Welcome back, explorers! I hope everyone had a great spring break full of fun and exploration. Today, I have the pleasure of showcasing two other members of our team – atmospheric chemists Jakob and Salvatore. Jakob and Salvotore, or “Salvo” as we call him, are both experts in atmospheric aerosols – little tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere. These particles are often so tiny that you cannot see them. In fact, some particles are up to ten times smaller than a human hair! Many things can become atmospheric aerosols – from dirt, sea salt, to tiny bits of biological material – and much more!
Jakob and Salvo study these tiny particles and how they impact cloud formation, especially in the polar regions. They use various machines that can pull in the air and “count” the number of aerosols and identify their size. This helps us categorize the types of aerosols, as dust and sea salt are typically much larger than aerosols formed by gases. Aerosols are vital to cloud formation, as they provide a little surface for water to condense on. Without aerosols, cloud formation would be impossible because water needs this “surface” to cling to. Next time you see a cloud, thank the aerosols!
