Premium
Atmospheric impact of quasiliquid layers on ice surfaces
Author(s) -
Voss Laura F.,
Henson Bryan F.,
Wilson Kevin R.,
Robinson Jeanne M.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2004gl022010
Subject(s) - snow , volume (thermodynamics) , impurity , surface layer , geology , layer (electronics) , materials science , atmospheric sciences , meteorology , mechanics , mineralogy , chemistry , thermodynamics , physics , geomorphology , nanotechnology , organic chemistry
We present a fully thermodynamically constrained model to calculate the thickness of the quasiliquid layer on ice surfaces and apply this model to atmospherically relevant situations to calculate the quasiliquid thickness and volume for ice aerosols and snow pack. These volumes are comparable to the liquid volumes present in a representative liquid‐droplet cloud. The pure water calculations represent conservative lower bounds to the volume possible from more complex solutions. Incorporation of solution chemistry into the model demonstrates both the effect played by impurities when studying this phenomenon and how the formation of the quasiliquid layer concentrates impurities on the ice surface.