Atmospheric Aerosols in Suburb of Prague: The Dynamics of Particle Size Distributions

Abstract

The paper summarizes the results of a two-year-long continuous sampling by SMPS and APS spectrometers at the suburban background site in Prague - Suchdol. The particle number size distributions and their dynamic behavior were studied. The average total particle number concentration was 7300 particles/cm3. The size distributions were often trimodal. The situations, when the number concentrations of particles smaller than 25 nm in diameter were elevated, mostly indicated the formation of new particles. The paper also compares for example typical clean days, days dominated by traffic related aerosols (during rush hours) or days characterized by local pollution events. On clean days, the average background particle number concentration was 4000 particles/cm3. On days with anthropogenic pollution, higher than average particle number concentrations were recorded throughout the whole size range with the total average concentration 20000 particles/cm3.