Haze near Mexico City photographed from the NSF/NCAR C-130 aircraft in spring, 2006.
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Image Courtesy of Peter DeCarlo
Aerosols in the Atmosphere: They Are the Same All Around the World
News story originally written on December 10, 2009
Scientists have been studying tiny particles in the air called aerosols. Aerosols can affect our climate, the amount of clouds in the sky, and the amount of rain that falls from clouds. Aerosols can also make people sick with illnesses like asthma.
Until recently, scientists didn't know what happens to the particles in the atmosphere, but now they understand that they form something like a "particle soup." As they learn more about the chemicals in this "soup" the scientists will be able to better predict how climate will change and what is happening with air quality.
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