Sea salt
Many physical processes over ocean surface can generate sea salt aerosols. One common cause is the bursting of air bubbles, which are entrained by the wind stress during the whitecap formation. Another is tearing of drops from wave tops. Wind speed is the key factor to determine the production rate in both mechanisms. Sea salt particle number concentration can reach 50 cm−3 or more with high winds (&gt;10 m s−1), compared to ~10 cm−3 or less under moderate wind regimes. Due to the dependence on wind speed, it could be expected that sea-salt particle production and its impacts on climate may vary with climate change.