T he University of Denver Aerosol Group develops and builds instruments and sampling inlets that we then use to study aerosols.
Aerosols are collections of particles suspended in gas.
The atmospheric aerosol comes from natural processes and human activities. The particles found in the air are very diverse in origin and chemical composition as the following examples show. Near the seashore, salt particles are abundant. Down wind of volcanic eruptions, we often find rocks, ash and sulfuric acid particles. High up in the atmosphere, meteors leave tiny debris particles in their wake as they burn up.