Concentration, size and chemical composition of ambient aerosol particles in a detached housing area depend on the emission source

The studied particle sources were traffic, wood combustion, long-range transport and secondary aerosol formation from biogenic gases.

Traffic was found to produce the highest number of smaller particles, while the size of the particles was highest during long-range transport, that is, when the particles have been transported to the area along with the airflow from elsewhere in Finland and Europe. Larger particles appeared to be produced and grown also by secondary aerosol formation from biogenic gases.

Wood combustion produced particles of significantly different sizes. The particle’s size distribution varied greatly, likely depending on the combustion conditions, the wood and the combustion equipment used.

Further information:

Researcher Sami Harni, Finnish Meteorological Institute, sami.harni@fmi.fi

Scientific article is available on Atmospheric Environment.

Reference:

Harni, S.D.; Saarikoski, S.; Kuula, J.; Helin, A.; Aurela, M.; Niemi, J.V.; Kousa, A.; Rönkkö, T.; Timonen, H. Effects of emission sources on the particle number size distribution of ambient air in the residential area. Atmospheric Environment 2023, 293, 119419 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2022.119419