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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Ultrafine particles in cities
    (Amsterdam : Elsevier, 2014) Kumar, Prashant; Morawska, Lidia; Birmili, Wolfram; Paasonen, Pauli; Hu, Min; Kulmala, Markku; Harrison, Roy M.; Norford, Leslie; Britter, Rex
    Ultrafine particles (UFPs; diameter less than 100 nm) are ubiquitous in urban air, and an acknowledged risk to human health. Globally, the major source for urban outdoor UFP concentrations is motor traffic. Ongoing trends towards urbanisation and expansion of road traffic are anticipated to further increase population exposure to UFPs. Numerous experimental studies have characterised UFPs in individual cities, but an integrated evaluation of emissions and population exposure is still lacking. Our analysis suggests that the average exposure to outdoor UFPs in Asian cities is about four-times larger than that in European cities but impacts on human health are largely unknown. This article reviews some fundamental drivers of UFP emissions and dispersion, and highlights unresolved challenges, as well as recommendations to ensure sustainable urban development whilst minimising any possible adverse health impacts.
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    Different pathways of the formation of highly oxidized multifunctional organic compounds (HOMs) from the gas-phase ozonolysis of β-caryophyllene
    (München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2016) Richters, Stefanie; Herrmann, Hartmut; Berndt, Torsten
    The gas-phase mechanism of the formation of highly oxidized multifunctional organic compounds (HOMs) from the ozonolysis of β-caryophyllene was investigated in a free-jet flow system at atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 295 ± 2 K. Reaction products, mainly highly oxidized RO2 radicals containing up to 14 oxygen atoms, were detected using chemical ionization – atmospheric pressure interface – time-of-flight mass spectrometry with nitrate and acetate ionization. These highly oxidized RO2 radicals react with NO, NO2, HO2 and other RO2 radicals under atmospheric conditions forming the first-generation HOM closed-shell products. Mechanistic information on the formation of the highly oxidized RO2 radicals is based on results obtained with isotopically labelled ozone (18O3) in the ozonolysis reaction and from hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange experiments of acidic H atoms in the products. The experimental findings indicate that HOM formation in this reaction system is considerably influenced by the presence of a double bond in the RO2 radicals primarily formed from the β-caryophyllene ozonolysis. Three different reaction types for HOM formation can be proposed, allowing for an explanation of the detected main products: (i) the simple autoxidation, corresponding to the repetitive reaction sequence of intramolecular H-abstraction of a RO2 radical, RO2  →  QOOH, and subsequent O2 addition, next forming a peroxy radical, QOOH + O2  →  R′O2; (ii) an extended autoxidation mechanism additionally involving the internal reaction of a RO2 radical with a double bond forming most likely an endoperoxide and (iii) an extended autoxidation mechanism including CO2 elimination. The individual reaction steps of the reaction types (ii) and (iii) are uncertain at the moment. From the product analysis it can be followed that the simple autoxidation mechanism accounts only for about one-third of the formed HOMs. Time-dependent measurements showed that the HOM formation proceeds at a timescale of 3 s or less under the concentration regime applied here. The new reaction pathways represent an extension of the mechanistic understanding of HOM formation via autoxidation in the atmosphere, as recently discovered from laboratory investigations on monoterpene ozonolysis.
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    Associations between air temperature and cardio-respiratory mortality in the urban area of Beijing, China: a time-series analysis
    (London : BioMed Central, 2011) Liu, Liqun; Breitner, Susanne; Pan, Xiaochuan; Franck, Ulrich; Leitte, Arne Marian; Wiedensohler, Alfred; von Klot, Stephanie; Wichmann, H-Erich; Peters, Annette; Schneider, Alexandra
    Background: Associations between air temperature and mortality have been consistently observed in Europe and the United States; however, there is a lack of studies for Asian countries. Our study investigated the association between air temperature and cardio-respiratory mortality in the urban area of Beijing, China. Methods: Death counts for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases for adult residents (≥15 years), meteorological parameters and concentrations of particulate air pollution were obtained from January 2003 to August 2005. The effects of two-day and 15-day average temperatures were estimated by Poisson regression models, controlling for time trend, relative humidity and other confounders if necessary. Effects were explored for warm (April to September) and cold periods (October to March) separately. The lagged effects of daily temperature were investigated by polynomial distributed lag (PDL) models. Results: We observed a J-shaped exposure-response function only for 15-day average temperature and respiratory mortality in the warm period, with 21.3°C as the threshold temperature. All other exposure-response functions could be considered as linear. In the warm period, a 5°C increase of two-day average temperature was associated with a RR of 1.098 (95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.057-1.140) for cardiovascular and 1.134 (95%CI: 1.050-1.224) for respiratory mortality; a 5°C decrease of 15-day average temperature was associated with a RR of 1.040 (95%CI: 0.990-1.093) for cardiovascular mortality. In the cold period, a 5°C increase of two-day average temperature was associated with a RR of 1.149 (95%CI: 1.078-1.224) for respiratory mortality; a 5°C decrease of 15-day average temperature was associated with a RR of 1.057 (95%CI: 1.022-1.094) for cardiovascular mortality. The effects remained robust after considering particles as additional confounders. Conclusions: Both increases and decreases in air temperature are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality. The effects of heat were immediate while the ones of cold became predominant with longer time lags. Increases in air temperature are also associated with an immediate increased risk of respiratory mortality.
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    Direct estimation of the global distribution of vertical velocity within cirrus clouds
    (London : Nature Publishing Group, 2017) Barahona, Donifan; Molod, Andrea; Kalesse, Heike
    Cirrus clouds determine the radiative balance of the upper troposphere and the transport of water vapor across the tropopause. The representation of vertical wind velocity, W, in atmospheric models constitutes the largest source of uncertainty in the calculation of the cirrus formation rate. Using global atmospheric simulations with a spatial resolution of 7 km we obtain for the first time a direct estimate of the distribution of W at the scale relevant for cirrus formation, validated against long-term observations at two different ground sites. The standard deviation in W, σ w, varies widely over the globe with the highest values resulting from orographic uplift and convection, and the lowest occurring in the Arctic. Globally about 90% of the simulated σ w values are below 0.1 m s-1 and about one in 104 cloud formation events occur in environments with σ w > 0.8 m s-1. Combining our estimate with reanalysis products and an advanced cloud formation scheme results in lower homogeneous ice nucleation frequency than previously reported, and a decreasing average ice crystal concentration with decreasing temperature. These features are in agreement with observations and suggest that the correct parameterization of σ w is critical to simulate realistic cirrus properties.
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    Collocated observations of cloud condensation nuclei, particle size distributions, and chemical composition
    (London : Nature Publ. Group, 2017) Schmale, Julia; Henning, Silvia; Henzing, Bas; Keskinen, Helmi; Sellegri, Karine; Ovadnevaite, Jurgita; Bougiatioti, Aikaterini; Kalivitis, Nikos; Stavroulas, Iasonas; Jefferson, Anne; Park, Minsu; Schlag, Patrick; Kristensson, Adam; Iwamoto, Yoko; Pringle, Kirsty; Reddington, Carly; Aalto, Pasi; Äijälä, Mikko; Baltensperger, Urs; Bialek, Jakub; Birmili, Wolfram; Bukowiecki, Nicolas; Ehn, Mikael; Fjæraa, Ann Mari; Fiebig, Markus; Frank, Göran; Fröhlich, Roman; Frumau, Arnoud; Furuya, Masaki; Hammer, Emanuel; Heikkinen, Liine; Herrmann, Erik; Holzinger, Rupert; Hyono, Hiroyuki; Kanakidou, Maria; Kiendler-Scharr, Astrid; Kinouchi, Kento; Kos, Gerard; Kulmala, Markku; Mihalopoulos, Nikolaos; Motos, Ghislain; Nenes, Athanasios; O’Dowd, Colin; Paramonov, Mikhail; Petäjä, Tuukka; Picard, David; Poulain, Laurent; Prévôt, André Stephan Henry; Slowik, Jay; Sonntag, Andre; Swietlicki, Erik; Svenningsson, Birgitta; Tsurumaru, Hiroshi; Wiedensohler, Alfred; Wittbom, Cerina; Ogren, John A.; Matsuki, Atsushi; Yum, Seong Soo; Myhre, Cathrine Lund; Carslaw, Ken; Stratmann, Frank; Gysel, Martin
    Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) number concentrations alongside with submicrometer particle number size distributions and particle chemical composition have been measured at atmospheric observatories of the Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure (ACTRIS) as well as other international sites over multiple years. Here, harmonized data records from 11 observatories are summarized, spanning 98,677 instrument hours for CCN data, 157,880 for particle number size distributions, and 70,817 for chemical composition data. The observatories represent nine different environments, e.g., Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean maritime, boreal forest, or high alpine atmospheric conditions. This is a unique collection of aerosol particle properties most relevant for studying aerosol-cloud interactions which constitute the largest uncertainty in anthropogenic radiative forcing of the climate. The dataset is appropriate for comprehensive aerosol characterization (e.g., closure studies of CCN), model-measurement intercomparison and satellite retrieval method evaluation, among others. Data have been acquired and processed following international recommendations for quality assurance and have undergone multiple stages of quality assessment.
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    Reservoiraufteilung von Ruß, organischen Bestandteilen, Gesamtkohlenstoff, löslichen Substanzen und Aerosolpartikeln (Anzahl und Masse) in der Tropfen- und Zwischenraumphase von Wolken : Abschlussbericht
    (Leipzig : Leibniz-Institut für Troposphärenforschung, 2002) Mertes, Stephan; Schwarzenböck, A.; Brüggemann, E.; Gnauk, T.; Dippel, B.
    [no abstract available]