Neutral and charged binary sulfate aerosol nucleation in the aerosol-climate modeling system ECHAM5-HAM

Aerosol particles play an important role in the Earth's atmosphere and in the climate system: Aerosols scatter and absorb solar radiation, facilitate heterogeneous and multiphase chemistry, and change cloud characteristics in many ways. Aerosol particles can be directly emitted from surface sources (primary aerosol) or form from the gas phase (secondary aerosol). Secondary aerosol formation can significantly increase concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei. Two important pathways of aerosol formation from the gas phase are neutral and charged binary nucleation of sulfuric acid and water. We have introduced laboratory data based representations of these pathways into the aerosol-climate modeling system ECHAM5-HAM, and investigate their relative importance and spatial distribution in the troposphere, and discuss ramifications for processes in the Earth's atmosphere.