A5-UNIBO EXPERIMENT ONBOARD BEXUS 18: A RESEARCH ON AEROSOLS AND CLOUD FORMATION

摘要

Aerosols are solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere. Aerosols acting as cloud condensation nuclei are required for cloud formation in the atmosphere. Aerosols and clouds still contribute the largest uncertainties to the Earth's changing energy budget. Ion-induced nucleation has been proposed as a possible mechanism for new particle formation in addition to homogeneous nucleation in the presence of sulphuric acid. Since atmospheric ion concentrations are largely determined by the intensity of galactic cosmic rays, this mechanism could explain the observed cosmic ray-climate correlation. A5-Unibo experiment, flown onboard BEXUS 18 stratospheric balloon within the REXUS/BEXUS programme, was proposed to gain a better understanding of these processes. The experiment acquired different measurements from specific instruments and sensors integrated in the system to create vertical profiles of different atmospheric parameters. The preliminary results have identified a possible role of positive ions for nucleation in the lower troposphere, and of negative ions in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere.