Articles | Volume 23, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2035-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2035-2023
Research article
 | 
08 Feb 2023
Research article |  | 08 Feb 2023

Impact of formulations of the homogeneous nucleation rate on ice nucleation events in cirrus

Peter Spichtinger, Patrik Marschalik, and Manuel Baumgartner

Related authors

Design study of a rocket-borne free-flow aerosol collector for supersonic speed deployment by means of numerical efficiency analyzes
Birte Klug, Ralf Weigel, Konrad Kandler, Markus Rapp, Manuel Baumgartner, Thomas Böttger, Klaus Dieter Wilhelm, Harald Rott, Thomas Kenntner, Oliver Drescher, and Anna Hundertmark
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-510,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-510, 2025
Short summary
On numerical broadening of particle-size spectra: a condensational growth study using PyMPDATA 1.0
Michael A. Olesik, Jakub Banaśkiewicz, Piotr Bartman, Manuel Baumgartner, Simon Unterstrasser, and Sylwester Arabas
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 3879–3899, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-3879-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-3879-2022, 2022
Short summary
New investigations on homogeneous ice nucleation: the effects of water activity and water saturation formulations
Manuel Baumgartner, Christian Rolf, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Julia Schneider, Tobias Schorr, Ottmar Möhler, Peter Spichtinger, and Martina Krämer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 65–91, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-65-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-65-2022, 2022
Short summary
High homogeneous freezing onsets of sulfuric acid aerosol at cirrus temperatures
Julia Schneider, Kristina Höhler, Robert Wagner, Harald Saathoff, Martin Schnaiter, Tobias Schorr, Isabelle Steinke, Stefan Benz, Manuel Baumgartner, Christian Rolf, Martina Krämer, Thomas Leisner, and Ottmar Möhler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14403–14425, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14403-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14403-2021, 2021
Short summary
In situ observation of new particle formation (NPF) in the tropical tropopause layer of the 2017 Asian monsoon anticyclone – Part 2: NPF inside ice clouds
Ralf Weigel, Christoph Mahnke, Manuel Baumgartner, Martina Krämer, Peter Spichtinger, Nicole Spelten, Armin Afchine, Christian Rolf, Silvia Viciani, Francesco D'Amato, Holger Tost, and Stephan Borrmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13455–13481, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13455-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13455-2021, 2021
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Clouds and Precipitation | Research Activity: Atmospheric Modelling and Data Analysis | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Counteracting influences of gravitational settling modulate aerosol impacts on cloud-base-lowering fog characteristics
Nathan H. Pope and Adele L. Igel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5433–5444, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5433-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5433-2025, 2025
Short summary
The critical number and size of precipitation embryos to accelerate warm rain initiation
Jung-Sub Lim, Yign Noh, Hyunho Lee, and Fabian Hoffmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5313–5329, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5313-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5313-2025, 2025
Short summary
Impact on the stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition of the interaction of cloud microphysics and macrophysics with large-scale circulation
Je-Yun Chun, Robert Wood, Peter N. Blossey, and Sarah J. Doherty
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5251–5271, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5251-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5251-2025, 2025
Short summary
Technical note: Phase space depiction of cloud condensation nuclei activation and cloud droplet diffusional growth
Wojciech W. Grabowski and Hanna Pawlowska
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5273–5285, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5273-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5273-2025, 2025
Short summary
Impact of wildfire smoke on Arctic cirrus formation – Part 2: Simulation of MOSAiC 2019–2020 cases
Albert Ansmann, Cristofer Jimenez, Daniel A. Knopf, Johanna Roschke, Johannes Bühl, Kevin Ohneiser, and Ronny Engelmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4867–4884, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4867-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4867-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Baumgartner, M. and Spichtinger, P.: Homogeneous nucleation from an asymptotic point of view, Theor. Comp. Fluid Dyn., 33, 83–106, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00162-019-00484-0, 2019. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h
Baumgartner, M., Weigel, R., Harvey, A. H., Plöger, F., Achatz, U., and Spichtinger, P.: Reappraising the appropriate calculation of a common meteorological quantity: potential temperature, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 15585–15616, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15585-2020, 2020. a, b
Baumgartner, M., Rolf, C., Grooß, J.-U., Schneider, J., Schorr, T., Möhler, O., Spichtinger, P., and Krämer, M.: New investigations on homogeneous ice nucleation: the effects of water activity and water saturation formulations, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 65–91, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-65-2022, 2022. a, b, c
de Reus, M., Borrmann, S., Bansemer, A., Heymsfield, A. J., Weigel, R., Schiller, C., Mitev, V., Frey, W., Kunkel, D., Kürten, A., Curtius, J., Sitnikov, N. M., Ulanovsky, A., and Ravegnani, F.: Evidence for ice particles in the tropical stratosphere from in-situ measurements, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 6775–6792, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-6775-2009, 2009. a
Dinh, T., Podglajen, A., Hertzog, A., Legras, B., and Plougonven, R.: Effect of gravity wave temperature fluctuations on homogeneous ice nucleation in the tropical tropopause layer, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 35–46, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-35-2016, 2016. a
Download
Short summary
We investigate the impact of the homogeneous nucleation rate on nucleation events in cirrus. As long as the slope of the rate is represented sufficiently well, the resulting ice crystal number concentrations are not crucially affected. Even a change in the prefactor over orders of magnitude does not change the results. However, the maximum supersaturation during nucleation events shows strong changes. This quantity should be used for diagnostics instead of the popular nucleation threshold.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint