The global presence of soot has significant effects on regional and global climate, as well as human health. Influence of soot on radiation budget, rain formation and heterogeneous chemistry, and its residence time in the atmosphere are largely dependent on its ability to interact with water. While freshly emitted soot is extremely hydrophobic, oxidation during aging causes soot to become more hydrophilic. Laboratory studies demonstrate that aged soot attracts and retains water, and can be efficiently removed from the troposphere by entrapment in existing liquid cloud droplets or by activation as cloud condensation nuclei.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.