NOAA Research - A previously unrecognized but widespread class of ultrafine aerosol particles high in Earth’s atmosphere identified by researchers with NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory (CSL) has revealed a significant gap in scientists’ understanding of a key region in the atmosphere.
The tiny particles captured during high-altitude research flights are roughly 100 times smaller than a dust particle. They were found to be surprisingly abundant in the lowest parts of the stratosphere, accounting for as much as 90% of the total aerosol surface area.
“These particles have been mostly invisible to us until now,” said lead author Ming Lyu, a researcher with the Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Science who is affiliated with CSL. “Most instruments and satellites miss them because they are just too small, but they are really abundant and so, as a whole, they can have a big impact.”
The study was published in the journal Science.
