Category Archives: Aerosols

What’s the secret of coarse dust?

Posted on 18 June, 2018 by

By Claire Ryder Mineral dust aerosol particles are regularly lifted into the atmosphere in arid regions, such as deserts, and transported over thousands of kilometres by the wind, such as from the Sahara desert to the Caribbean Sea, as shown … Continue reading →

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Hidden in the clouds

Posted on 30 April, 2018 by Stephen Burt

By Nicolas Bellouin Our atmosphere contains varying amounts of tiny liquid or solid particles called aerosols. Some aerosols have a natural origin, like the mineral dust particles that form sandstorms, or the sea spray emitted by breaking waves. Other aerosols … Continue reading →

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Skirting the Issue

Posted on 16 April, 2018 by Stephen Burt

By Geoff Wadge During a major explosive volcanic eruption a set of three main processes transfers mass and heat from the solid earth to the atmosphere. These three processes are: a gas thrust (jet) extending up from the volcanic vent, … Continue reading →

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Simulating the effect of electrical charge on cloud drops using Direct Numerical Simulation

Posted on 30 October, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Torsten Auerswald In the atmosphere, clouds develop when water vapour condenses leading to the formation of cloud drops. This process is usually supported by the presence of condensation nuclei which allow drop formation at low supersaturations. Aerosol particles in the … Continue reading →

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The Role of Synoptic Meteorology on UK Air Pollution

Posted on 14 August, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Chris Webber In the past year the issue of air pollution within the UK has been elevated, driven by the loss of life that it causes (in 2013 > 500,000 years of UK lives lost due to air pollution … Continue reading →

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Why has there been a rapid increase in heat-related extremes in Western Europe since the mid-1990s?

Posted on 22 May, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Buwen Dong In the last few decades, Europe has warmed not only faster than the global average, but also faster than expected from anthropogenic greenhouse gas increases (van Oldenborgh et al., 2009). With the warming, Europe experienced record-breaking heat … Continue reading →

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Measuring radiation with aircraft

Posted on 23 January, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Peter Hill In my career as an atmospheric scientist I’ve relied on observational data from a wide range of sources including satellite imagery, surface measurements, ground-based and satellite based radar, and aircraft measurements. Last July I had my first … Continue reading →

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Geoengineering – how could we detect its cooling effect?

Posted on 9 January, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Eunice Lo Sulphate aerosol injection (SAI) is one of the geoengineering proposals that aim to reduce future surface temperature rise in case ambitious carbon dioxide mitigation targets cannot be met.  Climate model simulations suggest that by injecting 5 Tg of sulphur dioxide gas … Continue reading →

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The interaction between aerosols and clouds

Posted on 6 June, 2016 by Stephen Burt

By Nicolas Bellouin As part of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), I lead an activity that will provide in August new estimates of radiative forcing of climate due to changes in atmospheric composition. One of the radiative forcing mechanisms … Continue reading →

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How do emissions in Abidjan affect the price of chocolate in the UK?

Posted on 14 March, 2016 by Stephen Burt

By Peter Hill The majority of the cocoa beans required to supply the world’s ever increasing demand for chocolate come from southern West Africa. Unfortunately, the volume produced, and consequently the cost of cocoa beans, is heavily dependent on the … Continue reading →

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