Volume versus surface nucleation in freezing aerosols

The present study puts an end to the ongoing controversy regarding volume versus surface nucleation in freezing aerosols: Our study on nanosized aerosol particles demonstrates that current state of the art measurements of droplet ensembles cannot distinguish between the two mechanisms. The reasons are inherent experimental uncertainties as well as approximations used to analyze the kinetics. The combination of both can lead to uncertainties in the rate constants of two orders of magnitude, with important consequences for the modeling of atmospheric processes.