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www.atmos-meas-tech-discuss.net/3/5521/2010/
doi:10.5194/amtd-3-5521-2010
© Author(s) 2010. This work is distributed
under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Particle mobility size spectrometers: harmonization of technical standards and data structure to facilitate high quality long-term observations of atmospheric particle number size distributions
1Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
2Norwegian Institute for Air Research, 2027 Kjeller, Norway
3Finnish Meteorological Institute, Research and Development, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
4Laboratoire de Météorologie Physique, Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand, Université Blaise Pascal, 24 avenue des Landais, 63177 Aubière, France
5Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement Université Joseph Fourier – Grenoble 1/CNRS, 38400 St Martin d'Hères, France
6University of Helsinki, Department of Physics, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
7NOAA ESRL GMD, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
8Lund University, Division of Nuclear Physics, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
9Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
10National Physical Laboratory, Environmental Measurements Group, Teddington, Middlesex, UK
11EMPA Dübendorf, Air Pollution/Environmental Technology, Überlandstraße 129, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
12Paul Scherrer Institute, Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Villigen, Switzerland
13European Commission – DG Joint Research Centre, IES/CCU, Ispra, Italy
14National Centre for Atmospheric Science, Division of Environmental Health & Risk Management, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
15National University of Ireland, School of Physics & Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, Environmental Change Institute, Galway, Ireland
16Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
17TSI GmbH, Neuköllner Straße 4, 52068 Aachen, Germany
18GRIMM Aerosol Technik GmbH & Co. KG, Dorfstraße 9, 83404 Ainring, Germany
19University of Minnesota, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 111 Church Street, SE Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
20Peking University, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, School of Physics, Beijing, 100871, China
21TNO Built Environment and Geosciences, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands
22University of Manchester, National Centre for Atmospheric Science, Manchester, UK
Abstract. Particle mobility size spectrometers often referred to as DMPS (Differential Mobility Particle Sizers) or SMPS (Scanning Mobility Particle Sizers) have found a wide application in atmospheric aerosol research. However, comparability of measurements conducted world-wide is hampered by lack of generally accepted technical standards with respect to the instrumental set-up, measurement mode, data evaluation as well as quality control. This article results from several instrument intercomparison workshops conducted within the European infrastructure project EUSAAR (European Supersites for Atmospheric Aerosol Research). Under controlled laboratory conditions, the number size distribution from 20 to 200 nm determined by mobility size spectrometers of different design are within an uncertainty range of ±10% after correcting internal particle losses, while below and above this size range the discrepancies increased. Instruments with identical design agreed within ±3% in the peak number concentration when all settings were done carefully. Technical standards were developed for a minimum requirement of mobility size spectrometry for atmospheric aerosol measurements. Technical recommendations are given for atmospheric measurements including continuous monitoring of flow rates, temperature, pressure, and relative humidity for the sheath and sample air in the differential mobility analyser. In cooperation with EMEP (European Monitoring and Evaluation Program), a new uniform data structure was introduced for saving and disseminating the data within EMEP. This structure contains three levels: raw data, processed data, and final particle size distributions. Importantly, we recommend reporting raw measurements including all relevant instrument parameters as well as a complete documentation on all data transformation and correction steps. These technical and data structure standards aim to enhance the quality of long-term size distribution measurements, their comparability between different networks and sites, and their transparency and traceability back to raw data.
Discussion Paper (PDF, 2134 KB) Interactive Discussion (Closed, 10 Comments) Final Revised Paper (AMT)
Notice on Discussion StatusCitation: Wiedensohler, A., Birmili, W., Nowak, A., Sonntag, A., Weinhold, K., Merkel, M., Wehner, B., Tuch, T., Pfeifer, S., Fiebig, M., Fjäraa, A. M., Asmi, E., Sellegri, K., Depuy, R., Venzac, H., Villani, P., Laj, P., Aalto, P., Ogren, J. A., Swietlicki, E., Roldin, P., Williams, P., Quincey, P., Hüglin, C., Fierz-Schmidhauser, R., Gysel, M., Weingartner, E., Riccobono, F., Santos, S., Grüning, C., Faloon, K., Beddows, D., Harrison, R. M., Monahan, C., Jennings, S. G., O'Dowd, C. D., Marinoni, A., Horn, H.-G., Keck, L., Jiang, J., Scheckman, J., McMurry, P. H., Deng, Z., Zhao, C. S., Moerman, M., Henzing, B., and de Leeuw, G.: Particle mobility size spectrometers: harmonization of technical standards and data structure to facilitate high quality long-term observations of atmospheric particle number size distributions, Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., 3, 5521-5587, doi:10.5194/amtd-3-5521-2010, 2010. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
