Diurnal variation of atmospheric aerosol during the wood combustion season in Northern Sweden

A set of aerosol measurements was conducted in the residential area of Forsdala in Lycksele, Northern Sweden, during winter 2005/2006. This article describes the temporal and diurnal variation of the aerosol physical properties (concentrations of PM10, PM1, light-absorbing carbon, and particle number, and number size distributions), and the relationship among aerosol concentrations and meteorological variables. A large day-to-day and hour-to-hour variability in aerosol concentrations was observed during the intensive study period. Evening aerosol concentrations were statistically significantly higher on weekends than on weekdays. On weekdays, particle size distribution and concentrations varied diurnally with small particles (diameter <30 nm) associated mainly with morning motor vehicle emissions. The results suggest that a combination of emissions from residential wood combustion and traffic sources might explain the high evening concentrations of PM10, PM1, particle number, and light-absorbing carbon as well as large geometric mean diameters observed during weekdays and weekends. Strong correlations of PM10 and PM1 with particle size distributions are found in the diameter range 130–500 nm and are remarkably high on weekend evenings when larger particles are sampled. The correlation between light-absorbing carbon mass concentration and particle size distribution is high regarding both particle number and mass for particle diameters >95 nm. High aerosol concentrations were associated with low air temperatures and very stable atmospheric conditions close to the ground.