Title
PARFORCE: Objectives and Achievements
Author
O'Dowd, C.D.
Mäkela, J.M.
Korhonen, P.
Hämeri, K.
Väkevä, M.
Pirjola, L.
Hansson, H-C.
Jennings, S.G.
de Leeuw, G.
Kunz, G.J.
Berresheim, H.
Harrison, R.M.
Allen, A.G.
Viisanen, Y.
Kulmala, M.
TNO Fysisch en Elektronisch Laboratorium
Contributor
Hale, B.N. (editor)
Kulmala, M. (editor)
Publication year
2000
Abstract
Understanding the formation of natural particles in the atmosphere, and their growth to radiatively active sizes, is critical to quantifying the role of anthropogenic emissions on cloud formation, climate change and public health. Only a few regions have been identified as strong natural sources of aerosols in the boundary layer: in particular, the coastal region seems to be the strongest natural source of these new particles. The PARFORCE program was designed to elucidate and understand the underlying processes leading to observed coastal nucleation and to quantify the factors promoting coastal nucleation. Initial results indicate that nucleation rates in the coastal environment are of the order of 107 cm-3 s-1 and can be explained by ternary nucleation of sulphuric acid, water vapor and ammonia; however, growth to detectable sizes can only be explained by additional condensation of, probably, organic vapor-otherwise these new stable embryos are lost due to coagulation. The primary biogenic condensing species leading to the observed particle concentrations is thought to be a halocarbon derivative. Peak concentration of particles at sizes >3 nm can reach 1,000,000 cm-3 after a coastal nucleation event and these events occur almost on a daily basis over considerable spatial scales
Subject
Aerosol paricles
Boundary layer structure
Particle formation
Coastal nucleation
Coastal environment
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:21f861e5-2e33-4adf-af02-7d44b38b6162
TNO identifier
95298
Report number
AIP-CP-534
Publisher
American Institute of Physics, Melville, New York
Source
Nucleation and Atmospheric Aerosols 2000 - 15th International AIP Conference Proceedings, Rolla, Missouri, 6-11 August 2000, 827-830
Document type
conference paper