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Characteristics of Ice Nucleating Particles from the Long-Range Transport of Saharan Dust
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  • Ryan J. Patnaude,
  • Christina S. McCluskey,
  • Gregory Roberts,
  • Paul J DeMott,
  • Thomas C. J. Hill,
  • Greg McFarquhar,
  • Pavlos Kollias,
  • Keyvan Ranjbar,
  • Mengistu Wolde,
  • Sonia M. Kreidenweis
Ryan J. Patnaude
Colorado State University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Christina S. McCluskey
National Center for Atmospheric Research
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Gregory Roberts
University of California, San Diego
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Paul J DeMott
Colorado State University
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Thomas C. J. Hill
Colorado State University
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Greg McFarquhar
Cooperative Institute for Severe and High Impact Weather Research and Operations
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Pavlos Kollias
Stony Brook University
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Keyvan Ranjbar
National Research Council Canada
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Mengistu Wolde
National Research Counsil Canada
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Sonia M. Kreidenweis
Colorado State University
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Abstract

Transported mineral dust in a Saharan air layer (SAL) contains highly active ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that may be transported across the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently seed clouds in the Caribbean and the Americas. During an aircraft campaign around Houston and the western U.S. Gulf Coast, a widespread SAL advected into the sampling region allowing for measurement of the ice-nucleating ability of SD following long-range transport. Results showed that the mean INP concentrations were 3–4.5 times higher than non-Saharan dust (nSD), but only at temperatures < –21 ºC. Active surface site densities were also enhanced in the SD, exceeding the mean for nSD by over an order of magnitude at temperatures < –21 ºC. These INP measurements confirmed that SD remains a highly active INP even after > 8000 km westward transport across the Atlantic Ocean.
13 Nov 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
13 Nov 2024Published in ESS Open Archive