Multi-seasonal ultrafine aerosol particle number concentration measurements at the Gruvebadet observatory, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard Islands

Abstract

The object of this study was to investigate the different modal behavior of ultrafine aerosol particles collected at the Gruvebadet observatory located in Ny-Alesund (Svalbard Islands, 78°55′N, 11°56′E). Aerosol particle size distribution was measured in the size range from 10 to 470 nm typically from the beginning of spring to the beginning of fall during four (non-consecutive) years (2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014). The median concentration for the whole period taken into account was 214 particles cm−3, oscillating between the median maximum in July with a concentration of 257 particles cm−3 and a median minimum in April with 197 particles cm−3. The median total number concentration did not present a well-defined seasonal behavior, as shown by contrast looking at the sub/modal number concentration, where distinct trends appeared in the predominant accumulation concentration recorded during April/May and the preponderant concentration of Aitken particles during the summer months. Lastly, the short side-by-side spring 2013 campaign performed at the Zeppelin observatory with a differential mobility particle sizer was characterized by an aerosol concentration mean steady difference between the two instruments of around 14 %, thereby supporting the reliability of the device located at Gruvebadet.