Deriving the hygroscopicity of ambient particles using low-cost optical particle counters

This study investigates the chemical composition and physical properties of aerosols, which play a crucial role in influencing human health, cloud physics, and local climate. Our focus centers on the hygroscopicity of ambient aerosols, a key property reflecting the ability to take up moisture from t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmospheric measurement techniques 2024-10, Vol.17 (20), p.6073-6084
Main Authors: Huang, Wei-Chieh, Hung, Hui-Ming, Chu, Ching-Wei, Hwang, Wei-Chun, Lung, Shih-Chun Candice
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerosol properties
Aerosols
Air monitoring
Air pollution
Air quality
Analysis
Atmospheric aerosols
Atmospheric sciences
Calibration
Chemical composition
Chromatography
Cloud condensation nuclei
Cloud physics
Clouds
Condensation
Condensation nuclei
Dynamics
Economic aspects
Environmental protection
Heterogeneity
Humidity
Hygroscopicity
Local climates
Low cost
Meteorological parameters
Nucleus
Optical properties
Outdoor air quality
Parameter sensitivity
Parameters
Particle counters
Particle mass
Particle size
Particulate emissions
Particulate matter
Performance evaluation
Physical properties
Physics
Radiation counters
Radiative transfer
Radiative transfer calculations
Regression analysis
Sensitivity analysis
Sensors
Suspended particulate matter
VOCs
Volatile organic compounds
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Summary:This study investigates the chemical composition and physical properties of aerosols, which play a crucial role in influencing human health, cloud physics, and local climate. Our focus centers on the hygroscopicity of ambient aerosols, a key property reflecting the ability to take up moisture from the atmosphere and serve as cloud condensation nuclei. Employing home-built air quality box (AQB) systems equipped with low-cost sensors, we assess the ambient variability of particulate matter (PM) concentrations to determine PM hygroscopicity. The AQB systems effectively captured meteorological parameters and most pollutant concentrations, showing high correlations with data from the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (TW-EPA). With the application of κ-Köhler equation and certain assumptions, AQB-monitored PM concentrations are converted to dry particle mass concentration, providing optical particle counter sensitivity correction and resulting in improved correlation with TW-EPA data. The derived single hygroscopicity parameters (κ) range from 0.15 to 0.29 for integrated fine particles (PM2.5) and 0.05 to 0.13 for coarse particles (PM2.5−10), consistent with results of ionic chromatography analysis from a previous winter campaign nearby. Moreover, the analysis of PM10 division into PM2.5 and PM2.5−10, considering composition heterogeneity, provided improved dry PM10 concentration as the sensitivity coefficients for PM2.5−10 were notably higher than for PM2.5. Our methodology provides a comprehensive approach to assess ambient aerosol hygroscopicity, with significant implications for atmospheric modeling, particularly in evaluating aerosol efficiency as cloud condensation nuclei and in radiative transfer calculations. Overall, the AQB systems proved to be effective in monitoring air quality and deriving key aerosol properties, contributing valuable insights into atmospheric science.
ISSN:1867-8548
1867-1381
1867-8548
DOI:10.5194/amt-17-6073-2024