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Atmospheric Ice Formation Processes

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Atmospheric Physics

Part of the book series: Research Topics in Aerospace ((RTA))

Abstract

This contribution provides a basic introduction to the formation of ice in clouds. Various pathways to ice nucleation and factors controlling ice formation processes are addressed. Challenges in characterizing the atmospheric ice phase and novel approaches to better understanding the fundamental mechanisms involved in ice nucleation are outlined.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Water is a highly ordered liquid with water molecules conjoined by hydrogen atoms. The exact number of hydrogen bonds formed by a molecule of liquid water (up to four because the oxygen atom of one water molecule has two lone pairs of electrons) depends on the temperature. In crystalline ice, hydrogen bonding creates a lattice structure exhibiting long range order. Amorphous water lacks this long range order yet it is still more ‘solid-like’ than liquid water.

  2. 2.

    These are known as ‘type-2’ PSCs, in contrast to type-1 PSCs that form at slightly warmer temperatures and contain nitric acid, either dissolved in the liquid phase or present as solid nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) crystals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DLR, Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IPA), Münchner Straße 20, 82234, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany

    Bernd Kärcher

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  1. Bernd Kärcher
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Correspondence to Bernd Kärcher .

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  1. und Raumfahrt, DLR-Institut fuer Physik der Atmosphaere, Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft-, Oberpfaffenhofen, 82230, Germany

    Ulrich Schumann

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Kärcher, B. (2012). Atmospheric Ice Formation Processes. In: Schumann, U. (eds) Atmospheric Physics. Research Topics in Aerospace. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30183-4_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30183-4_10

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