{
  "abstract": "Accurate simulation of atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) remains limited because large-scale models cannot resolve aerosol processes at fine spatial scales, while detailed microphysics models assume spatially homogeneous conditions. Here we use a high-resolution three-dimensional multiphysics framework (3D-ICAM) to quantify how environmental heterogeneity governs NPF dynamics at meter scales. Simulations at 10 m resolution across contrasting emission geometries reveal that spatial gradients in wind and precursor vapor convergence substantially modify local nucleation intensity, particle growth rates, and size-distribution structure. Under weak-wind conditions (<1 m s-1) the model reproduces nucleation \"hotspots\", intermittent multiepisode nucleation, and persistently bimodal size distributions absent under homogeneous conditions. Comparison with an equivalent box (0D) model isolates the effect of spatial structure: resolving it raises predicted growth rates at the survival-limiting sub-3 nm sizes by up to ∼20× and brings modeled growth within the range of field observations, whereas the box model underpredicts across the size spectrum. This occurs because localized, transport-generated microenvironments relax the growth-scavenging competition that governs particle survival. Meter-scale environmental structure therefore strongly influences urban NPF and must be considered when interpreting observations, constraining nucleation mechanisms, and predicting particle number and cloud condensation nuclei budgets.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability, University of Leeds, LeedsLS2 9JT, U.K.",
    "Environmental Research Group, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, White City Campus, Wood Lane, LondonW12 0BZ, U.K.",
    "PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences , Villigen5232, Switzerland."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kunal Ghosh",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3179-6844"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Gargi Sengupta",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3105-2239"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Suneeti Mishra",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0219-6038"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fxpf8ckpg3865.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1021/acs.est.6c10206",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13674053",
  "id": "fxpf8ckpg3865",
  "issns": [
    "0013-936X",
    "1520-5851"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42915943",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1902|Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7163900993",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13674053?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13674053",
  "pmid": "42915943",
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fxpf8ckpg3865.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:36Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42915943",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42915943"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:1902|Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols",
      "subfield": "atmospheric"
    }
  ],
  "title": "How Microscale Flow and Vapor Transport Shape New Particle Formation and Growth.",
  "title_text": "How Microscale Flow and Vapor Transport Shape New Particle Formation and Growth.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:36Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fxpf8ckpg3865",
  "venue": "Environmental science & technology",
  "versions": []
}