Formation and characteristics of ions and charged aerosol particles in a native Australian Eucalypt forest

Biogenic aerosol formation is likely to contribute significantly to the global aerosol load. In recent years, new-particle formation (NPF) has been observed in various ecosystems around the world but hardly any measurements have taken place in the terrestrial Southern Hemisphere. Here, we report the first results of atmospheric ion and charged particle concentrations as well as of NPF in a Eucalypt forest in Tumbarumba, South-East Australia, from July 2005 to October 2006. The measurements were carried out with an Air Ion Spectrometer (AIS) with a size range from 0.34 to 40 nm. Daytime aerosol formation took place on 52% of days with acceptable data. Median growth rates (GR) for negative/positive 1.3–3 nm particles were 2.29/2.02 nmh−1; for 3–7 nm particles 3.04/2.94 nmh−1; and for 7–20 nm particles 7.13/5.62 nmh−1, respectively. Intermediate ion growth rates were highest when the wind was blowing from the direction of the native Eucalypt forest, suggesting that the Eucalypts were the strongest source of condensable vapours. Average cluster ion (0.34 to 1.8 nm) concentrations were very high, 2400/1700 cm−3 for negative/positive ions compared to other measurements around the world. These high concentrations are probably the result of the strong radon efflux from the soils around the Tumbarumba field site. Furthermore, comparison between nighttime and daytime concentrations supported the view that cluster ions are produced close to the surface within the boundary layer also at night but that large ions are mostly produced in daytime. Finally, a previously unreported phenomenon, nocturnal aerosol formation, appeared on 32% of the analysed nights but was clustered almost entirely within six months from summer to autumn in 2006. From January to May, nocturnal formation was 2.5 times as frequent as daytime formation. Therefore, it appears that in summer and autumn, nocturnal production was the major mechanism for aerosol formation in Tumbarumba.