Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics,
University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Aerosol and Haze Laboratory, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for
Soft Matter Sciences and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical
Technology (BUCT), Beijing, China
Joint International Research Laboratory of Atmospheric and Earth
System Sciences, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University,
Nanjing, China
Faculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow,
Russia
Paul M. Winkler
Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Fast nanoparticle growth is essential for the survival of new aerosol particles in the atmosphere and hence their contribution to the climate. We show that using naturally charged ions for growth calculations can cause a significant error. During the diurnal cycle, the importance of ion-induced and neutral nucleation varies, causing the ion population to have a slower measurable apparent growth. Results suggest that data from ion spectrometers need to be considered with great care below 3 nm.
Fast nanoparticle growth is essential for the survival of new aerosol particles in the...