Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics www.atmos-chem-phys.net 1680-7316 1680-7324 5 2 2005 10.5194/acp-5-409-2005 http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/5/409/2005/ http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/5/409/2005/acp-5-409-2005.html http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/5/409/2005/acp-5-409-2005.pdf 409 416 2005-02-10 On the growth of nucleation mode particles: source rates of condensable vapor in polluted and clean environments M. Kulmala T. Petäjä P. Mönkkönen I. K. Koponen M. Dal Maso P. P. Aalto K. E. J. Lehtinen V.-M. Kerminen Department of Physical Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. BOX 64, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland Finnish Meteorological Institute and University of Kuopio, P.O. BOX 1627, FIN-70211 Kuopio, Finland Finnish Meteorological Institute, Research and Development, Climate and Global Change, Sahaajankatu 20E, FIN-00880 Helsinki, Finland The growth properties of nucleation mode particles were investigated. The variation of source rates of condensable vapors in different locations and environmental conditions was analyzed. The measurements were performed in background stations in Antarctica, in Finnish Lapland and Boreal Forest stations (SMEAR I and SMEAR II) as well as in polluted urban sites in Athens, Marseille and New Delhi. Taking advantage of only the measured spectral evolution of aerosol particles as a function of time the formation and growth properties of nucleation mode aerosols were evaluated. The diameter growth-rate and condensation sink were obtained from the measured size distribution dynamics. Using this growth rate and condensation sink, the concentration of condensable vapors and their source rate were estimated. The growth rates and condensation sinks ranged between 0.3-20nmh^-1 and 10^-4-0.07s^-1, respectively. The corresponding source rate of condensable vapors varied more than 4 orders of magnitude from 10³ to over 10⁷cm^-1s^-1. The highest condensation sink and source rate values were observed in New Delhi and the smallest values in Antarctica.