Export of ice nucleating particles from a watershed

Ice nucleating particles (INP) active at a few degrees below 0°C are produced by a range of organisms and released into the environment. They may affect cloud properties and precipitation when becoming airborne. So far, our knowledge about sources of biological INP is based on grab samples of vegetation, soil or water studied in the laboratory. By combining measurements of INP concentrations in river water with river water discharge rates over the course of 16 months, we obtained a lower limit for the production rate of INP in a watershed covering most of Switzerland (4 × 10(5) INP(−8) m(−2) d(−1)). Coincidentally, we found that INP(−8) are likely to retain their potential for catalysing ice formation in the natural environment for at least several months before they are mobilized by an intensive rainfall, washed into the river and exported from the watershed.