Comparing ultrafine particle measurements on the Jungfraujoch

A variety of different methods are used to measure the size distributions of the smallest aerosol particles in the atmosphere — so called ultrafine particles, or UFPs. One promising new, lightweight and handheld device is the Partector 2 Pro manufactured by naneos particle solutions GmbH, a Swiss based company. Two Partector 2 Pro instruments were recently installed at the Jungfraujoch research station, where they are being intercompared against ACTRIS Switzerland reference measurements (mobility particle size spectrometer, condensation particle counters) over a year-long period. This intercomparison exercise is an important test of the instruments’ abilities to measure low concentrations of UFPs under the clean, remote conditions encountered on the Jungfraujoch. The lower atmospheric pressure on the Jungfraujoch also poses some interesting challenges for the Partector 2 Pro. The founder of naneos, Martin Fierz recently traveled to Jungfraujoch to perform some specific calibrations that address these challenges. Martin has written a great blog post about the trip with many interesting details. The initial results post-calibration look really promising, and we are all looking forward to seeing the further results to come.