Shallow Clouds, Aerosols, and Land-Ecosystems (HI-SCALE) campaign in Lamont, OK. Our HI-SCALE measurements of nanoparticle physico-chemical properties during new particle formation events will build upon those we obtained during NPFS, and will be greatly benefited by complementary measurements onboard the ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) Gulfstream 1 aircraft.