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Aircraft Observations of Cumulus Microphysics Ranging from the Tropics to Midlatitudes: Implications for a 'New' Secondary Ice Process
- Source :
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences. 74:2899-2920
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- American Meteorological Society, 2017.
-
Abstract
- In situ data collected by three research aircraft in four geographical locations are analyzed to determine the relationship between cloud-base temperature, drop size distribution, and the development of supercooled water drops and ice in strong updraft cores of convective clouds. Data were collected in towering cumulus and feeder cells in the Caribbean, over the Gulf of Mexico, over land near the Gulf Coast, over land in the southeastern United States, and the high plains in Colorado and Wyoming. Convective clouds in the Caribbean, over the Gulf of Mexico and its coast, and over the southeastern United States all develop millimeter-diameter supercooled drops in updraft cores. Clouds over the high plains do not generate supercooled large drops, and rarely are drops >70 μm observed in updraft cores. Commensurate with the production of supercooled large drops, ice is generated and rapidly glaciates updraft cores through a hypothesized secondary ice process that is based on laboratory observations of large drops freezing and emitting tiny ice particles. Clouds over the high plains do not experience the secondary ice process and significant concentrations of supercooled liquid in the form of small drops are carried much higher (up to −35.5°C) in the updraft cores. An empirical relationship that estimates the maximum level to which supercooled liquid water will be transported, based on cloud-base drop size distribution and temperature, is developed. Implications have applications for modeling the transport of water vapor and particles into the upper troposphere and hygroscopic seeding of cumulus clouds.
- Subjects :
- Convection
Atmospheric Science
Cloud microphysics
Drop size
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
Microphysics
Tropics
Atmospheric sciences
01 natural sciences
Climatology
Middle latitudes
0103 physical sciences
Cloud droplet
Environmental science
010306 general physics
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15200469 and 00224928
- Volume :
- 74
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........8aff9256f2a1c69d3ca8399de77eb619