Oxidative Processing Lowers the Ice Nucleation Activity of Birch and Alder Pollen

Abstract Pollen carry water extractable compounds with ice nucleating (IN) activity. This study investigates whether the hydroxyl radical, as the major atmospheric oxidant, can affect the IN activity of silver birch and grey alder subpollen particles under in‐cloud conditions for deposition freezing...

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Main Authors: Ellen Gute, Jonathan P. D. Abbatt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-02-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076357
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author Ellen Gute
Jonathan P. D. Abbatt
author_facet Ellen Gute
Jonathan P. D. Abbatt
author_sort Ellen Gute
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Pollen carry water extractable compounds with ice nucleating (IN) activity. This study investigates whether the hydroxyl radical, as the major atmospheric oxidant, can affect the IN activity of silver birch and grey alder subpollen particles under in‐cloud conditions for deposition freezing mode conditions at 234 K. It is found that oxidation increases the supersaturation ratio with respect to ice necessary for the onset of ice nucleation and decreases the fraction of particles which initiate ice nucleation. This reduction of IN activity under equivalent oxidation conditions does not occur with a mineral dust sample (Arizona Test Dust). Chemical analysis of fresh and oxidized pollen material indicates a change of molecular structure with a loss of conjugation and an increase in oxidized functional groups, such as carbonyls. This is the first demonstration that in‐cloud oxidation may lower the IN abilities of biological particles such as pollen.
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-bae5bbc092cb44f08cee91ebe404bf8f2025-08-20T03:49:46ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072018-02-014531647165310.1002/2017GL076357Oxidative Processing Lowers the Ice Nucleation Activity of Birch and Alder PollenEllen Gute0Jonathan P. D. Abbatt1Department of Chemistry University of Toronto Toronto Ontario CanadaDepartment of Chemistry University of Toronto Toronto Ontario CanadaAbstract Pollen carry water extractable compounds with ice nucleating (IN) activity. This study investigates whether the hydroxyl radical, as the major atmospheric oxidant, can affect the IN activity of silver birch and grey alder subpollen particles under in‐cloud conditions for deposition freezing mode conditions at 234 K. It is found that oxidation increases the supersaturation ratio with respect to ice necessary for the onset of ice nucleation and decreases the fraction of particles which initiate ice nucleation. This reduction of IN activity under equivalent oxidation conditions does not occur with a mineral dust sample (Arizona Test Dust). Chemical analysis of fresh and oxidized pollen material indicates a change of molecular structure with a loss of conjugation and an increase in oxidized functional groups, such as carbonyls. This is the first demonstration that in‐cloud oxidation may lower the IN abilities of biological particles such as pollen.https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076357ice nucleating particlepollenice cloudsoxidationin‐cloudhydroxyl radical
spellingShingle Ellen Gute
Jonathan P. D. Abbatt
Oxidative Processing Lowers the Ice Nucleation Activity of Birch and Alder Pollen
Geophysical Research Letters
ice nucleating particle
pollen
ice clouds
oxidation
in‐cloud
hydroxyl radical
title Oxidative Processing Lowers the Ice Nucleation Activity of Birch and Alder Pollen
title_full Oxidative Processing Lowers the Ice Nucleation Activity of Birch and Alder Pollen
title_fullStr Oxidative Processing Lowers the Ice Nucleation Activity of Birch and Alder Pollen
title_full_unstemmed Oxidative Processing Lowers the Ice Nucleation Activity of Birch and Alder Pollen
title_short Oxidative Processing Lowers the Ice Nucleation Activity of Birch and Alder Pollen
title_sort oxidative processing lowers the ice nucleation activity of birch and alder pollen
topic ice nucleating particle
pollen
ice clouds
oxidation
in‐cloud
hydroxyl radical
url https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076357
work_keys_str_mv AT ellengute oxidativeprocessinglowerstheicenucleationactivityofbirchandalderpollen
AT jonathanpdabbatt oxidativeprocessinglowerstheicenucleationactivityofbirchandalderpollen