Aerosol particle formation events at two Siberian stations inside the boreal forest

We present one-year data on atmospheric aerosol particle size distributions covering the ultrafine size range from two measurement stations situated in central Siberia: Tomsk and Listvyanka. The size distributions were measured using Diffusion Aerosol Spectrometers (DAS), which are able to detect particles as small as 3 nm in diameter. The analysis of the size distribution time series revealed about 30 new-particle formation and growth events at both stations. The events occurred predominantly during the springtime. The average particle formation rates were 0.4 cm–3 s–1 at both stations, whereas the particle growth rates were on average 5.5 nm h–1 at Tomsk and 1.8 nm h–1 at Listvyanka. The formation and growth rates were comparable with those observed in the western part of the Eurasian boreal forest.