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A 22-minute talk by Jonathan P. D. Abbatt exploring the ice nucleation properties of aerosol particles for potential cirrus cloud thinning applications. Learn about this climate warming mitigation approach that targets cirrus clouds, which produce a net warming effect on Earth's climate due to their optical properties. Discover how cirrus clouds primarily form through homogeneous freezing of solution aerosol particles at temperatures below 235K and supersaturation levels above 1.4 with respect to ice. Explore research on synthetic and naturally occurring silica and mineral dust particles as potential seeding agents that could catalyze ice formation at lower supersaturation levels than natural cirrus formation, potentially creating large ice crystals that sediment and suppress natural cirrus development. The presentation covers the development and validation of cloud chambers for experimentation and the synthesis of silica particles with specific porosity characteristics. The findings contribute to evaluating whether seeding with these particles can effectively deplete water vapor that would otherwise contribute to greenhouse warming and natural cirrus formation in the upper troposphere. Part of the Solar Radiation Management Annual Meeting 2025 hosted by the Simons Foundation.
