Atmospheric Science

The Group of Atmospheric Science of the IFEG studies the physical processes occurring in the low and high atmosphere. The physical studies are carried out in two main areas:

Cloud physics and Ice physics

The cloud physics studies are:

  1. Microphysical cloud processes: experimental and theoretical studies of nucleation of ice phase, formation, growth and evolution of ice crystals, hail formation and accretion processes.
  2. Cloud electrification: efficiency of the electric charge transfer mechanism by collisions between a graupel and ice crystals growing by vapor phase in conditions similar to those present in ordinary storms and severe storms, in-situ measurements of surface electric field and precipitation particles charge, variations of the electric field during the formation and development of storms.
  3. Lightning data: analysis of lightning data, obtained with different lightning detection systems, in order to make climatology studies over diverse regions and to use them as possible indicators of severe meteorological events.

The ice physics studies are:

  1. Grain edge (BG) mobilities on ice. Effect of low concentrations of soluble impurities (ClK, ClNa) together with the effect of pressure and temperature on the movement of BG in bicrystalline samples.
  2. Effect of soluble impurities (ClK, ClNa) on the surface energy of grain boundaries and free surfaces on ice.
  3. Effect of the inclination of the edge of grain in the superficial energy of same and of free surfaces in ice.
  4. 3D grain growth. The approach is computational, the used program allows to add all the natural effects that exist in the polar ice that regulate the size of its grains. The effects of impurities, anisotropic energy and uniaxial or cutting pressure will eventually be included in order to take into account observable effects in polar ice. In the future, the computational data will be subjected to a comparison with data obtained from the drilling of WAIS (Antarctica). In this way, with this project we wish to continue collaborating in the interpretation of the phenomena that occur in the Antarctic ice corresponding to these perforations.