
Luis A. LadinoNational Autonomous University of Mexico | UNAM · Centre of Atmospheric Sciences
Luis A. Ladino
PhD in Atmospheric Sciences (ETH Zurich)
About
73
Publications
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
February 2016 - March 2020
October 2014 - May 2016
January 2011 - June 2011
Education
February 2008 - February 2011
December 2005 - January 2008
January 2000 - April 2005
Publications
Publications (73)
African dust (AD) plays a key role in atmospheric and biogeochemical processes across various ecosystems, yet its impact in Mexico, particularly in the Yucatán Peninsula (YP), remains understudied. This study chemically characterized AD transported to the YP during the massive "Godzilla" event in June 2020 and subsequent intrusions in 2021. The obj...
Although several studies have shown that sea spray aerosol (SSA) has the potential to act as ice nucleating particles (INP) impacting cloud formation, there is a lack of marine INP studies in tropical latitudes. This is partly due to the unavailability of local oceanographic cruises that perform aerosol-cloud interaction studies in the tropics, as...
Given that rain is the component of precipitation that reaches the surface of the earth, and aiming to contribute to the global efforts of rainwater monitoring, we present information regarding the origin of ions and their relationship with isotopic patterns and the source of moisture for rainwater in the Mexican Caribbean, which not only may be us...
Ice crystal formation in mixed-phase clouds is initiated by specific aerosol particles, termed ice-nucleating particles (INPs). Only a tiny fraction of all aerosol particles are INPs, providing a challenge for contemporary INP measurement techniques. Models have shown that the presence of INPs in clouds can impact their radiative properties and ind...
Air pollution in opencast coal mine areas is a critical issue, resulting in harmful severe effects on human health. Therefore, it is essential to understand the air pollution factors and to assess the risks to humans. This study evaluated the potential risks (carcinogen and non-carcinogen) of inhalation exposure to PM10-bound heavy metals and Polyc...
Airborne biological particles have a great potential to affect the hydrological cycle as they have been reported as the most efficient ice nucleating particles (INPs). However, their spatiospatial-temporal variability and their ice nucleation abilities are highly uncertain. The present study reports the ice-nucleating abilities, via immersion freez...
Only a tiny fraction of all aerosol particles nucleate ice (ice nucleating particles; INPs) and their concentration over the relevant temperature range for mixed-phase clouds covers up to ten orders of magnitude, providing a challenge for contemporary INP measurement techniques. INP concentrations can be detected online with high-time resolutions o...
Marine aerosol particles from biogenic origin are able to act as ice nucleating particles (INPs) and can play an important role in mixed-phase cloud formation. Although several field campaigns have been performed in the Atlantic, Artic, and Southern oceans to evaluate the ice nucleating abilities of marine aerosol particles, this is not the case fo...
Risks associated with dust hazards are often underappreciated, a gap between the knowledge pool and public awareness that can be costly for impacted communities. This study reviews the emission sources and chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of airborne soil particles (dust) and their effects on human and environmental health and saf...
Risks associated with dust hazards are often underappreciated, a gap between the knowledge pool and public awareness that can be costly for impacted communities. This study reviews the emission sources and chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of airborne soil particles (dust) and their effects on human and environmental health and saf...
Biomass burning (BB) is a common activity in developing countries and has been identified as a serious air pollution threat. The present work evaluates the air quality of the largest town in the extensive Colombian savannas (250,000 km2) for the first time, from measurements over three consecutive years (2017-2020). Although the air quality in Vill...
Agricultural soil erosion, both mechanical and eolic, may impact cloud processes, as some aerosol particles are able to facilitate ice crystal formation. Given the large agricultural sector in Mexico, this study investigates the ice nucleating abilities of agricultural dust collected at different sites and generated in the laboratory. The immersion...
Actinobacteria isolated from less studied sites on our planet represent a huge opportunity for the discovery of novel microorganisms that may produce unique compounds with biological activity. The class actinobacteria encompasses 80% of the microbes that produce the antibacterial compounds used in medicine today. However, the resistance acquired/sh...
The continuous and sustained population shift from rural to urban areas is driving most of the fast-growing megacities on a global scale. Considerable pollution, gases and particulate matter, is emitted yearly into the atmosphere of megacities, with unclear impacts on the local and regional hydrological cycle. The present work evaluated the inter-a...
Ice nucleating particles (INPs) in the atmosphere are necessary to generate ice crystals in mixed-phase clouds, a crucial component for precipitation development. The sources and composition of INPs are varied: from mineral dust derived from continental erosion to bioaerosols resulting from bubble bursting at the ocean surface. The performance of a...
Agricultural soil erosion, both mechanical and eolic, may impact cloud processes as some aerosol particles are able to facilitate ice crystals formation. Given the large agricultural sector in Mexico, this study investigates the ice nucleating abilities of agricultural dust collected at different sites and generated in the laboratory. The immersion...
More than 7 thousand wildfires were recorded over Mexico in 2019, affecting almost 640 thousand hectares. Most of these fires occurred during the spring season generating dense smoke plumes, impacting urban areas in the central part of the Mexican plateau. From May 10 to 17, 2019, biomass burning (BB) plumes affected Mexico City (MC) and diffused a...
More than 7 thousand wildfires were recorded over Mexico in 2019, affecting almost 640 thousand hectares. Most of these fires occurred during the warm-dry season generating dense smoke plumes, impacting urban areas in the central part of the Mexican plateau. From May 10 to 17, 2019, biomass burning (BB) plumes affected Mexico City (MC) and diffused...
Biomass burning (BB) emissions and African dust (AD) are often associated with poor regional air quality, particularly in the tropics. The Yucatan Peninsula is a fairly pristine site due to predominant trade winds, but occasionally BB and AD plumes severely degrade its air quality. The African Dust And Biomass Burning Over Yucatan (ADABBOY) project...
Biomass burning from grassland, forests, and agricultural waste results in large amounts of gases and particles emitted to the atmosphere, which affect air quality, population health, crop development, and natural vegetation. Regional atmospheric circulations can transport those plumes of pollutants over hundreds of kilometers, affecting vulnerable...
Most precipitation from deep clouds over the continents and in the intertropical convergence zone is strongly influenced by the presence of ice crystals whose formation requires the presence of ice nucleating particles (INPs). Although there are a large number of INP sources, the ice nucleating abilities of aerosol particles originating from oceans...
On a global scale, African dust is known to be one of the major sources of mineral dust particles, as these particles can be efficiently transported to different parts of the planet. Several studies have suggested that the Yucatán Peninsula could be influenced by such particles, especially in July, associated with the strengthening of the Caribbean...
This study focuses on the air quality evaluation of Merida, a medium-size city located in the Yucatan Peninsula with a significant population growth in recent years. Particle-bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (pPAHs) were quantified with a real time sensor during a six-month period during the dry season (October 2017 to March 2018). The pPAHs...
Ice nucleating particles (INPs) induce ice crystal formation and therefore, they are able to influence precipitation development. INP sources remain highly uncertain, with most of the observational studies performed in mid- and high-latitudes, bypassing the Tropics. In the present study, rainwater, cloud water, and aerosol samples were collected du...
Most precipitation from deep clouds over the continents and in the intertropical convergence zone is strongly influenced by the presence of ice crystals, whose formation requires the presence of ice nucleating particles (INP). Although there are a large number of INP sources, the ice nucleating abilities of aerosol particles emitted from oceans, de...
Aerosol particles have been shown to trigger cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in populations living in polluted regions, depending on their size and composition. Although fine aerosol particles have been found to reach the lungs and the blood stream, their acute effects are related to the fraction of ultrafine aerosol particles (i.e., UFPs,...
On a global scale, African dust is known as one of the major sources of mineral dust particles as they can be efficiently transported to different parts of the planet. Several studies have suggested that the Yucatan Peninsula could be influenced by such particles, especially in July, associated with the strengthening of the Caribbean low level jet....
This study attempts a new identification of mechanisms of secondary ice production (SIP) based on the observation of small faceted ice crystals (hexagonal plates or columns) with typical sizes smaller than 100 µm. Due to their young age, such small ice crystals can be used as tracers for identifying the conditions for SIP. Observations reported her...
Even though the mining industry is a prosperous activity that offers economic benefits and important job opportunities in the states where it is developed, it generates negative and cumulative environmental impacts. The waste generated, i.e. mining tails, is the biggest concern due to the risk of wind dispersion and the release of chemical species...
The concentration of biological particles in the atmosphere is widely variable because it depends on several meteorological and geographical factors. Meteorological conditions in tropical coastal cities are unique due to both marine and terrestrial influences that can strongly modify the concentration and diversity of airborne microorganisms. Never...
. This study attempts a new identification of mechanisms of secondary ice production (SIP) based on the observation of small faceted ice crystals (hexagonal plates or columns) with typical sizes smaller than 100 um. Due to their young age, such small ice crystals can be used as tracers for identifying the conditions for SIP. Observations reported h...
Atmospheric aerosol particles that can nucleate ice are referred to as ice-nucleating particles (INPs). Recent studies have confirmed that aerosol particles emitted by the oceans can act as INPs. This very relevant information can be included in climate and weather models to predict the formation of ice in clouds, given that most of them do not con...
Motivated by the need to predict how the Arctic atmosphere will change in a warming world, this article summarizes recent advances made by the research consortium NETCARE (Network on Climate and Aerosols: Addressing Key Uncertainties in Remote Canadian Environments) that contribute to our fundamental understanding of Arctic aerosol particles as the...
Despite the importance of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) for climate and precipitation, our understanding of these particles is far from complete. Here, we investigated INPs at three coastal marine sites in Canada, two at mid-latitude (Amphitrite Point and Labrador Sea) and one in the Arctic (Lancaster Sound). For Amphitrite Point, 23 sets of samp...
Motivated by the need to predict how the Arctic atmosphere will change in a warming world, this article summarizes recent advances made by the research consortium NETCARE (Network on Climate and Aerosols: Addressing Key Uncertainties in Remote Canadian Environments) that contribute to our fundamental understanding of Arctic aerosol particles as the...
Mexico City is a densely populated megacity with average PM10 and PM2.5 levels frequently above those indicated as health-threatening for humans by the World Health Organization. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) can be emitted by anthropogenic sources as the result of the incomplete combustion of organic matter and fossil fuels and they repre...
Despite the importance of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) for climate and precipitation, our understanding of these particles is far from complete. Here, we investigated INPs at three coastal marine sites in Canada, two at mid-latitude (Amphitrite Point and Labrador Sea), and one in the Arctic (Lancaster Sound). At all three sites, the ice-nucleati...
Ship-based aerosol measurements in the summertime Arctic indicate elevated concentrations of ultrafine particles with occasional growth to CCN sizes. Focusing on one episode with two continuously growing modes, growth occurs faster for a large, pre-existing mode (dp ≈ 90 nm) than for a smaller nucleation mode (dp ≈ 20 nm). We use microphysical mode...
The sea-surface microlayer and bulk seawater can contain ice-nucleating particles (INPs) and these INPs can be emitted into the atmosphere. Our current understanding of the properties, concentrations, and spatial and temporal distributions of INPs in the microlayer and bulk seawater is limited. In this study we investigate the concentrations and pr...
The sea-surface microlayer and bulk seawater can contain ice-nucleating particles (INPs) and these INPs can be emitted into the atmosphere. Our current understanding of the properties, concentrations, spatial and temporal distributions of INPs in the microlayer and bulk seawater is limited. In this study we investigate the concentrations and proper...
It has been known that aerosol particles act as nuclei for ice formation for over a century and a half (see Dufour). Initial attempts to understand the nature of these ice nucleating particles were optical and electron microscope inspection of inclusions at the center of a crystal (see Isono; Kumai). Only within the last few decades has instrumenta...
Ice particle formation in tropospheric clouds significantly changes cloud radiative and microphysical properties. Ice nucleation in the troposphere via homogeneous freezing occurs at temperatures lower than -38 °C and relative humidity with respect to ice above 140%. In the absence of these conditions, ice formation can proceed via heterogeneous nu...
Ice particle formation in tropospheric clouds significantly changes cloud radiative and microphysical properties. Ice nucleation in the troposphere via homogeneous freezing occurs at temperatures lower than -38 °C and relative humidity with respect to ice above 140%. In the absence of these conditions, ice formation can proceed via heterogeneous nu...
Over the decades, the cloud physics community has debated the nature and role of aerosol particles in ice initiation. The present study shows that the measured concentration of ice crystals in tropical mesoscale convective systems exceeds the concentration of ice nucleating particles (INPs) by several orders of magnitude. The concentration of INPs...
It has been know that aerosol particles act as nuclei for ice formation for over a century and a half (Dufour, 1861). Initial attempts to understand the nature of these ice nucleating particles were optical and electron microscope inspection of inclusions at the center of a crystal (Isono, 1955; Kumai, 1961). Only within the last few decades has in...
The SPectrometer for Ice Nuclei (SPIN) is a commercially available ice nucleating particle (INP) counter manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies in Boulder, CO. The SPIN is a continuous flow diffusion chamber with parallel plate geometry based on the Zurich Ice Nucleation Chamber and the Portable Ice Nucleation Chamber. This study presents...
This study addresses, through two types of experiments, the potential for the oceans to act as a source of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles (INPs). The INP concentration via deposition mode nucleation was measured in situ at a coastal site in British Columbia in August 2013. The INP concentration at conditions relevant to cirrus clouds (i.e., -...
The SPectrometer for Ice Nuclei (SPIN) is a commercially available ice nuclei counter manufactured by Droplet Measurement Technologies in Boulder, CO. The SPIN is a continuous flow diffusion chamber with parallel plate geometry based on the Zurich Ice Nucleation Chamber and the Portable Ice Nucleation Chamber. This study characterizes and describes...
Information on what aerosol particle types are the major sources of ice
nucleating particles (INPs) in the atmosphere is needed for climate
predictions. To determine which aerosol particles are the major sources of
immersion-mode INPs at a coastal site in Western Canada, we investigated
correlations between INP number concentrations and both concen...
The amount of ice present in clouds can affect cloud lifetime, precipitation and radiative properties. The formation of ice in clouds is facilitated by the presence of airborne ice-nucleating particles. Sea spray is one of the major global sources of atmospheric particles, but it is unclear to what extent these particles are capable of nucleating i...
Information on what aerosol particle types are the major sources of ice nucleating particles (INPs) in the atmosphere is needed for climate predictions. To determine which aerosol particles are the major sources of immersion-mode INPs at a coastal site in Western Canada, we investigated correlations between INP number concentrations and both concen...
Information on what aerosol particle types are the major sources of
ice nucleating particles (INPs) in the atmosphere is needed for
climate predictions. To determine which aerosol particles are the
major sources of immersion-mode INPs at a coastal site in Western
Canada, we investigated correlations between INP number concentrations
and both concen...
As one aspect of the NETwork on
Climate and Aerosols: addressing key
uncertainties in Remote Canadian
Environments (NETCARE), measurements of the cloud condensation
nucleation properties of 50 and 100 nm aerosol particles were conducted
at Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island in August 2013. The
overall hygroscopicity parameter of the aer...
The ice nucleation abilities of fresh, water soluble, internally mixed, and photo-chemically oxidized α-pinene secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles were investigated at cirrus cloud temperatures in a continuous flow diffusion chamber. SOA sampled from a flow tube (SOA-fresh-FT) mimicked freshly generated particles while the water soluble organ...
As one aspect of the NETwork on
Climate and Aerosols: Addressing Key
Uncertainties in Remote Canadian Environments
(NETCARE), measurements of the cloud condensation nucleation
properties of 50 and 100 nm aerosol particles
were conducted at Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island in
August 2013. Additionally, the size-resolved chemical specia...
In this paper, we summarize the four main ice nucleating aerosol types: mineral dusts, bioaerosols, soot, and glassy organics, with the aim of demonstrating the limitations in scientific literature regarding their ice nucleation properties. Because the tropics are largely associated with marine environments, such as the Atlantic, Pacific, and India...
Mineral dusts are well known to be efficient ice nuclei, where the source of
this efficiency has typically been attributed to the presence of clay
minerals such as illite and kaolinite. However, the ice nucleating abilities
of the more minor mineralogical components have not been as extensively
examined. As a result, the deposition ice nucleation a...