Can the state of mixing of black carbon aerosols explain the mystery of‘ excess' atmospheric absorption?
As radon progeny decay, they emit radioactive alpha particles and attach to aerosols, dust and other particles in the air.
Research in Mexico City suggested that secondary aerosols made up two-thirds of particulate pollution, but earlier studies in Los Angeles showed the reverse, Jimenez says.
In the context of atmospheric aerosols, clouds, fogs and rain themselves are atmospheric aerosols.
Pumping aerosols into the atmosphere, for example, would have different effects on climate in China and India.
NO2 is the main source of nitrate aerosols, which form an important fraction of PM2.5 and, in the presence of ultraviolet light, of ozone.
A thin, even layer of aerosols caps the cloud and surrounds it on either side.
The model depicts aerosol optical thickness, a measure of the amount of light that the aerosols scatter and absorb, and a proxy for the number of particles in the air.
Scientists have known for a long time that aerosols such as soot, dust and other small particulate matter, alter cloud density and the radiative balance of the atmosphere.
Natural aerosols are produced by sea salt, desert dust, volcanic eruptions and smoke from forest fires.
Meanwhile, NASA's Aquarius satellite will launch to measure ocean salinity, and Glory will monitor solar irradiance and aerosols.
