Story perspectives

CERN: MSA Boosts Polar Aerosols, Models Underestimate CCN

6/26/2026

Summary

Story summary

CERN reported MSA drives aerosol formation as effectively as sulfuric acid below –10 °C with ammonia.
Jasper Kirkby and Jiali Shen reported that MSA synergizes with sulfuric acid, boosting nucleation up to tenfold and speeding particle growth up to twofold below +10 °C.
CLOUD simulations show that adding MSA raises cloud-condensation nuclei strongly over Arctic and Antarctic oceans and that models underestimate Southern Ocean CCN by over half, creating a warm bias.

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Story summary

CERN reported MSA drives aerosol formation as effectively as sulfuric acid below –10 °C with ammonia.
Jasper Kirkby and Jiali Shen reported that MSA synergizes with sulfuric acid, boosting nucleation up to tenfold and speeding particle growth up to twofold below +10 °C.
CLOUD simulations show that adding MSA raises cloud-condensation nuclei strongly over Arctic and Antarctic oceans and that models underestimate Southern Ocean CCN by over half, creating a warm bias.