Research Projects

A small subset of the total aerosol population, known as Ice Nucleating Particles (INPs), possesses the ability to initiate ice formation in the atmosphere through heterogeneous nucleation at temperatures below -38°C. Immersion freezing of cloud droplets (where aerosol first forms the cloud droplet and later initiates freezing) is a crucial process in cloud glaciation and precipitation formation in mixed-phase clouds. In recent decades, research on INPs has significantly advanced (DeMott et al., 2011; Hoose and Mohler, 2012; Kanji et al., 2017). While several Indian studies (Prabha et al., 2011, 2012, and references therein) emphasize the importance of ice nucleation in mixed-phase clouds, only nine studies have been conducted in India to investigate aerosols as INPs. The limited number of studies, which often focus on specific aerosol classes, hinders our comprehensive understanding of INPs in India and consequently, the accurate prediction of precipitation formation. Prabha et al. (2011, 2012), Srivastava et al. (2011), and Padmakumari et al. (2012) reported the presence of an elevated aerosol layer over the central Himalayan region and its foothills, but no attempts have been made to investigate the ice nucleation capacity of these aerosols, their role in precipitation formation, or their impact on the hydrological cycle. In light of these findings, this project aims to investigate the ice nucleation potential of mineral dust and biomass-burning aerosols in the central Himalayan region. Additionally, the project will focus on developing a facility for immersion freezing mode ice nucleation and characterizing the chemical composition of aerosols in the elevated aerosol layer of the central Himalayan region.