HR: 1330h
AN: A22A-1042    [PDF]
TI: Ice Nucleation by High Molecular Weight Organic Compounds
AU: * Cantrell, W
EM: cantrell@mtu.edu
AF: Michigan Technological University, Dept. of Physics 1400 Townsend Dr., Houghton, MI 49931 United States
AB: Deep convection in the tropics is frequently associated with biomass burning. Recent work has suggested that the size of ice crystals in the anvils of tropical cumulonimbus clouds may be affected by biomass burning, though the mechanism for such an effect is uncertain (Sherwood, 2002). We will present results of an investigation of the role that high molecular weight organic compounds, known to be produced in biomass burning (Elias et al., 1999), may play in tropical cirrus anvils through heterogeneous nucleation of ice. In particular, we examine the mechanisms underlying heterogeneous nucleation of ice by films of long chain alcohols by studying the interaction of the alcohols and water/ice using temperature controlled, Attenuated Total Reflection - Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. The mechanisms are interpreted in the context of recent criticisms of some aspects of classical nucleation theory (Seeley and Seidler, 2001; Oxtoby, 1998). References V. Elias, B. Simoneit, A. Pereira, J. Cabral, and J. Cardoso, Detection of high molecular weight organic tracers in vegetation smoke samples by high-temperature gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Environ. Sci. Tecnol., 33, 2369-2376, 1999. D. Oxtoby, Nucleation of first-order phase transitions. Acc. Chem. Res., 31, 91-97, 1998. L. Seeley and G. Seidler, Preactivation in the nucleation of ice by Langmuir films of aliphatic alcohols. J. Chem. Phys., 114, 10464-10470, 2001. S. Sherwood, Aerosols and ice particle size in tropical cumulonimbus. J. Climate, 15, 1051-1063, 2002.
DE: 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801)
DE: 0320 Cloud physics and chemistry
DE: 0365 Troposphere--composition and chemistry
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting