The objective of this study was in search for parameters to characterize and distinguish the transport of nanoparticles due to vertical or advection eddy from particle bursts associated with ambient nucleation. Measurements of ultrafine particle number and size distributions, gas phase concentrations, particle chemical properties and meteorological parameters were simultaneously conducted near a major highway in Toronto, Canada from 17 to 28 August 2007. Five new particle formation events were observed during the sampling days, including two regional long-term nucleation and growth events, one local long-term nucleation and growth event and two local short-term nucleation events without particle growth. All these events commonly exhibited a particle mode at 10 nm, and the apparent formation rate of new particles was estimated to be 5. 96 cm-3 s-1 to 20. 17 cm-3 s-1. The coefficient of variation (CV) of nanoparticles number concentration (NNC) in every 30s was examined for all events. The average CVs of NNC from vertical eddy was range from 0. 1791 to 0. 2354; the average CVs of NNC from advection eddy was 0. 1067; and the average CVs of NNC from new particle formation was from 0. 0162 to 0. 0467. The difference between them was more than one order of magnitude and can be used an indictor for identification of these atmospheric processes.