(136c) Thermodynamics of Atmospheric Aerosols

The thermodynamic properties of atmospheric aerosols profoundly affect their atmospheric behavior, including human health effects and radiative effects of climate. The chemical composition and phase state of atmospheric particles are determined by thermodynamic equilibrium with the gas phase. Determining this equilibrium is a demanding numerical problem, and one that typically consumes the majority of computation in global aerosol models. We present here global simulations that indicate the importance of aerosol thermodynamics in the earth's climate and show results of recent work aimed at producing the most robust and powerful algorithm for determining gas-aerosol phase equilibrium.