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Updated: May 19, 2026
08:16
Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine
Published on: March 13, 2017
Ice nucleation by particles immersed in supercooled cloud droplets
B J Murray1, D O'Sullivan, J D Atkinson
1School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK. b.j.murray@leeds.ac.uk
Chemical Society Reviews
|August 31, 2012
Summary
Atmospheric ice formation impacts clouds and climate. This study quantifies ice nucleation by aerosols like mineral dust and soot below -15°C, and biological particles above it, highlighting knowledge gaps.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric science
- Cloud physics
- Climate science
Background:
- Ice formation in clouds significantly influences Earth's climate.
- Current understanding of atmospheric ice nucleation is insufficient for climate assessments.
- Quantitative data on ice nucleation by various aerosol types is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and assess quantitative knowledge of ice nucleation by immersed particles.
- To compare the ice-nucleating abilities of different atmospheric aerosol species.
- To estimate the relative importance of various aerosols in atmospheric ice formation.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing quantitative data on ice nucleation.
- Introduction of methods for describing ice nucleation (singular approximation).
- Estimation of aerosol importance using the singular approximation and atmospheric loadings.
Main Results:
- Ice nucleation below -15°C is primarily driven by soot and mineral dusts.
- Above -15°C, only biological particles are known ice nucleators with quantitative data.
- Significant data gaps exist for many aerosol types, especially at warmer temperatures.
Conclusions:
- Soot and mineral dust are key ice nucleators at colder temperatures.
- Biological particles play a crucial role at warmer supercooled temperatures.
- Further research is needed to address knowledge gaps in atmospheric ice nucleation.
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