We investigated the new particle formation (NPF) potential of three atmospherically relevant oxygenated organic molecules (OOMs) using high-level computational methods. Cluster thermodynamics and formation rates were evaluated for systems containing sulfuric acid and various nitrogen bases. All three OOMs enhanced cluster formation, with dimethylamine-containing clusters showing the greatest effect. PDPE formed the most stable clusters, due to its molecular flexibility.

Sea spray aerosol plays an important role in climate and atmospheric chemistry, yet sea salt is rarely quantified by online mass spectrometers due to its refractory nature. This study shows that a Capture Vaporizer Time-of-Flight Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor can detect sea salt aerosol using Na and NaCl fragments. Laboratory and field results demonstrate robust real-time measurements of NaCl surface area, while accurate mass concentrations require particle size information.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system, and the air above it plays a role in cloud formation. Using direct measurements taken over several years, this study shows that although the reef has low aerosol concentrations, air that passes directly over coral reefs contains more very small particles, providing the first direct evidence that reefs  add particles to the atmosphere. These locally produced particles make a measurable contribution to cloud formation over the reef.

The Marseille-Fos basin faces high anthropogenic pressure from industry, maritime and road transport, combined with specific weather conditions that further degrade air quality. Our study focuses on fine metallic pollution, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause harmful effects. Using one year of measurements at two sites, we identified ten main pollution sources, half directly linked to human activities, highlighting clear risks for the environment and public health.

The iberulite fall was, to our knowledge, the first reported in central Europe. Special was, that the fall was observed in-situ and that the meteorological conditions during the fall are well known. The meteorology, the particle size distribution inside the iberulites, and the presence of a Greenfield gap in the latter strongly corroborates below-cloud scavenging as probable formation mechanism.

The dynamics of how tire wear particles behaves prior to their entrainment are still poorly understood. In wind tunnel experiments, these particle detachment from an idealised glass substrate were monitored. For particle size above 80 μm, smaller and more rounded particles were mobilised by wind shear first, whereas larger and more angular particles require stronger wind shear, highlighting strong surface adhesion and particle morphology as the major factors influencing microplastic detachment.

Clouds in cold regions affect climate and precipitation, but their behavior depends on rare airborne particles that help ice form. We measured these particles over several months in a Finnish forest and compared them with many environmental observations. We found that ice formation in winter was largely unpredictable, while in spring and summer it was more strongly linked to particle amount and composition. This shows that local conditions are needed to better represent clouds in climate models.

This study uses advanced computer simulations to explore how falling water drops remove airborne particles. It shows that when drops deform and oscillate, their motion strongly affects how efficiently aerosols are captured. The model accurately predicts drop speed and shape, but capture rates can differ from experiments by up to an order of magnitude. These gaps likely stem from missing physical effects (evaporation), uncertainties in aerosol measurements and numerical inaccuracies.

We have attempted for the first time to elucidate the mechanism of inorganic particle formation and growth in sub 10 nm size. Results show that by introducing corona discharge into a flame, based on precursor concentration, we can either promote or suppress particle formation and growth. This can help better understand the effect of plasmas on combustion synthesis of nanoparticles.

A computationally efficient monodisperse particle dynamics-computational fluid dynamics simulation is developed to predict soot particle growth in flames without use of reaction kinetic models. The proposed model is in good agreement with soot volume fraction and mobility size measurements, demonstrating a level of accuracy comparable to that of sectional models. This model can be readily used for design applications of engines and industrial burners.

This study reports from an inter-laboratory comparison to assess particle size distributions of three test aerosols using 35 OPCs from 16 partners over 40 weeks. Despite a common protocol and a shared reference OPC, notable inter-instrument differences appeared, highlighting the challenge of achieving consistent results across laboratories. The resulting database cannot yet allow define good laboratory practices, but it offers a methodology and reference data to improve OPC reliability.

Black carbon particles absorb sunlight and warm the climate, but their properties change in the atmosphere. We measured how changes in soot particle shape affect size-resolved light absorption. Our results show that compacted particles absorb more light, although this effect can reverse due to competing physical processes.

The paper presents a model for the atomisation and evaporation of a stream of solvents containing less volatile analytes through a system, designed to detect the final dried particles using elastic scatter, called elastic light scatter detector. The results of simulations of the total particle concentrations as well as the final light scattered signals are compared to experiments for validation. This is the first set of simulations of this detection device.

The manuscript presents the very first measurements of droplet and particle sizes and concentrations through the parts of an Elastic Light Scatter Detector. Measurements were made using two instruments, phase Doppler particle anemometry and an aerodynamic aerosol classifier to resolve the size distribution of volatile particles upstream and dried particles downstream. The final measurements are used in a companion paper comparison with simulations.

Coastal aerosols in Scandinavian urban areas remain understudied. We examined aerosol optical properties and size distributions along Denmark's coastline. Combining in-situ data with dispersion modelling, we identified two main aerosol types: carbonaceous aerosols from fossil fuel and biomass burning and large, highly-scattering aerosols (potentially sea salt). Black carbon from in-situ data and dispersion modelling correlated well while FLEXPART underestimated the concentration.

1. Seven years hourly PNSD (10–500 nm) were measured at an urban background of Germany. 2. -2 % p. a. downward trend of T-PNC was observed. 3. Wind from Airport showed highest Nucleation Mode particles concentrations. 4. Lockdown lowered concentration of UFP on direction of airport. 5. Strong seasonal variations and weekend effects for Nucleation Mode particles were found. 6. On 30 % of all days the WHO UFP value for high concentrations was exceeded.

This study examines NH₃ emissions from UK agriculture and their role in PM_2.5 formation, focusing on dairy, pig, and poultry sectors. Using regional (CMAQ) and local (ADMS) models, it finds that a 13 % NH₃ reduction only cuts PM_2.5 by ~1 % due to NH₃-rich air. CMAQ may underestimate PM_2.5, while ADMS shows emissions disperse within 700 m. The study highlights the value of combining models to better understand pollutant spread and improve PM_2.5 control strategies.

New particles form in the atmosphere and can influence the climate. We studied Arctic new particle formation (NPF) from 2022 to 2024 at the Zeppelin Observatory, on Svalbard. NPF occurs from April to November, peaking in late spring as sunlight increases. Some particles measured on-site grow large enough to seed clouds. Sunlight and existing aerosol particles strongly impact the likelihood of NPF, which mainly originates from marine regions, particularly the Greenland Sea.

Ensuring that all measuring instruments deliver reliable results is an important task. For aerosol measurement, a health-related parameter is not yet well defined worldwide. We have therefore developed a test bench to evaluate and compare instruments on this key parameter. Based on the success of an initial comparison with our instruments, we underline the feasibility of a standardized test and offer a framework for improving accuracy and consistency of aerosol size distribution assessments.

We investigated the space charge influence on the aerosol neutralization principle used in all aerosol measurement instruments. We found that the space charge cause ions to separate unevenly, leading to different rates of neutralization in different parts of the inlet, impacting the effectiveness of the neutralization process.

Although spray flame synthesis (SFS) is a promising approach to prepare nano materials with tailored properties, the impurity formation is not fully understood in SFS. To contribute to this topic, maghemite nanoparticles were prepared by SFS, and two complementary experimental approaches were used to investigate the evolution of soot and carbonaceous surface adsorbates. The methodological procedure and the data provided can be used to denote/compare SFS-materials more reliably in the future.

Several papers have reported on electrospray technique and they have shown that uniform thin films with different surface morphologies can be deposited. Nonetheless, the studies do not give a systematic way of designing different surface morphologies and most outcomes are based on a trial-and-error method. Therefore, in this study a systematic way of designing thin films of different surface morphologies using electrospray technique has been developed.