What Is Ice Nuclei?
Rare tiny particles, like certain dust or bits of bacteria, that help water droplets freeze in clouds. Without them, cloud droplets can stay liquid far below freezing. In technical terms: Aerosol particles that catalyze heterogeneous ice nucleation by deposition, condensation, immersion, or contact freezing; only about 1 in 100,000 aerosols act as ice nuclei, with active concentrations rising roughly tenfold for every 4 degrees C of cooling.
Also called: Ice Nucleating Particles, INP, Ice-Forming Nuclei
Ice Nuclei In Plain English
Rare tiny particles, like certain dust or bits of bacteria, that help water droplets freeze in clouds. Without them, cloud droplets can stay liquid far below freezing.
The Technical Definition
Aerosol particles that catalyze heterogeneous ice nucleation by deposition, condensation, immersion, or contact freezing; only about 1 in 100,000 aerosols act as ice nuclei, with active concentrations rising roughly tenfold for every 4 degrees C of cooling. Without them, droplets freeze homogeneously only near -38 degrees C.
Lessons That Use Ice Nuclei
- How Rain And Snow Form Unit 5: Clouds And Precipitation
