Abstract
Using a microphysical approach to nucleation, we present an extensive study of water nucleation rates for wide ranges of both temperature and supersaturation ratio. Based on the fundamental molecular properties of clusters instead of bulk properties, the microphysical approach is demonstrated to predict good agreement with measured nucleation rates over this broad range of conditions. Predicted critical sizes for nucleation are found to be relatively small, and are in the molecular cluster size regime rather than in a size regime that should be characterized by bulk values. Estimated sticking coefficient values cover the range of ~0.9 to ~0.2 for the temperature range considered, whereas sticking coefficient values corresponding to Becker-Doring theory suffer an unreasonably large three-orders of magnitude decrease for temperature increase from 220K to 285K.
Recommended Citation
S. S. Salk et al., "Temperature and Supersaturation Dependent Nucleation Rates of Water by Molecular Cluster Model Calculations," Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, vol. 45, no. 20, pp. 2979 - 2986, American Meteorological Society, Oct 1988.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1988)045<2979:TASDNR>2.0.CO;2
Department(s)
Physics
Keywords and Phrases
Molecular Cluster; Nucleation Rate; Sticking Coefficient; Supersaturation; Temperature; Water
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0022-4928
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 1988 American Meteorological Society, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Oct 1988
