The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

2027 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

January 12-15, 2027

Immersion freezing of dust particles from Tengger Desert in China: effects of mineral composition and aging treatments on ice nucleating activity
ID:702 Poster Presentation

2027-01-15 17:00 (China Standard Time)

Session:Session 54 - Aerosol–Cloud–Radiation Interactions in the Ocean–Atmosphere System

Abstract
Mineral dust is an important source of ice nucleating particles (INPs) for mixed-phase clouds and can influence cloud properties, precipitation, and radiative forcing. However, the ice nucleation property of natural dust and its response to atmospheric aging remain poorly constrained. Here, we investigated the immersion freezing (IMF) of surface-collected dust from Tengger Desert in China and further examined the effects of mixing with ammonium sulfate (AS), NaCl, H2SO4, and HNO3 and heating treatments. Tengger Desert dust exhibits efficient immersion freezing ability. Median freezing temperature (T50) of Tengger Desert dust increased from 251.6 K to 256.7 K as the dust mass fraction increase from 1.4´10-4 wt% to 1.0´10-1 wt%. A minor increase of feldspar (~2% in number or surface area) quantified by single particle analysis enhanced the ice nucleation active site density (Ns) by approximately one order of magnitude. AS enhanced the IMF activity of the investigated dust, and the increase of T50, Ns, and heterogeneous ice nucleation rate coefficient (Jhet) exhibited a sigmoidal increase with increasing AS concentration. The enhancement is associated with NH4+ adsorption on dust surface. NaCl, acid, and heating treatment had no impacts on the overall IMF with respect to T50, although minor responses were observed for labile ice active sites above 256 K. Parameterizations of Ns and Jhet for Tengger Desert dust and dust mixed with AS were developed based on the experimental data. This study provides the experimentally constrained parameterizations for Asian desert dust and improves the understanding of atmospheric aging effects on the ice nucleation of natural dust.
 
Speaker
Jiao Xue State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University

Author
Jiao Xue State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University

    Important Dates

    • Jan 30

      2026

      Session / Event proposals open

    • Mar 31

      2026

      Session / Event proposals close
      (Extended to April 7)

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Session acceptance notifications

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions & registration open

    • Jun 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions close
      (Extended to July 21)

    • Aug 31

      2026

      Abstract acceptance notifications

    • Sep 15

      2026

      Scientific program released

    • Oct 15

      2026

      Early bird registration closes

    • Jan 12–15

      2027

      XMAS 2027