Live Feeds
● LIVE Updated 1d ago · 20 sources tracked

Role of methanesulfonic acid in atmospheric particle nucleation and growth

Research from the CERN CLOUD collaboration identifies methanesulfonic acid from marine plankton as a major source of aerosol particles. This substance nucleates cloud seeds more effectively than previous models suggested. The findings improve climate projections, particularly for polar oceans.

RSS Source map (17)

What changed

A University of Helsinki-led study has quantified the efficiency of methanesulfonic acid in forming cloud-seeding particles.

Live updates

  1. Plankton Emissions Drive Marine Cloud Seed Formation

    Research from the CERN CLOUD collaboration identifies methanesulfonic acid from marine plankton as a major source of aerosol particles. This substance nucleates cloud seeds more effectively than previous models suggested. The findings improve climate projections, particularly for polar oceans.

    What's confirmed:

    • Methanesulfonic acid released by marine plankton nucleates cloud-seeding aerosol particles up to 10 times more efficiently than models assumed.
    • The CLOUD collaboration at CERN conducted research using the CLOUD chamber to study these emissions.
    • The findings were published in the journal Nature.
    • Plankton emissions help form aerosol particles that seed clouds over cold ocean regions.
    • The study involved researchers from the University of Helsinki, the Cyprus Institute, INAR, and HIP.
    confidence 100%