Wildfires produce minerals that freeze clouds
Thursday, September 3, 2020 - 12:50
in Astronomy & Space
Certain particles in the atmosphere have the unique ability to change the properties of clouds by causing water droplets to freeze at higher temperatures than they would on their own. With this ability, these so-called ice nucleating particles can greatly affect the evolution of clouds, precipitation, and climate. Previous research has pointed to the burning of biomass such as in wildfires as a major source of atmospheric particles, sometimes including these rare and elusive ice nucleating particles, but this relationship between combustion and the release of ice nucleants has not been understood.