Articles | Volume 19, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-39-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-39-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Interpretation of particle number size distributions measured across an urban area during the FASTER campaign
Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, School of Geography,
Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
also at: Department of Environmental Sciences/Center of Excellence in
Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80203, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia
David C. S. Beddows
Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, School of Geography,
Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Mohammed S. Alam
Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, School of Geography,
Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Ajit Singh
Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, School of Geography,
Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
James Brean
Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, School of Geography,
Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Ruixin Xu
Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, School of Geography,
Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Simone Kotthaus
Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6BB, UK
Sue Grimmond
Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6BB, UK
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Dimitrios Bousiotis, Francis D. Pope, Jelle Hofman, Martine Van Poppel, Jules Kerckhoffs, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 5729–5751, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-5729-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-5729-2026, 2026
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This study explores new ways to better understand urban air pollution by combining traditional monitoring with portable sensors, mobile measurements, and public participation. Using European city case studies, the research shows that these approaches can identify pollution hotspots in greater detail and make air quality information more accessible to communities and decision-makers. The work highlights how improved monitoring supports healthier cities and more effective environmental policies.
Anouk Marsal, Fabrizia Cavalli, Elise Di Antonio, Stephan Houdier, Pamela Dominutti, Sophie Darfeuil, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Stéphane Sauvage, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Ian S. Mudway, Athanasios Nenes, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, André S. H. Prévôt, Despina Paraskevopoulou, Ana Cvitešić Kušan, Sanja Frka, Ana Kroflič, Ajda Delić, Blanka Tariba Lovaković, Andreja Jurič, Carolina Molina, Daniele Contini, Maria Rachele Guascito, Mathilde Lintz, Davy Rousset, Hartmut Herrmann, Eduardo J. d. S. Souza, Frédéric Ledoux, Marc Fadel, Haoran Yu, Jianzhen Yu, Maria Teresa Baeza Romero, Maria Cerrato-Alvarez, Marloes F. van Os, Mathilde N. Delaval, Yamaris Mercedes Mena Cabrera, Nicole Trieu, Greg Evans, Nuria Galindo, Noelia Gómez-Sanchez, Hana Hlaváčková, Pavel Mikuška, Shrutika Kadam, Pourya Shahpoury, Purificación López-Mahía, Jorge Moreda-Piñeiro, Rico K. Y. Cheung, Markus Kalberer, Micol Introna, Sarah S. Steimer, Zhuoying Lin, Suzanne E. Paulson, Saima Iram, Svetlana Stevanovic, Thomas Audoux, Laurent Y. Alleman, Jianing Liu, Ting Fang, P. S. Ganesh Subramanian, Vishal Verma, Tuukka Petäjä, Xavier Querol, Gerard Hoek, Roy M. Harrison, and Gaëlle Uzu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3918, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3918, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
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This collaborative work from 26 worldwide laboratories assessed the measurement of atmospheric particles' oxidative potential (OP) using a common protocol. OP is a metric designed to inform on particles’ harmful effects. Over half of the laboratories obtained satisfactory results, and some critical steps such as liquid handling and OP mathematical determination were identified. Recommendations for future measurements and interlaboratory comparisons are also provided.
Aino Ovaska, Daniel Holmberg, Elio Rauth, Mansour Alghamdi, Paulo Artaxo, Eija Asmi, John Backman, Benjamin Bergmans, Matthew Boyer, Liezl Bredenkamp, Maurizio Busetto, Delano Campos De Oliveira, Juan Andrés Casquero-Vera, Darius Ceburnis, Tak Chan, Tommy Chan, Sebastien Conil, Daniele Contini, Suzanne Crumeyrolle, Valentin Duflot, Kostas Eleftheriadis, Johan Esveld, Ekaterina Ezhova, Markus Fiebig, Shahzad Gani, Olga Garmash, Francisco Gómez-Moreno, Roy M. Harrison, Andras Hoffer, Rakesh Hooda, Antti Hyvärinen, Tareq Hussein, Jorma Joutsensaari, Nikos Kalivitis, Heinz Kaminski, Jutta Kesti, Radovan Krejci, Adam Kristensson, Chongai Kuang, Markku Kulmala, Lauri Laakso, Ari Leskinen, Heikki Lihavainen, Andreas Massling, Maik Merkel, Steffen Noe, Jakub Ondracek, Noemí Perez, Jean-Eudes Petit, Tuukka Petäjä, Michael Pikridas, Christopher Pöhlker, Mira Pöhlker, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Ximeng Qi, Cristina Reche, Sergio Rodríguez, Petr Roztocil, Jean Sciare, Karine Sellegri, Dongjie Shang, Ashish Singh, Mikko Sipilä, Henrik Skov, Mar Sorribas, Tamanna Subba, Junying Sun, Peter Tunved, Ville Vakkari, Pieter G. Van Zyl, Aki Virkkula, Jens Voigtländer, Kay Weinhold, Alfred Wiedensohler, Hee-Jung Yoo, Putian Zhou, Kai Puolamäki, Tuomo Nieminen, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Victoria A. Sinclair, and Pauli Paasonen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-415, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-415, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
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All clouds form around aerosol particles, and their abundance influences cloud properties. In turn, clouds affect climate by changing how energy moves through the atmosphere, making them important for climate change. To better understand these interactions, we need accurate information on how many aerosol particles are in the atmosphere. Therefore, we have developed a new 21-year global dataset of particle concentrations relevant for cloud formation.
Nahid Atashi, Xiaoyu Li, Sasu Karttunen, Riku Viri, Roy Harrison, Jani Strömberg, Aino Kaltianen, Matti Leinonen, Laura Ruotsalainen, and Leena Järvi
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-341, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-341, 2026
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We studied how switching to electric cars affects air quality in a new Helsinki neighborhood. Using advanced computer models, we found that a full shift to electric vehicles by 2040 will cut the number of tiny harmful particles by 60 % because tailpipe exhaust is removed. However, the total weight of these particles will actually increase by 15 % due to heavier vehicles causing more tire and road wear. This shows that urban planners must look beyond just engines maintain urban air quality.
Clara Jaén, Mireia Udina, Roy Harrison, Joan O. Grimalt, and Barend L. Van Drooge
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 18389–18407, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18389-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18389-2025, 2025
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Distance changes air pollution in a city, but so does the time of the day and the year, due to varying emission sources and weather conditions. These changes were studied at ground level and 400 meters above the city, and showed that wood burning affected the air quality in winter, while products of atmospheric reaction processes dominated the air in summer. Traffic emissions arrive to the elevated site during the day, while they were trapped at lower level in the night.
Aino Ovaska, Elio Rauth, Daniel Holmberg, Paulo Artaxo, John Backman, Benjamin Bergmans, Don Collins, Marco Aurélio Franco, Shahzad Gani, Roy M. Harrison, Rakesh K. Hooda, Tareq Hussein, Antti-Pekka Hyvärinen, Kerneels Jaars, Adam Kristensson, Markku Kulmala, Lauri Laakso, Ari Laaksonen, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Colin O'Dowd, Jakub Ondracek, Tuukka Petäjä, Kristina Plauškaitė, Mira Pöhlker, Ximeng Qi, Peter Tunved, Ville Vakkari, Alfred Wiedensohler, Kai Puolamäki, Tuomo Nieminen, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Victoria A. Sinclair, and Pauli Paasonen
Aerosol Research, 3, 589–618, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-589-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-589-2025, 2025
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We trained machine learning models to estimate the number of aerosol particles large enough to form clouds and generated daily estimates for the entire globe. The models performed well in many continental regions but struggled in remote and marine areas. Still, this approach offers a way to quantify these particles in areas that lack direct measurements, helping us understand their influence on clouds and climate on a global scale.
Huang Zheng, Shaofei Kong, Deping Ding, Marjan Savadkoohi, Congbo Song, Mingming Zheng, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 16363–16386, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16363-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16363-2025, 2025
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This study analyzes 13 years of BC (black carbon) data in China, uncovering patterns in its concentration and sources. Spatial-temporal variations and trends of BC are reported. Our analysis revealed that the reduction rates of BC and its sources varied across different station types, with spatial differences in the drivers of reduction. These long-term observations provide valuable insights to enhance understanding of pollution trends and improve models for predicting air quality.
Natalie M. Mahowald, Longlei Li, Julius Vira, Marje Prank, Douglas S. Hamilton, Hitoshi Matsui, Ron L. Miller, P. Louis Lu, Ezgi Akyuz, Daphne Meidan, Peter Hess, Heikki Lihavainen, Christine Wiedinmyer, Jenny Hand, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Célia Alves, Andres Alastuey, Paulo Artaxo, Africa Barreto, Francisco Barraza, Silvia Becagli, Giulia Calzolai, Shankararaman Chellam, Ying Chen, Patrick Chuang, David D. Cohen, Cristina Colombi, Evangelia Diapouli, Gaetano Dongarra, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Johann Engelbrecht, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Cassandra Gaston, Dario Gomez, Yenny González Ramos, Roy M. Harrison, Chris Heyes, Barak Herut, Philip Hopke, Christoph Hüglin, Maria Kanakidou, Zsofia Kertesz, Zbigniew Klimont, Katriina Kyllönen, Fabrice Lambert, Xiaohong Liu, Remi Losno, Franco Lucarelli, Willy Maenhaut, Beatrice Marticorena, Randall V. Martin, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera-Gómez, Adina Paytan, Joseph Prospero, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricia Smichowski, Daniela Varrica, Brenna Walsh, Crystal L. Weagle, and Xi Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4665–4702, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, 2025
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Aerosol particles are an important part of the Earth system, but their concentrations are spatially and temporally heterogeneous, as well as being variable in size and composition. Here, we present a new compilation of PM2.5 and PM10 aerosol observations, focusing on the spatial variability across different observational stations, including composition, and demonstrate a method for comparing the data sets to model output.
James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Eija Asmi, Aki Virkkula, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Mikko Sipilä, Floortje Van Den Heuvel, Thomas Lachlan-Cope, Anna Jones, Markus Frey, Angelo Lupi, Jiyeon Park, Young Jun Yoon, Rolf Weller, Giselle L. Marincovich, Gabriela C. Mulena, Roy M. Harrison, and Manuel Dall'Osto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1145–1162, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1145-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1145-2025, 2025
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Our results emphasise how understanding the geographical variation in surface types across the Antarctic is key to understanding secondary aerosol sources.
Xiansheng Liu, Xun Zhang, Marvin Dufresne, Tao Wang, Lijie Wu, Rosa Lara, Roger Seco, Marta Monge, Ana Maria Yáñez-Serrano, Marie Gohy, Paul Petit, Audrey Chevalier, Marie-Pierre Vagnot, Yann Fortier, Alexia Baudic, Véronique Ghersi, Grégory Gille, Ludovic Lanzi, Valérie Gros, Leïla Simon, Heidi Héllen, Stefan Reimann, Zoé Le Bras, Michelle Jessy Müller, David Beddows, Siqi Hou, Zongbo Shi, Roy M. Harrison, William Bloss, James Dernie, Stéphane Sauvage, Philip K. Hopke, Xiaoli Duan, Taicheng An, Alastair C. Lewis, James R. Hopkins, Eleni Liakakou, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Xiaohu Zhang, Andrés Alastuey, Xavier Querol, and Thérèse Salameh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 625–638, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-625-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-625-2025, 2025
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This study examines BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes) pollution in urban areas across seven European countries. Analyzing data from 22 monitoring sites, we found traffic and industrial activities significantly impact BTEX levels, with peaks during rush hours. The risk from BTEX exposure remains moderate, especially in high-traffic and industrial zones, highlighting the need for targeted air quality management to protect public health and improve urban air quality.
Pamela A. Dominutti, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Anouk Marsal, Takoua Mhadhbi, Rhabira Elazzouzi, Camille Rak, Fabrizia Cavalli, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Despina Paraskevopoulou, Ian Mudway, Athanasios Nenes, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Catherine Banach, Steven J. Campbell, Hana Cigánková, Daniele Contini, Greg Evans, Maria Georgopoulou, Manuella Ghanem, Drew A. Glencross, Maria Rachele Guascito, Hartmut Herrmann, Saima Iram, Maja Jovanović, Milena Jovašević-Stojanović, Markus Kalberer, Ingeborg M. Kooter, Suzanne E. Paulson, Anil Patel, Esperanza Perdrix, Maria Chiara Pietrogrande, Pavel Mikuška, Jean-Jacques Sauvain, Katerina Seitanidi, Pourya Shahpoury, Eduardo J. d. S. Souza, Sarah Steimer, Svetlana Stevanovic, Guillaume Suarez, P. S. Ganesh Subramanian, Battist Utinger, Marloes F. van Os, Vishal Verma, Xing Wang, Rodney J. Weber, Yuhan Yang, Xavier Querol, Gerard Hoek, Roy M. Harrison, and Gaëlle Uzu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 177–195, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-177-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-177-2025, 2025
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In this work, 20 labs worldwide collaborated to evaluate the measurement of air pollution's oxidative potential (OP), a key indicator of its harmful effects. The study aimed to identify disparities in the widely used OP dithiothreitol assay and assess the consistency of OP among labs using the same protocol. The results showed that half of the labs achieved acceptable results. However, variability was also found, highlighting the need for standardisation in OP procedures.
Alex Rowell, James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Zongbo Shi, Avinash Kumar, Matti Rissanen, Miikka Dal Maso, Peter Mettke, Kay Weinhold, Maik Merkel, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10349–10361, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10349-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10349-2024, 2024
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Ions enhance the formation and growth rates of new particles, affecting the Earth's radiation budget. Despite these effects, there is little published data exploring the sources of ions in the urban environment and their role in new particle formation (NPF). Here we show that natural ion sources dominate in urban environments, while traffic is a secondary source. Ions contribute up to 12.7 % of the formation rate of particles, indicating that they are important for forming urban PM.
Alex Rowell, James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Tuukka Petäjä, Máté Vörösmarty, Imre Salma, Jarkko V. Niemi, Hanna E. Manninen, Dominik van Pinxteren, Thomas Tuch, Kay Weinhold, Zongbo Shi, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9515–9531, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9515-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9515-2024, 2024
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Different sources of airborne particles in the atmospheres of four European cities were distinguished by recognising their particle size distributions using a statistical procedure, positive matrix factorisation. The various sources responded differently to the changes in emissions associated with COVID-19 lockdowns, and the reasons are investigated. While traffic emissions generally decreased, particles formed from reactions of atmospheric gases decreased in some cities but increased in others.
Marco Paglione, David C. S. Beddows, Anna Jones, Thomas Lachlan-Cope, Matteo Rinaldi, Stefano Decesari, Francesco Manarini, Mara Russo, Karam Mansour, Roy M. Harrison, Andrea Mazzanti, Emilio Tagliavini, and Manuel Dall'Osto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6305–6322, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6305-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6305-2024, 2024
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Applying factor analysis techniques to H-NMR spectra, we present the organic aerosol (OA) source apportionment of PM1 samples collected in parallel at two Antarctic stations, namely Signy and Halley, allowing investigation of aerosol–climate interactions in an unperturbed atmosphere. Our results show remarkable differences between pelagic (open-ocean) and sympagic (sea-ice-influenced) air masses and indicate that various sources and processes are controlling Antarctic aerosols.
Jianghao Li, Alastair C. Lewis, Jim R. Hopkins, Stephen J. Andrews, Tim Murrells, Neil Passant, Ben Richmond, Siqi Hou, William J. Bloss, Roy M. Harrison, and Zongbo Shi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6219–6231, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6219-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6219-2024, 2024
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A summertime ozone event at an urban site in Birmingham is sensitive to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – particularly those of oxygenated VOCs. The roles of anthropogenic VOC sources in urban ozone chemistry are examined by integrating the 1990–2019 national atmospheric emission inventory into model scenarios. Road transport remains the most powerful means of further reducing ozone in this case study, but the benefits may be offset if solvent emissions of VOCs continue to increase.
Natalie M. Mahowald, Longlei Li, Julius Vira, Marje Prank, Douglas S. Hamilton, Hitoshi Matsui, Ron L. Miller, Louis Lu, Ezgi Akyuz, Daphne Meidan, Peter Hess, Heikki Lihavainen, Christine Wiedinmyer, Jenny Hand, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Célia Alves, Andres Alastuey, Paulo Artaxo, Africa Barreto, Francisco Barraza, Silvia Becagli, Giulia Calzolai, Shankarararman Chellam, Ying Chen, Patrick Chuang, David D. Cohen, Cristina Colombi, Evangelia Diapouli, Gaetano Dongarra, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Cassandra Gaston, Dario Gomez, Yenny González Ramos, Hannele Hakola, Roy M. Harrison, Chris Heyes, Barak Herut, Philip Hopke, Christoph Hüglin, Maria Kanakidou, Zsofia Kertesz, Zbiginiw Klimont, Katriina Kyllönen, Fabrice Lambert, Xiaohong Liu, Remi Losno, Franco Lucarelli, Willy Maenhaut, Beatrice Marticorena, Randall V. Martin, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera-Gomez, Adina Paytan, Joseph Prospero, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricia Smichowski, Daniela Varrica, Brenna Walsh, Crystal Weagle, and Xi Zhao
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-1, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-1, 2024
Preprint withdrawn
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Aerosol particles can interact with incoming solar radiation and outgoing long wave radiation, change cloud properties, affect photochemistry, impact surface air quality, and when deposited impact surface albedo of snow and ice, and modulate carbon dioxide uptake by the land and ocean. Here we present a new compilation of aerosol observations including composition, a methodology for comparing the datasets to model output, and show the implications of these results using one model.
Joanna E. Dyson, Lisa K. Whalley, Eloise J. Slater, Robert Woodward-Massey, Chunxiang Ye, James D. Lee, Freya Squires, James R. Hopkins, Rachel E. Dunmore, Marvin Shaw, Jacqueline F. Hamilton, Alastair C. Lewis, Stephen D. Worrall, Asan Bacak, Archit Mehra, Thomas J. Bannan, Hugh Coe, Carl J. Percival, Bin Ouyang, C. Nicholas Hewitt, Roderic L. Jones, Leigh R. Crilley, Louisa J. Kramer, W. Joe F. Acton, William J. Bloss, Supattarachai Saksakulkrai, Jingsha Xu, Zongbo Shi, Roy M. Harrison, Simone Kotthaus, Sue Grimmond, Yele Sun, Weiqi Xu, Siyao Yue, Lianfang Wei, Pingqing Fu, Xinming Wang, Stephen R. Arnold, and Dwayne E. Heard
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5679–5697, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5679-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5679-2023, 2023
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The hydroxyl (OH) and closely coupled hydroperoxyl (HO2) radicals are vital for their role in the removal of atmospheric pollutants. In less polluted regions, atmospheric models over-predict HO2 concentrations. In this modelling study, the impact of heterogeneous uptake of HO2 onto aerosol surfaces on radical concentrations and the ozone production regime in Beijing in the summertime is investigated, and the implications for emissions policies across China are considered.
James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Roy M. Harrison, Congbo Song, Peter Tunved, Johan Ström, Radovan Krejci, Eyal Freud, Andreas Massling, Henrik Skov, Eija Asmi, Angelo Lupi, and Manuel Dall'Osto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2183–2198, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2183-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2183-2023, 2023
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Our results emphasize how understanding the geographical variation in surface types across the Arctic is key to understanding secondary aerosol sources. We provide a harmonised analysis of new particle formation across the Arctic.
Dimitrios Bousiotis, David C. S. Beddows, Ajit Singh, Molly Haugen, Sebastián Diez, Pete M. Edwards, Adam Boies, Roy M. Harrison, and Francis D. Pope
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4047–4061, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4047-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4047-2022, 2022
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In the last decade, low-cost sensors have revolutionised the field of air quality monitoring. This paper extends the ability of low-cost sensors to not only measure air pollution, but also to understand where the pollution comes from. This "source apportionment" is a critical step in air quality management to allow for the mitigation of air pollution. The techniques developed in this paper have the potential for great impact in both research and industrial applications.
Ülkü Alver Şahin, Roy M. Harrison, Mohammed S. Alam, David C. S. Beddows, Dimitrios Bousiotis, Zongbo Shi, Leigh R. Crilley, William Bloss, James Brean, Isha Khanna, and Rulan Verma
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5415–5433, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5415-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5415-2022, 2022
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Wide-range particle size spectra have been measured in three seasons in Delhi and are interpreted in terms of sources and processes. Condensational growth is a major feature of the fine fraction, and a coarse fraction contributes substantially – but only in summer.
Yingze Tian, Xiaoning Wang, Peng Zhao, Zongbo Shi, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-1007, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-1007, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
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Chemical mass balance (CMB) is a widely used method to apportion the sources of PM2.5. We explore the sensitivity of CMB results to input data of organic markers only (OM-CMB) with a combination of organic and inorganic markers (IOM-CMB), as well as using different chemical profiles for sources. Our results indicate the superiority of combining inorganic and organic tracers and using locally-relevant source profiles in source apportionment of PM.
Deepchandra Srivastava, Jingsha Xu, Tuan V. Vu, Di Liu, Linjie Li, Pingqing Fu, Siqi Hou, Natalia Moreno Palmerola, Zongbo Shi, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14703–14724, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14703-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14703-2021, 2021
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This study presents the source apportionment of PM2.5 performed by positive matrix factorization (PMF) at urban and rural sites in Beijing. These factors are interpreted as traffic emissions, biomass burning, road and soil dust, coal and oil combustion, and secondary inorganics. PMF failed to resolve some sources identified by CMB and AMS and appears to overestimate the dust sources. Comparison with earlier PMF studies from the Beijing area highlights inconsistent findings using this method.
Dimitrios Bousiotis, Francis D. Pope, Jelle Hofman, Martine Van Poppel, Jules Kerckhoffs, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 5729–5751, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-5729-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-5729-2026, 2026
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This study explores new ways to better understand urban air pollution by combining traditional monitoring with portable sensors, mobile measurements, and public participation. Using European city case studies, the research shows that these approaches can identify pollution hotspots in greater detail and make air quality information more accessible to communities and decision-makers. The work highlights how improved monitoring supports healthier cities and more effective environmental policies.
Alohotsy Rafalimanana, Thomas Lauvaux, Charbel Abdallah, Mali Chariot, Michel Ramonet, Josselin Doc, Olivier Laurent, Morgan Lopez, Anja Raznjevic, Maarten Krol, Leena Järvi, Andreas Christen, Dana Looschelders, Leslie David, Olivier Sanchez, Laura Bignotti, Benjamin Loubet, Sue Grimmond, and William Morrison
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2581, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2581, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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Using WRF-Chem simulations over Greater Paris at resolutions from 900 m to 100 m (LES), we show that horizontal resolution critically shapes urban CO2 plume structure. Mesoscale runs underestimate spatial contrasts by a factor of 2–3, with representativeness errors of 29–61 % (near-surface) and 21–59 % (XCO2). LES improves intra-urban variability and enables more accurate spatial attribution of emissions, a key step toward reliable top-down estimates for city-scale climate mitigation.
Dana Looschelders, Andreas Christen, Sue Grimmond, Simone Kotthaus, and William Morrison
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2444, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2444, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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Using seven automatic lidar-ceilometers located on a 105 km transect in the Paris region, we investigate modifications of the mixed-layer height (MLH) dynamics. Over and downwind of Paris, MLHs are deeper and grow faster during the morning transition. In summer, the spatial extent of urban effects (> 60 km downwind) and absolute MLH spatial differences are larger. In winter, relative MLH differences are larger. The MLH is deeper in the city at the start of the morning transition.
Anouk Marsal, Fabrizia Cavalli, Elise Di Antonio, Stephan Houdier, Pamela Dominutti, Sophie Darfeuil, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Stéphane Sauvage, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Ian S. Mudway, Athanasios Nenes, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, André S. H. Prévôt, Despina Paraskevopoulou, Ana Cvitešić Kušan, Sanja Frka, Ana Kroflič, Ajda Delić, Blanka Tariba Lovaković, Andreja Jurič, Carolina Molina, Daniele Contini, Maria Rachele Guascito, Mathilde Lintz, Davy Rousset, Hartmut Herrmann, Eduardo J. d. S. Souza, Frédéric Ledoux, Marc Fadel, Haoran Yu, Jianzhen Yu, Maria Teresa Baeza Romero, Maria Cerrato-Alvarez, Marloes F. van Os, Mathilde N. Delaval, Yamaris Mercedes Mena Cabrera, Nicole Trieu, Greg Evans, Nuria Galindo, Noelia Gómez-Sanchez, Hana Hlaváčková, Pavel Mikuška, Shrutika Kadam, Pourya Shahpoury, Purificación López-Mahía, Jorge Moreda-Piñeiro, Rico K. Y. Cheung, Markus Kalberer, Micol Introna, Sarah S. Steimer, Zhuoying Lin, Suzanne E. Paulson, Saima Iram, Svetlana Stevanovic, Thomas Audoux, Laurent Y. Alleman, Jianing Liu, Ting Fang, P. S. Ganesh Subramanian, Vishal Verma, Tuukka Petäjä, Xavier Querol, Gerard Hoek, Roy M. Harrison, and Gaëlle Uzu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3918, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3918, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
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This collaborative work from 26 worldwide laboratories assessed the measurement of atmospheric particles' oxidative potential (OP) using a common protocol. OP is a metric designed to inform on particles’ harmful effects. Over half of the laboratories obtained satisfactory results, and some critical steps such as liquid handling and OP mathematical determination were identified. Recommendations for future measurements and interlaboratory comparisons are also provided.
Charel Wohl, Leah R. Williams, Elisabeth S. M. Deschaseaux, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, David C. S. Beddows, Harald Stark, Veronika Pospisilova, Felipe D. Lopez-Hilfiker, Guillaume Chamba, Karine Sellegri, Elisabet L. Sà, Queralt Güell-Bujons, Magda Vila, Yaiza M. Castillo, Arianna Rocchi, Ana Sotomayor, Dolors Vaqué, Manuel Dall'Osto, Elisa Berdalet, and Rafel Simó
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 10149–10165, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-10149-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-10149-2026, 2026
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Methanethiol and dimethyl sulfide are precursors to aerosols which cool the climate. Here we present measurements of these compounds in surface seawater and ambient air around the Antarctic Peninsula and in the Weddell Sea, highlighting that a large fraction of volatile sulfur emissions from the ocean is biogenic methanethiol. This dataset presents some of the factors driving the variability of these compounds.
Aino Ovaska, Daniel Holmberg, Elio Rauth, Mansour Alghamdi, Paulo Artaxo, Eija Asmi, John Backman, Benjamin Bergmans, Matthew Boyer, Liezl Bredenkamp, Maurizio Busetto, Delano Campos De Oliveira, Juan Andrés Casquero-Vera, Darius Ceburnis, Tak Chan, Tommy Chan, Sebastien Conil, Daniele Contini, Suzanne Crumeyrolle, Valentin Duflot, Kostas Eleftheriadis, Johan Esveld, Ekaterina Ezhova, Markus Fiebig, Shahzad Gani, Olga Garmash, Francisco Gómez-Moreno, Roy M. Harrison, Andras Hoffer, Rakesh Hooda, Antti Hyvärinen, Tareq Hussein, Jorma Joutsensaari, Nikos Kalivitis, Heinz Kaminski, Jutta Kesti, Radovan Krejci, Adam Kristensson, Chongai Kuang, Markku Kulmala, Lauri Laakso, Ari Leskinen, Heikki Lihavainen, Andreas Massling, Maik Merkel, Steffen Noe, Jakub Ondracek, Noemí Perez, Jean-Eudes Petit, Tuukka Petäjä, Michael Pikridas, Christopher Pöhlker, Mira Pöhlker, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Ximeng Qi, Cristina Reche, Sergio Rodríguez, Petr Roztocil, Jean Sciare, Karine Sellegri, Dongjie Shang, Ashish Singh, Mikko Sipilä, Henrik Skov, Mar Sorribas, Tamanna Subba, Junying Sun, Peter Tunved, Ville Vakkari, Pieter G. Van Zyl, Aki Virkkula, Jens Voigtländer, Kay Weinhold, Alfred Wiedensohler, Hee-Jung Yoo, Putian Zhou, Kai Puolamäki, Tuomo Nieminen, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Victoria A. Sinclair, and Pauli Paasonen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-415, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-415, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
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All clouds form around aerosol particles, and their abundance influences cloud properties. In turn, clouds affect climate by changing how energy moves through the atmosphere, making them important for climate change. To better understand these interactions, we need accurate information on how many aerosol particles are in the atmosphere. Therefore, we have developed a new 21-year global dataset of particle concentrations relevant for cloud formation.
Alohotsy Rafalimanana, Thomas Lauvaux, Charbel Abdallah, Mali Chariot, Michel Ramonet, Josselin Doc, Olivier Laurent, Morgan Lopez, Anja Raznjevic, Maarten Krol, Leena Järvi, Andreas Christen, Dana Looschelders, Leslie David, Olivier Sanchez, Laura Bignotti, Benjamin Loubet, Sue Grimmond, and William Morrison
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2109, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2109, 2026
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This study explores how city design and buildings affect CO2 levels in the air over Paris. Using a transport model, we tested different urban canopy models to represent the city environment and its influence on air motion. We found that realistic descriptions of urban surfaces are crucial, especially in winter, for accurately showing how CO2 builds up and disperses, leading to better satellite monitoring of city CO2 emissions.
Robert Schoetter, Cyril Caliot, Florent Retailleau, Tim Nagel, Christophe Coustet, Vincent Eymet, Vincent Forest, Frédéric Hourdin, Atsushi Inagaki, Simone Kotthaus, Valéry Masson, William Morrison, and Najda Villefranque
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2061, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2061, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscientific Model Development (GMD).
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Temperature, humidity, radiation, and wind can have a negative impact on human comfort and infrastructure in urban areas. Building-resolving meteorological models can help to quantify such meteorological impacts and the potential benefits of adaptation measures to climate change. Here, a new unified algorithm to calculate the radiation, heat conduction, and sensible heat exchange in urban areas is coupled with an atmospheric model, and evaluated against experimental data.
Yuya Takane, Yukihiro Kikegawa, Zhiwen Luo, Hiroyuki Kusaka, and Sue Grimmond
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1307, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1307, 2026
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We developed and released the single-layer urban canopy model coupled with building energy model v2. This incorporates a new scheme enabling dynamic changes in indoor temperature. This allows the model to be applied not only to air-conditioned conditions but also to non-air-conditioned scenarios, making it applicable to all seasons and cities worldwide. This upgrade facilitates the assessment of climate change adaptation measures for both outdoor and indoor environments.
Nahid Atashi, Xiaoyu Li, Sasu Karttunen, Riku Viri, Roy Harrison, Jani Strömberg, Aino Kaltianen, Matti Leinonen, Laura Ruotsalainen, and Leena Järvi
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-341, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-341, 2026
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We studied how switching to electric cars affects air quality in a new Helsinki neighborhood. Using advanced computer models, we found that a full shift to electric vehicles by 2040 will cut the number of tiny harmful particles by 60 % because tailpipe exhaust is removed. However, the total weight of these particles will actually increase by 15 % due to heavier vehicles causing more tire and road wear. This shows that urban planners must look beyond just engines maintain urban air quality.
Tiancheng Ma, Denise Hertwig, Megan McGrory, Matthew Paskin, and Sue Grimmond
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6060, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6060, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscientific Model Development (GMD).
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Transport impacts emissions (heat, pollutants), which needs to be represented in high-resolution urban models. We introduce the transport model MATSDA and evaluate its route finding for car journeys in London, UK. The model shows high skill at identifying major travel corridors and associated travel durations, capturing day type and time-of-day dependency (rush-hour v. off-peak). MATSDA offers dynamic human movement patterns for transport research in the context of urban climate modelling.
Clara Jaén, Mireia Udina, Roy Harrison, Joan O. Grimalt, and Barend L. Van Drooge
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 18389–18407, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18389-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18389-2025, 2025
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Distance changes air pollution in a city, but so does the time of the day and the year, due to varying emission sources and weather conditions. These changes were studied at ground level and 400 meters above the city, and showed that wood burning affected the air quality in winter, while products of atmospheric reaction processes dominated the air in summer. Traffic emissions arrive to the elevated site during the day, while they were trapped at lower level in the night.
Russell H. Glazer, Sue Grimmond, Lewis Blunn, Daniel Fenner, Humphrey Lean, Andreas Christen, Will Morrison, Dana Looschelders, and Jonathan K. P. Shonk
Weather Clim. Dynam., 6, 1723–1742, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-6-1723-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-6-1723-2025, 2025
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In this study we use very high resolution numerical weather prediction model simulations of the Berlin, Germany region along with assessment of field campaign observations to understand better the impact of urban areas on the near-surface boundary layer. We find that there a clear affect of urban areas up to 15 km downwind of the city centre in both the field campaign observations and the high resolution model.
Aino Ovaska, Elio Rauth, Daniel Holmberg, Paulo Artaxo, John Backman, Benjamin Bergmans, Don Collins, Marco Aurélio Franco, Shahzad Gani, Roy M. Harrison, Rakesh K. Hooda, Tareq Hussein, Antti-Pekka Hyvärinen, Kerneels Jaars, Adam Kristensson, Markku Kulmala, Lauri Laakso, Ari Laaksonen, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Colin O'Dowd, Jakub Ondracek, Tuukka Petäjä, Kristina Plauškaitė, Mira Pöhlker, Ximeng Qi, Peter Tunved, Ville Vakkari, Alfred Wiedensohler, Kai Puolamäki, Tuomo Nieminen, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Victoria A. Sinclair, and Pauli Paasonen
Aerosol Research, 3, 589–618, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-589-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-589-2025, 2025
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We trained machine learning models to estimate the number of aerosol particles large enough to form clouds and generated daily estimates for the entire globe. The models performed well in many continental regions but struggled in remote and marine areas. Still, this approach offers a way to quantify these particles in areas that lack direct measurements, helping us understand their influence on clouds and climate on a global scale.
William Morrison, Dana Looschelders, Jonnathan Céspedes, Bernie Claxton, Marc-Antoine Drouin, Jean-Charles Dupont, Aurélien Faucheux, Martial Haeffelin, Christopher C. Holst, Simone Kotthaus, Valéry Masson, James McGregor, Jeremy Price, Matthias Zeeman, Sue Grimmond, and Andreas Christen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 6507–6529, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6507-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6507-2025, 2025
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We conducted research using sophisticated wind sensors to better understand wind patterns in Paris. By installing these sensors across the city, we gathered detailed data on wind speeds and directions from 2022 to 2024. This information helps improve weather and climate models, making them more accurate for city environments. Our findings offer valuable insights for scientists studying urban air and weather, improving predictions and understanding of city-scale atmospheric processes.
Huang Zheng, Shaofei Kong, Deping Ding, Marjan Savadkoohi, Congbo Song, Mingming Zheng, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 16363–16386, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16363-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16363-2025, 2025
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This study analyzes 13 years of BC (black carbon) data in China, uncovering patterns in its concentration and sources. Spatial-temporal variations and trends of BC are reported. Our analysis revealed that the reduction rates of BC and its sources varied across different station types, with spatial differences in the drivers of reduction. These long-term observations provide valuable insights to enhance understanding of pollution trends and improve models for predicting air quality.
Laura Bouillon, Valérie Gros, Morgan Lopez, Nicolas Bonnaire, Carole Philippon, Camille Yver Kwok, Leslie David, Olivier Perrussel, Olivier Sanchez, Simone Kotthaus, Jean-Eudes Petit, Philippe Ciais, and Michel Ramonet
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-602, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-602, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for ESSD
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The Saclay observatory, 20 km southwest of Paris, monitored greenhouse and reactive gases, as well as aerosols, over 10 years to assess the impact of urban emissions. By comparing downwind and background conditions, the study revealed significant reductions in pollutants linked to traffic: -35.6 % for CO, -52.3 % for NOₓ, -56.7 % for eBC, and -15 % for CO2. These trends align with emission decrease estimates from AIRPARIF inventories over the same period.
Nimra Iqbal, Marvin Ravan, Zina Mitraka, Joern Birkmann, Sue Grimmond, Denise Hertwig, Nektarios Chrysoulakis, Giorgos Somarakis, Angela Wendnagel-Beck, and Emmanouil Panagiotakis
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 2481–2502, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-2481-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-2481-2025, 2025
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This work deepens the understanding of how perceived heat stress, human vulnerability (e.g. age, income) and adaptive capacities (e.g. green, shaded spaces) are coupled with urban structures. The results show that perceived heat stress decreases with distance from the urban center, however, human vulnerability and adaptive capacities depend more strongly on inner variations and differences between urban structures. Planning policies and adaptation strategies should account for these differences.
Ludovico Di Antonio, Matthias Beekmann, Guillaume Siour, Vincent Michoud, Christopher Cantrell, Astrid Bauville, Antonin Bergé, Mathieu Cazaunau, Servanne Chevaillier, Manuela Cirtog, Joel F. de Brito, Paola Formenti, Cecile Gaimoz, Olivier Garret, Aline Gratien, Valérie Gros, Martial Haeffelin, Lelia N. Hawkins, Simone Kotthaus, Gael Noyalet, Diana L. Pereira, Jean-Eudes Petit, Eva Drew Pronovost, Véronique Riffault, Chenjie Yu, Gilles Foret, Jean-François Doussin, and Claudia Di Biagio
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4803–4831, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4803-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4803-2025, 2025
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The summer of 2022 has been considered a proxy for future climate scenarios due to its hot and dry conditions. In this paper, we use the measurements from the Atmospheric Chemistry of the Suburban Forest (ACROSS) campaign, conducted in the Paris area in June–July 2022, along with observations from existing networks, to evaluate a 3D chemistry transport model (WRF–CHIMERE) simulation. Results are shown to be satisfactory, allowing us to explain the gas and aerosol variability at the campaign sites.
Natalie M. Mahowald, Longlei Li, Julius Vira, Marje Prank, Douglas S. Hamilton, Hitoshi Matsui, Ron L. Miller, P. Louis Lu, Ezgi Akyuz, Daphne Meidan, Peter Hess, Heikki Lihavainen, Christine Wiedinmyer, Jenny Hand, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Célia Alves, Andres Alastuey, Paulo Artaxo, Africa Barreto, Francisco Barraza, Silvia Becagli, Giulia Calzolai, Shankararaman Chellam, Ying Chen, Patrick Chuang, David D. Cohen, Cristina Colombi, Evangelia Diapouli, Gaetano Dongarra, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Johann Engelbrecht, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Cassandra Gaston, Dario Gomez, Yenny González Ramos, Roy M. Harrison, Chris Heyes, Barak Herut, Philip Hopke, Christoph Hüglin, Maria Kanakidou, Zsofia Kertesz, Zbigniew Klimont, Katriina Kyllönen, Fabrice Lambert, Xiaohong Liu, Remi Losno, Franco Lucarelli, Willy Maenhaut, Beatrice Marticorena, Randall V. Martin, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera-Gómez, Adina Paytan, Joseph Prospero, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricia Smichowski, Daniela Varrica, Brenna Walsh, Crystal L. Weagle, and Xi Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4665–4702, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, 2025
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Aerosol particles are an important part of the Earth system, but their concentrations are spatially and temporally heterogeneous, as well as being variable in size and composition. Here, we present a new compilation of PM2.5 and PM10 aerosol observations, focusing on the spatial variability across different observational stations, including composition, and demonstrate a method for comparing the data sets to model output.
James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Eija Asmi, Aki Virkkula, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Mikko Sipilä, Floortje Van Den Heuvel, Thomas Lachlan-Cope, Anna Jones, Markus Frey, Angelo Lupi, Jiyeon Park, Young Jun Yoon, Rolf Weller, Giselle L. Marincovich, Gabriela C. Mulena, Roy M. Harrison, and Manuel Dall'Osto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1145–1162, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1145-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1145-2025, 2025
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Our results emphasise how understanding the geographical variation in surface types across the Antarctic is key to understanding secondary aerosol sources.
Xiansheng Liu, Xun Zhang, Marvin Dufresne, Tao Wang, Lijie Wu, Rosa Lara, Roger Seco, Marta Monge, Ana Maria Yáñez-Serrano, Marie Gohy, Paul Petit, Audrey Chevalier, Marie-Pierre Vagnot, Yann Fortier, Alexia Baudic, Véronique Ghersi, Grégory Gille, Ludovic Lanzi, Valérie Gros, Leïla Simon, Heidi Héllen, Stefan Reimann, Zoé Le Bras, Michelle Jessy Müller, David Beddows, Siqi Hou, Zongbo Shi, Roy M. Harrison, William Bloss, James Dernie, Stéphane Sauvage, Philip K. Hopke, Xiaoli Duan, Taicheng An, Alastair C. Lewis, James R. Hopkins, Eleni Liakakou, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Xiaohu Zhang, Andrés Alastuey, Xavier Querol, and Thérèse Salameh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 625–638, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-625-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-625-2025, 2025
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This study examines BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes) pollution in urban areas across seven European countries. Analyzing data from 22 monitoring sites, we found traffic and industrial activities significantly impact BTEX levels, with peaks during rush hours. The risk from BTEX exposure remains moderate, especially in high-traffic and industrial zones, highlighting the need for targeted air quality management to protect public health and improve urban air quality.
Pamela A. Dominutti, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Anouk Marsal, Takoua Mhadhbi, Rhabira Elazzouzi, Camille Rak, Fabrizia Cavalli, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Despina Paraskevopoulou, Ian Mudway, Athanasios Nenes, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Catherine Banach, Steven J. Campbell, Hana Cigánková, Daniele Contini, Greg Evans, Maria Georgopoulou, Manuella Ghanem, Drew A. Glencross, Maria Rachele Guascito, Hartmut Herrmann, Saima Iram, Maja Jovanović, Milena Jovašević-Stojanović, Markus Kalberer, Ingeborg M. Kooter, Suzanne E. Paulson, Anil Patel, Esperanza Perdrix, Maria Chiara Pietrogrande, Pavel Mikuška, Jean-Jacques Sauvain, Katerina Seitanidi, Pourya Shahpoury, Eduardo J. d. S. Souza, Sarah Steimer, Svetlana Stevanovic, Guillaume Suarez, P. S. Ganesh Subramanian, Battist Utinger, Marloes F. van Os, Vishal Verma, Xing Wang, Rodney J. Weber, Yuhan Yang, Xavier Querol, Gerard Hoek, Roy M. Harrison, and Gaëlle Uzu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 177–195, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-177-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-177-2025, 2025
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In this work, 20 labs worldwide collaborated to evaluate the measurement of air pollution's oxidative potential (OP), a key indicator of its harmful effects. The study aimed to identify disparities in the widely used OP dithiothreitol assay and assess the consistency of OP among labs using the same protocol. The results showed that half of the labs achieved acceptable results. However, variability was also found, highlighting the need for standardisation in OP procedures.
Martial Haeffelin, Jean-François Ribaud, Jonnathan Céspedes, Jean-Charles Dupont, Aude Lemonsu, Valéry Masson, Tim Nagel, and Simone Kotthaus
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 14101–14122, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14101-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14101-2024, 2024
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This study highlights how the state of the urban atmospheric boundary layer impacts urban park cooling effect intensity at night. Under summertime heat wave conditions, the urban atmosphere becomes stable at night, which inhibits turbulent motions. Under those specific conditions, urban parks and woods cool much more efficiently than the surrounding built-up neighbourhoods in the evening and through the night, providing cooler air temperatures by 4 to 6° C depending on park size.
Matthias Zeeman, Andreas Christen, Sue Grimmond, Daniel Fenner, William Morrison, Gregor Feigel, Markus Sulzer, and Nektarios Chrysoulakis
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 13, 393–424, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-393-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-13-393-2024, 2024
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This study presents an overview of a data system for documenting, processing, managing, and publishing data streams from research networks of atmospheric and environmental sensors of varying complexity in urban environments. Our solutions aim to deliver resilient, near-time data using freely available software.
Jonnathan Céspedes, Simone Kotthaus, Jana Preissler, Clément Toupoint, Ludovic Thobois, Marc-Antoine Drouin, Jean-Charles Dupont, Aurélien Faucheux, and Martial Haeffelin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11477–11496, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11477-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11477-2024, 2024
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The low-level jet (LLJ) is common in Paris during summer. The LLJ core height and speed significantly influence vertical mixing in the urban boundary layer, which affects air temperature variations between the urban canopy layer and surrounding rural areas, determining the urban heat island (UHI) intensity. This study highlights the importance of wind profile observations for understanding urban boundary layer dynamics and near-surface atmospheric conditions relevant to health.
Alex Rowell, James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Zongbo Shi, Avinash Kumar, Matti Rissanen, Miikka Dal Maso, Peter Mettke, Kay Weinhold, Maik Merkel, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10349–10361, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10349-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10349-2024, 2024
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Ions enhance the formation and growth rates of new particles, affecting the Earth's radiation budget. Despite these effects, there is little published data exploring the sources of ions in the urban environment and their role in new particle formation (NPF). Here we show that natural ion sources dominate in urban environments, while traffic is a secondary source. Ions contribute up to 12.7 % of the formation rate of particles, indicating that they are important for forming urban PM.
Alex Rowell, James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Tuukka Petäjä, Máté Vörösmarty, Imre Salma, Jarkko V. Niemi, Hanna E. Manninen, Dominik van Pinxteren, Thomas Tuch, Kay Weinhold, Zongbo Shi, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9515–9531, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9515-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9515-2024, 2024
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Different sources of airborne particles in the atmospheres of four European cities were distinguished by recognising their particle size distributions using a statistical procedure, positive matrix factorisation. The various sources responded differently to the changes in emissions associated with COVID-19 lockdowns, and the reasons are investigated. While traffic emissions generally decreased, particles formed from reactions of atmospheric gases decreased in some cities but increased in others.
Marco Paglione, David C. S. Beddows, Anna Jones, Thomas Lachlan-Cope, Matteo Rinaldi, Stefano Decesari, Francesco Manarini, Mara Russo, Karam Mansour, Roy M. Harrison, Andrea Mazzanti, Emilio Tagliavini, and Manuel Dall'Osto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6305–6322, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6305-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6305-2024, 2024
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Applying factor analysis techniques to H-NMR spectra, we present the organic aerosol (OA) source apportionment of PM1 samples collected in parallel at two Antarctic stations, namely Signy and Halley, allowing investigation of aerosol–climate interactions in an unperturbed atmosphere. Our results show remarkable differences between pelagic (open-ocean) and sympagic (sea-ice-influenced) air masses and indicate that various sources and processes are controlling Antarctic aerosols.
Jianghao Li, Alastair C. Lewis, Jim R. Hopkins, Stephen J. Andrews, Tim Murrells, Neil Passant, Ben Richmond, Siqi Hou, William J. Bloss, Roy M. Harrison, and Zongbo Shi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6219–6231, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6219-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6219-2024, 2024
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A summertime ozone event at an urban site in Birmingham is sensitive to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – particularly those of oxygenated VOCs. The roles of anthropogenic VOC sources in urban ozone chemistry are examined by integrating the 1990–2019 national atmospheric emission inventory into model scenarios. Road transport remains the most powerful means of further reducing ozone in this case study, but the benefits may be offset if solvent emissions of VOCs continue to increase.
Natalie M. Mahowald, Longlei Li, Julius Vira, Marje Prank, Douglas S. Hamilton, Hitoshi Matsui, Ron L. Miller, Louis Lu, Ezgi Akyuz, Daphne Meidan, Peter Hess, Heikki Lihavainen, Christine Wiedinmyer, Jenny Hand, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Célia Alves, Andres Alastuey, Paulo Artaxo, Africa Barreto, Francisco Barraza, Silvia Becagli, Giulia Calzolai, Shankarararman Chellam, Ying Chen, Patrick Chuang, David D. Cohen, Cristina Colombi, Evangelia Diapouli, Gaetano Dongarra, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Cassandra Gaston, Dario Gomez, Yenny González Ramos, Hannele Hakola, Roy M. Harrison, Chris Heyes, Barak Herut, Philip Hopke, Christoph Hüglin, Maria Kanakidou, Zsofia Kertesz, Zbiginiw Klimont, Katriina Kyllönen, Fabrice Lambert, Xiaohong Liu, Remi Losno, Franco Lucarelli, Willy Maenhaut, Beatrice Marticorena, Randall V. Martin, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera-Gomez, Adina Paytan, Joseph Prospero, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricia Smichowski, Daniela Varrica, Brenna Walsh, Crystal Weagle, and Xi Zhao
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-1, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-1, 2024
Preprint withdrawn
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Aerosol particles can interact with incoming solar radiation and outgoing long wave radiation, change cloud properties, affect photochemistry, impact surface air quality, and when deposited impact surface albedo of snow and ice, and modulate carbon dioxide uptake by the land and ocean. Here we present a new compilation of aerosol observations including composition, a methodology for comparing the datasets to model output, and show the implications of these results using one model.
Ting Sun, Hamidreza Omidvar, Zhenkun Li, Ning Zhang, Wenjuan Huang, Simone Kotthaus, Helen C. Ward, Zhiwen Luo, and Sue Grimmond
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 91–116, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-91-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-91-2024, 2024
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For the first time, we coupled a state-of-the-art urban land surface model – Surface Urban Energy and Water Scheme (SUEWS) – with the widely-used Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, creating an open-source tool that may benefit multiple applications. We tested our new system at two UK sites and demonstrated its potential by examining how human activities in various areas of Greater London influence local weather conditions.
Megan A. Stretton, William Morrison, Robin J. Hogan, and Sue Grimmond
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 5931–5947, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5931-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-5931-2023, 2023
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Cities' materials and forms impact radiative fluxes. We evaluate the SPARTACUS-Urban multi-layer approach to modelling longwave radiation, describing realistic 3D geometry statistically using the explicit DART (Discrete Anisotropic Radiative Transfer) model. The temperature configurations used are derived from thermal camera observations. SPARTACUS-Urban accurately predicts longwave fluxes, with a low computational time (cf. DART), but has larger errors with sunlit/shaded surface temperatures.
Junxia Dou, Sue Grimmond, Shiguang Miao, Bei Huang, Huimin Lei, and Mingshui Liao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 13143–13166, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13143-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13143-2023, 2023
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Multi-timescale variations in surface energy fluxes in a suburb of Beijing are analyzed using 16-month observations. Compared to previous suburban areas, this study site has larger seasonal variability in energy partitioning, and summer and winter Bowen ratios are at the lower and higher end of those at other suburban sites, respectively. Our analysis indicates that precipitation, irrigation, crop/vegetation growth activity, and land use/cover all play critical roles in energy partitioning.
Jinghui Lian, Thomas Lauvaux, Hervé Utard, François-Marie Bréon, Grégoire Broquet, Michel Ramonet, Olivier Laurent, Ivonne Albarus, Mali Chariot, Simone Kotthaus, Martial Haeffelin, Olivier Sanchez, Olivier Perrussel, Hugo Anne Denier van der Gon, Stijn Nicolaas Camiel Dellaert, and Philippe Ciais
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8823–8835, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8823-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8823-2023, 2023
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This study quantifies urban CO2 emissions via an atmospheric inversion for the Paris metropolitan area over a 6-year period from 2016 to 2021. Results show a long-term decreasing trend of about 2 % ± 0.6 % per year in the annual CO2 emissions over Paris. We conclude that our current capacity can deliver near-real-time CO2 emission estimates at the city scale in under a month, and the results agree within 10 % with independent estimates from multiple city-scale inventories.
Clarissa Baldo, Paola Formenti, Claudia Di Biagio, Gongda Lu, Congbo Song, Mathieu Cazaunau, Edouard Pangui, Jean-Francois Doussin, Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserova, Olafur Arnalds, David Beddows, A. Robert MacKenzie, and Zongbo Shi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 7975–8000, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7975-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7975-2023, 2023
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This paper presents new shortwave spectral complex refractive index and single scattering albedo data for Icelandic dust. Our results show that the imaginary part of the complex refractive index of Icelandic dust is at the upper end of the range of low-latitude dust. Furthermore, we observed that Icelandic dust is more absorbing towards the near-infrared, which we attribute to its high magnetite content. These findings are important for modeling dust aerosol radiative effects in the Arctic.
Joanna E. Dyson, Lisa K. Whalley, Eloise J. Slater, Robert Woodward-Massey, Chunxiang Ye, James D. Lee, Freya Squires, James R. Hopkins, Rachel E. Dunmore, Marvin Shaw, Jacqueline F. Hamilton, Alastair C. Lewis, Stephen D. Worrall, Asan Bacak, Archit Mehra, Thomas J. Bannan, Hugh Coe, Carl J. Percival, Bin Ouyang, C. Nicholas Hewitt, Roderic L. Jones, Leigh R. Crilley, Louisa J. Kramer, W. Joe F. Acton, William J. Bloss, Supattarachai Saksakulkrai, Jingsha Xu, Zongbo Shi, Roy M. Harrison, Simone Kotthaus, Sue Grimmond, Yele Sun, Weiqi Xu, Siyao Yue, Lianfang Wei, Pingqing Fu, Xinming Wang, Stephen R. Arnold, and Dwayne E. Heard
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5679–5697, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5679-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5679-2023, 2023
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The hydroxyl (OH) and closely coupled hydroperoxyl (HO2) radicals are vital for their role in the removal of atmospheric pollutants. In less polluted regions, atmospheric models over-predict HO2 concentrations. In this modelling study, the impact of heterogeneous uptake of HO2 onto aerosol surfaces on radical concentrations and the ozone production regime in Beijing in the summertime is investigated, and the implications for emissions policies across China are considered.
James Brean, David C. S. Beddows, Roy M. Harrison, Congbo Song, Peter Tunved, Johan Ström, Radovan Krejci, Eyal Freud, Andreas Massling, Henrik Skov, Eija Asmi, Angelo Lupi, and Manuel Dall'Osto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2183–2198, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2183-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2183-2023, 2023
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Our results emphasize how understanding the geographical variation in surface types across the Arctic is key to understanding secondary aerosol sources. We provide a harmonised analysis of new particle formation across the Arctic.
Simone Kotthaus, Juan Antonio Bravo-Aranda, Martine Collaud Coen, Juan Luis Guerrero-Rascado, Maria João Costa, Domenico Cimini, Ewan J. O'Connor, Maxime Hervo, Lucas Alados-Arboledas, María Jiménez-Portaz, Lucia Mona, Dominique Ruffieux, Anthony Illingworth, and Martial Haeffelin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 433–479, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-433-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-433-2023, 2023
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Profile observations of the atmospheric boundary layer now allow for layer heights and characteristics to be derived at high temporal and vertical resolution. With novel high-density ground-based remote-sensing measurement networks emerging, horizontal information content is also increasing. This review summarises the capabilities and limitations of various sensors and retrieval algorithms which need to be considered during the harmonisation of data products for high-impact applications.
Matthew Boyer, Diego Aliaga, Jakob Boyd Pernov, Hélène Angot, Lauriane L. J. Quéléver, Lubna Dada, Benjamin Heutte, Manuel Dall'Osto, David C. S. Beddows, Zoé Brasseur, Ivo Beck, Silvia Bucci, Marina Duetsch, Andreas Stohl, Tiia Laurila, Eija Asmi, Andreas Massling, Daniel Charles Thomas, Jakob Klenø Nøjgaard, Tak Chan, Sangeeta Sharma, Peter Tunved, Radovan Krejci, Hans Christen Hansson, Federico Bianchi, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Alfred Wiedensohler, Kay Weinhold, Markku Kulmala, Tuukka Petäjä, Mikko Sipilä, Julia Schmale, and Tuija Jokinen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 389–415, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-389-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-389-2023, 2023
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The Arctic is a unique environment that is warming faster than other locations on Earth. We evaluate measurements of aerosol particles, which can influence climate, over the central Arctic Ocean for a full year and compare the data to land-based measurement stations across the Arctic. Our measurements show that the central Arctic has similarities to but also distinct differences from the stations further south. We note that this may change as the Arctic warms and sea ice continues to decline.
Andreas Plach, Rolf Rüfenacht, Simone Kotthaus, and Markus Leuenberger
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1019, 2022
Preprint archived
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Greenhouse gases emissions are contributing to global warming and it is essential to better understand where they originate from and how they are transported. In this study we analyze greenhouse gas observations at a Swiss tall tower where measurements are taken more than 200 m above ground and investigate their origin by looking at the condition of the atmosphere at the time of the observations. We find that most pollution at this site is caused from emissions transported from further away.
Mathew Lipson, Sue Grimmond, Martin Best, Winston T. L. Chow, Andreas Christen, Nektarios Chrysoulakis, Andrew Coutts, Ben Crawford, Stevan Earl, Jonathan Evans, Krzysztof Fortuniak, Bert G. Heusinkveld, Je-Woo Hong, Jinkyu Hong, Leena Järvi, Sungsoo Jo, Yeon-Hee Kim, Simone Kotthaus, Keunmin Lee, Valéry Masson, Joseph P. McFadden, Oliver Michels, Wlodzimierz Pawlak, Matthias Roth, Hirofumi Sugawara, Nigel Tapper, Erik Velasco, and Helen Claire Ward
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 5157–5178, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5157-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5157-2022, 2022
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We describe a new openly accessible collection of atmospheric observations from 20 cities around the world, capturing 50 site years. The observations capture local meteorology (temperature, humidity, wind, etc.) and the energy fluxes between the land and atmosphere (e.g. radiation and sensible and latent heat fluxes). These observations can be used to improve our understanding of urban climate processes and to test the accuracy of urban climate models.
Alfred W. Mayhew, Ben H. Lee, Joel A. Thornton, Thomas J. Bannan, James Brean, James R. Hopkins, James D. Lee, Beth S. Nelson, Carl Percival, Andrew R. Rickard, Marvin D. Shaw, Peter M. Edwards, and Jaqueline F. Hamilton
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 14783–14798, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14783-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14783-2022, 2022
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Isoprene nitrates are chemical species commonly found in the atmosphere that are important for their impacts on air quality and climate. This paper compares 3 different representations of the chemistry of isoprene nitrates in computational models highlighting cases where the choice of chemistry included has significant impacts on the concentration and composition of the modelled nitrates. Calibration of mass spectrometers is also shown to be an important factor when analysing isoprene nitrates.
Andrea Mazzeo, Michael Burrow, Andrew Quinn, Eloise A. Marais, Ajit Singh, David Ng'ang'a, Michael J. Gatari, and Francis D. Pope
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 10677–10701, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10677-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10677-2022, 2022
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A modelling system for meteorology and chemistry transport processes, WRF–CHIMERE, has been tested and validated for three East African conurbations using the most up-to-date anthropogenic emissions available. Results show that the model is able to reproduce hourly and daily temporal variabilities in aerosol concentrations that are close to observations in both urban and rural environments, encouraging the adoption of numerical modelling as a tool for air quality management in East Africa.
Will S. Drysdale, Adam R. Vaughan, Freya A. Squires, Sam J. Cliff, Stefan Metzger, David Durden, Natchaya Pingintha-Durden, Carole Helfter, Eiko Nemitz, C. Sue B. Grimmond, Janet Barlow, Sean Beevers, Gregor Stewart, David Dajnak, Ruth M. Purvis, and James D. Lee
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9413–9433, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9413-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9413-2022, 2022
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Measurements of NOx emissions are important for a good understanding of air quality. While there are many direct measurements of NOx concentration, there are very few measurements of its emission. Measurements of emissions provide constraints on emissions inventories and air quality models. This article presents measurements of NOx emission from the BT Tower in central London in 2017 and compares them with inventories, finding that they underestimate by a factor of ∼1.48.
Dimitrios Bousiotis, David C. S. Beddows, Ajit Singh, Molly Haugen, Sebastián Diez, Pete M. Edwards, Adam Boies, Roy M. Harrison, and Francis D. Pope
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4047–4061, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4047-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4047-2022, 2022
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In the last decade, low-cost sensors have revolutionised the field of air quality monitoring. This paper extends the ability of low-cost sensors to not only measure air pollution, but also to understand where the pollution comes from. This "source apportionment" is a critical step in air quality management to allow for the mitigation of air pollution. The techniques developed in this paper have the potential for great impact in both research and industrial applications.
Tony Bush, Nick Papaioannou, Felix Leach, Francis D. Pope, Ajit Singh, G. Neil Thomas, Brian Stacey, and Suzanne Bartington
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3261–3278, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3261-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3261-2022, 2022
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Poor air quality is a human health risk which demands high-spatiotemporal-resolution monitoring data to manage. Low-cost air quality sensors present a convenient pathway to delivering these needs, compared to traditional methods, but bring methodological challenges which can limit operational ability. In this study within Oxford, UK, we develop machine learning methods to improve the quality of low-cost sensors for NO2, PM10 (particulate matter) and PM2.5 and demonstrate their effectiveness.
Ülkü Alver Şahin, Roy M. Harrison, Mohammed S. Alam, David C. S. Beddows, Dimitrios Bousiotis, Zongbo Shi, Leigh R. Crilley, William Bloss, James Brean, Isha Khanna, and Rulan Verma
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5415–5433, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5415-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5415-2022, 2022
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Wide-range particle size spectra have been measured in three seasons in Delhi and are interpreted in terms of sources and processes. Condensational growth is a major feature of the fine fraction, and a coarse fraction contributes substantially – but only in summer.
Yiqing Liu, Zhiwen Luo, and Sue Grimmond
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 4721–4735, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4721-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4721-2022, 2022
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Anthropogenic heat emission from buildings is important for atmospheric modelling in cities. The current building anthropogenic heat flux is simplified by building energy consumption. Our research proposes a novel approach to determine ‘real’ building anthropogenic heat emission from the changes in energy balance fluxes between occupied and unoccupied buildings. We hope to provide new insights into future parameterisations of building anthropogenic heat flux in urban climate models.
Hamidreza Omidvar, Ting Sun, Sue Grimmond, Dave Bilesbach, Andrew Black, Jiquan Chen, Zexia Duan, Zhiqiu Gao, Hiroki Iwata, and Joseph P. McFadden
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 3041–3078, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-3041-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-3041-2022, 2022
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This paper extends the applicability of the SUEWS to extensive pervious areas outside cities. We derived various parameters such as leaf area index, albedo, roughness parameters and surface conductance for non-urban areas. The relation between LAI and albedo is also explored. The methods and parameters discussed can be used for both online and offline simulations. Using appropriate parameters related to non-urban areas is essential for assessing urban–rural differences.
Yingze Tian, Xiaoning Wang, Peng Zhao, Zongbo Shi, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-1007, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-1007, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
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Chemical mass balance (CMB) is a widely used method to apportion the sources of PM2.5. We explore the sensitivity of CMB results to input data of organic markers only (OM-CMB) with a combination of organic and inorganic markers (IOM-CMB), as well as using different chemical profiles for sources. Our results indicate the superiority of combining inorganic and organic tracers and using locally-relevant source profiles in source apportionment of PM.
Jean-François Ribaud, Martial Haeffelin, Jean-Charles Dupont, Marc-Antoine Drouin, Felipe Toledo, and Simone Kotthaus
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7893–7907, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7893-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7893-2021, 2021
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PARAFOG is a near-real-time decision tool that aims to retrieve pre-fog alert levels minutes to hours prior to fog onset. The second version of PARAFOG allows us to discriminate between radiation and stratus lowering fog situations. It is based upon the combination of visibility observations and automatic lidar and ceilometer measurements. The overall performance of the second version of PARAFOG over more than 300 fog cases at five different locations presents a good perfomance.
Deepchandra Srivastava, Jingsha Xu, Tuan V. Vu, Di Liu, Linjie Li, Pingqing Fu, Siqi Hou, Natalia Moreno Palmerola, Zongbo Shi, and Roy M. Harrison
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14703–14724, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14703-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14703-2021, 2021
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This study presents the source apportionment of PM2.5 performed by positive matrix factorization (PMF) at urban and rural sites in Beijing. These factors are interpreted as traffic emissions, biomass burning, road and soil dust, coal and oil combustion, and secondary inorganics. PMF failed to resolve some sources identified by CMB and AMS and appears to overestimate the dust sources. Comparison with earlier PMF studies from the Beijing area highlights inconsistent findings using this method.
Michael Biggart, Jenny Stocker, Ruth M. Doherty, Oliver Wild, David Carruthers, Sue Grimmond, Yiqun Han, Pingqing Fu, and Simone Kotthaus
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13687–13711, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13687-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13687-2021, 2021
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Heat-related illnesses are of increasing concern in China given its rapid urbanisation and our ever-warming climate. We examine the relative impacts that land surface properties and anthropogenic heat have on the urban heat island (UHI) in Beijing using ADMS-Urban. Air temperature measurements and satellite-derived land surface temperatures provide valuable means of evaluating modelled spatiotemporal variations. This work provides critical information for urban planners and UHI mitigation.
Beth S. Nelson, Gareth J. Stewart, Will S. Drysdale, Mike J. Newland, Adam R. Vaughan, Rachel E. Dunmore, Pete M. Edwards, Alastair C. Lewis, Jacqueline F. Hamilton, W. Joe Acton, C. Nicholas Hewitt, Leigh R. Crilley, Mohammed S. Alam, Ülkü A. Şahin, David C. S. Beddows, William J. Bloss, Eloise Slater, Lisa K. Whalley, Dwayne E. Heard, James M. Cash, Ben Langford, Eiko Nemitz, Roberto Sommariva, Sam Cox, Shivani, Ranu Gadi, Bhola R. Gurjar, James R. Hopkins, Andrew R. Rickard, and James D. Lee
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13609–13630, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13609-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13609-2021, 2021
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Ozone production at an urban site in Delhi is sensitive to volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations, particularly those of the aromatic, monoterpene, and alkene VOC classes. The change in ozone production by varying atmospheric pollutants according to their sources, as defined in an emissions inventory, is investigated. The study suggests that reducing road transport emissions alone does not reduce reactive VOCs in the atmosphere enough to perturb an increase in ozone production.
Cited articles
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Goodman, P. S., and Tomlin, A. S.: Factors influencing particle number
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roadside site in Leicester, UK, Sci. Total Environ., 386, 65–82, 2007.
Alam, M. S., Rezaei, S. Z., Stark, C. P., Liang, Z., Xu, H. M., and Harrison
R. M.: The characterisation of diesel exhaust particles – composition, size
distribution and partitioning, Faraday Discuss., 189, 69–84, 2016.
Asmi, A., Wiedensohler, A., Laj, P., Fjaeraa, A.-M., Sellegri, K., Birmili,
W., Weingartner, E., Baltensperger, U., Zdimal, V., Zikova, N., Putaud,
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Lihavainen, H., Asmi, E., Ulevicius, V., Aalto, P. P., Swietlicki, E.,
Kristensson, A., Mihalopoulos, N., Kalivitis, N., Kalapov, I., Kiss, G., de
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S. G., Flentje, H., Weinhold, K., Meinhardt, F., Ries, L., and Kulmala, M.:
Number size distributions and seasonality of submicron particles in Europe
2008–2009, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 5505–5538,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-5505-2011, 2011.
Beddows, D. C. S., Dall'Osto, M., Harrison, R. M., Kulmala, M., Asmi, A.,
Wiedensohler, A., Laj, P., Fjaeraa, A. M., Sellegri, K., Birmili, W.,
Bukowiecki, N., Weingartner, E., Baltensperger, U., Zdimal, V., Zikova, N.,
Putaud, J.-P., Marinoni, A., Tunved, P., Hansson, H.-C., Fiebig, M., Kivekäs,
N., Swietlicki, E., Lihavainen, H., Asmi, E., Ulevicius, V., Aalto, P. P.,
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L., Denier van der Gon, H. A. C., and Visschedijk, A. J. H.: Variations in
tropospheric submicron particle size distributions across the European
continent 2008–2009, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 4327–4348,
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Beddows, D. C. S., Harrison, R. M., Green, D. C., and Fuller, G. W.: Receptor
modelling of both particle composition and size distribution from a
background site in London, UK, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 10107–10125,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-10107-2015, 2015.
Bigi, A. and Harrison, R. M.: Analysis of the air pollution climate at a
central urban background site, Atmos. Environ., 44, 2004–2012, 2010.
Bohnenstengel, S. I., Belcher, S. E., Aiken, A., Allan, J. D., Allen, G.,
Bacak, A., Bannan, T. J., Barlow, J. F., Beddows, D. C. S., Bloss, W. J.,
Booth, A. M., Chemel, C., Coceal, O., Di Marco, C. F., Dubey, M. K., Faloon,
K. H., Fleming, Z. L., Furger, M., Geitl, J. K., Graves, R. R., Green, D.
C., Grimmond, C. S. B., Halios, C. H., Hamilton, J. F., Harrison, R. M.,
Heal, M. R., Heard, D. E., Helfter, C., Herndon, S. C., Holmes, R. E.,
Hopkins, J. R., Jones, A. M., Kelly, F. J., Kotthaus, S., Langford, B., Lee,
J. D., Leigh, R. J., Lewis, A. C., Lidster, R. T., Lopez-Hilfiker, F. D.,
McQuaid, J. B., Mohr, C., Monks, P. S., Nemitz, E., Ng, N. L., Percival, C.
J., Prévôt, A. S. H., Ricketts, H. M. A., Sokhi, R., Stone, D.,
Thornton, J. A., Tremper, A. H., Valach, A. C., Visser, S., Whalley, L. K.,
Williams, L. R., Xu, L., Young, D. E., and Zotter, P.: Meteorology, air
quality, and health in London: The ClearfLo project, Am. Meteorol. Soc.,
779–804, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00245.1, 2015.
Bousiotis, D., Dall'Osto, M., Beddows, D. C. S., Pope, F. D., and Harrison,
R. M.: Analysis of New Particle Formation (NPF) Events at Nearby Rural, Urban
Background and Urban Roadside Sites, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss.,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2018-1057, in review, 2018.
Brines, M., Dall'Osto, M., Beddows, D. C. S., Harrison, R. M., Gómez-Moreno,
F., Núñez, L., Artíñano, B., Costabile, F., Gobbi, G. P., Salimi, F.,
Morawska, L., Sioutas, C., and Querol, X.: Traffic and nucleation events as
main sources of ultrafine particles in high-insolation developed world
cities, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 5929–5945,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5929-2015, 2015.
Carslaw, D. C. and Ropkins, K.: openair – An R package for air quality
data analysis, Environ. Model. Softw., 27–28, 52–61, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2011.09.008, 2012.
Charron, A. and Harrison, R. M.: Primary particle formation from vehicle
emissions during exhaust dilution in the roadside atmosphere, Atmos.
Environ., 37, 4109–4119, 2003.
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Short summary
Particle number size distributions were measured simultaneously at five sites in London during a campaign. Observations are interpreted in terms of both evaporative shrinkage of traffic-generated particles and condensational growth, probably of traffic-generated particles under cool nocturnal conditions, as well as the influence of particles emitted from Heathrow Airport at a distance of about 22 km. The work highlights the highly dynamic behaviour of nanoparticles within the urban atmosphere.
Particle number size distributions were measured simultaneously at five sites in London during a...
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