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Chen J, Xu J, Wu Z, Meng X, Yu Y, Ginoux P, DeMott PJ, Xu R, Zhai L, Yan Y, Zhao C, Li SM, Zhu T, Hu M. Decreased dust particles amplify the cloud cooling effect by regulating cloud ice formation over the Tibetan Plateau. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eado0885. [PMID: 39270018 PMCID: PMC11397500 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ado0885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024]
Abstract
Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) can initiate cloud ice formation, influencing cloud radiative effects (CRE) and climate. However, the knowledge of INP sources, concentrations, and their impact on CRE over the Tibetan Plateau (TP)-a highly climate-sensitive region-remains largely hypothetical. Here, we integrated data from multisource satellite observations and snowpack samples collected from five glaciers to demonstrate that dust particles constitute primary INP sources over the TP. The springtime dust influxes lead to seasonally elevated ice concentrations in mixed-phase clouds. Furthermore, the decadal reduction in dustiness from 2007 to 2019 results in decreased springtime dust INPs, thereby amplifying the cooling effect of clouds over the TP, with a 1.98 ± 0.39-watt per square meter reduction in surface net CRE corresponding to a 0.01 decrease in dust optical depth. Our findings elucidate previously unidentified pathways of climate feedback from an atmospheric INP perspective, especially highlighting the crucial role of dust in aerosol-cloud interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingchuan Chen
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jianzhong Xu
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Zhijun Wu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Xiangxinyue Meng
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yan Yu
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Paul Ginoux
- Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, NOAA/OAR, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Paul J DeMott
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Rui Xu
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Lixiang Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Yafei Yan
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China
| | - Chuanfeng Zhao
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shao-Meng Li
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Tong Zhu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Min Hu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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Seifried TM, Nikkho S, Morales Murillo A, Andrew LJ, Grant ER, Bertram AK. Microplastic Particles Contain Ice Nucleation Sites That Can Be Inhibited by Atmospheric Aging. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:15711-15721. [PMID: 39172764 PMCID: PMC11375776 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c02639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Recent research has shown that microplastics are widespread in the atmosphere. However, we know little about their ability to nucleate ice and their impact on ice formation in clouds. Ice nucleation by microplastics could also limit their long-range transport and global distribution. The present study explores the heterogeneous ice-nucleating ability of seven microplastic samples in immersion freezing mode. Two polypropylene samples and one polyethylene terephthalate sample froze heterogeneously with median freezing temperatures of -20.9, -23.2, and -21.9 °C, respectively. The number of ice nucleation sites per surface area, ns(T), ranged from 10-1 to 104 cm-2 in a temperature interval of -15 to -25 °C, which is comparable to that of volcanic ash and fungal spores. After exposure to ozone or a combination of UV light and ozone, simulating atmospheric aging, the ice nucleation activity decreased in some cases and remained unchanged in others. Our freezing data suggest that microplastics may promote ice formation in cloud droplets. In addition, based on a comparison of our freezing results and previous simulations using a global transport model, ice nucleation by microplastics will impact their long-range transport to faraway locations and global distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa M Seifried
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Sepehr Nikkho
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Aurelio Morales Murillo
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Lucas J Andrew
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Edward R Grant
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Allan K Bertram
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
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Ren Y, Bertram AK, Patey GN. Influence of pH on Ice Nucleation by Kaolinite: Experiments and Molecular Simulations. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:9227-9243. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c05323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yi Ren
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z1
| | - Allan K. Bertram
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z1
| | - G. N. Patey
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z1
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