Bogdan A, Molina MJ. Why does large relative humidity with respect to ice persist in cirrus ice clouds?
J Phys Chem A 2010;
113:14123-30. [PMID:
19925002 DOI:
10.1021/jp9063609]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
According to observations, a large relative humidity with respect to ice, RH(i) >> 100%, often persists outside and inside upper tropospheric cirrus ice clouds. The persistence of the large in-cloud RH(i) means that H(2)O is slowly deposited onto cloud ice crystals. This unusual physical situation is similar to one in which a released body would slowly fall owing to gravitation. Here we present a physical mechanism which can be responsible for the persistence of large in-cloud RH(i). We find that clear-sky RH(i) up to 176% can be built up prior to the formation of ice cirrus by the homogeneous freezing of aqueous droplets containing H(2)SO(4) and HNO(3). As the droplets are cooled, a phase separation, which occurs during freezing, leads to the formation of a residual solution coating around the ice crystals formed. The coating can serve as a shield, slowing the rate of ice growth by approximately 10(3) in comparison with uncoated ice, and this can be a reason for the persistence of the large in-cloud RH(i).
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