On the Stickiness of CO2 and H2O Ice Particles

Abstract

Abstract Laboratory experiments revealed that CO2 ice particles stick less efficiently than H2O ice particles, and there is an order of magnitude difference in the threshold velocity for sticking. However, the surface energies and elastic moduli of CO2 and H2O ices are comparable, and the reason why CO2 ice particles were poorly sticky compared to H2O ice particles was unclear. Here we investigate the effects of viscoelastic dissipation on the threshold velocity for sticking of ice particles using the viscoelastic contact model derived by Krijt et al. We find that the threshold velocity for the sticking of CO2 ice particles reported in experimental studies is comparable to that predicted for perfectly elastic spheres. In contrast, the threshold velocity for the sticking of H2O ice particles is an order of magnitude higher than that predicted for perfectly elastic spheres. Therefore, we conclude that the large difference in stickiness between CO2 and H2O ice particles would mainly originate from the difference in the strength of viscoelastic dissipation, which is controlled by the viscoelastic relaxation time.