نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسنده English
Dust blown from the exposed sediments after the catastrophic recession of the Lake Urmia (LU), can promote ice nucleation and thus affect cloud formation and its properties. Since desiccation of the LU, the role of the dust originated from its sediments and their role on ice nucleation have not got much of an attention. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of soil-dust on the ice nucleation activity (INA) and its controlling factors. Using high-volume dust samples, dust samples were collected during four time periods throughout the dry season. Soil and dust samples then subjected to the routine physicochemical analysis along with chemical compound (XRF) and mineralogical (XRD analysis. Later, particle physicochemical properties were compared with their INA activity determined by emulsion freezing experiments in a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). INA with onset temperatures ranging from 244.6 to 247.8 K and heterogeneous frozen fraction between 46 –73 % demonstrates the high potential of dust blown from Sa-sheets to affect cloud properties and precipitation. Freezing onset temperatures (Thet) and the fraction of heterogeneously frozen (Fhet) droplets in the emulsions revealed variations in INA depending on the physicochemical composition of the samples, negatively influenced by salinity, medium sand, Na2O, Cl, SO3, Aragonite and Halite. Specifically, IN activity correlated positively with clay, silt (fine, medium, coarse) and fine sand fractions and minerals of Calcite and Quartz. INA of the dust samples showed significant variation over time. Higher INA of dust samples at the end of the dry season (October and November) could be attributed to their lower salt content in comparison to dust July and August. The results from this study revealed that increase in aerosol release from highly saline sediments can significantly reduce INA in comparison to the non-saline aerosols, thus affecting cloud formation and ultimate rainfall in the region.
کلیدواژهها English