Ice Nucleation: Sulfate and Its Influence in Arctic and Rural and Urban NW Continental Precipitation

• Main Author: Derksen, Mark
• Other Authors: Norman, Ann-Lise, Else, Brent G. T., Hobill, David W., Wieser, Michael E.
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Science 2019
• Subjects: Ice Nucleation; Atmospheric Science; Atmospheric Physics; Climate Change; Arctic; Aerosols; Sulfate; Cloud Formation; Biogenic; Nucleation; Climate Science; Atmospheric Chemistry; Education > Sciences; Atmospheric Sciences; Environmental Sciences; Physics; Climate change
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110824; https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/36906

With the growth of urban centers and decline of natural ecosystems, the increasing presence of aerosol particles has the potential to have major impacts on climate. This study assessed the ice nucleation characteristics of anthropogenic and organic/biogenic sulfate sources in precipitation samples from the Arctic, Kananaskis (rural continental), and Calgary (Urban continental). Samples were analyzed using droplet freezing technique, isotopic analysis, and anion/cation measurements. Comparisons between deposition-based precipitation sampler and passive fog/rain sampler yielded no significant differences in ice nucleation characteristics. Arctic fog samples had distinct ice nucleating particle characteristics compared to rain and dry deposition samples. A 32% increase in the influence of biogenic matter was apparent in 2016 Arctic samples relative to 2014 samples. The influence of a continental biogenic and/or organic material was apparent in the ice nucleating characteristics of both rural and urban continental samples. Snow samples exhibited the greatest biogenic influence, followed by rain samples, and then dry deposition samples.