Smell of Salt Air Surprisingly Detected a Mile High and 900 Miles Inland

The reddish glow from the city lights of Boulder, Colo., is the result in part of the light being scattered by haze particles. UW scientists have discovered unexpected chemistry involving the pollutants that make up the haze. (Credit: Phil Armitage)

From Science Daily:

Science Daily (Mar. 11, 2010) — The smell of sea salt in the air is a romanticized feature of life along a seacoast. Wind and waves kick up spray, and bits of sodium chloride -- common table salt -- can permeate the air.

It is believed that as much as 10 billion metric tons of chloride enters the air mass through this process each year, but just a tiny fraction -- perhaps one-third of 1 percent -- does anything but fall back to the surface.

Read more ....