AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Editors' Highlight

Photodissociation of sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), one of the main ingredients in the formation of aerosol particles, affects the Earth's climate by scattering incoming solar radiation. The acid is responsible for nucleating aerosols and clouds in the troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere. At the top of the stratosphere, sunlight triggers the dissociation of H₂SO₄ into sulfur trioxide and water, which descend to lower altitude and upon encountering more moist air, produce aerosols. In a theoretical study, which simulated atmospheric conditions, Miller et al. (2007) investigated the photodissociation of H₂SO₄ and calculated the yield and rate with which the acid molecules break down as a function of altitude. They found that at higher altitudes in the stratosphere and mesosphere, low-energy sunlight can efficiently dissociate sulfuric acid to satisfy modeling requirements and explain field observations of aerosols, cloud condensation nuclei, and previously measured vertical profiles of sulfur dioxide.

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