In Situ Observations of the Microphysical Properties of Wave, Cirrus, and Anvil Clouds. Part II: Cirrus Clouds

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 3186-3203 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Paul Lawson ◽  
Brad Baker ◽  
Bryan Pilson ◽  
Qixu Mo
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Number Concentration ◽  
Cirrus Clouds ◽  
Average Particle ◽  
Cloud Particle ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Irregular Shapes ◽  
Ice Particles ◽  
Research Aircraft ◽  
Particle Size And Shape

A Learjet research aircraft was used to collect microphysical data, including cloud particle imager (CPI) measurements of ice particle size and shape, in 22 midlatitude cirrus clouds. The dataset was collected while the aircraft flew 104 horizontal legs, totaling over 15 000 km in clouds. Cloud temperatures ranged from −28° to −61°C. The measurements show that cirrus particle size distributions are mostly bimodal, displaying a maximum in number concentration, area, and mass near 30 μm and another smaller maximum near 200–300 μm. CPI images show that particles with rosette shapes, which include mixed-habit rosettes and platelike polycrystals, constitute over 50% of the surface area and mass of ice particles >50 μm in cirrus clouds. Approximately 40% of the remaining mass of ice particles >50 μm are found in irregular shapes, with a few percent each in columns and spheroidal shapes. Plates account for <1% of the total mass. Particles <50 μm account for 99% of the total number concentration, 69% of the shortwave extinction, and 40% of the mass in midlatitude cirrus. Plots and average equations for area versus particle size are shown for various particle habits, and can be used in studies involving radiative transfer. The average particle concentration in midlatitude cirrus is on the order of 1 cm−3 with occasional 10-km averages exceeding 5 cm−3. There is a strong similarity of microphysical properties of ice particles between wave clouds and cirrus clouds, suggesting that, like wave clouds, cirrus ice particles first experience conversion to liquid water and/or solution drops before freezing.

scholarly journals Arctic ice clouds over northern Sweden: microphysical properties studied with the Balloon-borne Ice Cloud particle Imager B-ICI

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 17371-17386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Wolf ◽  
Thomas Kuhn ◽  
Mathias Milz ◽  
Peter Voelger ◽  
Martina Krämer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Particle Shape ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Number Concentration ◽  
Cirrus Clouds ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Cloud Particle ◽  
Ice Cloud ◽  
Almost All

Abstract. Ice particle and cloud properties such as particle size, particle shape and number concentration influence the net radiation effect of cirrus clouds. Measurements of these features are of great interest for the improvement of weather and climate models, especially for the Arctic region. In this study, balloon-borne in situ measurements of Arctic cirrus clouds have been analysed for the first time with respect to their origin. Eight cirrus cloud measurements have been carried out in Kiruna (68∘ N), Sweden, using the Balloon-borne Ice Cloud particle Imager (B-ICI). Ice particle diameters between 10 and 1200 µm have been found and the shape could be recognized from 20 µm upwards. Great variability in particle size and shape is observed. This cannot simply be explained by local environmental conditions. However, if sorted by cirrus origin, wind and weather conditions, the observed differences can be assessed. Number concentrations between 3 and 400 L−1 have been measured, but the number concentration has reached values above 100 L−1 only for two cases. These two cirrus clouds are of in situ origin and have been associated with waves. For all other measurements, the maximum ice particle concentration is below 50 L−1 and for one in situ origin cirrus case only 3 L−1. In the case of in situ origin clouds, the particles are all smaller than 350 µm diameter. The PSDs for liquid origin clouds are much broader with particle sizes between 10 and 1200 µm. Furthermore, it is striking that in the case of in situ origin clouds almost all particles are compact (61 %) or irregular (25 %) when examining the particle shape. In liquid origin clouds, on the other hand, most particles are irregular (48 %), rosettes (25 %) or columnar (14 %). There are hardly any plates in cirrus regardless of their origin. It is also noticeable that in the case of liquid origin clouds the rosettes and columnar particles are almost all hollow.

Comparison of cirrus clouds in naturally and anthropogenically influenced regions of the atmosphere

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian Dollner ◽  
Josef Gasteiger ◽  
Charles A. Brock ◽  
Manuel Schöberl ◽  
Christina Williamson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Cirrus Clouds ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Particle Size Distributions ◽  
Cloud Particle ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Aerosol Particle Size

&lt;p&gt;Cirrus clouds are an important contributor to the uncertainty of future climate prediction, especially due to the weak understanding of anthropogenic impacts on cirrus clouds.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We investigate aerosol and cloud microphysical properties of the remote atmosphere over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from about 80&amp;#176;N to 86&amp;#176;S and the region in the Mediterranean using airborne aerosol and cloud measurements of the entire atmospheric column up to approx. 13 km from the ATom (Atmospheric Tomography; 2016-2018) and the A-LIFE (Absorbing aerosol layers in a changing climate: aging, lifetime and dynamics; 2017) field experiments, respectively. Aerosol microphysical properties are retrieved from in-situ measurements of aerosol particle size distributions between 0.003 and 50 &amp;#181;m, single particle mass spectrometry as well as simulations with the Lagrangian transport and dispersion model FLEXPART. The microphysical properties of cirrus clouds are obtained from size distribution measurements covering the range between 3 and 930 &amp;#181;m.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this study we show microphysical properties of aerosols and cirrus clouds in regions with high mineral dust concentrations as well as pristine and anthropogenic influenced regions in order to advance the knowledge of the natural and anthropogenic impact on cirrus clouds.&amp;#160; We present comparisons of ice crystal number concentrations, aerosol and cloud particle size distributions, and meteorological conditions of cirrus clouds in the above-mentioned regions of the atmosphere.&lt;/p&gt;

Ground-based Remote Sensing of Cirrus Clouds

Cirrus ◽  
2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Sassen ◽  
Gerald Mace
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Multispectral Imaging ◽  
Cirrus Clouds ◽  
Radiative Energy ◽  
Radiation Balance ◽  
Cirrus Cloud ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Research Aircraft ◽  
Cloud Modeling

Cirrus clouds have only recently been recognized as having a significant influence on weather and climate through their impact on the radiative energy budget of the atmosphere. In addition, the unique difficulties presented by the study of cirrus put them on the “back burner” of atmospheric research for much of the twentieth century. Foremost, because they inhabit the frigid upper troposphere, their inaccessibility has hampered intensive research. Other factors have included a lack of in situ instrumentation to effectively sample the clouds and environment, and basic uncertainties in the underlying physics of ice cloud formation, growth, and maintenance. Cloud systems that produced precipitation, severe weather, or hazards to aviation were deemed more worthy of research support until the mid- 1980s. Beginning at this time, however, major field research programs such as the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program) Regional Experiment (FIRE; Cox et al. 1987), International Cirrus Experiment (ICE; Raschke et al. 1990), Experimental Cloud Lidar Pilot Study (ECLIPS; Platt et al. 1994), and the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program (Stokes and Schwartz 1994) have concentrated on cirrus cloud research, relying heavily on ground-based remote sensing observations combined with research aircraft. What has caused this change in research emphasis is an appreciation for the potentially significant role that cirrus play in maintaining the radiation balance of the earth-atmosphere system (Liou 1986). As climate change issues were treated more seriously, it was recognized that the effects, or feedbacks, of extensive high-level ice clouds in response to global warming could be pivotal. This fortunately came at a time when new generations of meteorological instrumentation were becoming available. Beginning in the early 1970s, major advancements were made in the fields of numerical cloud modeling and cloud measurements using aircraft probes, satellite multispectral imaging, and remote sensing with lidar, short-wavelength radar, and radiometers, all greatly facilitating cirrus research. Each of these experimental approaches have their advantages and drawbacks, and it should also be noted that a successful cloud modeling effort relies on field data for establishing boundary conditions and providing case studies for validation. Although the technologies created for in situ aircraft measurements can clearly provide unique knowledge of cirrus cloud thermodynamic and microphysical properties (Dowling and Radke 1990), available probes may suffer from limitations in their response to the wide range of cirrus particles and actually sample a rather small volume of cloud during any mission.

scholarly journals The IMPROVE-1 Storm of 1–2 February 2001. Part II: Cloud Structures and the Growth of Precipitation

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 3456-3473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda G. Evans ◽  
John D. Locatelli ◽  
Mark T. Stoelinga ◽  
Peter V. Hobbs
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Water ◽  
Lower Layer ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Particle Growth ◽  
Cloud Particle ◽  
Cyclonic Storm ◽  
Melting Layer ◽  
Ice Particles ◽  
Research Aircraft ◽  
Particle Imaging

Abstract On 1–2 February 2001, a strong cyclonic storm system developed over the northeastern Pacific Ocean and moved onto the Washington coast. This storm was one of several that were documented during the first field phase of the Improvement of Microphysical Parameterization through Observational Verification Experiment (IMPROVE). In the 1–2 February case, soundings and wind profiler measurements showed that a wide cold-frontal rainband was coincident with the leading edge of an upper-level cold front in a classical warm occlusion. Ground-based radar observations revealed the presence of subbands within the wide cold-frontal rainband and two layers of precipitation generating cells within this rainband: one at 5–7 km MSL and the other at 9–10 km MSL. The lower layer of generating cells produced fallstreaks that were traced from the cells down to the radar bright band at 2 km MSL. Observations suggest a connection between the subbands and the lower layer of generating cells. A research aircraft, equipped for cloud microphysical measurements, passed through at least two generating cells in the 5–7-km region. These cells were in their formative stage, with elevated liquid water contents and low ice particle concentrations. The microphysical structure of the wide cold-frontal rainband was elucidated by particle imagery from a Cloud Particle Imaging (CPI) probe aboard the research aircraft. These images provide detailed information on crystal habits and degrees of riming throughout the depth of the rainband. The crystal habits are used to deduce the temperature and saturation conditions under which the crystals grew and, along with in situ measurements of particle size spectra, they are used to estimate particle terminal fall velocities, precipitation rates, radar reflectivities, and vertical air motions. The radar reflectivity derived in this way generally compared well with direct measurement. Both the derived and directly measured parameters are used to determine the primary particle growth processes in the wide cold-frontal rainband. Above the melting layer, vapor deposition was the dominant growth process in the rainband; growth of ice particles by riming was small. Significant aggregation of ice particles occurred in the region just above the melting layer. A doubling in the air-relative vertical precipitation mass flux occurred between the region where sheath ice crystals formed (−3° ≤ T ≤ −8°C) and the surface. Substantial amounts of liquid water were found within the melting layer where growth occurred by the accretion of cloud droplets and also by condensation. Growth by the collision and coalescence of raindrops was not significant below the melting layer.

scholarly journals Mass of different snow crystal shapes derived from fall speed measurements

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Vázquez-Martín ◽  
Thomas Kuhn ◽  
Salomon Eliasson
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Cross Sectional Area ◽  
Particle Mass ◽  
Sectional Area ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Ice Particles ◽  
Fall Speed

Abstract. Meteorological forecast and climate models require good knowledge of the microphysical properties of hydrometeors and the atmospheric snow and ice crystals in clouds. For instance, their size, cross-sectional area, shape, mass, and fall speed. Especially shape is an important parameter in that it strongly affects the scattering properties of ice particles, and consequently their response to remote sensing techniques. The fall speed and mass of ice particles are other important parameters both for numerical forecast models and for the representation of snow and ice clouds in climate models. In the case of fall speed, it is responsible for the rate of removal of ice from these models. The particle mass is a key quantity that connects the cloud microphysical properties to radiative properties. Using an empirical relationship between the dimensionless Reynolds and Best numbers, fall speed and mass can be derived from each other if particle size and cross-sectional area are also known. In this work, ground-based in-situ measurements of snow particle microphysical properties are used to analyse mass as a function of shape and the other properties particle size, cross-sectional area, and fall speed. The measurements for this study were done in Kiruna, Sweden during snowfall seasons of 2014 to 2019 and using the ground-based in-situ instrument Dual Ice Crystal Imager (D-ICI), which takes high-resolution side- and top-view images of natural hydrometeors. From these images, particle size (maximum dimension), cross-sectional area, and fall speed of individual particles are determined. The particles are shape classified according to the scheme presented in our previous work, in which particles sort into 15 different shape groups depending on their shape and morphology. Particle masses of individual ice particles are estimated from measured particle size, cross-sectional area, and fall speed. The selected dataset covers sizes from about 0.1 mm to 3.2 mm, fall speeds from 0.1 m s−1 to 1.6 m s−1, and masses from close to 0.2 μg to 320 μg. In our previous work, the fall speed relationships between particle size and cross-sectional area were studied. In this work, the same dataset is used to determine the particle mass, and consequently, the mass relationships between particle size, cross-sectional area, and fall speed are studied for these 15 shape groups. Furthermore, the mass relationships presented in this study are compared with the previous studies.

scholarly journals Ice particle properties of Arctic cirrus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Wolf ◽  
Thomas Kuhn ◽  
Mathias Milz ◽  
Peter Voelger ◽  
Martina Krämer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Particle Shape ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Number Concentration ◽  
Cirrus Clouds ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Almost All

Abstract. Ice particle and cloud properties such as particle size, particle shape and number concentration influence the net radiation effect of cirrus clouds. Measurements of these features are of great interest for the improvement of weather and climate models, especially for the Arctic region. In this study, balloon-borne in-situ measurements of Arctic cirrus clouds have been analysed for the first time with respect to their origin. Eight cirrus cloud measurements were carried out in Kiruna (68° N), Sweden. Ice particle diameters between 10 μm and 1200 μm were found and the shape could be recognised from 20 μm upwards. Great variability in particle size and shape was observed. This cannot simply be explained by local environmental conditions. However, if sorted by cirrus origin, wind, and weather conditions, the observed differences can be assessed. Number concentrations between 3/L and 400/L were measured, but only for two cases the number concentration reached values above 100/L. These two cirrus clouds were of in-situ origin and were caused by gravity and mountain lee-waves. For all other measurements, the maximum ice particle concentration was below 50/L and for one in-situ origin cirrus case only 3/L. In the case of in-situ origin clouds, the particles were all smaller than 350 μm diameter. The number size distribution for liquid origin clouds was much broader with particle sizes between 10 μm and 1200 μm. Furthermore, it is striking that in the case of in-situ origin clouds almost all particles were compact (61 %) or irregular (25 %) when examining the particle shape. In liquid origin clouds, on the other hand, most particles were irregular (48 %), rosettes (25 %) or columnar (14 %). There were hardly any plates in cirrus regardless of their origin. It is also noticeable that in the case of liquid origin clouds the rosettes and columnar particles were almost all hollow.

scholarly journals Effects of ice particles shattering on the 2D-S probe

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 1361-1381 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Lawson
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Arrival Time ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Time Algorithm ◽  
Post Processing ◽  
Cloud Particle ◽  
Ice Particles ◽  
Field Campaigns ◽  
Processing Techniques

Abstract. Recently, considerable attention has been focused on the issue of large ice particles shattering on the inlets and tips of cloud particle probes, which produces copious ice particles that can be mistakenly measured as real ice particles. Currently two approaches are being used to mitigate the problem: (1) Based on recent high-speed video in icing tunnels, probe tips have been designed that reduce the number of shattered particles that reach the probe sample volume, and (2) Post processing techniques such as image processing and using the arrival time of each individual particle. This paper focuses on exposing suspected errors in measurements of ice particle size distributions due to shattering, and evaluation of the two techniques used to reduce the errors. Data from 2D-S probes constitute the primary source of the investigation, however, when available comparisons with 2D-C and CIP measurements are also included. Korolev et al. (2010b) report results from a recent field campaign (AIIE) and conclude that modified probe tips are more effective than an arrival time algorithm when applied to 2D-C and CIP measurements. Analysis of 2D-S data from the AIIE and SPARTICUS field campaigns shows that modified probe tips significantly reduce the number of shattered particles, but that a particle arrival time algorithm is more effective than the probe tips designed to reduce shattering. A large dataset of 2D-S measurements with and without modified probe tips was not available from the AIEE and SPARTICUS field campaigns. Instead, measurements in regions with large ice particles are presented to show that shattering on the 2D-S with modified probe tips produces large quantities of small particles that are likely produced by shattering. Also, when an arrival time algorithm is applied to the 2D-S data, the results show that it is more effective than the modified probe tips in reducing the number of small (shattered) particles. Recent results from SPARTICUS and MACPEX show that 2D-S ice particle concentration measurements are more consistent with physical arguments and numerical simulations than measurements with older cloud probes from previous field campaigns. The analysis techniques in this paper can also be used to estimate an upper bound for the effects of shattering. For example, the additional spurious concentration of small ice particles can be measured as a function of the mass concentration of large ice particles. The analysis provides estimates of upper bounds on the concentration of natural ice, and on the remaining concentration of shattered ice particles after application of the post-processing techniques. However, a comprehensive investigation of shattering is required to quantify effects that arise from the multiple degrees of freedom associated with this process, including different cloud environments, probe geometries, airspeed, angle of attack, particle size and type.

scholarly journals Assessment of the performance of the inter-arrival time algorithm to identify ice shattering artifacts in cloud particle probe measurements

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 761-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Korolev ◽  
P. R. Field
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Arrival Time ◽  
Time Algorithm ◽  
Sample Volume ◽  
Ice Crystals ◽  
Cloud Particle ◽  
Measured Concentration ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Shattering presents a serious obstacle to current airborne in situ methods of characterizing the microphysical properties of ice clouds. Small shattered fragments result from the impact of natural ice crystals with the forward parts of aircraft-mounted measurement probes. The presence of these shattered fragments may result in a significant overestimation of the measured concentration of small ice crystals, contaminating the measurement of the ice particle size distribution (PSD). One method of identifying shattered particles is to use an inter-arrival time algorithm. This method is based on the assumption that shattered fragments form spatial clusters that have short inter-arrival times between particles, relative to natural particles, when they pass through the sample volume of the probe. The inter-arrival time algorithm is a successful technique for the classification of shattering artifacts and natural particles. This study assesses the limitations and efficiency of the inter-arrival time algorithm. The analysis has been performed using simultaneous measurements of two-dimensional (2-D) optical array probes with the standard and antishattering "K-tips" collected during the Airborne Icing Instrumentation Experiment (AIIE). It is shown that the efficiency of the algorithm depends on ice particle size, concentration and habit. Additional numerical simulations indicate that the effectiveness of the inter-arrival time algorithm to eliminate shattering artifacts can be significantly restricted in some cases. Improvements to the inter-arrival time algorithm are discussed. It is demonstrated that blind application of the inter-arrival time algorithm cannot filter out all shattered aggregates. To mitigate against the effects of shattering, the inter-arrival time algorithm should be used together with other means, such as antishattering tips and specially designed algorithms for segregation of shattered artifacts and natural particles.

scholarly journals Mass of different snow crystal shapes derived from fall speed measurements

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 18669-18688
Author(s):  
Sandra Vázquez-Martín ◽  
Thomas Kuhn ◽  
Salomon Eliasson
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Empirical Relationship ◽  
Cross Sectional Area ◽  
Sectional Area ◽  
Maximum Dimension ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Ice Particles ◽  
Fall Speed

Abstract. Meteorological forecast and climate models require good knowledge of the microphysical properties of hydrometeors and the atmospheric snow and ice crystals in clouds, for instance, their size, cross-sectional area, shape, mass, and fall speed. Especially shape is an important parameter in that it strongly affects the scattering properties of ice particles and consequently their response to remote sensing techniques. The fall speed and mass of ice particles are other important parameters for both numerical forecast models and the representation of snow and ice clouds in climate models. In the case of fall speed, it is responsible for the rate of removal of ice from these models. The particle mass is a key quantity that connects the cloud microphysical properties to radiative properties. Using an empirical relationship between the dimensionless Reynolds and Best numbers, fall speed and mass can be derived from each other if particle size and cross-sectional area are also known. In this study, ground-based in situ measurements of snow particle microphysical properties are used to analyse mass as a function of shape and the other properties particle size, cross-sectional area, and fall speed. The measurements for this study were done in Kiruna, Sweden, during snowfall seasons of 2014 to 2019 and using the ground-based in situ Dual Ice Crystal Imager (D-ICI) instrument, which takes high-resolution side- and top-view images of natural hydrometeors. From these images, particle size (maximum dimension), cross-sectional area, and fall speed of individual particles are determined. The particles are shape-classified according to the scheme presented in our previous study, in which particles sort into 15 different shape groups depending on their shape and morphology. Particle masses of individual ice particles are estimated from measured particle size, cross-sectional area, and fall speed. The selected dataset covers sizes from about 0.1 to 3.2 mm, fall speeds from 0.1 to 1.6 m s−1, and masses from 0.2 to 450 µg. In our previous study, the fall speed relationships between particle size and cross-sectional area were studied. In this study, the same dataset is used to determine the particle mass, and consequently, the mass relationships between particle size, cross-sectional area, and fall speed are studied for these 15 shape groups. Furthermore, the mass relationships presented in this study are compared with the previous studies. For certain crystal habits, in particular columnar shapes, the maximum dimension is unsuitable for determining Reynolds number. Using a selection of columns, for which the simple geometry allows the verification of an empirical Best-number-to-Reynolds-number relationship, we show that Reynolds number and fall speed are more closely related to the diameter of the basal facet than the maximum dimension. The agreement with the empirical relationship is further improved using a modified Best number, a function of an area ratio based on the falling particle seen in the vertical direction.

scholarly journals Study of the diffraction pattern of cloud particles and the respective responses of optical array probes

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 2513-2529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thibault Vaillant de Guélis ◽  
Alfons Schwarzenböck ◽  
Valery Shcherbakov ◽  
Christophe Gourbeyre ◽  
Bastien Laurent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Test Bench ◽  
Theoretical Method ◽  
Number Concentration ◽  
Object Plane ◽  
Cloud Particle ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Cloud Particles ◽  
Diffraction Patterns ◽  
Spherical Droplets ◽  
Particle Shapes

Abstract. Optical array probes (OAPs) are classical instrumental means to derive shape, size, and number concentration of cloud and precipitation particles from 2-D images. However, recorded 2-D images are subject to distortion based on the diffraction of light when particles are imaged out of the object plane of the optical device. This phenomenon highly affects retrievals of microphysical properties of cloud particles. Previous studies of this effect mainly focused on spherical droplets. In this study we propose a theoretical method to compute diffraction patterns of all kinds of cloud particle shapes in order to simulate the response recorded by an OAP. To check the validity of this method, a series of experimental measurements have been performed with a 2D-S probe mounted on a test bench. Measurements are performed using spinning glass discs with imprinted non-circular opaque particle shapes.

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