Articles | Volume 23, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1863-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1863-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
02 Feb 2023
Research article |
| 02 Feb 2023
| 02 Feb 2023
Particle number concentrations and size distributions in the stratosphere: implications of nucleation mechanisms and particle microphysics
Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, State University of New York at Albany, Albany,
NY 12226, US
Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, State University of New York at Albany, Albany,
NY 12226, US
Arshad Arjunan Nair
Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, State University of New York at Albany, Albany,
NY 12226, US
Sebastian Eastham
Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment, Department of
Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Christina J. Williamson
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences,
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Chemical Sciences Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
now at: Climate Research Programme, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki 00101, Finland
now at: Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System
Research/Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki,
Helsinki 00014, Finland
Agnieszka Kupc
Chemical Sciences Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
Faculty of Physics, Aerosol Physics and Environmental Physics,
University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
Charles A. Brock
Chemical Sciences Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Boulder, CO 80305, USA
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Cited
13 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Higher efficacy of SO2 and accumulation mode-H2SO4 stratospheric aerosol injection: insights from CESM2 and GEOS-Chem with advanced particle microphysics (APM) F. Yu et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae3c38
- Analysis of the global atmospheric background sulfur budget in a multi-model framework C. Brodowsky et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5513-2024
- Atmospheric aerosol spatial variability: Impacts on air quality and climate change S. Manavi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2025.101237
- Validating a microphysical prognostic stratospheric aerosol implementation in E3SMv2 using observations after the Mount Pinatubo eruption H. Brown et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5087-2024
- On Nucleation Pathways and Particle Size Distribution Evolutions in Stratospheric Aircraft Exhaust Plumes with H2SO4 Enhancement F. Yu et al. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c08408
- Ice nucleation by volcanic ash greatly alters cirrus cloud properties L. Lin et al. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ads0572
- Impact of biotic and environmental stresses and perturbations of Scots pine on new particle formation D. Taipale https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121639
- Stratospheric transport and tropospheric sink of solar geoengineering aerosol: a Lagrangian analysis H. Sun et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00664-8
- Global variability in atmospheric new particle formation mechanisms B. Zhao et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07547-1
- Atmospheric Particle Number Concentrations and New Particle Formation over the Southern Ocean and Antarctica: A Critical Review J. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14020402
- Review on main sources and impacts of urban ultrafine particles: Traffic emissions, nucleation, and climate modulation Q. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aeaoa.2023.100221
- An unrecognized mode of small particles in the lower stratosphere M. Lyu et al. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adw8939
- Importance of microphysical settings for climate forcing by stratospheric SO2 injections as modeled by SOCOL-AERv2 S. Vattioni et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-4181-2024
13 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Higher efficacy of SO2 and accumulation mode-H2SO4 stratospheric aerosol injection: insights from CESM2 and GEOS-Chem with advanced particle microphysics (APM) F. Yu et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae3c38
- Analysis of the global atmospheric background sulfur budget in a multi-model framework C. Brodowsky et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5513-2024
- Atmospheric aerosol spatial variability: Impacts on air quality and climate change S. Manavi et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2025.101237
- Validating a microphysical prognostic stratospheric aerosol implementation in E3SMv2 using observations after the Mount Pinatubo eruption H. Brown et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5087-2024
- On Nucleation Pathways and Particle Size Distribution Evolutions in Stratospheric Aircraft Exhaust Plumes with H2SO4 Enhancement F. Yu et al. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c08408
- Ice nucleation by volcanic ash greatly alters cirrus cloud properties L. Lin et al. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ads0572
- Impact of biotic and environmental stresses and perturbations of Scots pine on new particle formation D. Taipale https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121639
- Stratospheric transport and tropospheric sink of solar geoengineering aerosol: a Lagrangian analysis H. Sun et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00664-8
- Global variability in atmospheric new particle formation mechanisms B. Zhao et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07547-1
- Atmospheric Particle Number Concentrations and New Particle Formation over the Southern Ocean and Antarctica: A Critical Review J. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14020402
- Review on main sources and impacts of urban ultrafine particles: Traffic emissions, nucleation, and climate modulation Q. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aeaoa.2023.100221
- An unrecognized mode of small particles in the lower stratosphere M. Lyu et al. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adw8939
- Importance of microphysical settings for climate forcing by stratospheric SO2 injections as modeled by SOCOL-AERv2 S. Vattioni et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-4181-2024
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 07 Jun 2026
Short summary
Particle number concentrations and size distributions in the stratosphere are studied through model simulations and comparisons with measurements. The nucleation scheme used in most of the solar geoengineering modeling studies overpredicts the nucleation rates and particle number concentrations in the stratosphere. The model based on updated nucleation schemes captures reasonably well some aspects of particle size distributions but misses some features. The possible reasons are discussed.
Particle number concentrations and size distributions in the stratosphere are studied through...
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