Ice Nucleating Macromolecules

Biological ice nucleating particles (INPs) catalyze the freezing of water droplets particularly efficiently at temperatures just below 0 °C, alter the properties of mixed-phase clouds, and thus contribute to precipitation formation [1]. Ice-nucleating macromolecules (INMs) such as specific and not well understood proteins or polysaccharides [2, 3] play a key role in this process. 

We aim at gaining fundamental process understanding of biological ice nucleation and at quantifying the contribution of INMs in different ecosystems enabling a coupled description between biosphere and atmosphere in a transforming Earth system. Our team applies classical nucleation theory to parameterize the ice nucleation of bioaerosols for use in cloud-resolving models.