Aerosols are small particles in the air that can either cool or warm the climate, depending on the type and color of the particle. The bulk of the atmospheric aerosol mass is present in the lower troposphere, reflecting the short residence time of aerosols against deposition (~1-2 weeks; see problem 8. 1). Aerosol concentrations in the upper troposphere are typically 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than in the lower troposphere. The stratosphere contains however an ubiquitous H2SO4-H2O aerosol layer at 15-25 km altitude, which plays an important role for stratospheric ozone chemistry (chapter 10). This layer arises from ... Contents Introduction Concentrations Morphological Properties Condensation of aerosol particles Molality, mol/kg Coagulation of aerosol particles Chemical speciation of Atmospheric Particulate Matter Size differentiated particulate matter Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) or Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) Black carbon (BC) and its radiative forcing References Introduction Aerosol is a suspension of fine particles in a gas, usually air, and is generally taken to include both solid and liquid ... Aerosol, a system of liquid or solid particles uniformly distributed in a finely divided state through a gas, usually air . Aerosol particles, such as dust, play an important role in the precipitation process, providing the nuclei upon which condensation and freezing take place.
