Within the internal grant of Institute to support research of young scientists “Application of modern inexpensive sensors to expand the network for monitoring of aerosol impurities in the atmosphere of Southern Baikal” (grant leader Shikhovtsev M.Yu.), the particle counters “WoMaster ES-104” (Taiwan) were bought, they allow determining the content of aerosol particles with their size from 2.5 μm to 10 μm. To transmit data in real time mode, sensors were equipped with an additional module of information transmission via GSM-networks, which was developed by LIN SB RAS.

Calibration of data obtained from the “WoMaster ES-104” and from the professional instrument “Lighthouse 3016” during the expedition to Bolshiye Koty settlement on July 17-28, 2023 and the ship expedition on board the R/V “G.Yu. Vereshchagin” on August 5-15, 2023 showed acceptable convergence of measurement results. The paired correlation coefficient between data series was 0.7-0.8.

Currently, these particle counters are installed on board the R/V “G.Yu. Vereshchagin”, which allows obtaining data on aerosol parameters as the vehicle moves and on the scientific station “Listvyanka”. The project envisages expansion of the observation network by stations, in particular, in the settlement of Tankhoy and on the Ushkany Islands.

The results obtained will allow us to expand the understanding of the spatial and temporal distribution of PM2.5 and PM10 aerosol impurities over the vast territory of the Baikal region in different seasons of the year. The obtained data can also be used to calculate the coefficients of comparison of satellite sensing results, reanalysis data and in-situ observations.