Articles | Volume 26, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-16003-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-16003-2026
Research article
 | 
12 Nov 2026
Research article |  | 12 Nov 2026

New particle formation contribution to aerosol mass: regimes and implications for future urban environments

Runlong Cai, Shimeng Xu, Veli-Matti Kerminen, and Markku Kulmala

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Cited articles

Aalto, P., Hämeri, K., Becker, E., Weber, R., Salm, J., Mäkelä, J. M., Hoell, C., O'dowd, C. D., Karlsson, H., Hansson, H.-C., Väkevä, M., Koponen, I. K., Buzorius, G., and Kulmala, M.: Physical characterization of aerosol particles during nucleation events, Tellus B, 53, https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v53i4.17127, 2001. 
An, Z., Huang, R. J., Zhang, R., Tie, X., Li, G., Cao, J., Zhou, W., Shi, Z., Han, Y., Gu, Z., and Ji, Y.: Severe haze in northern China: A synergy of anthropogenic emissions and atmospheric processes, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 116, 8657–8666, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1900125116, 2019. 
Cai, R.: Data for Cai et al. New particle formation contribution to aerosol mass: regimes and implications for future urban environments, Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22037135, 2026. 
Cai, R. and Jiang, J.: A new balance formula to estimate new particle formation rate: reevaluating the effect of coagulation scavenging, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 12659–12675, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-12659-2017, 2017. 
Cai, R., Chen, D.-R., Hao, J., and Jiang, J.: A miniature cylindrical differential mobility analyzer for sub-3 nm particle sizing, J. Aerosol Sci., 106, 111–119, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2017.01.004, 2017a. 
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Short summary
New particle formation (NPF) is a dominant global source of atmospheric particle number concentration and cloud condensation nuclei, yet its contribution to aerosol mass remains an open question. A prevailing hypothesis argues that vapors would partition into the particle phase regardless of the existence of new particles. Here we challenge this hypothesis by showing that NPF can significantly affect the aerosol surface area distribution and may further contribute significantly to aerosol mass.
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