Description of the cloud condensation nuclei counter
The CCN consists of a vertical column with wetted walls which provides the water vapor necessary to produce super-saturations. Particles activate into droplets when exposed to the super-saturated conditions and the droplets are then counted by an optical particle counter. The instrument operates at a single supersaturation, but is capable of producing multiple supersaturation values allowing for the generation of CCN spectra.
Our CCN instrument comes from Droplet Measurement Technologies (DMT) in Boulder, CO.