aerosol

Theoretical verification of the CH2OO + formic acid sequence. Credit: Nature Geoscience (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-023-01361-6 Eighty-five percent of the Earth's air resides in the lowest layer of its atmosphere, or troposphere. Yet, major gaps remain in our understanding of the atmospheric chemistry that drives changes in the troposphere's composition. …

University of Helsinki researchers discovered extensive aerosol particle formation in the West Siberian taiga, contradicting previous beliefs and linking it to heatwave conditions and a warming climate. This significant finding, enhancing understanding of climate interactions, calls for more research in boreal forests to inform climate modeling and policy decisions. Credit: SciTechDaily.comRecent research has discovered that, in contrast to earlier assumptions, substantial quantities of aerosol particles are generated…

Sulfuric acid, temperature, and particle formation rates. Median diel evolution of sulfuric acid (n= 19 and 7) (a), temperature (n = 22 and 7) (b) and particle formation rates at 1.6 nm J1.6 (n = 20 and 7) (c). Solid lines show medians with shaded areas representing 25th to 75th percentiles. Panel (d) depicts J1.6 as a function of sulfuric acid concentration. Early spring is characterized by higher sulfuric acid concentration and lower temperature…

Credit: iScience (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108533 Africa is on fire. It has been for thousands of years. The continent contains more than 50% of the total area on Earth that is burning, on average, and there is no sign of it stopping; indeed, the migrating, hemisphere-hopping African wildfire season is steadily increasing. The fire is…

A study by Indiana University suggests that scattering sunlight-reflecting particles in the atmosphere could slow down the melting of Antarctic ice. This approach, known as stratospheric aerosol injection, aims to mitigate the risks of rising sea levels due to climate change. Credit: SciTechDaily.comClimate Engineering Could Slow Antarctic Ice LossScattering sunlight-reflecting particles in the atmosphere could slow rapid melting in West Antarctica and reduce the risk of catastrophic sea-level rise, according to a study…

The CLOUD experiment at CERN. Credit: CERN Atmospheric aerosol particles exert a strong net cooling effect on the climate by making clouds brighter and more extensive, reflecting more sunlight back out to space. However, how aerosol particles form in the atmosphere remains poorly understood, especially in polar and marine regions. Globally, the main…

by Tilo Arnhold, Leibniz-Institut für Troposphärenforschung e. V. Retrieval of globally representative aerosol hygroscopicity parameters for organic particulate matter, κorg, and inorganic ions, κinorg, based on cloud condensation nuclei measurements worldwide. Retrieval of κorg = 0.12 ± 0.02 and κinorg = 0.63 ± 0.01 from linear bivariate regression fits of experimentally derived organic mass fraction, ϵorg, and…

The extinction hygroscopic growth factor of different sources aerosol under polluted and clean background in Qingdao from Sept. 2019 to Aug. 2020. Credit: Liu Nana In order to study the extinction hygroscopic growth characteristics of aerosol in coastal areas, researchers have analyzed the local aerosol characteristics of Qingdao, a typical coastal city in China. …

Aerosol filter sampling downwind of polluted coastal waters in Imperial Beach. Photo: Matthew Pendergraft. Credit: Matthew Pendergraft New research led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has confirmed that coastal water pollution transfers to the atmosphere in sea spray aerosol, which can reach people beyond just beachgoers, surfers, and swimmers. …

An artist’s rendering of the SWOT spacecraft.Illustration: NASANASA Engineers are racing to fix a worrying glitch with a recently launched water satellite, hoping to get the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission up and running so that it can start surveying our planet’s oceans, lakes, and rivers.SWOT, a joint project between NASA and France’s Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), launched on December 16, 2022 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Things were looking good for the spacecraft, which made contact…