Characteristics of Ice Nucleating Particles From the Long-Range Transport of Saharan Dust

Ryan J. Patnaude; Christina S. McCluskey; Gregory C. Roberts; Paul J. DeMott; Thomas C.J. Hill; Greg M. McFarquhar; Pavlos Kollias; Keyvan Ranjbar; Mengistu Wolde; Sonia M. Kreidenweis

doi:10.1029/2024GL113365

Characteristics of Ice Nucleating Particles From the Long-Range Transport of Saharan Dust

Ryan J. Patnaude, Christina S. McCluskey, Gregory C. Roberts, Paul J. DeMott, Thomas C.J. Hill, Greg M. McFarquhar, Pavlos Kollias, Keyvan Ranjbar, Mengistu Wolde, Sonia M. Kreidenweis

Climate Analysis

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Abstract

Transported mineral dust in a Saharan air layer (SAL) contains active ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that may be transported across the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently seed clouds in the Caribbean and the Americas. During an aircraft campaign around Houston and the western U.S. Gulf Coast, a widespread SAL advected into the sampling region allowing for measurement of the ice-nucleating ability of SD following long-range transport. Results showed that the mean INP concentrations were 3–4.5 times higher than non-Saharan dust (nSD), but only at temperatures <−21°C. Active surface site densities were also enhanced in the SD, exceeding the mean for nSD by over an order of magnitude at temperatures <−21°C. These INP measurements confirmed that SD remains an active INP even after >8,000 km westward transport across the Atlantic Ocean.

Original language	English
Article number	e2024GL113365
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	52
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113365
State	Published - Jun 16 2025

Keywords

Saharan dust
airborne
ice nucleating particles

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10.1029/2024GL113365

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title = "Characteristics of Ice Nucleating Particles From the Long-Range Transport of Saharan Dust",

abstract = "Transported mineral dust in a Saharan air layer (SAL) contains active ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that may be transported across the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently seed clouds in the Caribbean and the Americas. During an aircraft campaign around Houston and the western U.S. Gulf Coast, a widespread SAL advected into the sampling region allowing for measurement of the ice-nucleating ability of SD following long-range transport. Results showed that the mean INP concentrations were 3–4.5 times higher than non-Saharan dust (nSD), but only at temperatures <−21°C. Active surface site densities were also enhanced in the SD, exceeding the mean for nSD by over an order of magnitude at temperatures <−21°C. These INP measurements confirmed that SD remains an active INP even after >8,000 km westward transport across the Atlantic Ocean.",

keywords = "Saharan dust, airborne, ice nucleating particles",

author = "Patnaude, \{Ryan J.\} and McCluskey, \{Christina S.\} and Roberts, \{Gregory C.\} and DeMott, \{Paul J.\} and Hill, \{Thomas C.J.\} and McFarquhar, \{Greg M.\} and Pavlos Kollias and Keyvan Ranjbar and Mengistu Wolde and Kreidenweis, \{Sonia M.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 The Author(s).",

year = "2025",

month = jun,

day = "16",

doi = "10.1029/2024GL113365",

language = "English",

volume = "52",

journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

issn = "0094-8276",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Characteristics of Ice Nucleating Particles From the Long-Range Transport of Saharan Dust

AU - Patnaude, Ryan J.

AU - McCluskey, Christina S.

AU - Roberts, Gregory C.

AU - DeMott, Paul J.

AU - Hill, Thomas C.J.

AU - McFarquhar, Greg M.

AU - Kollias, Pavlos

AU - Ranjbar, Keyvan

AU - Wolde, Mengistu

AU - Kreidenweis, Sonia M.

PY - 2025/6/16

Y1 - 2025/6/16

N2 - Transported mineral dust in a Saharan air layer (SAL) contains active ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that may be transported across the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently seed clouds in the Caribbean and the Americas. During an aircraft campaign around Houston and the western U.S. Gulf Coast, a widespread SAL advected into the sampling region allowing for measurement of the ice-nucleating ability of SD following long-range transport. Results showed that the mean INP concentrations were 3–4.5 times higher than non-Saharan dust (nSD), but only at temperatures <−21°C. Active surface site densities were also enhanced in the SD, exceeding the mean for nSD by over an order of magnitude at temperatures <−21°C. These INP measurements confirmed that SD remains an active INP even after >8,000 km westward transport across the Atlantic Ocean.

AB - Transported mineral dust in a Saharan air layer (SAL) contains active ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that may be transported across the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently seed clouds in the Caribbean and the Americas. During an aircraft campaign around Houston and the western U.S. Gulf Coast, a widespread SAL advected into the sampling region allowing for measurement of the ice-nucleating ability of SD following long-range transport. Results showed that the mean INP concentrations were 3–4.5 times higher than non-Saharan dust (nSD), but only at temperatures <−21°C. Active surface site densities were also enhanced in the SD, exceeding the mean for nSD by over an order of magnitude at temperatures <−21°C. These INP measurements confirmed that SD remains an active INP even after >8,000 km westward transport across the Atlantic Ocean.

KW - Saharan dust

KW - airborne

KW - ice nucleating particles

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105008274819

U2 - 10.1029/2024GL113365

DO - 10.1029/2024GL113365

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105008274819

SN - 0094-8276

VL - 52

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 11

M1 - e2024GL113365

ER -

Characteristics of Ice Nucleating Particles From the Long-Range Transport of Saharan Dust

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Keywords

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