Articles | Volume 23, issue 16
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9287-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9287-2023
Research article
 | 
24 Aug 2023
Research article |  | 24 Aug 2023

Explaining apparent particle shrinkage related to new particle formation events in western Saudi Arabia does not require evaporation

Simo Hakala, Ville Vakkari, Heikki Lihavainen, Antti-Pekka Hyvärinen, Kimmo Neitola, Jenni Kontkanen, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Markku Kulmala, Tuukka Petäjä, Tareq Hussein, Mamdouh I. Khoder, Mansour A. Alghamdi, and Pauli Paasonen

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Cited articles

Al-Jeelani, H. A.: Diurnal and Seasonal Variations of Surface Ozone and Its Precursors in the Atmosphere of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, J. Environm. Prot., 5, 408–422, https://doi.org/10.4236/jep.2014.55044, 2014. 
Al-Jeelani, H. A.: Evaluation of air quality in the Holy Makkah during Hajj season 1425 H, Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 5, 115–121, 2009. 
Alghamdi, M. A., Khoder, M., Abdelmaksoud, A. S., Harrison, R. M., Hussein, T., Lihavainen, H., Al-Jeelani, H., Goknil, M. H., Shabbaj, I. I., Almehmadi, F. M., Hyvärinen, A. P., and Hämeri, K.: Seasonal and diurnal variations of BTEX and their potential for ozone formation in the urban background atmosphere of the coastal city Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Air Qual. Atmos. Hlth., 7, 467–480, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-014-0263-x, 2014. 
Alonso-Blanco, E., Gómez-Moreno, F. J., Núñez, L., Pujadas, M., Cusack, M., and Artíñano, B.: Aerosol particle shrinkage event phenomenology in a South European suburban area during 2009–2015, Atmos. Environ., 160, 154–164, doi”10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.04.013, 2017. 
Backman, J., Rizzo, L. V., Hakala, J., Nieminen, T., Manninen, H. E., Morais, F., Aalto, P. P., Siivola, E., Carbone, S., Hillamo, R., Artaxo, P., Virkkula, A., Petäjä, T., and Kulmala, M.: On the diurnal cycle of urban aerosols, black carbon and the occurrence of new particle formation events in springtime São Paulo, Brazil, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 12, 11733–11751, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-11733-2012, 2012. 
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Short summary
Things are not always as they first seem in ambient aerosol measurements. Observations of decreasing particle sizes are often interpreted as resulting from particle evaporation. We show that such observations can counterintuitively be explained by particles that are constantly growing in size. This requires one to account for the previous movements of the observed air. Our explanation implies a larger number of larger particles, meaning more significant effects of aerosols on climate and health.
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