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Implications of Precipitation Particle Properties for Improved Understanding of Ice-Nucleating Particles in West Texas
  • Cheyanne Amadita Rodriguez,
  • Hemanth Sandeep Vepuri,
  • Naruki Hiranuma
Cheyanne Amadita Rodriguez
Dept. of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX 79016, USA
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Hemanth Sandeep Vepuri
Dept. of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX 79016, USA;
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Naruki Hiranuma
Dept. of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX 79016, USA

Corresponding Author:nhiranuma@wtamu.edu

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Abstract

This study was conducted to assess precipitation particle properties, including ice-nucleating particle (INP) concentration (L^-1 Air), in West Texas, where the semi-arid climate prevails and typically <40 inches of rainfall coincides per year. Further, the West Texas region is dominated by deep convective clouds, where INPs play a crucial role in hailstorm and thunderstorm processes (e.g., Li et al., 2017; Rosenfeld et al., 2008). In this study, we looked into major precipitation events observed throughout the year in 2018 and 2019 in the Texas Panhandle area. More specifically, to characterize immersion freezing efficiency (T > -25 degree C) of our precipitation samples, we used a cold-stage instrument called West Texas Cryogenic Refrigerator Applied to freezing Test (WT-CRAFT) system (Hiranuma et al., 2019). Additionally, a disdrometer is used to look into the relationship between INP concentration, intensity and size of precipitation particles. An indigenously developed Internet of Things (IoT) air quality sensors were also used to compare ambient air quality (i.e., particulate matter concentrations) and meteorological conditions to the measured INP concentrations. Overall, the study’s preliminary results show a reasonable correlation between INP concentration and precipitation properties (i.e., intensity). We also find a high ice nucleation efficiency at higher temperatures (i.e., T > -15 degree C), which can be attributed to the biological INPs from local agricultural sources. The results also suggest that INPs play an important role in the precipitation particle size. These findings may be important in artificially varying the severity of the precipitation by varying the INP concentration in the West Texas region.