Definition of Aitken nucleus
meteorology
: a microscopic aerosol particle in the atmosphere that encourages condensation to gather into a droplet
- Using air samples collected from a 65-foot tower in a eucalyptus forest in Portugal, the researchers found an abundance of tiny aerosols, known as Aitken nuclei, that could only have been produced locally.
- —Henry Fountain, New York Times, 3 Nov. 1998
