Enhanced Role of Transition Metal Ion Catalysis During In-Cloud Oxidation of SO 2

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1230911
• Publication Date: 2013-05-09T18:05:18Z
• Authors: Eliza Harris; Bärbel Sinha; Dominik van Pinxt...; Andreas Tilgner; Khanneh Wadinga F...; Johannes Schneider; Anja Roth; Thomas Gnauk; Benjamin Fahlbusch; Stephan Mertes; Taehyoung Lee; Jeffrey Collett; Stephen Foley; Stephan Borrmann; Peter Hoppe; Hartmut Herrmann
• Keywords: Aerosols; Minerals; Atmosphere; Climate; Dust; 7. Clean energy; 01 natural sciences; Catalysis; 13. Climate action; Transition Elements; Sulfur Dioxide; Oxidation-Reduction; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Dust in the Clouds

Sulfate aerosols have the greatest radiative impact on climate systems.

Harris et al.

(p. 727 ) report that the oxidation of sulfur dioxide gas, catalyzed by natural transition metal ions mostly on the surface of coarse mineral dust, is the dominant pathway for sulfate production in clouds. In view of the growing sulfur dioxide emissions from large, industrializing countries, including this process in climate models should improve the agreement between models and observations.