While it is beyond the scope of this review, we provide a brief overview of non-laboratory MS measurements applied to atmospheric particles. In field measurements, most mass spectrometry studies focus on particles larger than ∼ 100 nm, characterizing the chemical complexity, number concentration, spatial and temporal variation and distinguished between natural and anthropogenic sources of atmospheric particles. Typically, particles over a given geographical area are studied at a specific time, with the overall motivation for the study deciding the duration and frequency of the experiment.