Measurements of cloud condensation nuclei in the stratosphere around the plume of mount st. Helens

Measurements of cloud condensation nuclei were made from small samples of stratospheric air taken from a U-2 aircraft at altitudes ranging from 13 to 19 kilometers. The measured concentrations of nuclei both in and outside the plume from the May and June 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens were higher than expected, ranging from about 100 to about 1000 per cubic centimeter active at 1 percent supersaturation.     

Effects of aerosol from biomass burning on the global radiation budget

An analysis is made of the likely contribution of smoke particles from biomass burning to the global radiation balance. These particles act to reflect solar radiation directly; they also can act as cloud condensation nuclei, increasing the reflectivity of clouds. Together these effects, although uncertain, may add up globally to a cooling effect as large as 2 watts per square meter, comparable to the estimated contribution of sulfate aerosols. Anthropogenic increases of smoke emission thus may have helped weaken the net greenhouse warming from anthropogenic trace gases.     

Morphology and ionization of the interstellar cloud surrounding the solar system

The first encounter between the sun and the surrounding interstellar cloud appears to have occurred 2000 to 8000 years ago. The sun and cloud space motions are nearly perpendicular, an indication that the sun is skimming the cloud surface. The electron density derived for the surrounding cloud from the carbon component of the anomalous cosmic ray population in the solar system and from the interstellar ratio of Mg(+) to Mg degrees toward Sirius support an equilibrium model for cloud ionization (an electron density of 0.22 to 0.44 per cubic centimeter). The upwind magnetic field direction is nearly parallel to the cloud surface. The relative sun-cloud motion indicates that the solar system has a bow shock.     

Biogenic potassium salt particles as seeds for secondary organic aerosol in the Amazon

The fine particles serving as cloud condensation nuclei in pristine Amazonian rainforest air consist mostly of secondary organic aerosol. Their origin is enigmatic, however, because new particle formation in the atmosphere is not observed. Here, we show that the growth of organic aerosol particles can be initiated by potassium-salt-rich particles emitted by biota in the rainforest. These particles act as seeds for the condensation of low- or semi-volatile organic compounds from the atmospheric gas phase or multiphase oxidation of isoprene and terpenes. Our findings suggest that the primary emission of biogenic salt particles directly influences the number concentration of cloud condensation nuclei and affects the microphysics of cloud formation and precipitation over the rainforest.     

贵州黔南州森林空气负离子分布特征及质量评价

为了探明贵州黔南州森林空气负离子浓度的空间分布特征,利用日本产ITC-201A型空气负离子测定仪,配合ITC801电脑软件,于2010年4月下旬—5月中旬对黔南州不同植被类型及空地上的空气负离子浓度进行测定,并利用单极系数(q)和安培空气离子评价指数(CI)对其空气质量进行评价。结果表明:1)黔南州森林环境中的负离子浓度较高,平均为2 520个/cm3,空地和石漠化山地的负离子浓度较低,分别为740个/cm3和360个/cm3。2)不同林分类型的空气负离子分布特征表现为阔叶林>针阔混交林>竹林>针叶林,除石漠化山地(360个/cm3)和空地(740个/cm3)外,其余林地的空气负离子含量均在2 000个/cm3以上。3)空气负离子浓度与海拔高度存在负相关,即随着海拔高度的升高,空气负离子浓度下降。4)在不同植被类型中,阔叶林、针阔混交林、针叶林和竹林的CI值均在2以上,空气质量为A级。结论:黔南州的森林空气质量整体水平处于优良状态,适宜发展以森林为主的旅游业。     

Rapid formation of sulfuric acid particles at near-atmospheric conditions

We investigated the formation of new particles in a laboratory study, starting from H2SO4 produced in situ through the reaction of OH radicals with SO2. Newly formed particles were observed for H2SO4 concentrations above 7 x 10(6) per cubic centimeter. At 293 kelvin, a rough estimate yielded a nucleation rate of 0.3 to 0.4 particles per cubic centimeter per second for approximately 10(7) particles per cubic centimeter of H2SO4 (particle size >/= 3 nanometers). These findings are in agreement with observations from the atmosphere. The results demonstrate that under laboratory conditions similar to the atmosphere, particle formation occurs at atmospheric H2SO4 concentration levels.     

井冈山空气负离子浓度特征及其与气象条件关系

利用井冈山空气负离子观测站2007年12月～2008年11月12个月的资料,分析了该地空气负离子的浓度特征,探讨了空气负离子浓度与气象条件的关系。结果表明,月平均浓度最低值为2610个/cm3,出现在2008年1月;最高值为7126个/cm3,出现在2008年11月;负离子浓度日变化不明显,上午、下午的观测值差别不大。在阵雨、间歇性小雨和雷暴天气过后,负离子浓度明显升高。负离子浓度与相对湿度、风速、云量、日照、降水量的相关性均不明显。     

Phytoplankton and cloudiness in the Southern Ocean

The effect of ocean biological productivity on marine clouds is explored over a large phytoplankton bloom in the Southern Ocean with the use of remotely sensed data. Cloud droplet number concentration over the bloom was twice what it was away from the bloom, and cloud effective radius was reduced by 30%. The resulting change in the short-wave radiative flux at the top of the atmosphere was -15 watts per square meter, comparable to the aerosol indirect effect over highly polluted regions. This observed impact of phytoplankton on clouds is attributed to changes in the size distribution and chemical composition of cloud condensation nuclei. We propose that secondary organic aerosol, formed from the oxidation of phytoplankton-produced isoprene, can affect chemical composition of marine cloud condensation nuclei and influence cloud droplet number. Model simulations support this hypothesis, indicating that 100% of the observed changes in cloud properties can be attributed to the isoprene secondary organic aerosol.     

Natural Versus Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Low-Level Cloud Albedo over the North Atlantic

Cloud albedo plays a key role in regulating Earth's climate. Cloud albedo depends on column-integrated liquid water content and the density of cloud condensation nuclei, which consists primarily of submicrometer-sized aerosol sulfate particles. A comparison of two independent satellite data sets suggests that, although anthropogenic sulfate emissions may enhance cloud albedo immediately adjacent to the east coast of the United States, over the central North Atlantic Ocean the variability in albedo can be largely accounted for by natural marine and atmospheric processes that probably have remained relatively constant since the beginning of the industrial revolution.     

Deceleration of interstellar hydrogen at the heliospheric interface

High-resolution spectra of nearby stars show absorption lines due to material in the local interstellar cloud. This cloud is deduced to be moving at 26 kilometers per second with respect to the sun, and in the same direction as the "interstellar wind" flowing through the solar system. Measurements by the Ulysses spacecraft show that neutral helium is drifting through the solar system at the same velocity, but neutral hydrogen appears to be moving at only 20 kilometers per second, a result confirmed by new measurements of the hydrogen emission line taken by the High-Resolution Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. These results indicate that neutral hydrogen atoms from the local interstellar cloud are preferentially decelerated at the heliospheric interface, most likely by charge-exchange with interstellar protons, while neutral helium is unaffected by the plasma. The magnitude of the observed deceleration implies an interstellar plasma density of 0.06 to 0.10 per cubic centimeter, which in turn implies that the heliospheric shock should be less than 100 astronomical units from the sun.     

Hubble space telescope observations of comet p/shoemaker-levy 9 (1993e)

The Hubble Space Telescope observed the fragmented comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 (1993e) (P indicates that it is a periodic comet) on 1 July 1993. Approximately 20 individual nuclei and their comae were observed in images taken with the Planetary Camera. After subtraction of the comae light, the 11 brightest nuclei have magnitudes between approximately 23.7 and 24.8. Assuming that the geometric albedo is 0.04, these magnitudes imply that the nuclear diameters are in the range approximately 2.5 to 4.3 kilometers. If the density of each nucleus is 1 gram per cubic centimeter, the total energy deposited by the impact of these 11 nuclei into Jupiter's atmosphere next July will be approximately 4 x 10(30) ergs ( approximately 10(8) megatons of TNT). This latter number should be regarded as an upper limit because the nuclear magnitudes probably contain a small residual coma contribution. The Faint Object Spectrograph was used to search for fluorescence from OH, which is usually an excellent indicator of cometary activity. No OH emission was detected, and this can be translated into an upper limit on the water production rate of approximately 2 x 10(27) molecules per second.     

Condensation nucleus discriminator making optical measurements on fog: a tool for environmental research

An instrument providing a new, rapid, and accurate method of determining the number and critical radii of condensation nuclei with radii under 200 angstroms is described. Based on the principle of the cloud chamber, the instrument measures transient changes in the attenuation and scattering of a monochromatic light beam by the growing fog droplets. From data obtained the absolute number concentration and radii of condensation nuclei can be calculated. Preliminary studies of aerosol formation in beta-irradiated mixtures of air and sulfur dioxide showed that carbon monoxide and methane inhibit the formation of nuclei; relative rate constants can be deduced. Some applications of this instrument for environmental and basic research are pointed out.     

Density of the Lunar Atmosphere

The minimum possible density of the lunar atmosphere at the surface is shown to be essentially the value for the interplanetary medium. This value, when combined with the observed maximum, places the particle density between 10(3) and 10(6) per cubic centimeter, while the electron density must be about 10(3) to 10(4) per cubic centimeter. These results are markedly different from those recently obtained by Firsoff.     

Discovery of sodium in the atmosphere of mercury

The spectrum of Mercury at the Fraunhofer sodium D lines shows strong emission features that are attributed to resonant scattering of sunlight from sodium vapor in the atmosphere of the planet. The total column abundance of sodium was estimated to be 8.1 x 10(11) atoms per square centimeter, which corresponds to a surface density at the subsolar point of about 1.5 x 10(5) atoms per cubic centimeter. The most abundant atmospheric species found by the Mariner 10 mission to Mercury was helium, with a surface density of 4.5 x 10(3) atoms per cubic centimeter. It now appears that sodium vapor is a major constituent of Mercury's atmosphere.     

佳木斯不同生态功能区空气负离子水平研究

选择佳木斯市具有代表性的生态功能区作为研究对象,对各生态功能区的空气负离子浓度和空气质量进行比较研究。结果表明,各生态功能区空气负离子浓度差异极显著。城市绿地区空气负离子浓度日平均值均高于其他功能区,最高时可达1170个/cm3,空气质量最好;商业区和道路交通区的空气负离子浓度日平均值均较低,空气质量较差。空气负离子浓度和空气质量由大到小的排序为城市绿地区〉居住区〉商业区〉道路交通区。     

Vertical structure of the ionosphere and upper neutral atmosphere of saturn from the pioneer radio occultation

Radio occultation measurements at S band (2.293 gigahertz) of the ionosphere and upper neutral atmosphere of Saturn were obtained during the flyby of the Pioneer 11 Saturn spacecraft on 5 September 1979. Preliminary analysis of the occultation exit data taken at a latitude of 9.5 degrees S and a solar zenith angle of 90.6 degrees revealed the presence of a rather thin ionosphere, having a main peak electron density of about 9.4 x 10/(3) per cubic centimeter at an altitude of about 2800 above the level of a neutral number density of 10(19) per cubic centimeter and a lower peak of about 7 x 10(3) per cubic centimeter at 2200 kilometers. Data in the neutral atmosphere were obtained to a pressure level of about 120 millibars. The temperature structure derived from these data is consistent with the results of the Pioneer 11 Saturn infrared radiometer experiment (for a helium fraction of 15 percent) and with models derived from Earth-based observations for a helium fraction by number of about 4 to 10 percent. The helium fraction will be further defined by mutual iteration with the infrared radiometer team.     

Atmospheric trends in methylchloroform and the global average for the hydroxyl radical

Frequent atmospheric measurements of the anthropogenic compound methylchloroform that were made between 1978 and 1985 indicate that this species is continuing to increase significantly around the world. Reaction with the major atmospheric oxidant, the hydroxyl radical (OH), is the principal sink for this species. The observed mean trends for methylchloroform are 4.8, 5.4, 6.4, and 6.9 percent per year at Aldrigole (Ireland) and Cape Meares (Oregon), Ragged Point (Barbados), Point Matatula (American Samoa), and Cape Grim (Tasmania), respectively, from July 1978 to June 1985. These measured trends, combined with knowledge of industrial emissions, were used in an optimal estimation inversion scheme to deduce a globally averaged methylchloroform atmospheric lifetime of 6.3 (+ 1.2, -0.9) years (1sigma uncertainty) and a globally averaged tropospheric hydroxyl radical concentration of (7.7 +/- 1.4) x 10(5) radicals per cubic centimeter (1sigma uncertainty). These 7 years of gas chromatographic measurements, which comprise about 60,000 individual calibrated real-time air analyses, provide the most accurate estimates yet of the trends and lifetime of methylchloroform and of the global average for tropospheric hydroxyl radical levels. Accurate determination of hydroxyl radical levels is crucial to understanding global atmospheric chemical cycles and trends in the levels of trace gases such as methane.     

Dissipation of marine stratiform clouds and collapse of the marine boundary layer due to the depletion of cloud condensation nuclei by clouds

When the production of cloud condensation nuclei in the stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer is low enough, droplet collisions can reduce concentrations of cloud droplet numbers to extremely low values. At low droplet concentrations a cloud layer can become so optically thin that cloud-top radiative cooling cannot drive vertical mixing. Under these conditions, model simulations indicate that the stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer collapses to a shallow fog layer. Through this mechanism, marine stratiform clouds may limit their own lifetimes.     

Deoxyribonucleic acid in germinal vesicles of oocytes of Rana pipiens

The amount of DNA isolated from germinal vesicles of Rana pipiens oocytes is similar to that isolated from whole unfertilized eggs, and this suggests that oocyte nuclei are the source ofmuch of the DNA obtained from whole eggs. Fluorometric determinations of the isolated DNA show the presence of 0.004 microgram of DNA equivalents per germinal vesicle. Similar values were obtained by estimations from comparisons of the cesium chloride densitygradient profiles of sample DNA and a known amount of reference DNA from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The buoyant density of DNA prepared from isolated germinal vesicles is the same as that of frog-liver DNA, 1.706 grams per cubic centimeter, as determined by equilibrium sedimentation in a cesium chloride density gradient.     

Cooling Bose-Einstein condensates below 500 picokelvin

Spin-polarized gaseous Bose-Einstein condensates were confined by a combination of gravitational and magnetic forces. The partially condensed atomic vapors were adiabatically decompressed by weakening the gravito-magnetic trap to a mean frequency of 1hertz, then evaporatively reduced in size to 2500 atoms. This lowered the peak condensate density to 5 x 10(10) atoms per cubic centimeter and cooled the entire cloud in all three dimensions to a kinetic temperature of 450 +/- 80 picokelvin. Such spin-polarized, dilute, and ultracold gases are important for spectroscopy, metrology, and atom optics.