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Letter

Nature Geoscience 2, 398–401 (1 June 2009) | doi:10.1038/ngeo521

In situ detection of biological particles in cloud ice-crystals

Kerri A. Pratt , Paul J. DeMott , Jeffrey R. French , Zhien Wang , Douglas L. Westphal , Andrew J. Heymsfield , Cynthia H. Twohy , Anthony J. Prenni & Kimberly A. Prather

The impact of aerosol particles on the formation and properties of clouds is one of the largest remaining sources of uncertainty in climate change projections. Certain aerosol particles, known as ice nuclei, initiate ice-crystal formation in clouds, thereby affecting precipitation and the global hydrological cycle.