The objectives of this research are the electrochemical effects exerted on atmospheric ice particles by aerosols and gases. Of primary interest are compounds of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur common in the troposphere. Their effects can influence electrical atmospheric processes (thunderstorms). They also leave their imprint on the paleoclimatic record conserved in glaciers and polar ice caps. Laboratory measurements of solute partition between ice and water will yield data on mechanisms by which environmental species are removed from the atmosphere. Electrical measurements on laboratory-grown ice specimens will relate impurity effects to diagnostic parameters that may be used in quantifying electrical conduction and in analyzing ice-core logging curves. Of special concern is the nature of surface conduction in ice and how it is affected by specific impurities. The photochemical creation of surface carriers will be probed by illumination of the sample with near-uv or visible light while electrical measurements are in progress.//
