An international team of researchers has discovered a previously unknown process that forms cloud-seeding particles at the boundary between melting Arctic sea ice and the open ocean, reports infohub.kz.
The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, was conducted by scientists from the University of Birmingham, along with colleagues from China and Spain. The researchers found that at the edge of melting ice, sunlight triggers reactions with iodine, sulfur, and organic compounds released by the ocean and algae. As a result, the number of particles capable of forming clouds increases by a factor of 50 within a day. This phenomenon was observed on more than 80% of sunny days.
The team also identified a new class of atmospheric compounds—iodine-containing oxygenated organic molecules (I-OOMs)—which help the newly formed particles grow to sizes needed for cloud formation. As the area of melting ice expands, this natural process increasingly affects the reflection of sunlight and climate change in the region.
The scientists plan to incorporate these newly discovered mechanisms into existing climate models to improve predictions of global warming.