Captured cirrus ice particles in high definition

Abstract. Cirrus clouds composed of small ice crystals are often the first solid matter encountered by sunlight as it streams into Earth's atmosphere. A broad array recent research has emphasized that photon particle scattering calculations very sensitive to morphology, complexity, and surface roughness. Uncertain variations in these parameters have major implications for successfully parameterizing radiative ramifications cirrus climate models. To date, characterization microscale details morphology been limited particles' inaccessibility technical difficulty capturing imagery with sufficient resolution. Results from a new experimental system achieve much higher-resolution images particles than existing airborne-particle imaging systems. The novel (Ice Cryo-Encapsulation Balloon, ICE-Ball) employs balloon-borne payload environmental sensors hermetically sealed cryo-encapsulation cells. captures clouds, seals them, returns them via parachute vapor-locked transfer onto cryo-scanning electron microscopy stage (cryo-SEM). From 2015–2019, ICE-Ball yielded high-resolution on nine cirrus-penetrating flights. On several flights, including one highlighted here detail, thousands were retrieved imaged, revealing unanticipated morphologies, extensive habit heterogeneity, multiple scales mesoscopic roughening, wide embedded aerosol particles, even greater complexity expected.