Devendra Pal, Ryan Hall, Yevgen Nazarenko, Leonard Barrie, Parisa A. Ariya
{"title":"Microphysical detection of nano-ice nuclei to ice crystals: a platform for ice nucleation research","authors":"Devendra Pal, Ryan Hall, Yevgen Nazarenko, Leonard Barrie, Parisa A. Ariya","doi":"10.1038/s41612-025-01062-4","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Atmospheric ice nucleation plays a crucial role in cloud formation, precipitation, and climate dynamics. However, the physicochemical properties of submicron ice nucleating particles (INPs) remain poorly understood, and distinguishing between nano- to micron-sized ice crystals and supercooled droplets in cloud microphysical processes remains a significant challenge. Here, we present the first detection of nano-sized ice crystals (390 nm) along with their physical properties using a portable platform for ice nucleation that integrates the McGill Real-time Ice Nucleation Chamber (MRINC) with advanced holographic microscopy and aerosol sizers. This platform enables real-time detection and differentiation of ice crystals and supercooled droplets, providing microphysical information into their spherical or non-spherical morphology, surface roughness, and phase characteristics, particularly for ice particles smaller than 500 nm. Automated algorithms facilitate the differentiation of individual and aggregated ice crystals within a size range of 390 nm to 100 µm, supporting time-resolved analyses of ice nucleation processes. Surface roughness (Rt, Ra) measurements and 3D structural data offer critical insights into light scattering and radiation interactions, with smaller ice crystals (<1 µm) exhibiting higher roughness and enhanced multidirectional scattering. Validation through computational fluid dynamics simulations and experiments demonstrates platform ability to differentiate silver iodide-nucleated ice crystals from supercooled droplets and to monitor aerosol growth, advancing our understanding of aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":19438,"journal":{"name":"npj Climate and Atmospheric Science","volume":"58 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"npj Climate and Atmospheric Science","FirstCategoryId":"89","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01062-4","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"METEOROLOGY & ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Atmospheric ice nucleation plays a crucial role in cloud formation, precipitation, and climate dynamics. However, the physicochemical properties of submicron ice nucleating particles (INPs) remain poorly understood, and distinguishing between nano- to micron-sized ice crystals and supercooled droplets in cloud microphysical processes remains a significant challenge. Here, we present the first detection of nano-sized ice crystals (390 nm) along with their physical properties using a portable platform for ice nucleation that integrates the McGill Real-time Ice Nucleation Chamber (MRINC) with advanced holographic microscopy and aerosol sizers. This platform enables real-time detection and differentiation of ice crystals and supercooled droplets, providing microphysical information into their spherical or non-spherical morphology, surface roughness, and phase characteristics, particularly for ice particles smaller than 500 nm. Automated algorithms facilitate the differentiation of individual and aggregated ice crystals within a size range of 390 nm to 100 µm, supporting time-resolved analyses of ice nucleation processes. Surface roughness (Rt, Ra) measurements and 3D structural data offer critical insights into light scattering and radiation interactions, with smaller ice crystals (<1 µm) exhibiting higher roughness and enhanced multidirectional scattering. Validation through computational fluid dynamics simulations and experiments demonstrates platform ability to differentiate silver iodide-nucleated ice crystals from supercooled droplets and to monitor aerosol growth, advancing our understanding of aerosol-cloud-radiation interactions.
期刊介绍:
npj Climate and Atmospheric Science is an open-access journal encompassing the relevant physical, chemical, and biological aspects of atmospheric and climate science. The journal places particular emphasis on regional studies that unveil new insights into specific localities, including examinations of local atmospheric composition, such as aerosols.
The range of topics covered by the journal includes climate dynamics, climate variability, weather and climate prediction, climate change, ocean dynamics, weather extremes, air pollution, atmospheric chemistry (including aerosols), the hydrological cycle, and atmosphere–ocean and atmosphere–land interactions. The journal welcomes studies employing a diverse array of methods, including numerical and statistical modeling, the development and application of in situ observational techniques, remote sensing, and the development or evaluation of new reanalyses.