Articles | Volume 26, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-1515-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-1515-2026
Research article
 | 
29 Jan 2026
Research article |  | 29 Jan 2026

Seasonal variability, sources, and parameterization of ice-nucleating particles in the Rocky Mountain region: importance of soil dust and biological contributions

Ruichen Zhou, Russell Perkins, Drew Juergensen, Kevin Barry, Kelton Ayars, Oren Dutton, Paul DeMott, and Sonia Kreidenweis

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A small fraction of aerosol particles, microscopic pieces of solid or liquid in the air, are important for controlling the freezing processes in clouds, which in turn impacts rain and snow. This work examines how concentrations of these special and important particles change throughout the year at a measurement location in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. We find at this location, most of these special particles are associated with soil dusts in the air, and concentrations decrease in the winter.
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