On the composition of Caribbean maritime aerosol particles measured during RICO

Abstract

Abstract Observations of aerosol‐particle (AP) composition obtained via volatility measurements during the ‘Rain In Cumulus over the Ocean’ (RICO) experiment are presented. The measurements show that sub‐cloud APs with a radius r p ≤ 0.2 µm are composed mainly of ammonium sulphate, while APs with a radius r p ≥ 0.2 µm are composed mainly of sea salt. The AP distribution also contains an indeterminate non‐volatile component ( r p ≤ 0.4 µm), which could be either elemental carbon or mineral dust. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society