The term sulfate aerosols is used for a suspension of fine solid particles of a

sulfate The sulfate or sulphate ion is a polyatomic anion with the empirical formula . Salts, acid derivatives, and peroxides of sulfate are widely used in industry. Sulfates occur widely in everyday life. Sulfates are salts of sulfuric acid and many ...

or tiny droplets of a solution of a sulfate or of sulfuric acid (hydrogen sulfate). They are produced by

chemical reactions A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. Classically, chemical reactions encompass changes that only involve the positions of electrons in the forming and breaking ...

in the atmosphere from gaseous precursors (with the exception of

sea salt Sea salt is salt that is produced by the evaporation of seawater. It is used as a seasoning in foods, cooking, cosmetics and for preserving food. It is also called bay salt, solar salt, or simply salt. Like mined rock salt, production of sea sa ...

and

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywal ...

dust particles). The two main sulfuric acid precursors are sulfur dioxide (SO₂) from anthropogenic sources and

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Ear ...

es, and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) from biogenic sources, especially marine

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a crucia ...

. These aerosols can cause a cooling effect on earth. However the

UNFCCC The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established an international environmental treaty to combat "dangerous human interference with the climate system", in part by stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in th ...

has noted that sulfate aerosols remain in the atmosphere for only a short amount of time in comparison to well-mixed greenhouse gases, and therefore their cooling is localized and temporary. Other side effects of sulfate aerosols in the environment include poor air quality.http://unfccc.int/essential_background/background_publications_htmlpdf/climate_change_information_kit/items/72.php UNFCC, Climate Change Information Sheet 2

References

Sulfates Aerosols {{chem-stub

See also

References