The ammonia from the guano does not form the particles but supercharges the process that does, Boyer said.
“It’s really the dimethyl sulfide from phytoplankton that gives off the sulfur,” he said. “The ammonia enhances the formation rate of particles. Without ammonia, sulfuric acid can form new particles, but with ammonia, it’s 1,000 times faster, and sometimes even more, so we’re talking up to four orders of magnitude faster because of the guano.”
This is important in Antarctica specifically because there are not many other sources of particles, such as pollution or emissions from trees, he added.
“So the strength of the source matters in terms of its climate effect
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