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Ice Nucleation Properties of Authentic Atmospheric Marine Particles


EMSL Project ID
47949

Abstract

The effect that aerosol particles have on climate is highly uncertain and has garnered much attention in recent years. Specifically, the effect that aerosol particles have on cloud formation is one of the largest sources of uncertainty hindering the accurate prediction of future climate. Marine aerosols constitute one of the largest sources of aerosol particles globally. Recent studies have suggested that marine aerosols may be active ice nuclei with the potential to initiate clouds that impact climate and affect the hydrological cycle. We propose to examine particles collected from marine air masses that are pristine as well as ones influenced by anthropogenic activities. Our previous studies have demonstrated the ability to identify active ice nuclei and determine their chemical composition using state-of-the-art chemical imaging techniques available at EMSL. Samples from laboratory and field experiments provide a foundation of observations to guide the current proposal. For example, we have found that specific types of marine organisms cause heterogeneous nucleation of ice. Furthermore, we have observed significant chemical changes in marine aerosol when exposed to a highly oxidizing urban plume, presumably due to alteration of the physicochemical properties of the particles. Our goal in this proposal is to identify the number fractions of marine particles in the atmosphere and to determine their ability to nucleate ice. A process level of understanding will be obtained by taking into account the physical and chemical particle properties that control microphysical cloud formation processes, resulting in the derivation of ice nucleation rates. Using the calculated ice nucleation rates for the samples of different aerosols obtained in the laboratory and the field, modeling studies using single particle process models will be carried out in order to determine the influence of particle chemistry and mixing state on absolute ice nuclei number concentrations. This study will allow for a process-level understanding of ice nucleation enabling the validation of parameters for cloud models and global climate models.

Project Details

Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2013-10-01
End Date
2015-09-30
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Ryan Moffet
Institution
Sonoma Technology

Co-Investigator(s)

Daniel Knopf
Institution
State University of New York at Stony Brook

Team Members

Nicole Riemer
Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Peter Alpert
Institution
State University of New York at Stony Brook

Josephine Aller
Institution
State University of New York at Stony Brook

Rachel O'Brien
Institution
University of Michigan

Mary Gilles
Institution
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Alexander Laskin
Institution
Purdue University

Related Publications

Knopf DA, PA Alpert, B Wang, RE O'Brien, ST Kelly, A Laskin, MK Gilles, and RC Moffet. 2014. "Micro-Spectroscopic Imaging and Characterization of Individually Identified Ice Nucleating Particles from a Case Field Study." Journal of Geophysical Research. D. (Atmospheres).
O'Brien RE, A Laskin, J Laskin, CL Rubitschun, JD Surratt, and AH Goldstein. 2014. "Molecular characterization of S- and N-containing organic constituents in ambient aerosols by negative ion mode high-resolution Nanospray Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry: CalNex 2010 field study." Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres 119:12706-12720. doi:10.1002/2014jd021955
O'Brien RE, A Neu, SA Epstein, A MacMillan, B Wang, ST Kelly, S Nizkorodov, A Laskin, RC Moffet, and MK Gilles. 2014. "Phase State and Physical Properties of Ambient and Laboratory Generated Secondary Organic Aerosol ." Geophysical Research Letters [epub ahead of print]:, doi:10.1002/2014GL060219