Understanding ice nucleating particles from agricultural dusts
EMSL Project ID
50836
Abstract
The atmospheric concentration of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) impacts the formation and development of cloud ice crystals, affecting cloud radiative properties and precipitation. However, predictive understanding of INP concentrations in the atmosphere is limited in part by gaps in understanding the sources of particles that act as INPs. In particular, laboratory and field measurements suggest that agricultural soils rich in organic matter are more efficient INPs than organic-poor mineral dusts from deserts, but the physicochemical properties that control this behavior are not well-understood.
The goal of this project is to improve understanding of the physical and molecular-level chemical characteristics of agricultural soil particles that control their ability to act as atmospheric ice nucleating particles (INP). We will do this by taking advantage of the unique capabilities and tool suite EMSL offers to characterize the agricultural soil particles that are capable of acting as INPs at different temperatures.
Additionally, we will deploy EMSL capabilities in a field campaign at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site in Oklahoma, operated by the DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. This joint EMSL-ARM campaign will measure the temporal variability of INPs active at different temperatures and humidities during agricultural operations, and will characterize their chemical and physical properties. This characterization will enable us to assess the role that agricultural soils play in controlling atmospheric INP concentrations, when compared with other sources of INPs.
Results from this project will ultimately be used to improve predictive understanding of INP concentrations in regions impacted by agricultural emissions. We will utilize atmospheric models to better understand the sources, transport and impacts of these INPs, and their variable contributions to atmospheric INP concentrations at different times and geographic locations.
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2019-10-01
End Date
2022-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members