Articles | Volume 25, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12701-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12701-2025
Research article
 | 
10 Oct 2025
Research article |  | 10 Oct 2025

Altitude-dependent formation of polar mesospheric clouds: charged nucleation and in situ ice growth on zonal and daily scales

Liang Zhang, Zhongfang Liu, and Brian Tinsley

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Cited articles

Antonsen, T., Havnes, O., and Mann, I.: Estimates of the Size Distribution of Meteoric Smoke Particles From Rocket-Borne Impact Probes, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 122, 12353–12365, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JD027220, 2017. 
Bailey, S. M., Merkel, A. W., Thomas, G. E., and Carstens, J. N.: Observations of polar mesospheric clouds by the Student Nitric Oxide Explorer, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 110, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JD005422, 2005. 
Bardeen, C. G., Toon, O. B., Jensen, E. J., Hervig, M. E., Randall, C. E., Benze, S., Marsh, D. R., and Merkel, A.: Numerical simulations of the three-dimensional distribution of polar mesospheric clouds and comparisons with Cloud Imaging and Particle Size (CIPS) experiment and the Solar Occultation For Ice Experiment (SOFIE) observations, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 115, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD012451, 2010. 
Beig, G., Scheer, J., Mlynczak, M. G., and Keckhut, P.: Overview of the temperature response in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere to solar activity, Rev. Geophys., 46, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007RG000236, 2008. 
Berger, U. and von Zahn, U.: Three-dimensional modeling of the trajectories of visible noctilucent cloud particles: An indication of particle nucleation well below the mesopause, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 112, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD008106, 2007. 
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Short summary
Polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) reflect climate change and in turn influence mesospheric chemistry, but their ice formation remains unclear. We show that PMC height controls ice particle properties and propose a new formation mechanism involving charged meteoric smoke particle nucleation (CMN scheme). This scheme introduces the cold-trap effect for H2O redistribution, which are fundamentally bottom-up driven by upwelling. These findings provide new insights into PMC formation and water dynamics.
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