Topics in Current Physics

1. Introduction.- 1.1 General Discussion.- 1.1.1 Historical.- 1.1.2 Particle Measurements.- 1.1.3 Measurements of Precursor Gases.- 1.1.4 Laboratory Measurements.- 1.1.5 Models of the Aerosol Layer.- 1.2 Influence on Climate.- 1.3 Microphysical Processes.- 1.3.1 Nucleation.- 1.3.2 Condensation and Evaporation.- 1.3.3 Coagulation.- 1.3.4 Sedimentation.- 1.3.5 Transport.- References.- 2. Observations.- 2.1 Measurements of Precursor Gases in the Stratosphere.- 2.1.1 In Situ Mass Spectrometer Method.- 2.1.2. In Situ Filter Collection.- 2.1.3 In Situ Cryogenic Collection.- 2.1.4 Remote Sensing Methods.- 2.1.5 Summary of Stratospheric Observations of Sulfur Gases.- 2.2 Aircraft and Balloon Measurement of Aerosol Properties.- 2.2.1 Aerosol Constituents.- 2.2.2 Aerosol Properties.- 2.2.3 Detection Methods.- 2.2.4 Analytical Techniques.- 2.2.5 Statistical Treatments.- 2.2.6 Aitken Nuclei.- 2.2.7 Larger Acid Droplets.- 2.2.8 Granular Inclusions.- 2.2.9 Cosmic Dust.- 2.2.10 Volcanic Ash.- 2.2.11 Variations.- 2.2.12 Discussion.- 2.3 Lidar Measurements.- 2.3.1 The Lidar Technique.- 2.3.2 Survey of Results.- 2.3.3 Comparisons of Lidar and Other Results.- 2.3.4 Additional Applications.- 2.4 Satellite Observations.- 2.4.1 Present Spacecraft Experiments.- 2.4.2 Orbital Considerations.- 2.4.3 Results Obtained with SAM II.- 2.4.4 Results Obtained with SAGE.- 2.4.5 Ground-Truth Comparisons.- 2.4.6 Applications.- References.- 3. The Chemical Kinetics of Aerosol Formation.- 3.1 Chemical Origin.- 3.2 Nucleation.- 3.3 Nucleation Mechanisms in the Stratosphere.- 3.3.1 Binary Nucleation.- 3.3.2 Ternary Nucleation.- 3.3.3 Binary Heterogeneous Nucleation.- 3.3.4 Heteromolecular Nucleation.- 3.4 Growth and Heterogeneous Reactions.- 3.5 Conclusions.- References.- 4. Models of Stratospheric Aerosols and Dust.- 4.1 Overview.- 4.2 The Generalized Aerosol Continuity Equation.- 4.3 Aerosol Models.- 4.3.1 The Simulated Distributions of Aerosol Precursor Gases.- 4.3.2 Aerosol Nucleation Models.- 4.3.3 Calculated Properties of the Aerosols.- 4.4 Models of Upper Atmospheric Dust.- 4.5 Anthropogenic Perturbations of the Aerosols.- 4.6 Conclusions.- References.- 5. Stratospheric Aerosols and Climate.- 5.1 Background.- 5.2 Statistical Relations Between Volcanic Explosions and Climatic Changes.- 5.2.1 Changes Observed After Single Eruptions.- 5.2.2 Changes Observed During Epochs of Volcanic Activity.- 5.3 Theoretical Relationships Between Volcanic Explosions and Climate.- 5.3.1 Radiative Properties of the Aerosols.- 5.3.2 Sensitivity Studies of the Effects of Aerosols on Climate.- 5.3.3 Theoretical Studies of the Effect of Volcanoes on Climate.- 5.4 Studies of Anthropogenic Alterations of the Stratospheric Aerosol Layer.- 5.5 Summary.- References.