Methanesulfonic Acid Boosts Cloud-Seeding Particles Up to 10-Fold in Cool Marine Air
Updated
Updated · Nature.com · Jun 24
Methanesulfonic Acid Boosts Cloud-Seeding Particles Up to 10-Fold in Cool Marine Air
2 articles · Updated · Nature.com · Jun 24
Summary
CERN CLOUD experiments found methanesulfonic acid nucleates with ammonia below -10°C at rates comparable to sulfuric acid-ammonia, resolving its previously unclear role in new particle formation.
Below 9°C and above 40% relative humidity, methanesulfonic acid also drove particle growth at or near the kinetic limit, even when ammonia levels were ultra-low.
When methanesulfonic and sulfuric acids coexisted—as they often do in cool marine regions—they formed multi-acid clusters with ammonia, accelerating nucleation by up to 10-fold and growth by up to twofold versus sulfuric acid-ammonia alone.
Global model simulations indicate the effect can raise cloud condensation nuclei concentrations most strongly in polar regions, suggesting an important missing driver of biogenic particles in pristine marine climates and current climate models.