Clouds and pollution

Abstract

The interactions of clouds and pollution are presented. At first the different microphysical and chemical processes accumulating and modifying the pollution mass in the liquid phase are presented. Then, the processes are quantified taking as an example a medium-sized convective cloud forming in a remote marine environment. Background concentrations of particles and gases are used. With the help of this simplified scenario the processes of «venting» of pollution from the boundary layer to the free troposphere, the processes of acid deposition and the modifying, i.e. «processing» of atmospheric pollution by clouds are addressed. The discussion is restricted to clouds without ice phase.