New aerosol particle formation in Amazonia.

Particle nucleation in Amazonia has been an enigma throughout decades of active scrutiny of natural nucleation processes; however, measurements have so far been thought to fail capturing an actual new particle formation (NPF) event. In this study we have analyzed latest measurements of ultra-fine particle size distributions alongside with air ion spectra and revealed a diurnal pattern of ultra-fine particle apparent growth. The revealed growth pattern is preceded by diurnal precipitation probability maxima, and simultaneous abundant ion production as detected by Neutral cluster and Air Ion Spectrometer (NAIS) data. Thus, we claim that by implementing statistical analysis of scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) data and combining with independent observations from Neutral cluster and Air Ion Spectrometer (NAIS) we can observe a consistent signal of NPF events in Amazonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]