For over 30 years we have studied the role that aerosol particles play in both liquid water (i.e. acting as cloud condensation nuclei, or CCN) and ice cloud formation (i.e. acting as ice nuclei, IN). Past projects in the recent past involved field measurements of both the CCN and IN concentrations in a coastal setting on the west coast of Vancouver Island, the role of the organic microlayer materials present on the surface of the ocean as CCN and IN, and the role of pollen particles as IN. Our current research in this area is the evaluation of aerosol particles as potential ice nucleating particles in the context of solar radiation management, in particular cirrus cloud thinning and stratospheric aerosol injection. These measurements have been made with both home-built and commercial diffusion cloud chambers.
