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Airborne particles might grow fast in cities

Nanoscale particles have been observed to form and grow in the atmospheres of many cities, contradicting our understanding of particle-formation processes. Experiments now reveal a possible explanation for this mystery.
  1. Hugh Coe

    1. Hugh Coe is in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.

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In a paper in Nature, Wang et al.1 report observations of the rapid growth of newly formed atmospheric particles through the condensation of ammonium nitrate under conditions typical of many urban environments in wintertime. The observations were made in a chamber in a laboratory, but the authors convincingly argue that similar conditions can occur transiently in megacities. The findings fill a major gap in our knowledge of particle growth rates in cities.

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Nature 581, 145-146 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-01334-4

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