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View Ontology
| Name: | aerosol |
| Acronym: | |
| Description: | An aerosol can be defined as a dispersion of solid and liquid particles suspended in gas. Atmospheric aerosols, unsurprisingly, refer to solid and liquid particles suspended in air. Aerosols are produced by dozens of different processes that occur on land and water surfaces, and in the atmosphere itself. Aerosols occur in both the troposphere and the stratosphere, but there are considerable differences in the size ranges, chemical nature and sources of the aerosols that occur in these two atmospheric layers. Many research efforts are under way to measure, characterize and model aerosols. This is because aerosols have important consequences for global climate, ecosystem processes, and human health. Aerosols influence the amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth, a consequence that is described as climate forcing, or radiative forcing. Radiative forcing is usually expressed in units of W/m2, and can be a positive or negative term. A reduction of solar radiation reachin |
| Type: | Noun |
| Term is: | Variable | | Term has: | | |
