HR: 0800h
AN: A31A-0808 [Abstracts]
TI: Evidences for New Particle Formation in the Arctic as a Part of TOPSE Atmospheric Nucleation
Event
AU: * Tripathi, S N
EM: snt@iitk.ac.in
AF: Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Kanpur, Kanpur, UP 208016
India
AU: Kanawade, V P
EM: vijaypk@iitk.ac.in
AF: Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Kanpur, Kanpur, UP 208016
India
AB:
Simultaneous measurements of ultrafine particles and precursor gases show evidences of new particle formation over a wide
range of latitude in the free tropospheric Arctic region. However, the exact mechanism of new particle formation is
uncertain. In this study, in-situ measurements taken during deployment 3 (Flight 16, March 7, 2000, Churchill-Churchill,
13:25-18:33 GMT) as a part of Tropospheric Ozone Production about Spring Equinox (TOPSE) experiment, over Western Canada were
used for comparison with the model predictions. Using a combination of satellite derived brightness temperature, air parcel
backward trajectory information, in-situ measurements of aerosol and precursor gases and aerosol microphysical model
[Tripathi et al., 2004] driven by parameterized ion induced nucleation [Modgil et al., 2005], we have investigated the
plausible mechanism responsible for, and factors leading to, new particle formation in the middle to upper troposphere during
TOPSE atmospheric nucleation event. The reasonable agreement between model predicted and observed ultrafine particles of
diameter 3 to 4 nm and 3 to 8 nm suggest that new particle formation is likely to occur by ion induced nucleation mechanism
during TOPSE nucleation event. A significant finding is that the lowering of pre-existing particle surface, in the region of
cloud outflow, triggered particle nucleation in this region. These studies indicate that, at typical middle to upper
tropospheric conditions of Arctic, ion mechanism is an important source of ultrafine particles and these freshly particles
can grow to act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), which have implications for cloud radiative properties.
References
Modgil, M. S., Sanjeev Kumar, S. N. Tripathi, and E. R. Lovejoy, A parameterization of ion-induced nucleation of sulfuric
acid and water for atmospheric conditions, J. Geophys. Res., In press, 2005.
Tripathi, S. N., X. P. Vancassel, R. G. Grainger, and H. L. Rogers, A Fast Stratospheric Aerosol Microphysical Model (SAMM):
H2SO4-H2O Aerosol Development and Validation, AOPP Memorandum 2004.1, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, 2004.
http://www.atm.ox.ac.uk/main/research/technical.html
UR: http://home.iitk..ac.in/~snt
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906)
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005