The influence of the atmospheric low-pressure core on the ground-based ice-nucleation particle abundance in the North Slope of Alaska: A preliminary report

• Main Authors: Waza, Andebo, Hiranuma, Naruki
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: 2023 Faculty Research Poster Session and Research Fair; West Texas A&M University; Department of Life; Earth and Environmental Sciences; Poster; Ice-nucleating particles; Mixed-phase clouds; Arctic warming; Climate science; Arctic; albedo; Barrow; north slope; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11310/5042

This is a poster presentation providing a visual representation of the research through text, charts, graphs. Mixed-phase clouds (MPCs), which contain both ice crystals and supercooled liquid droplets, are ubiquitous over the North Slope of Alaska region, and ice-nucleating particles (INPs) in MPCs impact the formation and modulation of MPCs, precipitation, and the solar energy budget. However, the role of MPCs and INPs on Arctic warming is not yet well revealed, which represents a substantial knowledge gap in climate science. As a first step towards filling the gap, in this work, we examine the role of high-latitude pressure core variability on the ground-level INP concentration as a surrogate parameter of ice cloud microphysics. To measure the INP abundance, we employed a Portable Ice Nucleation Experiment (PINE) chamber, which simulates virtual adiabatic expansion cooling in a 10 L aluminum vessel, at Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory (71.32° N, 156.61° W). We will in particular discuss how profound atmospheric dynamics and extreme meteorological conditions introduce INP anomaly. Our outcome, besides the sea-ice albedo effect, is a key first step towards a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism and projection of Arctic warming.