The PSI Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry studies gases and aerosols in the atmosphere, affected by energy systems and impacting air quality, weather, climate change and human health.
Lab News & Scientific Highlights
Identifying the sources of Sarajevo’s smog
Fumes from wood and coal burning as well as from cooking are the main sources of the heavy smog in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. That’s the finding of a comprehensive mobile measurement campaign by PSI researchers.
Both natural and human emissions shape cloud formation high above Earth
What happens inside the CLOUD chamber?
Particulate pollution re-evaluated
A new study provides data from 43 sites across Europe, showing the respective oxidative stress on the lungs.
Study reveals: Smoke from crop residue burning worsens air pollution in Indian cities
Identifying the main source of air pollution in Indian cities is crucial to reducing the many deaths caused by fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) – deaths that during the harvest season can account for up to half of all air pollution-related fatalities. An international research team lead by the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has investigated in detail the sources of the organic components of fine particulate matter in the northern Indian cities of Delhi and Kanpur, located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Using novel high-resolution molecular measurement techniques and advanced data analysis, the researchers were able to precisely identify and quantify the sources of organic fine particulate matter.
Publications
-
Aggarwal S, Bansal P, Wang Y, Jorga S, Macgregor G, Rohner U, et al.
Identifying key parameters that affect sensitivity of flow tube chemical ionization mass spectrometers
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques. 2025; 18(17): 4227-4247. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4227-2025
DORA PSI -
Ajith TC, Windwer E, Fang Z, Li C, Modini RL, Onasch TB, et al.
Evaluation of the 365 nm CAPS PM SSA monitor and its use in both laboratory and field measurements
Aerosol Science and Technology. 2025; 59(11): 1456-1474. https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2025.2488478
DORA PSI -
Aliaga D, Sinclair VA, Krejci R, Andrade M, Artaxo P, Blacutt L, et al.
New particle formation dynamics in the central Andes: contrasting urban and mountaintop environments
Aerosol Research. 2025; 3(1): 15-44. https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-15-2025
DORA PSI -
Ammann M
Concluding remarks: atmospheric chemistry in cold environments
Faraday Discussions. 2025; 258: 597-613. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5fd00042d
DORA PSI -
Bartels-Rausch T, Creamean J, Thomas JL, Willis M, Zieger P
Ten crucial unknowns in atmospheric chemistry in the cold
Faraday Discussions. 2025; 258: 10-22. https://doi.org/10.1039/d5fd00056d
DORA PSI