Abstract
Ice nucleating particles (INPs) are rare particles that are capable of initiating freezing of cloud droplets at temperatures warmer than -35 oC. As a result, they play important roles in the first ice formation in clouds, and influence both cloud phase and the formation of precipitation. Surprisingly little is known about the global budgets of INPs. Recent work worldwide has endeavored to establish data on their abundance, characteristics, and sources. It has been consistently found that the compositions of INPs are primarily either mineral or carbonaceous. Of the carbonaceous INPs, some fraction is clearly of biological origin. The speaker will overview the status of INP characterization efforts, with particular emphasis on her research group’s work to understand biological particles that contribute to INP populations.
About the speaker
Prof Sonia Kreidenweis received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Caltech in 1989. She was an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at San Jose State University and served as a consultant in aerosol and chemical interactions in the atmosphere at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She is Immediate Past President of the American Association for Aerosol Research and presently serves on the Executive Committee of the American Meteorological Society. She joined Colorado State University in 1991, and is currently University Distinguished Professor and Professor of Atmospheric Science.
Prof Kreidenweis’ research focuses on characterization of the physical, chemical, and optical properties of atmospheric particulate matter, and the effects of the atmospheric aerosol on visibility and climate. A particular focus area is the characterization of aerosol interactions with water vapor. She has conducted field studies in several US national parks to establish the sources and characteristics of particulate matter responsible for visibility degradation, with a recent focus on the impacts of prescribed and wild fires. Ongoing laboratory and field studies have investigated the role of particles and of individual compounds found in particulate matter in the nucleation of cloud droplets and ice crystals, and the effects of aerosols on cloud microphysics, precipitation, and climate.
Prof Kreidenweis has received awards including the US Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, the USRA / Goddard Space Flight Center Visiting Fellow Award and the CSU Engineering Dean's Council Award, etc. She is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Association for Aerosol Research.
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