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Tiny Particles that Seed Clouds Can Form from Trace Gases Over Open Sea
Understanding previously undocumented source of new particle formation will improve models of aerosols, clouds, and their impact on Earth's climate
January 22, 2021
Results from a study of clouds and aerosols conducted in the Azores revealed that new particles can seed the formation of clouds in the marine boundary layer—the atmosphere up to about a kilometer above Earth's surface—even over the open ocean, where the concentration of precursor gases was expected to be low.
Image courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility.