Conditions Favouring New Particle Formation in A Polluted Environment: Results of the QUEST-Po Valley Experiment 2004.

In the framework of the QUEST-EC project, an intensive measurement campaign was carried out in early spring 2004 at San Pietro Capofiume, a rural site located in the Po Valley. The aim was to investigate the mechanisms of new particle formation in a polluted environment, and to assess the role of aerosol chemical composition in the formation and growth of aerosol particles. The results confirm that new particle formation was preferentially associated with relatively clean air masses, and evidence that new particle formation in this polluted environment is due to a synergy between particular meteorological conditions and the physicochemical characteristics of aerosol particles. Keywords New particle formation, nucleation, aerosol chemistry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]