Heterogeneous ice nucleation on biological particles: Bacteria and pollen

Abstract

In the atmosphere the importance of biological ice nuclei is still not well understood. Therefore we investigated the ice nucleation behavior of Snomax™, used as a model for bacterial ice nucleation, and birch pollen washing water, used as a model for pollen induced ice nucleation. Thereby we quantified the ice nucleation behavior of the INA protein complexes controlling the ice nucleation ability of Pseudomonas syringae, and that of sugar-like macromolecules controlling the ice nucleation ability of birch pollen. The given parameterizations can be used to describe the ice nucleation behavior of the respective ice active bacteria and pollen in atmospheric models. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.