The importance of Aitken mode aerosol particles for cloud sustenance in the summertime high Arctic – a simulation study supported by observational data

Bulatovic, Ines; Igel, Adele L.; Leck, Caroline; Heintzenberg, Jost; Riipinen, Ilona; Ekman, Annica M. L.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3871-2021

Articles | Volume 21, issue 5

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3871-2021

© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3871-2021

© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 21, issue 5

Research article

|

15 Mar 2021

Research article |

| 15 Mar 2021

The importance of Aitken mode aerosol particles for cloud sustenance in the summertime high Arctic – a simulation study supported by observational data

Ines Bulatovic, Adele L. Igel, Caroline Leck, Jost Heintzenberg, Ilona Riipinen, and Annica M. L. Ekman

Data sets

Data from a modelling study on the importance of Aitken mode particles for cloud sustenance in the high Arctic Ines Bulatovic and Adele L. Igel https://doi.org/10.17043/bulatovic-2020

Short summary

We use detailed numerical modelling to show that small aerosol particles (diameters ~25–80 nm; so-called Aitken mode particles) significantly influence low-level cloud properties in the clean summertime high Arctic. The small particles can help sustain clouds when the concentration of larger particles is low (<10–20 cm^-3). Measurements from four different observational campaigns in the high Arctic support the modelling results as they indicate that Aitken mode aerosols are frequently activated.