Particle Number Size Distribution of Wintertime Alpine Aerosols and
Their Activation as Cloud Condensation Nuclei in the Guanzhong Plain,
Northwest China
Abstract
In this study, particle number size distribution (PNSD) and
concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (NCCN)
were observed at the summit of Mt. Hua during Dec.
16th 2020 - Jan. 23rd 2021. The
concentration of nucleation mode particles with the growth ratio of 0.83
nm·h−1 erupted frequently from 13:00 to 18:00 local
time due to the intense photochemistry. The explosive increase of the
small diameter particles could not be activated into droplets, but they
had the potential to adsorb or absorb the polluted gaseous to promote
the growth conversion into CCN. In the growth process, relative humidity
had reverse effect on diameter and concentration with temperature, while
higher wind speed was beneficial for the removal of large particles.
SO2 and NH3 had a synergistic effect in
contributing to the increase of particle diameter and concentration for
the relative larger diameter, but NH3 had inverse effect
on the number concentration for the nucleation mode particles.
Additionally, the influence of O3 on the distribution
characteristics of particle may be regulated by temperature. The small
k value that fitted by two-parameter power model suggested the
larger or hygroscopic particles, while larger value for the ultrafine or
hydrophobic particles. Hygroscopicity parameters (κ) showed a
downward trend with the increase of supersaturation as the source
direction of the air mass gradually shifted from northwest to southwest.
By comparing the calculated and the measured
NCCN, we inferred that the hygroscopicity
parameter decreased from 0.22 to 0.13 with the supersaturation from 0.2
to 1.0% in Alpine region.