Atmospheric aerosols have multiple natural sources (mineral dust, sea salt, wildfire smoke, volcanic and biogenic emissions, etc.), and their emission strengths depend strongly on a combination of biological, geologic, human, and meteorological factors. Many of these aerosols are directly emitted from other parts of the Earth system, but others can also form or be modified within the atmosphere due to interaction with gaseous emissions and photochemical reactions. This is especially the case with biogenic aerosols, where gas phase volatile organic compounds are emitted that may serve as precursors to secondary organic aerosol formation. Once emitted into the atmosphere, aerosols often form complex mixtures that affect the Earth system on multiple spatial and temporal scales. Natural aerosols can undergo volatilization and condensation, aggregation and disaggregation, photochemical reactions, and mixing with other compounds as they are transported downwind leading to heterogeneity in structure both chemically and physically. Countless studies show that these aerosol mixtures can have broad impacts on climate, human health, ecosystems, and weather. Recent advances in aerosol modeling and analysis have opened a wealth of questions pertaining to the relationship of aerosol chemical evolution, new particle formation, compositional influences on cloud microphysics, and radiative balance. It is important to understand the complexities of these aerosols, including their chemical composition, physical properties, and biological implications, as well as their distribution, fate, and transport in the atmosphere.
This session solicits presentations of research on naturally occurring aerosols, with a focus on multidisciplinary efforts investigating their emission strengths, source properties, physical complexity and mixtures, chemical transformations, and transport. Presentations that discuss novel advances in measurement, modeling, and analysis of naturally occurring aerosols, including characterizing the composition of aerosol mixtures; quantifying emission strength; understanding their fate, photochemical evolution, and transport; and estimating their weather, climate, ecological, or health and safety implications are also invited. Through this session we hope to catalyze discussions on the chemical, physical, and biological aspects of natural aerosols from emissions to impacts.
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