Aerosols in a Mediterranean forest: XXXX , particle size distribution, and growth rates.

@entity9734 @entity14024 @entity9733 @entity597
Particle size distribution measurements in 16 nonlinear intervals covering the 0.1-7.5 microns range and concurrent @entity597 concentrations were continuously recorded in September 1996 over the period of two weeks in a Mediterranean forest. @entity597 size distribution was derived from a linear correlation fit between the concentrations and the number of particles recorded at each particle size interval. The results revealed two modal diameters for @entity14024 , with typical diameters at 0.3 and 0.675 micron. These results were associated with two different dominant chemical mechanisms governing @entity597 formation. In order to describe the dominant chemical mechanism, the growth law approach was applied. Growth rates were determined using the parameter estimates of the fitted particle size distribution function. By matching these data with @entity597 concentrations, the dominant chemical reactions were identified. The results have shown that @entity597 formation is governed by both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions and that the latter process was dominant. Condensation reactions prevailed in the early morning and late afternoon, and volume reactions at night, particularly in high-moisture conditions. From the observational data, the gas-to-particle conversion rate for @entity9733 ( @entity9734 ) at nighttime was also derived, yielding a 2.18%/hr-1.
