Interactive comment on “Not all feldspar is equal: a survey of ice nucleating properties across the feldspar group of minerals” by A. D. Harrison et al

The present study provides an overview of the ice nucleation activity of different feldspars varying in their chemical composition and crystal structure. In total 15 different feldspars including plagioclase and alkali feldspars were analyzed for one weight percentage using a special freezing array method called μl-NIPI (microliter Nucleation by Immersed Particle Instrument). Additionally, the samples were characterized with respect to their BET surface area and mineralogical structure at least for the dominating feldspar phase. It was found that K-feldspars generally nucleate ice more efficiently than other types of feldspar except for the two most efficient so-called “hyper-active” alkali feldspars (one of microcline and albite). One of the main statements of the study is that the observed ice nucleation efficiency of different feldspars varies. This effect was less pronounced in the case of K-feldspars. I consider this as the key information of this study. The influence of particle aging in water on the ice nucleation ability of