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The role of heterogeneous freezing nucleation in upper tropospheric clouds: Inferences from SUCCESS
Author(s) -
DeMott Paul J.,
Rogers David C.,
Kreidenweis Sonia M.,
Chen Yalei,
Twohy Cynthia H.,
Baumgardner Darrel,
Heymsfield Andrew J.,
Chan K. Roland
Publication year - 1998
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 - 10.1029/97gl03779
Subject(s) - troposphere , ice nucleus , aerosol , atmospheric sciences , ice crystals , orographic lift , nucleation , homogeneous , ice cloud , cirrus , environmental science , climatology , geology , meteorology , physics , radiative transfer , precipitation , thermodynamics , quantum mechanics
A temperature spectrum of heterogeneous freezing nuclei concentrations in continental air in the upper troposphere was determined based on airborne measurements. Numerical model simulations incorporating ice formation by heterogeneous and homogeneous freezing of deliquesced soluble aerosol particles were performed to investigate the effect of the heterogeneous process on the microphysics of upper tropospheric clouds. Heterogeneous freezing nuclei were predicted to cause lower maximum concentrations of ice particles formed in clouds. These nuclei also initiate the first ice formation and act to broaden ice crystal size distributions in upper tropospheric clouds. Observations of ice formation in an orographic wave cloud supported these predictions.