Dr. Jun Zhang (EPFL) participated the PIANO campaign (CleanCloud chamber camPaign for studyIng the cloud-relevAnt properties of Natural aerosol) from July to August 2025 in Patras, Greece. The campaign is ongoing until November 2025, where Dr. Zhang is continuously interacting with the PIANO group until its completion.
The campaign studies the impact of acidification of aerosol from sea spray and dust on the ability to form cloud droplets and ice crystals. As part of this, the impact of acidification on the semi-volatile partitioning of nitrogen-containing species (NH3/NH4, HNO3/NO3, HCl/Cl) and ability to infer aerosol pH is thoroughly studied and evaluated.
The chemical composition of particles and gases was characterized using the EPFL aerosol mass spectrometer and the Vocus chemical ionization mass spectrometer, with support from Dr. Zhang. The algorithms used in ReCLEAN to infer acidity of the aerosols were tested in the chamber environment. The PIANO campaign acknowledges ReCLEAN for this valuable collaboration.
More information about CleanCloud and the PIANO campaign can be found here.
Discover the PIANO documentary films: