A Study of Australian Soils as Ice Nuclei

Abstract

The ice nucleating properties of some Australian arid zone soils have been studied in the laboratory, simulating as closely as possible the conditions pertaining to soil particles in the real atmosphere. Both mixing cold chamber and Millipore filter methods were used. The validity of relating measurements on pure minerals in the laboratory to atmospheric situations is questioned. Soils from Australia's arid regions appear to be too inert by several orders of magnitude to constitute the majority of ice nuclei found in the real atmosphere.