RO LE O F

AE RO S O LS
P r e s e n t e d t o : D r. J y o t s n a
Sharma

Presented by : Ankita Singh

(A50150020031)
&
Ya t i k a ( A 5 0 1 5 0 0 2 0 0 2 3 )

Course : M.Sc. Applied Physics ,

4th sem
1. What are aerosols?
2. What is the source and composition

Contents
of the aerosols?
3. What do aerosols do to climate?
4. Chemical composition of aerosols
5. Optical properties of aerosols
6. About size of aerosols and it’s
feedback on monsoon
7. It’s effect on human health.
 01 What are aerosols ?

The term
The term aerosol
aerosol is aforcatch-all
is a catch-all many kinds of forlittlemany
bits of stuff that end up suspended in the
atmosphere, from the surface of the planet all the way to the edges of space. They can be solid or liquid,
kinds of littleinfinitesimally
bits of stuff small that end up
or big enough to see with the naked eye
suspended in the atmosphere, from the
surface of the planet all the way to the
edges of space. They can be solid or
liquid, infinitesimally small or big enough
to see with the naked eye.
 What is the source and
02 composition of the aerosols?

Atmospheric
Atmospheric aerosols areaerosols
suspensions are suspensions
of liquid, of liquid,
solid, or mixed particles solid,
with highly or chemical
variable
mixedandparticles
composition with
size distribution highly
(Putaud et al.variable
2010). Their chemical composition
variability is due to the numerous sources
and varying formation mechanisms
and size distribution .Their variability is due to the numerous
sources and varying formation mechanisms.

Aerosol particles are either emitted directly to the

atmosphere (primary aerosols) or produced in the
atmosphere from precursor gases (secondary aerosols).
“Primary” aerosols,
like dust, soot, or sea salt, come
directly from the planet’s surface. They
get lifted into the atmosphere by gusty
winds, shot high into the air by
exploding volcanoes etc.
Combustion processes, biomass burning, and plant/microbial
materials are sources of carbonaceous aerosols, including both
organic carbon (OC) and solid black carbon (BC). BC is the main
light-absorbing constituent present in aerosols. Its main sources
are the combustion of fossil fuels . Primary BC and OC containing
aerosols are generally smaller than 1 µm.
 “Secondary” aerosols form when different things floating in the
atmosphere—like organic compounds released by plants, liquid
acid droplets, or other materials—crash together, culminating in a
chemical or physical reaction.

Secondary aerosols are small; they range in size from a few

nanometres up to 1 µm and have lifetimes of days to weeks.
Secondary aerosols consist of mixtures of compounds; the main
components are sulphate, nitrate, and OC.

Occasionally volcanic eruptions result in huge amounts of

primary and secondary aerosols
 03 What do aerosols do to climate?

Aerosols influence climate in two primary ways: by changing the

amount of heat that gets in or out of the atmosphere, or by
affecting the way clouds form.

Some aerosols are a little bit reflective. When the sun’s rays beam
down on them, they bounce the rays back out of the atmosphere,
preventing that heat from ever reaching Earth’s surface.While
some do the opposite, absorb heat from the sun as it beats down.
This ends up warming the atmosphere.
Aerosols also influence how clouds form and grow. Water droplets
coalesce readily around particles, so a particle-rich atmosphere
promotes cloud formation.
Depending on the cloud type and location, they can either warm their
surroundings or cool them.
Chemical Composition of Aerosols
• Composition of aerosols is not uniform it varies with particle size
and source of particles.
Ultrafine particles- From homogenous nucleation ( sulphates and
organics)
Accumulation mode- from combustion, condensation and
coagulation ( carbon, sulphates, nitrates)
Coarse particles- from mechanical process ( mainly elements in
soil, sea salt)
Optical Properties of aerosol
• AOD ( Aerosol Optical Depth) :
The fraction of radiation scattered or absorbed on its path
through a medium.
Beer – Lambert’s Law:
AOD Represents the amount of aerosols present in the
atmosphere.
AOD = 0.2- Fairly clean atmosphere
AOD= 0.6- polluted atmosphere
AOD= 1.2- heavy biomass burning or dust event
Optical Properties
• Refractive Index-
Refractive index m is the best representation of the
chemical composition of aerosols.
Mathematical Equation: m= n+ik
Where n is the real part k is the imaginary part of the refractive index
Real part n is responsible for scattering
imaginary part k is responsible for absorption
Why the size of aerosols matters?
• Toxicity- size of aerosols is small, humans can easily inhale
these particles. More is the finer particle, deposition efficiency is
high.
• Light Scattering – scattering efficiency increases when particle
size is equal to wavelength. For less than 1 micron particle ,
efficiency is very high.
• Particle Life- More is the particle size ,the settling velocity of
the particle is also more so they easily settle down and their
lifetime also increased.
Feedback of Aerosol on Monsoon
Health Effects
• Aerosols are a major component of urban smog and several recent
epidemiological studies have shown that aerosols in urban areas have
a significant negative impact on human health.
• Mortality rate associated with increased level of particulate air pollution.
• These can cause cancer and impairs lung development as
PM 2.5 is respirable particle.
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is an air pollutant that is a concern
for people's health when levels in air are high. PM2.5 are tiny
particles in the air that reduce visibility and cause the air to appear
hazy when levels are elevated.
THANKS