Towards a Universal Hygroscopic Growth Calibration for Low-Cost PM_2.5 Sensors

Abstract. Low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors continue to grow in popularity, but issues such as aerosol size-dependent sensitivity drive the need for effective calibration schemes. Here we devise a time-evolving calibration method for the Plantower PMS5003 PM_2.5 mass concentration measurements. We use 2 years of measurements from the Berkeley Environmental Air-quality and CO₂ Network sensors deployed in San Francisco and Los Angeles in our analysis. The calibration uses a hygroscopic growth correction factor derived from k-Köhler Theory, where the calibration parameters are determined empirically using EPA AQS reference data at co-location sites during the period from 2021–2022. The parameters are found to vary cyclically through the seasons, and the seasonal cycles match changes in sulfate and elemental carbon PM composition fractions throughout the year. In both regions, the seasonal RH dependence calibration performs better than the uncalibrated data and data calibrated with the EPA’s national Plantower calibration algorithm. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the seasonal RH dependence calibration reduces the RMSE by ~40 % from the uncalibrated data and maintains a mean bias much smaller than the EPA National Calibration scheme (–0.90 vs –2.73 µg/m³). We also find that calibration parameters forecasted beyond those fit with the EPA reference data continue to outperform the uncalibrated data and EPA calibration data, enabling real-time application of the calibration scheme even in the absence of reference data. While the correction greatly improves the data accuracy, non-Gaussian distribution of the residuals suggests that other processes besides hygroscopic growth can be parameterized for future improvement of this calibration.