High Aitken nucleus concentrations above cloud tops in the arctic

Abstract

Airborne measurements in the Arctic in spring show large increases in the concentrations of particles with diameters below about 0.1 μm just above the tops of stratus clouds when the water-vapor mixing ratio is relatively high in these regions. Low temperatures and low particle surface areas may also favor the appearance of these particles. Particles produced above stratus clouds could be a widespread source of aerosol in the Arctic. © 2002 American Meteorological Society.