Growth of homogeneously nucleated water droplets: a quantitative comparison of experiment and theory

The formation of aerosols proceeds through nucleation, growth and aging stages. The understanding of nucleation and droplet growth is essential for handling the more complex atmospheric condensation processes. To achieve this goal, measurements of the nucleation rate of various systems are performed in an expansion chamber. In this manner nucleation and growth are decoupled by applying a short nucleation pulse of about 1 ms during which the nuclei are formed. The subsequent droplet growth is quantitatively monitored by Mie-scattering. To this end, the Mie-maxima and -minima are detected as a function of time and compared to theoretical Mie-scattering calculations for increasing radii. In this fashion, a wealth of growth curves for pure water depending on supersaturations, number densities of droplets, and temperatures were obtained. Following the approach of Fuchs and Sutugin [Fuchs, N.A., Sutugin, A.G., 1970. Highly Dispersed Aerosols. Ann Arbor Science Publishers, Ann Arbor; Fuchs, N.A., Sutugin, A.G., 1971. In: Hidy, G.M., Brock, J.R. (Eds.), International Reviews in Aerosol Physics and Chemistry: Topics in Current Aerosol Research (Part 2), Pergamon, New York, p. 1], we calculated theoretical growth curves taking into account the depletion of water vapor, the increase of droplet- and system-temperature, temperature-dependent functions of the diffusion coefficient, surface tension, liquid density and latent heat of condensation. The calculated growth curves and experimental data for 230, 240 and 250 K with number densities of droplets between 5×10² and 2×10⁶ droplets/cm³ yield quantitative agreement between theory and experiment. This is remarkable in so far as the theory contains no adjustable parameters and assumes the sticking probability of the vapor molecules to be unity. Using a sticking probability smaller than 0.8 in the calculation leads to growth functions already outside the experimental error.     

Experimental study on nucleation process of stick-slip instability on homogeneous and non-homogeneous faults

The nucleation process of stick-slip instability was analyzed based on the experimental measurements of strain and fault slip on homogeneous and non-homogeneous faults. The results show that the nucleation process of stick-slip on the homogeneous fault is of weak slip-weakening behavior under constant loading point velocity. The existence of a short "weak segment" on the fault makes slip-weakening phenomenon in nucleation process more obvious, while the existence of a long "weak segment" on the fault makes the nucleation process changed. The nucleation is characterized by accelerating slip in a local region and rapid increase of shear stress along the fault in this case, which is more coincident with the rate and state friction law. During the period when fault is locked, increasing of shear stress causes lateral elastic dilation near the fault, and the rebound of the dilation at the time of instability causes an instantaneous increase of normal stress in the fault plane, which is an important factor making fault be rapidly locked and its strength recovered.     

水滴冻结实验测量降水物中的冻结核含量

文中介绍了一套新研制的均匀水滴冻结实验装置 ,实验水滴与周围环境同步冷却 ,其温度梯度很小 ,可控制降温速率 ,并能自动记录冻结事件 ,从而提高了实验的精度。用此装置对北京地区 1995年底至 1998年出现的各类降水样品进行了实验 ,由水滴冻结温度谱推算了降水的冻结核浓度 温度谱 ,并对结果进行了分析和讨论     

实验室合成石盐包裹体的均一温度以及古气候意义

石盐是表生环境下形成蒸发岩系的主要矿物,在形成过程中捕获大量的原生包裹体。通过低温冷冻测温技术,可以得到石盐中原生包裹体的一系列均一温度,如何正确理解这些数据是应用石盐原生包裹体恢复古气候的关键。石盐沉积可以发生在气水界面以及水体底部,其均一温度记录了卤水结晶的温度。Lowenstein et al. (1998) 曾经用水浴法在恒定水温下合成了人工合成石盐,进行原生包裹体的均一温度研究,然而如何用水温来恢复古气温是古环境解释的关键。本次实验通过40℃下(气温,烘箱中蒸发)人工合成石盐,在岩相学观察基础上,对形成于气水界面漏斗晶中的包裹体和在底水沉积人字晶中的包裹体的均一温度进行低温冷冻测温法测定。测温过程中石盐包裹体可以得到一系列均一温度(10.6~39.9℃),而只有最大均一温度才能反映卤水结晶时的温度,两种类型的包裹体也显示了相似的最大均一温度。因此在浅水环境下,两种包裹体都可以用来反映古气温。     

Variations in rates of nucleation and growth of biotite porphyroblasts

Differences in rates of nucleation and diffusion‐limited growth for biotite porphyroblasts in adjacent centimetre‐scale layers of a garnet‐biotite schist from the Picuris Mountains of New Mexico are revealed by variations in crystal size and abundance between two layers with strong compositional similarity. Relationships between fabrics recorded by inclusion patterns in biotite and garnet porphyroblasts are interpreted to reflect garnet growth following biotite growth, without substantial alteration of the biotite sizes. Sizes and locations of biotite crystals, obtained via high‐resolution X‐ray computed tomography, document that of the two adjacent layers, one has a larger mean crystal volume (9.5 × 10^?4v. 2.4 × 10^?4 cm³), fewer biotite crystals per unit volume (232 v. 576 crystals cm^?3), and a higher volume fraction of biotite (23%v. 14%). The two layers have similar mineral assemblages and mineral chemistry. Both layers show evidence for diffusional control of nucleation and growth. Pseudosection analysis suggests that the large‐biotite layer began to crystallize biotite at a temperature ～67 °C greater than the small‐biotite layer. Diffusion rates differed between layers, because of their different temperature ranges of crystallization, but this effect can be quantified. The bulk compositional difference between the layers, manifested in different modal amounts of biotite, has an effect on the biotite sizes that is also quantifiable and insufficient to account for the difference in biotite size. After these other possible causes of variation in crystal sizes have been eliminated, variability in nucleation and diffusion rates remain as the dominant factors responsible for the difference in porphyroblastic textures. Numerical simulations suggest that relative to the small‐biotite layer, the large‐biotite layer experienced elevated diffusion rates because of the higher crystallization temperature, as well as increased nucleation rates in order to achieve the observed size and number density of crystals. The simulations can replicate the observed textures only by invoking unreasonably large values for the thermal dependence of nucleation rates (activation energies), strongly suggesting that the observed textural differences arise from variations between layers in the abundance and energetics of potential nucleation sites.     

Fluid Inclusions in Surface‐temperature Halite: Sample Preparation and Application

Paleo-temperature and paleo-environment can be interpreted from measuring homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusions within halite. In order to conduct such measurements, vapor bubbles within low-temperature fluid inclusion often need to be created through cooling process by using cooling stage or freezer. Proper cooling is critical for interpreting measured temperature data. We tested two common cooling methods, using heating/freezing stage and freezer, for studying fluid inclusions in halite precipitated in laboratory at conrtolled temperature of 25℃. While using the heating/freezing stage, halite samples were kept at-18℃ for 40–50 min; whereas for freezer, samples were stored at-18℃ for 1, 10, 20 and 40 days, respectively. By comparing the homogenization temperatures of the two cooling processes, we explored the detailed experimental processes and developed an optimal cooling nucleation procedure for homogenization temperature analyses of fluid inclusions within surface-temperature halite. The results show that the maximum homogenization temperatures from both methods approximate the actual brine temperature of 25℃. However, extended refrigeration time has noticeable influence on the results. The refrigeration time of the experiment can be shortened to meet requirements.     

山东冰雹形成机制及雹云催化技术模拟——个例研究

利用中国科学院大气物理研究所开发的三维全弹性冰雹云模式,对2006年7月5日山东境内一次以冰雹、雷雨大风为主的强对流过程进行模拟,分析了冰雹的形成机制。结果表明:79%左右的冰雹胚胎是霰,雹胚以霰为主,霰主要来自于冰雪晶与过冷雨水碰撞冻结以及雪的自动转换过程,霰形成后主要靠碰并过冷云水、雨水增长,而冰雹主要质量来源是霰的自动转化以及碰并过冷云水增长。人工催化试验表明:在强对流云中冰雹含量达到0.1 g·m^-3前1～4 min进行催化,能有效抑制冰雹粒子的增长,在过冷水含量中心(5.5 km)上方1.0～1.5 km催化防雹效果较好,在其下方催化防雹效果较差;剂量越大防雹效果越好。AgI主要以凝华核的作用产生人工冰晶,冰晶凝华增长导致过冷云水含量降低。催化后雹胚特别是霰胚的数量增多,对过冷云水的竞争增强,其平均尺度、质量均减小,降低了雹胚向冰雹的转化率。冰雹碰并过冷云水增长也被减弱,导致冰雹总质量进一步减少。     

Cloud Seedability Study with a Dual-Model System

In this research,a novel dual-model system,one-dimensional stratiform cold cloud model(1DSC) coupled to Weather Research and Forecast(WRF) model(WRF-1DSC for short),was employed to investigate the effects of cloud seeding by silver iodide(AgI) on rain enhancement.Driven by changing environmental conditions extracted from the WRF model,WRF-1DSC could be used to assess the cloud seeding effects quantitatively.The employment of WRF-1DSC,in place of a one-dimensional two-moment cloud seeding model applied to a three-dimensional mesoscale cloud-resolving model,was found to result in massive reduction of computational resources.Numerical experiments with WRF-1DSC were conducted for a real stratiform precipitation event observed on 4-5 July 2004,in Northeast China.A good agreement between the observed and modeled cloud system ensured the ability of WRF-1DSC to simulate the observed precipitation process efficiently.Sensitivity tests were performed with different seeding times,locations,and amounts.Experimental results showed that the optimum seeding effect(defined as the percentage of rain enhancement or rain enhancement rate) could be achieved through proper seeding at locations of maximum cloud water content when the updraft was strong.The optimum seeding effect was found to increase by 5.61% when the cloud was seeded at 5.5 km above ground level around 2300 UTC 4 July 2004,with the maximum AgI mixing ratio(X s) equaling 15 ng kg 1.On the other hand,for an overseeded cloud,a significant reduction occurred in the accumulated precipitation(-12.42%) as X s reached 100 ng kg 1.This study demonstrates the potential of WRF1DSC in determining the optimal AgI seeding strategy in practical operations of precipitation enhancement.     

花岗岩变形破坏的阶段性模型--应力速度及预存微裂纹密度对断层形成过程的影响

依据对具有较高微裂纹密度的筑波花岗岩和极低微裂纹密度的花岗斑岩 2种极端的岩石标本、在等应力速率的快速加载 (约 6MPa/min)和蠕变加载 (轴向应力保持在约 95 %破坏强度 ) 2个极端的加载条件下的实验结果 ,讨论了预存微裂纹密度与加载速度对多晶质结晶岩变形破坏过程的影响。实验中利用高速多通道声发射波形数字记录系统 (每秒可记录多达 5 0 0 0个声发射事件的 32通道波形 ) ,获得了岩石标本破坏前微破裂活动的详细时空分布数据。声发射的发生率、震级 -频度关系中的b值及震源的空间分布揭示出岩石变形破坏过程中微破裂活动具有 3个典型阶段 :初期阶段、第 2阶段和成核阶段。尤其是在成核阶段 ,还观测到发生率和b值有大幅度前兆性起伏。一般而言 ,在相同加载条件下预存微破裂密度越高 ,或对同一岩石加载速度越慢 ,对应的断层成核过程就越长 ,因此最终破坏的可预报性也越高。为了进一步探讨微破裂活动的阶段性特征及其物理本质 ,还利用亚临界破裂扩展模型对声发射数据进行了理论分析     

The effect of metamorphic fluid flow on the nucleation and growth of garnets from Troms, North Norway

A spatial association is observed between the size distribution of garnet porphyroblasts and the size distribution of quartz veins in greenschist facies metapelites from Troms, North Norway. The size distribution of quartz veins reflects the flow regime of metamorphic fluids. The hypothesis that the flow regime of metamorphic fluids is also responsible for the size distribution of garnet crystals was tested by ascribing empirical acceleration parameters to the nucleation and growth rates of garnet crystals.
In regions where fluid flow was interpreted as pervasive', acceleration parameters for nucleation were high, whereas in regions where fluid flow was interpreted as channelled', acceleration parameters for growth were high. Accelerated crystal growth is further implied from the chemical zoning and crystal morphologies of garnets collected near discrete veins.
This spatial association may imply that fluid flow can be instrumental in controlling garnet crystallization. Fluid flow could affect garnet crystallization kinetics by facilitating thermal advection and/or mass transfer. In the study area, rhodochrosite (MnCO₃) veins provide evidence for mass transfer of Mn by fluid flow. An influx of Mn would expand the stability field of garnet to lower temperatures. The resulting thermal overstep could accelerate nucleation and/or growth of garnets.
The corollary of this study is that size distributions and chemical zoning of garnets, or other porphyroblast phases, can be used to study metamorphic fluid flow.