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Laboratory and field studies of stratospheric aerosols: Phase changes under high supersaturationIt is well known that water in the form of isolated small droplets supercool as much as 40 C below their equilibrium melting point. Solutions similarly supercool (with respect to water) and supersaturate (with respect of the solute). Experiments are described in which bulk solutions typical of atmospheric aerosols (nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and hydrates; ammonium sulfate; ammonium bisulfate; sodium chloride) are supercooled and/or supersaturated and nucleated to initiate crystal growth. Supersaturation of 300 percent is readily attainable, with linear growth of crystals increasing roughly as (supercooling/supersaturation)sup 2. The implication of the experiments is that the situation of metastability in polar stratosphere clouds is very likely, with nucleation only occuring under a high degree of supercooling or supersaturation.
Document ID
19910023219
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Hallet, John
(Desert Research Inst. Reno, NV, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
February 1, 1991
Publication Information
Publication: NASA. Ames Research Center, International Workshop on Stratospheric Aerosols: Measurements, Properties, and Effects
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
91N32533
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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