An inverse modeling procedure to determine particle growth and nucleation rates from measured aerosol size distributions

Classical nucleation theory is unable to explain the ubiquity of nucleation events observed in the atmosphere. This shows a need for an empirical determination of the nucleation rate. Here we present a novel inverse modeling procedure to determine particle nucleation and growth rates based on consecutive measurements of the aerosol size distribution. The particle growth rate is determined by regression analysis of the measured change in the aerosol size distribution over time, taking into account the effects of processes such as coagulation, deposition and/or dilution. This allows the growth rate to be determined with a higher time-resolution than can be deduced from inspecting contour plots ('banana-plots''). Knowing the growth rate as a function of time enables the evaluation of the time of nucleation of measured particles of a certain size. The nucleation rate is then obtained by integrating the particle losses from time of measurement to time of nucleation. The regression analysis can also be used to determine or verify the optimum value of other parameters of interest, such as the wall loss or coagulation rate constants. As an example, the method is applied to smog chamber measurements. This program offers a powerful interpretive tool to study empirical aerosol population dynamics in general, and nucleation and growth in particular

An inverse modeling procedure to determine particle growth and nucleation rates from measured aerosol size distributions

International audienceClassical nucleation theory is unable to explain the ubiquity of nucleation events observed in the atmosphere. This shows a need for an empirical determination of the nucleation rate. Here we present a novel inverse modeling procedure to determine particle nucleation and growth rates based on consecutive measurements of the aerosol size distribution. The particle growth rate is determined by regression analysis of the measured change in the aerosol size distribution over time, taking into account the effects of processes such as coagulation, deposition and/or dilution. This allows the growth rate to be determined with a higher time-resolution than can be deduced from inspecting contour plots (''banana-plots''). Knowing the growth rate as a function of time enables the evaluation of the time of nucleation of measured particles of a certain size. The nucleation rate is then obtained by integrating the particle losses from time of measurement to time of nucleation. The regression analysis can also be used to determine or verify the optimum value of other parameters of interest, such as the wall loss or coagulation rate constants. As an example, the method is applied to smog chamber measurements. This program offers a powerful interpretive tool to study empirical aerosol population dynamics in general, and nucleation and growth in particular

Local science and media engagement on climate change

Climate scientists can do a better job of communicating their work to local communities and reignite interest in the issue. Local media outlets provide a unique opportunity to build a platform for scientists to tell their stories and engage in a dialogue with people currently outside the 'climate bubble'

Anomalous Heat Conduction and Anomalous Diffusion in Low Dimensional Nanoscale Systems

Thermal transport is an important energy transfer process in nature. Phonon is the major energy carrier for heat in semiconductor and dielectric materials. In analogy to Ohm's law for electrical conductivity, Fourier's law is a fundamental rule of heat transfer in solids. It states that the thermal conductivity is independent of sample scale and geometry. Although Fourier's law has received great success in describing macroscopic thermal transport in the past two hundreds years, its validity in low dimensional systems is still an open question. Here we give a brief review of the recent developments in experimental, theoretical and numerical studies of heat transport in low dimensional systems, include lattice models, nanowires, nanotubes and graphenes. We will demonstrate that the phonon transports in low dimensional systems super-diffusively, which leads to a size dependent thermal conductivity. In other words, Fourier's law is breakdown in low dimensional structures

Continuous hourly radon gradient observations at Cabauw, the Netherlands - a review of main features of the 2007-2009 dataset.

We report on results of the first three years of radon time series and radon gradient observations at the Cabauw site in the Netherlands (51.971°N, 4.927°E). Two 1500 L dual flow loop, two filter radon detectors with a sensitivity better than 40 mBq m-3 are installed at the site, ensuring that gradients can be defined to the required precision every hour. The inlets are mounted on the main meteorological tower at 20 m and 200 m above ground level. The Cabauw site, located 50 km inland on a polder in an agricultural region, has a simple orography with surface elevations changing by a few metres at most within a 20 km radius. The radon gradient observations are part of our larger program to characterise turbulent mixing processes throughout the lower atmosphere. The two other related measurement projects are the continuous hourly measurements of radon gradients in the surface layer on a 50 m tower at Lucas Heights, Australia (34.053ºS, 150.981ºE; see Chambers et al, this conference), and campaign-style measurements of radon profiles up to altitudes of 4000 m above ground level using light aircraft (see Williams et al., this conference). We observe well pronounced absolute radon and radon gradient signals at Cabauw, influenced by atmospheric processes occurring on seasonal, synoptic, and diurnal time scales. Seasonal variability - the lowest radon concentrations were observed in winter and summer, when the dominant air mass fetch was the Atlantic Ocean. In spring and autumn, concentrations were generally high, as the air mass fetch was primarily over western and/or central Europe. Even when the fetch was oceanic during the latter seasons, it was often over the North Sea where radon concentrations are perturbed by land emissions. In autumn, radon concentrations from the mainland European fetch were more than three times larger than the corresponding concentration from the Atlantic/North Sea regions. Synoptic variability - the radon signal is typically a combination of local and remote influences. Synoptic and diurnal components can be separated by comparing the radon signal at 20 m and 200 m, and by using wind speed as a selecting condition. For most of the data, the diurnal signal is strongly pronounced in the 20 m data, especially when wind speeds are lower than 3 ms-1. In low wind conditions, local influences dominate and the radon signal is predominantly a combination of local source variations and diurnal changes in the local mixing depth. On the other hand, under high wind conditions (> 7 ms-1) the remote signal dominates at both levels, reflecting variations in the radon source function over a wider fetch area, the geographic extent of which is defined by the radon half-life and prevailing wind conditions. The separation of these two signals provides an opportunity to compare subsets of radon time series and gradient observations with a column or regional model and thus evaluate mixing and transport schemes characteristic for the site and the region. Diurnal variability - diurnal composite plots show that the 20 m signal is characterized by an early morning maximum and early afternoon minimum, predominantly reflecting changes in the boundary layer mixing depth on this time scale. The amplitude of this cycle ranged from 450 mBq m-3 in winter to 1460 mBq m-3 in spring. The 200 m Cabauw data exhibited a modest mid-morning maximum, consistent with upward mixing of radon from the surface as the nocturnal inversion breaks down.European Geosciences Unio

Dual-Layer Frequency-Selective Grid Polarizers on Thin-Film Substrates for THz Applications

Dual-layer frequency-selective subwavelength grid polarizers on thin-film dielectric substrates are proposed for THz and sub-THz applications. The dual-layer grids possess enhanced (squared) polarizing efficiency at a sequence of discrete frequencies in reflection and within extended frequency bands in transmission as compared to conventional single grids

Expression of lipocortins in human bronchial epithelial cells: effects of IL-1β , TNF-α, LPS and dexamethasone

In this study, we investigated the expression of lipocortin I and II (annexin I and I in the human bronchial epithelium, both in vivo and in vitro. A clear expression of lipocortin I and II protein was found in the epithelium in sections of bronchial tissue. In cultured human bronchial epithelial cells we demonstrated the expression of lipocortin I and II mRNA and protein using Northern blotting, FACScan analysis and ELISA. No induction of lipocortin I or II mRNA or protein was observed after incubation with dexamethasone. Stimulation of bronchial epithelial cells with IL-1β, TNF-α or LPS for 24 h did not affect the lipocortin I or II mRNA or protein expression, although PGE2 and 6-keto-PGF1α production was significantly increased. This IL-1β- and LPS-mediated increase in eicosanoids could be reduced by dexamethasone, but was not accompanied by an increase in lipocortin I or II expression. In human bronchial epithelial cells this particular glucocorticoid action is not mediated through lipocortin I or II induction