Publication

Back to overview

Ice residual properties in mixed-phase clouds at the high-alpine Jungfraujoch site

Type of publication Peer-reviewed
Publikationsform Original article (peer-reviewed)
Author Kupiszewski P., Zanatta M., Mertes S., Vochezer P., Lloyd G., Schneider J., Schenk L., Schnaiter M., Baltensperger U., Weingartner E., Gysel M.,
Project Beitrag an den Unterhalt und Betrieb der Hochalpinen Forschungsstationen Jungfraujoch und Gornergrat, 2015-2017
Show all

Original article (peer-reviewed)

Journal Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres
Volume (Issue) 121
Page(s) 12343 - 12362
Title of proceedings Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres
DOI 10.1002/2016jd024894

Open Access

URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2016JD024894
Type of Open Access Publisher (Gold Open Access)

Abstract

Ice residual (IR) and total aerosol properties were measured in mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) at the high-alpine Jungfraujoch research station. Black carbon (BC) content and coating thickness of BC-containing particles were determined using single-particle soot photometers. The ice activated fraction (IAF), derived from a comparison of IR and total aerosol particle size distributions, showed an enrichment of large particles in the IR, with an increase in the IAF from values on the order of 10(-4) to 10(-3) for 100nm (diameter) particles to 0.2 to 0.3 for 1m (diameter) particles. Nonetheless, due to the high number fraction of submicrometer particles with respect to total particle number, IR size distributions were still dominated by the submicrometer aerosol. A comparison of simultaneously measured number size distributions of BC-free and BC-containing IR and total aerosol particles showed depletion of BC by number in the IR, suggesting that BC does not play a significant role in ice nucleation in MPCs at the Jungfraujoch. The potential anthropogenic climate impact of BC via the glaciation effect in MPCs is therefore likely to be negligible at this site and in environments with similar meteorological conditions and a similar aerosol population. The IAF of the BC-containing particles also increased with total particle size, in a similar manner as for the BC-free particles, but on a level 1 order of magnitude lower. Furthermore, BC-containing IR were found to have a thicker coating than the BC-containing total aerosol, suggesting the importance of atmospheric aging for ice nucleation.
-