Articles | Volume 26, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-1947-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-1947-2026
Research article
 | 
06 Feb 2026
Research article |  | 06 Feb 2026

Oxidation-driven acceleration of NPF-to-CCN conversion under polluted atmosphere: evidence from mountain-top observations in Yangtze River Delta

Weibin Zhu, Sai Shang, Jieqi Wang, Yunfei Wu, Zhaoze Deng, Liang Ran, Ye Kuang, Guiqian Tang, Xiangpeng Huang, Xiaole Pan, Lanzhong Liu, Weiqi Xu, Yele Sun, Bo Hu, Zifa Wang, and Zirui Liu

Related authors

Contrasting aerosol mixing states at inland and coastal sites: an entropy-based metric for CCN activity
Jingye Ren, Wei Xu, Ru-Jin Huang, Fang Zhang, Ying Wang, Lu Chen, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Darius Ceburnis, Colin O'Dowd, and Yele Sun
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 2985–3000, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2985-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2985-2026, 2026
Short summary
Molecular composition and processing of aqueous secondary organic aerosol in clouds at a mountain site in southeastern China
Yali Jin, Hao Luo, Siqi Tang, Shuhui Xue, Chengyu Nie, Xiaocong Peng, Yan Zheng, Weiqi Xu, Guohua Zhang, Xiaole Pan, Yele Sun, Qi Chen, Lanzhong Liu, and Defeng Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 2813–2830, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2813-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2813-2026, 2026
Short summary
Aqueous OH-initiated photooxidation of smoke extracts from maize straw and coal combustion: optical character and molecular composition
Zhaolian Ye, Dandan Hu, Qiuyan Chen, Xiangpeng Huang, and Xinlei Ge
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-39,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-39, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Growing role of secondary organic aerosol in the North China Plain from 2014 to 2024
Chunshui Lin, Ru-Jin Huang, Jing Duan, Jing Qu, Jiahua Liu, Yi Liu, Yan Luo, Wei Huang, Wei Xu, Yanan Zhan, Zhitao Liu, Sihan Liu, Qingshuang Zhang, Quan Liu, Zirui Liu, Shengrong Lou, Huinan Yang, Dan Dan Huang, Cheng Huang, and Hongli Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 2635–2647, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2635-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2635-2026, 2026
Short summary
Decadal transition of summertime PM2.5–O3 coupling and secondary organic aerosol dominance in northwest China
Wei Zhou, Liu Yang, Siqi Zeng, Yunping Kan, Lirong Yang, Weihong Zhang, Weijie Wang, Zijun Zhang, Yan Li, Weiqi Xu, Yucheng Gu, Yaozong Wang, Zhengyan Zuo, Jie Li, Zifa Wang, and Yele Sun
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 2425–2441, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2425-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2425-2026, 2026
Short summary

Cited articles

Baron, P. A. and Willeke, K.: Aerosol measurement: Principles, techniques and applications, 2nd edn., John Wiley and Sons, New York, ISBN: 9781591247739, 2001. 
Beddows, D. C. S., Dall'osto, M., and Harrison, R. M.: An Enhanced Procedure for the Merging of Atmospheric Particle Size Distribution Data Measured Using Electrical Mobility and Time-of-Flight Analysers, Aerosol Sci. Tech., 44, 930–938, https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2010.502159, 2010. 
Bougiatioti, A., Nenes, A., Fountoukis, C., Kalivitis, N., Pandis, S. N., and Mihalopoulos, N.: Size-resolved CCN distributions and activation kinetics of aged continental and marine aerosol, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 8791–8808, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-8791-2011, 2011. 
Download
Short summary
NPF (new particle formation) is a key global CCN (cloud condensation nuclei) source, but its contribution at the polluted boundary-layer top remains unclear. Based on mountaintop observations in the Yangtze River Delta, we show that under polluted conditions, NPF at the boundary-layer top is enhanced and accelerates its conversion to CCN. Ammonia plays a key role, and a newly defined "Time Window" metric highlights the importance of oxidation-driven growth and regional transport in this process.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint