Six-year trend of concentrations of ultrafine particles 6 km away from a major German airport

Abstract

Ultrafine particles play a crucial role in the atmosphere, both as a source of larger particles and as a factor influencing human health. We analysed hourly particle number size distributions collected during 2015–2021 from an urban background station in the Rhine-Main area in Germany, focusing on potential particle sources and multi-annual trends. The site is influenced by diffuse regional sources such as motor traffic and domestic heating, as well as Frankfurt Airport, located at a distance of 6 km. The average total particle number concentration (TNC, size range 10–500 nm) was 9.4 × 103 cm−3. TNC maxima were observed in diurnal cycles at 07:00, 13:00, and 21:00 UTC+1 (UTC+1 is used throughout the paper). The midday peak was more distinct during the warm season and dominated by nucleation mode particles (NUCs, 10–30 nm), suggesting photochemical particle formation as a source. When the wind was blowing from Frankfurt Airport, a 2.5-fold concentration average in NUCs was observed compared to other directions (11.2 × 103 and 4.3 × 103 cm−3, 2015–2021). In 2020, during traffic restrictions related to the COVID-19 lockdown, TNC downwind of the airport was 40 %–60 % lower compared to the average of the prior 4 years. The overall trend analysis for 2015–2021 yielded consistent downward trends for TNC (−2 % yr−1), atmospheric particulate matter (PM10) mass (4 % yr−1), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (−5 % yr−1). While our observations of particle number size distributions show general similarities to other Central European observations, the effect of winds from Frankfurt Airport as a particle source is most prominently seen in the range 10–30 nm. The airport's role as a source of NUCs, and the rise in flights from 2015 to 2019 may be the cause of lower decline rates when compared to other locations. ©Author(s) 2026.