A method to sample and separate ice crystals and supercooled cloud droplets in mixed phased clouds for subsequent chemical analysis

A method was developed enabling the simultaneous sampling and separation of ice crystals and supercooled cloud droplets by means of an inertial impaction system. The principle of separation is based on the lower sticking coefficient of ice crystals compared to supercooled cloud droplets. Supercooled cloud droplets freeze upon contact with the corresponding stage of the impactor whereas ice crystals bounce off because they do not stick to the impaction surface. In order to examine the separation principle laboratory studies were performed. Furthermore, the applicability of the newly developed method was tested in field experiments and has proven to be a useful tool to investigate scavenging processes of ice crystals.