Homogeneous nucleation of amorphous solid water particles in the upper mesosphere |
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| Authors: | Benjamin J Murray Eric J Jensen |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Chemistry, Woodhouse Lane, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK;2. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA;1. GATS, Inc., Driggs, ID , USA;2. Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DCUSA;3. Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA, USA;4. Hampton University, Hampton, VA, USA;2. Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tasmania 7050, Australia;1. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80304, USA;2. Graz University of Technology, 8010 Graz, Austria;3. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA;4. Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden;5. GATS-Inc., Boulder, CO 80301, USA;1. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mailcode 674, Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA;2. The Catholic University of America, 620 Michigan Avenue, Washington D.C. 20064, USA;3. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mailcode 671, Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA;1. Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel;2. Department of Physical Techniques and Devices for Quality Control, Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg 620002, Russian Federation;3. Department of Experimental Physics, Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg 620002, Russian Federation;4. Sverdlovsk Regional Ministry of Health, Wainer str., 34b, Ekaterinburg 620014, Russian Federation |
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| Abstract: | Condensed water particles are known to exist in the high latitude upper mesosphere during the summer months. However, the mechanism or mechanisms through which they nucleate remains uncertain. It is postulated here that particles of amorphous solid water (ASW, condensed water with a non-crystalline structure) may nucleate homogeneously in the summer mesosphere. Using classical nucleation theory and a one-dimensional model, it is shown that more than 105 cm?3 amorphous solid water particles can nucleate homogeneously under mesopause conditions. Furthermore, it is shown that homogeneous nucleation competes with heterogeneous nucleation on meteoric smoke particles when the cooling rate is >0.5 K/h. The homogeneous nucleation of amorphous solid water could provide an explanation for the high density of ice particles (many thousands per cm3) thought to be required for electron depletions in the upper mesosphere. A parameterisation for homogeneous nucleation is presented which can be used in other mesospheric cloud models. |
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