Articles | Volume 25, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-11483-2025
© Author(s) 2025. 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-25-11483-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Seasonal differences in observed versus modelled new particle formation at two European boreal stations
Carl Svenhag
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
currently at: Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
Pontus Roldin
Department of Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Tinja Olenius
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Norrköping, Sweden
Robin Wollesen de Jonge
Department of Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
currently at: Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Sara M. Blichner
Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Daniel Yazgi
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Norrköping, Sweden
Moa K. Sporre
Department of Physics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Emma Axebrink, Moa K. Sporre, and Johan Friberg
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Bengt G. Martinsson, Johan Friberg, Oscar S. Sandvik, and Moa K. Sporre
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Large amounts of wildfire smoke reached the stratosphere in 2017. The literature on stratospheric aerosol is mainly based on horizontally viewing sensors that saturate in dense smoke. Using also a vertically viewing sensor with orders of magnitude shorter path in the smoke, we show that the horizontally viewing sensors miss a dramatic exponential decline of the aerosol load with a half-life of 10 d, where 80 %–90 % of smoke is lost. We attribute the decline to photolytic loss of organic aerosol.
Sara Marie Blichner, Moa Kristina Sporre, and Terje Koren Berntsen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17243–17265, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17243-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17243-2021, 2021
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In this study we quantify how a new way of modeling the formation of new particles in the atmosphere affects the estimated cooling from aerosol–cloud interactions since pre-industrial times. Our improved scheme merges two common approaches to aerosol modeling: a sectional scheme for treating early growth and the pre-existing modal scheme in NorESM. We find that the cooling from aerosol–cloud interactions since pre-industrial times is reduced by 10 % when the new scheme is used.
Oscar S. Sandvik, Johan Friberg, Moa K. Sporre, and Bengt G. Martinsson
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A method to form SO2 profiles in the stratosphere with high vertical resolution following volcanic eruptions is introduced. The method combines space-based high-resolution vertical aerosol profiles and SO2 measurements the first 2 weeks after an eruption with air mass trajectory analyses. The SO2 is located at higher altitude than in most previous studies. The detailed resolution of the SO2 profile is unprecedented compared to other methods.
Sara M. Blichner, Moa K. Sporre, Risto Makkonen, and Terje K. Berntsen
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Aerosol–cloud interactions are the largest contributor to climate forcing uncertainty. In this study we combine two common approaches to aerosol representation in global models: a sectional scheme, which is closer to first principals, for the smallest particles forming in the atmosphere and a log-modal scheme, which is faster, for the larger particles. With this approach, we improve the aerosol representation compared to observations, while only increasing the computational cost by 15 %.
Anna Shcherbacheva, Tracey Balehowsky, Jakub Kubečka, Tinja Olenius, Tapio Helin, Heikki Haario, Marko Laine, Theo Kurtén, and Hanna Vehkamäki
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 15867–15906, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15867-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15867-2020, 2020
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Atmospheric new particle formation and cluster growth to aerosol particles is an important field of research, in particular due to the climate change phenomenon. Evaporation rates are very difficult to account for but they are important to explain the formation and growth of particles. Different quantum chemistry (QC) methods produce substantially different values for the evaporation rates. We propose a novel approach for inferring evaporation rates of clusters from available measurements.
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Short summary
This study is an investigation of the model representation of how particles are formed and grow in the atmosphere. Using modelled and observed data from two boreal forest stations in 2018, we identify key factors for new particle formation to improve particle climate predictions in the global EC-Earth3 model. Comparisons with the detailed ADCHEM model show that adding ammonia improves particle growth predictions, though EC-Earth3 still greatly underestimates the number of particles during warmer months.
This study is an investigation of the model representation of how particles are formed and grow...
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