Formation of Ice Crystals
The most common way to form an ice crystal, starts with an ice nucleus in the cloud. Ice crystals can form from heterogeneous deposition, contact, immersion, or freezing after condensation. In heterogeneous deposition, an ice nucleus is simply coated with water. For contact, ice nuclei will collide with water droplets that freeze upon impact. During immersion, an ice nucleus will hit a water droplet and instantly freeze it. Water can also condense onto ice nuclei and then freeze.
Water will freeze at different temperatures depending upon the type of ice nuclei present. Ice nuclei cause water to freeze at higher temperatures than it would spontaneously. For pure water to freeze spontaneously, called homogenous nucleation, cloud temperatures would have to be -42 degrees Celsius. Here are some examples of ice nuclei:
| Ice Nuclei | Temperature to Freeze (degrees C) |
|---|---|
| Bacteria | -2.6 |
| Kaolinite | -4 |
| Silver Iodide | -7 |
| Vaterite | -9 |
Read more about this topic: Bergeron Process
Famous quotes containing the words formation of, formation, ice and/or crystals:
“Out of my discomforts, which were small enough, grew one thing for which I have all my life been grateful—the formation of fixed habits of work.”
—Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1844–1911)
“That for which Paul lived and died so gloriously; that for which Jesus gave himself to be crucified; the end that animated the thousand martyrs and heroes who have followed his steps, was to redeem us from a formal religion, and teach us to seek our well-being in the formation of the soul.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“In entertainment value, the Democratic clambake usually lays it over the Republican conclave like ice cream over parsnips.”
—Walter Wellesley (Red)
“It is clear that everybody interested in science must be interested in world 3 objects. A physical scientist, to start with, may be interested mainly in world 1 objects—say crystals and X-rays. But very soon he must realize how much depends on our interpretation of the facts, that is, on our theories, and so on world 3 objects. Similarly, a historian of science, or a philosopher interested in science must be largely a student of world 3 objects.”
—Karl Popper (1902–1994)