• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

RealClimate

Climate science from climate scientists...

  • Start here
  • Model-Observation Comparisons
  • Miscellaneous Climate Graphics
  • Surface temperature graphics
You are here: Home / Extras / Glossary / Aerosol

Aerosol

21 Dec 2004 by group

Translations: (Français)
Français

A collection of airborne solid or liquid particles, with a typical size between 0.01 and 10 µm and residing in the atmosphere for at least several hours. Aerosols may be of either natural or anthropogenic origin. Aerosols may influence climate in two ways: directly through scattering and absorbing radiation, and indirectly through acting as condensation nuclei for cloud formation or modifying the optical properties and lifetime of clouds (from the always useful IPCC glossary).

See-also: wiki:Aerosol.

Filed Under: Glossary

Primary Sidebar

Search

Search for:

Email Notification

get new posts sent to you automatically (free)
Loading

Recent Posts

  • Critiques of the ‘Critical Review’
  • Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Are direct water vapor emissions endangering anyone?
  • The Endangerment of the Endangerment Finding?
  • National Climate Assessment links
  • Ocean circulation going South?

Our Books

Book covers
This list of books since 2005 (in reverse chronological order) that we have been involved in, accompanied by the publisher’s official description, and some comments of independent reviewers of the work.
All Books >>

Recent Comments

  • Gavin on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • nigelj on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Ray Ladbury on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Ray Ladbury on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • MA Rodger on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Radge Havers on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Susan Anderson on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • John Pollack on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • John Pollack on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Ray Ladbury on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Ray Ladbury on Critiques of the ‘Critical Review’
  • Barry E Finch on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Barry E Finch on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Barton Paul Levenson on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Tomáš Kalisz on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Pete Best on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Geoff Miell on Critiques of the ‘Critical Review’
  • Chris G on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • David on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Steven Emmerson on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Tomáš Kalisz on The Endangerment of the Endangerment Finding?
  • JCM on The Endangerment of the Endangerment Finding?
  • Susan Anderson on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Radge Havers on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • MA Rodger on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Mr. Know It All on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • David on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Tomáš Kalisz on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Susan Anderson on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025
  • Susan Anderson on Unforced Variations: Aug 2025

Footer

ABOUT

  • About
  • Translations
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Page
  • Login

DATA AND GRAPHICS

  • Data Sources
  • Model-Observation Comparisons
  • Surface temperature graphics
  • Miscellaneous Climate Graphics

INDEX

  • Acronym index
  • Index
  • Archives
  • Contributors

Realclimate Stats

1,375 posts

11 pages

246,286 comments

Copyright © 2025 · RealClimate is a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists.