Sub-micron aerosol particle size distribution collected in the Southern Ocean in the austral summer of 2016/2017, during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition.

• Main Authors: Schmale, Julia, Henning, Silvia, Tummon, Fiona, Hartmann, Markus, Baccarini, Andrea, Welti, André, Lehtipalo, Katrianne, Tatzelt, Christian, Gysel-Beer, Martin
• Other Authors: Thomas, Jenny
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: aerosol; scanning mobility particle sizer; SMPS; size distribution; Southern Ocean; Antarctica; Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition; ACE-SPACE; ACE; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Austral; Pacific; Indian; Aitken; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/2636700; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2636700

Dataset abstract The authors would highly appreciate to be contacted if the data is used for any purpose. We measured sub-micrometer aerosol particles with two scanning mobility particle spectrometers (SMPSs) between 11 and 400 nm (file name ACESPACE_submicron_aerosol_particle_size_distribution.csv) in 100 bins, and 11 and 181 nm in 77 bins - so no data entry in the remaining 23 bins - (ACESPACE_submicron_aerosol_particle_size_distribution_nano.csv) at a time resolution of five minutes during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE). Particles in this size range are important for cloud formation because a sub-set of them can act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The time series of the size distribution shows that the particle population over the Southern Ocean can be quite variable featuring three dominant modes: a new particle formation mode (11 – 30 nm); an Aitken mode (20 – 70 nm); and an accumulation mode (> 70 nm). Often a concentration minimum between the Aitken and accumulation mode can be observed. It is known as Hoppel minimum (Hoppel and Frick, 1990; 10.1016/0960-1686(90)90020-N). Typically, particles larger than this minimum act as CCN. The variability of the particle size spectrum is a result of particle sources and atmospheric processes. Sea spray generation adds larger particles likely with a peak in the mode around 200 nm. Trace gas emissions from microbial communities in the ocean, such as dimethylsulfide (DMS) will be oxidized to either sulphuric acid or methanesulfonic acid in the atmosphere which condense onto pre-existing particles, hence growing those. Sulphuric acid can also form new particles (new particle formation mode). Rain and snow will remove particles larger than the Hoppel minimum. The data set can be used to explore the variability of the particle size distribution in three different oceans around Antarctica (Indian, Pacific, Atlantic Oceans) and from Cape Town to Europe in relation to weather patterns, air mass trajectories, microbial activity etc. It is best used in ...