TY - JOUR
T1 - Microbiology and atmospheric processes
T2 - The role of biological particles in cloud physics
AU - Möhler, O.
AU - DeMott, P. J.
AU - Vali, G.
AU - Levin, Z.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was sponsored by the National Science Council, Taiwan, under Grant No. NSC 95-2221-E002-160 and by the National Taiwan University under Grant No. 95-R210.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - As part of a series of papers on the sources, distribution and potential impact of biological particles in the atmosphere, this paper introduces and summarizes the potential role of biological particles in atmospheric clouds. Biological particles like bacteria or pollen may be active as both cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and heterogeneous ice nuclei (IN) and thereby can contribute to the initial cloud formation stages and the development of precipitation through giant CCN and IN processes. The paper gives an introduction to aerosol-cloud processes involving CCN and IN in general and provides a short summary of previous laboratory, field and modelling work which investigated the CCN and IN activity of bacterial cells and pollen. Recent measurements of atmospheric ice nuclei with a continuous flow diffusion chamber (CFDC) and of the heterogeneous ice nucleation efficiency of bacterial cells are also briefly discussed. As a main result of this overview paper we conclude that a proper assessment of the impact of biological particles on tropospheric clouds needs new laboratory, field and modelling work on the abundance of biological particles in the atmosphere and their CCN and heterogeneous IN properties.
AB - As part of a series of papers on the sources, distribution and potential impact of biological particles in the atmosphere, this paper introduces and summarizes the potential role of biological particles in atmospheric clouds. Biological particles like bacteria or pollen may be active as both cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and heterogeneous ice nuclei (IN) and thereby can contribute to the initial cloud formation stages and the development of precipitation through giant CCN and IN processes. The paper gives an introduction to aerosol-cloud processes involving CCN and IN in general and provides a short summary of previous laboratory, field and modelling work which investigated the CCN and IN activity of bacterial cells and pollen. Recent measurements of atmospheric ice nuclei with a continuous flow diffusion chamber (CFDC) and of the heterogeneous ice nucleation efficiency of bacterial cells are also briefly discussed. As a main result of this overview paper we conclude that a proper assessment of the impact of biological particles on tropospheric clouds needs new laboratory, field and modelling work on the abundance of biological particles in the atmosphere and their CCN and heterogeneous IN properties.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=36749068452&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5194/bg-4-1059-2007
DO - 10.5194/bg-4-1059-2007
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AN - SCOPUS:36749068452
SN - 1726-4170
VL - 4
SP - 1059
EP - 1071
JO - Biogeosciences
JF - Biogeosciences
IS - 6
ER -