Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-14-2012
Abstract
Formation of ice in Earth's atmosphere at temperatures above approximately −20 °C is one of the outstanding problems in cloud physics. Contact nucleation has been suggested as a possible mechanism for freezing at relatively high temperatures; some laboratory experiments have shown contact freezing activity at temperatures as high as −4 °C. We have investigated Arizona Test Dust and kaolinite as contact nuclei as a function of size and temperature and find that the fraction of submicron particles that are active as contact ice nuclei is less than 10−3 for −18 °C and greater. We also find that the different dusts are quite distinct in their effectiveness as contact nuclei; Arizona Test Dust catalyzed freezing in the contact mode at all mobility diameters we tested at −18 °C whereas kaolinite triggered freezing only for mobility diameters of 1000 and 500 nm at that temperature.
Publication Title
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Bunker, K. W.,
China, S.,
Mazzoleni, C.,
Kostinski, A. B.,
&
Cantrell, W.
(2012).
Measurements of ice nucleation by mineral dusts in the contact mode.
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics,
12, 20291-20309.
http://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-12-20291-2012
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/physics-fp/191
Version
Preprint
Publisher's Statement
© Author(s) 2012. Publisher's version of record: https://doi.org/10.5194/acpd-12-20291-2012