Generating and Characterizing Marine Aerosols in the Laboratory

雾经常降低能见度，造成延误、危险状况和经济活动损失。水滴，如雾和云，是由大气中预先存在的颗粒凝结而成的。在海洋和沿海环境中，这些颗粒的一个可能来源是海洋。虽然海洋覆盖了地球表面的70%，但目前的模型预测海洋对大气粒子质量的贡献相差超过两个数量级。此外，最近的研究证实，一种以前未被解释的有机成分从海洋排放到大气中，可能会影响颗粒作为液滴的能力。这两种情况都增加了海洋对液滴数量和形成的影响的不确定性，液滴数量和形成会影响雾中的能见度和云的反射率。

Fog frequently reduces visibility, causing delays, hazardous conditions and loss of economic activity. Droplets, such as in fog and clouds, form by water condensing on pre-existing particles in the atmosphere. A likely source of these particles in marine and coastal environments is the ocean. Although oceans cover 70% of the earth's surface, current model predictions of their contribution to atmospheric particle mass vary over two orders of magnitude. In addition, recent research has confirmed that a previously unaccounted for organic component is emitted from the ocean into the atmosphere and could be affecting the ability of the particles to act as droplets. Both of these add uncertainty in the contributions of oceans to droplet number and formation, which affect visibility in fogs and reflectivity in clouds.