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Saharan dust particles nucleate droplets in eastern Atlantic clouds
Author(s) -
Twohy Cynthia H.,
Kreidenweis Sonia M.,
Eidhammer Trude,
Browell Edward V.,
Heymsfield Andrew J.,
Bansemer Aaron R.,
Anderson Bruce E.,
Chen Gao,
Ismail Syed,
DeMott Paul J.,
Van Den Heever Susan C.
Publication year - 2009
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 - 10.1029/2008gl035846
Subject(s) - cloud condensation nuclei , ice nucleus , atmospheric sciences , precipitation , albedo (alchemy) , cloud physics , environmental science , particle (ecology) , condensation , nucleation , aerosol , meteorology , cloud computing , geology , chemistry , physics , oceanography , art , organic chemistry , performance art , computer science , art history , operating system
Many soil‐derived particles dominated by insoluble material, including Saharan dusts, are known to act as ice nuclei. If, however, dust particles can compete with other atmospheric particle types to form liquid cloud droplets, they have a greater potential to change climate through indirect effects on cloud radiative properties and to affect the hydrological cycle through precipitation changes. By directly collecting and analyzing the residual nuclei of small cloud droplets, we demonstrate that Saharan dust particles do commonly act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in the eastern North Atlantic. Droplet activation calculations support the measurements by showing that due to its slightly hygroscopic nature, even submicron dust can be important as CCN. Given the dual nature of Saharan dust particles as CCN and ice nuclei, this infusion of dust is expected to impact not only droplet size and albedo in small clouds, but ice formation in deep convective clouds.