O'Sullivan, D, Murray, BJ, Malkin, TL et al. (7 more authors) (2014) Ice nucleation by fertile soil dusts: Relative importance of mineral and biogenic components. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 14 (4). 1853 - 1867. ISSN 1680-7316
Abstract
Agricultural dust emissions have been estimated to contribute around 20% to the global dust burden. In contrast to dusts from arid source regions, the ice-nucleating abilities of which have been relatively well studied, soil dusts from fertile sources often contain a substantial fraction of organic matter. Using an experimental methodology which is sensitive to a wide range of ice nucleation efficiencies, we have characterised the immersion mode ice-nucleating activities of dusts (d<11 μ m) extracted from fertile soils collected at four locations around England. By controlling droplet sizes, which ranged in volume from 10 to 10 L (concentration=0.02 to 0.1 wt% dust), we have been able to determine the ice nucleation behaviour of soil dust particles at temperatures ranging from 267K (-6°C) down to the homogeneous limit of freezing at about 237K (-36°C). At temperatures above 258K (-15°C) we find that the ice-nucleating activity of soil dusts is diminished by heat treatment or digestion with hydrogen peroxide, suggesting that a major fraction of the ice nuclei stems from biogenic components in the soil. However, below 258 K, we find that the ice active site densities tend towards those expected from the mineral components in the soils, suggesting that the inorganic fraction of soil dusts, in particular the K-feldspar fraction, becomes increasingly important in the initiation of the ice phase at lower temperatures. We conclude that dusts from agricultural activities could contribute significantly to atmospheric IN concentrations, if such dusts exhibit similar activities to those observed in the current laboratory study.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2014, O'Sullivan, D, Murray, BJ, Malkin, TL, Whale, TF, Umo, NS, Atkinson, JD, Price, HC, Baustian, KJ, Browse, J and Webb, ME. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 3.0) licence, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemistry (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 18 Sep 2014 10:20 |
Last Modified: | 21 Jan 2018 03:22 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-1853-2014 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | European Geosciences Union |
Identification Number: | 10.5194/acp-14-1853-2014 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:80044 |