Intermediate ions as a strong indicator of new particle formation bursts in a boreal forest

Secondary aerosol formation from gas-phase precursors is a frequent phenomenon occurring in a boreal environment. Traditionally, this process is identified visually from observational data on total and ion number size distributions. Here, we introduce a new, objective classification method for the new particle formation events based on measured intermediate-ion concentrations. The intermediate-ion concentration is a suitable indicator of new particle formation, because it is linked to the atmospheric new particle formation. The concentration of intermediate ions is typically very low (below 5 cm(-3)) when there is no new particle formation or precipitation events occurring. In this study, we analysed concentrations of negative intermediate ions at the Station for Measuring Ecosystem Atmosphere Relations (SMEAR II) in Hyytiala, Finland, during the years 2003-2013. We found that the half-hour median concentration of negative intermediate ions in sizes 2-4 nm was > 20 cm(-3) during 77.5% of event days classified by traditional method. The corresponding value was 92.3% in the case of 2-7 nm negative ions. In addition, the intermediate-ion concentration varied seasonally in a similar manner as the number of event days, peaking in the spring. A typical diurnal variation of the intermediate-ion concentration resembled that of the particle concentration during the event days. We developed here a new method for classifying new particle formation events based on intermediate-ion concentrations. The new method is complementary to the traditional event analysis and it can also be used as an automatic way of determining new particle formation events from large data sets.Peer reviewe