Size Matters More Than Chemistry for Cloud-Nucleating Ability of Aerosol Particles

Dusek, Ulrike; Frank, G. P.; Hildebrandt, L.; Curtius, Joachim; Schneider, Johannes; Walter, S.; Chand, D.; Drewnick, Frank; Hings, Silke S.; Jung, Da Jin Sol; Borrmann, Stephan; Andreae, Meinrat O.

doi:10.1126/science.1125261

articleScienceJun 2, 2006Closed access

Size Matters More Than Chemistry for Cloud-Nucleating Ability of Aerosol Particles

UDUlrike Dusek GPG. P. Frank LHL. Hildebrandt JCJoachim Curtius JSJohannes Schneider

California Institute of Technology · Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz · +2 more institutions

PubMed

Indexed incrossrefpubmed

Abstract

Size-resolved cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) spectra measured for various aerosol types at a non-urban site in Germany showed that CCN concentrations are mainly determined by the aerosol number size distribution. Distinct variations of CCN activation with particle chemical composition were observed but played a secondary role. When the temporal variation of chemical effects on CCN activation is neglected, variation in the size distribution alone explains 84 to 96% of the variation in CCN concentrations. Understanding that particles' ability to act as CCN is largely controlled by aerosol size rather than composition greatly facilitates the treatment of aerosol effects on cloud physics in regional and global…

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Topics & keywords

Topics

Keywords

Aerosol
Cloud condensation nuclei
Atmospheric sciences
Particle-size distribution
Particle size
Chemical composition
Nucleation
Chemistry

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable cities and communities

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