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The Role of Clouds in Atmospheric Transport and Chemistry

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Persistent Pollution – Past, Present and Future

Abstract

Clouds are ubiquitous in the Earth’s atmosphere. They are important for a multitude of reasons. By intervening with the radiation and energy budget of our planet clouds play a major role in climate and global change (Kiehl and Trenberth 1997; Quante 2004). Furthermore, they possess a key role in the global and regional water cycles (Quante and Matthias 2006). Besides these prominent influences on weather, climate and water availability, clouds are involved in several ways in the distribution and transformation of pollutants in the atmosphere. That clouds play an active role in the processing and cycling of atmospheric substances has long been recognized.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Chemistry, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Institut of Coastal Research, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, Geesthacht, 21502, Germany

    Markus Quante

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  1. Markus Quante
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Correspondence to Markus Quante .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Environmental Chemistry, GKSS School of Environmental Research, Max-Planck-Straße 1, Geesthacht, 21502, Germany

    Markus Quante

  2. , Institute for Coastal Research, GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht, Max-Planck-Str. 1, Geesthacht, 21502, Germany

    Ralf Ebinghaus

  3. , Institute for Coastal Research, GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht, Max-Planck-Str. 1, Geesthacht, 21502, Germany

    Götz Flöser

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Quante, M. (2011). The Role of Clouds in Atmospheric Transport and Chemistry. In: Quante, M., Ebinghaus, R., Flöser, G. (eds) Persistent Pollution – Past, Present and Future. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17419-3_16

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