A large fraction of atmospheric aerosols acts as CCN (cloud condensation nuclei), but only a very minor and strongly temperature dependent fraction called INPs (ice nucleating particles) contributes to the primary ice formation in both mixed-phase and cirrus clouds. These direct impacts of aerosol particles on cloud formation are followed by a variety of secondary processes like coalescence, riming, or ice multiplication, which play major roles in the life cycles and climatic impact of clouds as well as the formation, distribution and intensity of precipitation. Ongoing effort in laboratory, field and modelling work aims at better understanding, quantifying and modelling basic cloud condensation, ice nucleation and precipitation formation processes at scales from the microscopic to the global level. This session welcomes contributions from laboratory, field, and modeling work on basic CCN and ice nucleation processes, the development and model application of cloud microphysical parameterizations, ground based and aircraft based CCN, INP and cloud microphysics measurements, as well as new instrument and method developments for measuring CCN, INPs and cloud microphysical processes.
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