Dienstag, 28. März, 17:30
Ort: Lise-Meitner-Hörsaal, Strudlhofgasse 4, 1. Stock
Atmospheric aerosols and clouds reflect and absorb sunlight as well as terrestrial radiation and have a major influence on Earth's energy budget and the water cycle.
How cloud properties are changing due to anthropogenic emissions and due to climate change is a topic of intense current research.
The talk introduces to the role of aerosols and clouds in climate change. Recent results from the CLOUD experiment at CERN are presented. The results highlight the importance of understanding the pre-industrial concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere. The detailed CLOUD experiments allow for the first time to simulate the processes of aerosol and cloud formation for pre-industrial as well as present day conditions under precisely controlled laboratory conditions. The processes of aerosol formation are studied at the molecular level and the participating vapours are identified. The results are included in global aerosol and cloud models to study the impacts on climate.