Insoluble particles in polar ice: Identification and measurement of the insoluble background aerosol

We have completed a new series of measurements of the size distribution of insoluble particles in the radius range 0.050–1.31 μm retrieved from Greenland ice cores. Taken together with our previous measurements, our work demonstrates that an insoluble background aerosol with a very distinctive size distribution exists. We also demonstrate that, in looking for evidence of the background aerosol, size distribution is a better indicator than particle concentration.