What are aerosols?
Aerosols are small particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas; we're most familiar with those in spray cans, but aerosols also exist in the atmosphere. Such particles come from fires, dust storms, volcanoes, sea spray, some plants and also humans. The aerosols in the atmosphere may "seed" clouds, helping them to form, together with rain or snow; they may also lead to acid rain...and have been responsible for the formation of the ozone hole. Banning certain types of aerosols called CFC's has led to a slowing of the growth of the ozone hole...and is expected to lead to a closing of the ozone hole over decades.
