On the composition of Caribbean maritime aerosol particles measured during RICO

Observations of aerosol-particle (AP) composition obtained via volatility measurements during the ‘Rain In Cumulus over the Ocean’ (RICO) experiment are presented. The measurements show that sub-cloud APs with a radius rp ≤ 0.2 µm are composed mainly of ammonium sulphate, while APs with a radius rp ≥ 0.2 µm are composed mainly of sea salt. The AP distribution also contains an indeterminate non-volatile component (rp ≤ 0.4 µm), which could be either elemental carbon or mineral dust. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society