Research into methods for the real-time measurement of light-absorbing aerosols began in Berkeley in 1978. The first-ever Aethalometer® was deployed in a field study in the summer of 1980: the first aircraft measurements were made in 1982, and in 1986 an Aethalometer started making measurements of aerosol Black Carbon at the most remote location on the planet, the South Pole Observatory. Magee Scientific Company was established that same year to develop further and commercialize the Aethalometer and make it available to the aerosol research and monitoring community.

In 2007, the company “Aerosol” was established in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to concentrate exclusively on the science, technology, and commercialization of instrumentation for carbonaceous aerosol measurements.