Particle number size distribution in the eastern Mediterranean: Formation and growth rates of ultrafine airborne atmospheric particles

Particle number concentration was measured between June 2009 and June 2010 at Akrotiri research station in a rural/suburban region of western Crete (Greece). Overall, the available data covered 157 days during the aforementioned period of measurements. The objectives were to study the number size distribution characteristics of ambient aerosols and furthermore to identify new particle formation events and to evaluate particle formation rates and growth rates of the newborn particles. Aerosol particles with mobility diameters between 10 and 1100 nm were measured using a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) system. Measurements were performed at ambient relative humidities. The median total particle number concentration was 525 #/cm3 whereas the number concentration ranged between 130 #/cm3 and 9597 #/cm3. The average percentage of particles with diameters between 10 nm and 100 nm (N10–100) to total particles was 53% during summer and spring, but reached 80% during winter. Maximum average contribution of nano-particles (10 nm < Dp < 50 nm) to total particles was recorded also in winter and was attributed partly to the effect of local heating. Furthermore, back trajectories (HYSPLIT model) showed that different air mass origins are linked to different levels of particle number concentrations, with higher values associated with air masses passing from polluted areas before reaching the Akrotiri station. Modal analysis of the measured size distribution data revealed a strong nucleation mode during winter (15–25 nm), which can be correlated with emissions from local sources (domestic heating). The nucleation mode was observed also during the spring campaigns and was partly linked to new particle formation events. On the contrary, an accumulation mode (80–120 nm) prevailed in the measurements during summer campaigns, when the station area was influenced by polluted air masses arriving mainly from Eastern Europe. In total, 13 new particle formation events were recorded during the 157 days of measurements. Nucleation events were associated with low values of N100 particle number concentration and reduced coagulation sinks. Mean growth and formation rates were calculated and showed values equal to 6 nm hr−1 and 13 cm−3 s−1, respectively.