Project title

Connecting materials science to climate change: powerful novel methods for direct investigations of aerosol surfaces and their atmospheric impact (SURFACE-IMPACT).

We are changing our atmosphere, with profound consequences for our society and wellbeing. Tiny aerosol particles are responsible for most health effects of air pollution. They also play a key role in regulating global climate via clouds in the atmosphere. Every single cloud droplet has first formed on the surface of an aerosol particle. The formation of aerosols by chemical reactions in the atmosphere, and the exact nature of their climate effects, are both highly uncertain. A crucial factor here could be the role of aerosol surfaces, which we know almost nothing about. In this project, we will use powerful new spectroscopic techniques based on synchrotron radiation, to study surfaces directly at the molecular level. Our experiments will be part of the Finnish activities at the world’s brightest light source facility MAXIV in Sweden. This new knowledge will help us to determine how surfaces can uniquely affect the role of aerosol particles in both atmospheric chemistry and climate.