
Naruki Hiranuma (a.k.a., Seonggi Moon), Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental Science
Professional Profile
Teaching and Related Service
Research and Creative Activity
Dr. Hiranuma’s research interests exist in atmospheric aerosol-cloud-climate interactions, precipitation, and assessment of aerosol particles’ impact on public health. At WTAMU, he applies advanced aerosol particle measurement techniques to generate new knowledge regarding cloud microphysics and mitigating regional concerns of agricultural aerosol that contains fine, coarse, and biological aerosol particles on air quality and weather.
Dr. Hiranuma heads the Atmospheric and Aerosol Measurement Laboratory (A2ML) for an integrated laboratory and field studies. The research capabilities of A2ML include (1) quantifying atmospheric ice-nucleating ability of aerosol particles using online/offline ice nucleation chambers, (2) cloud deconvolution by using counterflow virtual impactors, (3) characterization of physicochemical properties of atmospheric particles and cloud residuals through a variety of single-particle microscopy techniques, and (4) developing physical parameterizations of obtained experimental results and implementing in atmospheric cloud process, weather and climate models. A unique combination of these capabilities enables to comprehensively assess what aerosol particle properties (i.e., chemical, physical, and/or biological) matter the most for cloud formation.
Recent Awards
2020 University Intellectual Contributions Award, West Texas A&M University Award
2020 NSF CAREER Award
Title and ID: CAREER: The role of ice-nucleating particles and their feedback on clouds in warming Arctic climate (1941317)
2018 DOE ECRP Award
Title and ID: Implications of aerosol physicochemical properties including ice nucleation from ARM mega sites towards understanding atmospheric cloud microphysical processes (DE-SC0018979)
Selected Publications (*WT student)
[1] *Vepuri, H. S. K., *Rodriguez, C. A., Georgakopoulos, D. G., Hume, D., Webb, J., Mayer, G. D., and Hiranuma, N.: Ice-nucleating particles in precipitation samples from the Texas Panhandle, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 4503–4520, 2021.
[2] Hiranuma, N., Auvermann, B. W., Belosi, F., Bush, J., *Cory, K. M., Georgakopoulos, D., Höhler, K., *Hou, Y., Saathoff, H., Santachiara, G., Shen, X., Steinke, I., Ullrich, R., Umo, N., *Vepuri, H. S. K., Vogel, F., and Möhler, O.: Laboratory and field studies of ice-nucleating particles from open-lot livestock facilities in Texas, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14215-14234, 2021.
[3] Möhler, O., Adams, M., Lacher, L., Vogel, F., Nadolny, J., Ullrich, R., Boffo, C., Pfeuffer, T., Hobl, A., Weiß, M., *Vepuri, H. S. K., Hiranuma, N., and Murray, B. J.: The Portable Ice Nucleation Experiment (PINE): a new online instrument for laboratory studies and automated long-term field observations of ice-nucleating particles, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 1143–1166, 2021.
[4] Steinke, I., Hiranuma, N., Funk, R., Höhler, K., Tüllmann, N., Umo, N. S., Weidler, P. G., Möhler, O., and Leisner, T.: Complex plant-derived organic aerosol as ice-nucleating particles – more than a sum of their parts?, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11387–11397, 2020.
[5] Hiranuma, N., Adachi, K., Bell, D. M., Belosi, F., Beydoun, H., Bhaduri, B., Bingemer, H., Budke, C., Clemen, H.-C., Conen, F., *Cory, K. M., Curtius, J., DeMott, P. J., Eppers, O., Grawe, S., Hartmann, S., Hoffmann, N., Höhler, K., Jantsch, E., Kiselev, A., Koop, T., Kulkarni, G., Mayer, A., Murakami, M., Murray, B. J., Nicosia, A., Petters, M. D., Piazza, M., Polen, M., Reicher, N., Rudich, Y., Saito, A., Santachiara, G., Schiebel, T., Schill, G. P., Schneider, J., Segev, L., Stopelli, E., Sullivan, R. C., Suski, K., Szakáll, M., Tajiri, T., Taylor, H., Tobo, Y., Ullrich, R., Weber, D., Wex, H., Whale, T. F., *Whiteside, C. L., Yamashita, K., Zelenyuk, A., and Möhler, O.: A comprehensive characterization of ice nucleation by three different types of cellulose particles immersed in water, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 4823–4849, 2019.
[6] Hiranuma, N., Möhler, O., Kulkarni, G., Schnaiter, M., Vogt, S., Vochezer, P., Järvinen, E., Wagner, R., Bell, D. M., Wilson, J., Zelenyuk, A., and Cziczo, D. J.: Development and characterization of an ice-selecting pumped counterflow virtual impactor (IS-PCVI) to study ice crystal residuals, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 3817–3836, 2016.
[7] Hiranuma, N., Augustin-Bauditz, S., Bingemer, H., Budke, C., Curtius, J., Danielczok, A., Diehl, K., Dreischmeier, K., Ebert, M., Frank, F., Hoffmann, N., Kandler, K., Kiselev, A., Koop, T., Leisner, T., Möhler, O., Nillius, B., Peckhaus, A., Rose, D., Weinbruch, S., Wex, H., Boose, Y., DeMott, P. J., Hader, J. D., Hill, T. C. J., Kanji, Z. A., Kulkarni, G., Levin, E. J. T., McCluskey, C. S., Murakami, M., Murray, B. J., Niedermeier, D., Petters, M. D., O'Sullivan, D., Saito, A., Schill, G. P., Tajiri, T., Tolbert, M. A., Welti, A., Whale, T. F., Wright, T. P., and Yamashita, K.: A comprehensive laboratory study on the immersion freezing behavior of illite NX particles: a comparison of seventeen ice nucleation measurement techniques, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 2489–2518, 2015a.
[8] Hiranuma, N., Möhler, O., Yamashita, K., Tajiri, T., Saito, A., Hoffmann, N., Hoose, C., Jantsch, E., Koop, T., and Murakami. M.: Ice nucleation by cellulose and its potential contribution to ice formation in clouds, Nature Geoscience, 8, 273–277, 2015b.