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

Ulrike Dusek; Göran Frank; Lea Hildebrandt; Joachim Curtius; Johannes Schneider; Saskia Walter; Duli Chand; Frank Drewnick; Silke Hings; D Jung; Stephan Borrmann; Meinrat O. Andreae

doi:10.1126/science.1125261

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

Ulrike Dusek, Göran Frank, Lea Hildebrandt, Joachim Curtius, Johannes Schneider, Saskia Walter, Duli Chand, Frank Drewnick, Silke Hings, D Jung, Stephan Borrmann, Meinrat O. Andreae

Max Planck Institute for Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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 models.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1375-1378
Journal	Science
Volume	312
Issue number	5778
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1125261
Publication status	Published - 2006

Bibliographical note

The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015.
The record was previously connected to the following departments: Nuclear Physics (Faculty of Technology) (011013007)

Subject classification (UKÄ)

Subatomic Physics

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title = "Size Matters More Than Chemistry for Cloud-Nucleating Ability of Aerosol Particles",

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{\textquoteright} 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 models.",

author = "Ulrike Dusek and G{\"o}ran Frank and Lea Hildebrandt and Joachim Curtius and Johannes Schneider and Saskia Walter and Duli Chand and Frank Drewnick and Silke Hings and D Jung and Stephan Borrmann and Andreae, {Meinrat O.}",

note = "The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Nuclear Physics (Faculty of Technology) (011013007)",

year = "2006",

doi = "10.1126/science.1125261",

language = "English",

volume = "312",

pages = "1375--1378",

journal = "Science",

issn = "1095-9203",

publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Size Matters More Than Chemistry for Cloud-Nucleating Ability of Aerosol Particles

AU - Dusek, Ulrike

AU - Frank, Göran

AU - Hildebrandt, Lea

AU - Curtius, Joachim

AU - Schneider, Johannes

AU - Walter, Saskia

AU - Chand, Duli

AU - Drewnick, Frank

AU - Hings, Silke

AU - Jung, D

AU - Borrmann, Stephan

AU - Andreae, Meinrat O.

N1 - The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Nuclear Physics (Faculty of Technology) (011013007)

PY - 2006

Y1 - 2006

N2 - 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 models.

AB - 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 models.

U2 - 10.1126/science.1125261

DO - 10.1126/science.1125261

M3 - Article

SN - 1095-9203

VL - 312

SP - 1375

EP - 1378

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 5778

ER -

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

Abstract

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