scholarly journals Statistics of vertical velocities in supercooled cloud layers over Leipzig and Praia measured with Doppler lidar

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Bühl ◽  
Patric Seifert ◽  
Ronny Engelmann ◽  
Julia Fruntke ◽  
Albert Ansmann
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Supercooled Liquid ◽  
Mixed Phase ◽  
Pure Liquid ◽  
Doppler Lidar ◽  
Velocity Statistics ◽  
Cloud Dynamics ◽  
Phase Layers ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Formation Efficiency

Abstract. This study presents statistics of vertical air velocity at the bases of supercooled shallow cloud layers separately for mixed-phase and liquid-only clouds. For the first time, this statistics is compared for clouds observed over a sub-tropical site at Cape Verde (14.9° N, 26° W) and a mid-latitudinal site at Leipzig, Germany (51.3° N, 12.4° E). Phase properties and spatio-temporal extent of the cloud layers were obtained from combined observations with Doppler lidar, Raman polarization lidar, and cloud radar. The statistical properties of the vertical-velocity distributions in both mixed-phase and pure-liquid cloud layers are found to be similar at both measurement sites. Standard deviation of the vertical velocities at both sites was found to be 0.4 m s−1 and was also the same in pure-liquid and mixed-phase layers. Skewness groups around −0.4 for both sites, pointing to radiative cooling as the driver for the cloud turbulence. Occasionally, positive skewness in some cloud layers indicated external drivers, e.g., gravity waves, for the turbulence. From the observed similarity in the vertical-velocity statistics derived at the base of supercooled liquid cloud layers at Praia and Leipzig it can be concluded that other factors besides cloud dynamics are responsible for the differences in ice formation efficiency reported previously for both sites.

scholarly journals Improvement of vertical velocity statistics measured by a Doppler lidar through comparison with sonic anemometer observations

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 5833-5852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy A. Bonin ◽  
Jennifer F. Newman ◽  
Petra M. Klein ◽  
Phillip B. Chilson ◽  
Sonia Wharton
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Close Agreement ◽  
Sonic Anemometer ◽  
Lag Time ◽  
Volume Averaging ◽  
Doppler Lidar ◽  
Established Method ◽  
Velocity Statistics ◽  
Sonic Anemometers ◽  
Velocity Variance

Abstract. Since turbulence measurements from Doppler lidars are being increasingly used within wind energy and boundary-layer meteorology, it is important to assess and improve the accuracy of these observations. While turbulent quantities are measured by Doppler lidars in several different ways, the simplest and most frequently used statistic is vertical velocity variance (w′2) from zenith stares. However, the competing effects of signal noise and resolution volume limitations, which respectively increase and decrease w′2, reduce the accuracy of these measurements. Herein, an established method that utilises the autocovariance of the signal to remove noise is evaluated and its skill in correcting for volume-averaging effects in the calculation of w′2 is also assessed. Additionally, this autocovariance technique is further refined by defining the amount of lag time to use for the most accurate estimates of w′2. Through comparison of observations from two Doppler lidars and sonic anemometers on a 300 m tower, the autocovariance technique is shown to generally improve estimates of w′2. After the autocovariance technique is applied, values of w′2 from the Doppler lidars are generally in close agreement (R2 ≈ 0.95 − 0.98) with those calculated from sonic anemometer measurements.

scholarly journals Turbulent structure and scaling of the inertial subrange in a stratocumulus-topped boundary layer observed by a Doppler lidar

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 5873-5885 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Tonttila ◽  
E. J. O'Connor ◽  
A. Hellsten ◽  
A. Hirsikko ◽  
C. O'Dowd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Structure ◽  
Inertial Subrange ◽  
Doppler Lidar ◽  
Turbulent Dissipation ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Velocity Statistics ◽  
Velocity Skewness

Abstract. The turbulent structure of a stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer over a 2-day period is observed with a Doppler lidar at Mace Head in Ireland. Using profiles of vertical velocity statistics, the bulk of the mixing is identified as cloud driven. This is supported by the pertinent feature of negative vertical velocity skewness in the sub-cloud layer which extends, on occasion, almost to the surface. Both coupled and decoupled turbulence characteristics are observed. The length and timescales related to the cloud-driven mixing are investigated and shown to provide additional information about the structure and the source of the mixing inside the boundary layer. They are also shown to place constraints on the length of the sampling periods used to derive products, such as the turbulent dissipation rate, from lidar measurements. For this, the maximum wavelengths that belong to the inertial subrange are studied through spectral analysis of the vertical velocity. The maximum wavelength of the inertial subrange in the cloud-driven layer scales relatively well with the corresponding layer depth during pronounced decoupled structure identified from the vertical velocity skewness. However, on many occasions, combining the analysis of the inertial subrange and vertical velocity statistics suggests higher decoupling height than expected from the skewness profiles. Our results show that investigation of the length scales related to the inertial subrange significantly complements the analysis of the vertical velocity statistics and enables a more confident interpretation of complex boundary layer structures using measurements from a Doppler lidar.

scholarly journals Improvement of Vertical Velocity Statistics Measured by a Doppler Lidar through Comparison with Sonic Anemometer Observations

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy A. Bonin ◽  
Jennifer F. Newman ◽  
Petra M. Klein ◽  
Phillip B. Chilson ◽  
Sonia Wharton
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Sonic Anemometer ◽  
Lag Time ◽  
Volume Averaging ◽  
Doppler Lidar ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Established Method ◽  
Velocity Statistics ◽  
Sonic Anemometers ◽  
Velocity Variance

Abstract. Since turbulence measurements from Doppler lidars are being increasingly used within wind energy and boundary-layer meteorology, it is important to assess and improve the accuracy of these observations. While turbulent quantities are measured by Doppler lidars in several different ways, the simplest and most frequently used statistic is vertical velocity variance (σ2ω) from zenith stares. However, the competing effects of signal noise and resolution volume limitations, which respectively increase and decrease σ2ω, reduce the accuracy of these measurements. Herein, an established method that utilizes the autocovariance of the signal to remove noise is evaluated and its skill in also correcting for volume-averaging effects in the calculation of σ2ω is assessed. Additionally, this autocovariance technique is further refined by defining the amount of lag time to use for the most accurate estimates of σ2ω. Through comparison of observations from two Doppler lidars and sonic anemometers on a 300-m tower, the autocovariance technique is shown to improve estimates of σ2ω over a variety of atmospheric conditions. After the autocoviance technique is applied, values of σ2ω from the Doppler lidars are generally in close agreement (R2 ≈ 0.95–0.98) with those calculated from sonic anemometer measurements.

scholarly journals Doppler Lidar Vertical Velocity Statistics Value-Added Product

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. K. Newsom ◽  
◽  
C. Sivaraman ◽  
T. R. Shippert ◽  
L. D. Riihimaki
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Doppler Lidar ◽  
Velocity Statistics

scholarly journals Turbulent structure and scaling of the inertial subrange in a stratocumulus-topped boundary layer observed by a Doppler lidar

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (17) ◽  
pp. 24119-24148
Author(s):  
J. Tonttila ◽  
E. J. O'Connor ◽  
A. Hellsten ◽  
A. Hirsikko ◽  
C. O'Dowd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Structure ◽  
Inertial Subrange ◽  
Relative Depth ◽  
Doppler Lidar ◽  
Turbulent Dissipation ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Velocity Statistics

Abstract. The turbulent structure of a stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer over a two-day period is observed with a Doppler lidar at Mace Head in Ireland. Using profiles of vertical velocity statistics, the bulk of the mixing is identified as cloud-driven. This is supported by the pertinent feature of negative vertical velocity skewness in the sub-cloud layer which extends, on occasion, almost to the surface. Both coupled and decoupled turbulence characteristics are observed. The length and time scales related to the cloud driven mixing are investigated, which are shown to provide additional information about the structure and the source of the mixing inside the boundary layer. They are also shown to place constraints on the length of the sampling periods used to derive products, such as the turbulent dissipation rate, from lidar measurements. For this, the upper cut-off wavelength of the inertial subrange is studied through spectral analysis of the vertical velocity. The bulk statistical profiles and the scaling of the inertial subrange show consistent behaviour as the boundary layer undergoes transitions between a coupled and decoupled stratocumulus layer. The cut-off wavelength of the inertial subrange does not appear to scale robustly with the relative depth of the local mixing regime at different altitudes during decoupled periods. Rather, the competition between surface-based and cloud-driven mixed layers suppresses the range of eddy sizes at all heights inside the boundary layer.

scholarly journals An intercomparison of radar-based liquid cloud microphysics retrievals and implications for model evaluation studies

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1409-1424 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Huang ◽  
C. Zhao ◽  
M. Dunn ◽  
X. Dong ◽  
G. G. Mace ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Supercooled Liquid ◽  
Liquid Water Content ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Mixed Phase ◽  
Single Frequency ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Phase Layers ◽  
The Mean

Abstract. This paper presents a statistical comparison of three cloud retrieval products of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site from 1998 to 2006: MICROBASE, University of Utah (UU), and University of North Dakota (UND) products. The probability density functions of the various cloud liquid water content (LWC) retrievals appear to be consistent with each other. While the mean MICROBASE and UU cloud LWC retrievals agree well in the middle of cloud, the discrepancy increases to about 0.03 gm−3 at cloud top and cloud base. Alarmingly large differences are found in the droplet effective radius (re) retrievals. The mean MICROBASE re is more than 6 μm lower than the UU re, whereas the discrepancy is reduced to within 1 μm if columns containing raining and/or mixed-phase layers are excluded from the comparison. A suite of stratified comparisons and retrieval experiments reveal that the LWC difference stems primarily from rain contamination, partitioning of total liquid later path (LWP) into warm and supercooled liquid, and the input cloud mask and LWP. The large discrepancy among the re retrievals is mainly due to rain contamination and the presence of mixed-phase layers. Since rain or ice particles are likely to dominate radar backscattering over cloud droplets, the large discrepancy found in this paper can be thought of as a physical limitation of single-frequency radar approaches. It is therefore suggested that data users should use the retrievals with caution when rain and/or mixed-phase layers are present in the column.

scholarly journals Effects of atmospheric dynamics and aerosols on the fraction of supercooled water clouds

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1847-1863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiming Li ◽  
Qiaoyi Lv ◽  
Min Zhang ◽  
Tianhe Wang ◽  
Kazuaki Kawamoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Meteorological Parameters ◽  
Temporal Correlation ◽  
Supercooled Liquid ◽  
Satellite Observation ◽  
Static Stability ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Atmospheric Dynamics ◽  
Horizontal Wind

Abstract. Based on 8 years of (January 2008–December 2015) cloud phase information from the GCM-Oriented Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) Cloud Product (GOCCP), aerosol products from CALIPSO and meteorological parameters from the ERA-Interim products, the present study investigates the effects of atmospheric dynamics on the supercooled liquid cloud fraction (SCF) during nighttime under different aerosol loadings at global scale to better understand the conditions of supercooled liquid water gradually transforming to ice phase. Statistical results indicate that aerosols' effect on nucleation cannot fully explain all SCF changes, especially in those regions where aerosols' effect on nucleation is not a first-order influence (e.g., due to low ice nuclei aerosol frequency). By performing the temporal and spatial correlations between SCFs and different meteorological factors, this study presents specifically the relationship between SCF and different meteorological parameters under different aerosol loadings on a global scale. We find that the SCFs almost decrease with increasing of aerosol loading, and the SCF variation is closely related to the meteorological parameters but their temporal relationship is not stable and varies with the different regions, seasons and isotherm levels. Obviously negative temporal correlations between SCFs versus vertical velocity and relative humidity indicate that the higher vertical velocity and relative humidity the smaller SCFs. However, the patterns of temporal correlation for lower-tropospheric static stability, skin temperature and horizontal wind are relatively more complex than those of vertical velocity and humidity. For example, their close correlations are predominantly located in middle and high latitudes and vary with latitude or surface type. Although these statistical correlations have not been used to establish a certain causal relationship, our results may provide a unique point of view on the phase change of mixed-phase cloud and have potential implications for further improving the parameterization of the cloud phase and determining the climate feedbacks.

scholarly journals A Modeling Case Study of Mixed-Phase Clouds over the Southern Ocean and Tasmania

2010 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
pp. 839-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony E. Morrison ◽  
Steven T. Siems ◽  
Michael J. Manton ◽  
Alex Nazarov
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Supercooled Liquid ◽  
Mixed Phase ◽  
Weather Research And Forecasting ◽  
Marine Stratocumulus ◽  
Cloud Structure ◽  
In Situ Observations ◽  
Cloud Tops ◽  
Mixed Phase Clouds

Abstract The cloud structure associated with two frontal passages over the Southern Ocean and Tasmania is investigated. The first event, during August 2006, is characterized by large quantities of supercooled liquid water and little ice. The second case, during October 2007, is more mixed phase. The Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRFV2.2.1) is evaluated using remote sensed and in situ observations within the post frontal air mass. The Thompson microphysics module is used to describe in-cloud processes, where ice is initiated using the Cooper parameterization at temperatures lower than −8°C or at ice supersaturations greater than 8%. The evaluated cases are then used to numerically investigate the prevalence of supercooled and mixed-phase clouds over Tasmania and the ocean to the west. The simulations produce marine stratocumulus-like clouds with maximum heights of between 3 and 5 km. These are capped by weak temperature and strong moisture inversions. When the inversion is at temperatures warmer than −10°C, WRF produces widespread supercooled cloud fields with little glaciation. This is consistent with the limited in situ observations. When the inversion is at higher altitudes, allowing cooler cloud tops, glaciated (and to a lesser extent mixed phase) clouds are more common. The simulations are further explored to evaluate any orographic signature within the cloud structure over Tasmania. No consistent signature is found between the two cases.

Untersuchungen zur Ableitung von Windböen aus Doppler-Lidar-Messungen

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carola Detring ◽  
Eileen Päschke ◽  
Julian Steinheuer ◽  
Ronny Leinweber ◽  
Markus Kayser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Doppler Lidar ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Observation Volume ◽  
Wind Gusts ◽  
Die Profile ◽  
Spatio Temporal

<p>Mit Hilfe von Doppler-Lidar-Systemen, lassen sich die Profile von Windgeschwindigkeit und -richtung in der Atmosphärischen Grenzschicht (AGS) auf der Basis klassischer Messstrategien wie einem VAD-24 Scan (Velocity Azimuth Display mit 24 Strahlrichtungen) zuverlässig bestimmen (Päschke et al., 2015). Für praktische Anwendungen von großem Interesse sind jedoch neben dem mittleren Windprofil auch kurzzeitige Fluktuationen des Windes, wie sie zum Beispiel in Verbindung mit Windböen auftreten. Untersuchungen zu Windböen waren ein wesentlicher Aspekt der Messkampagne FESSTVaL (Field Experiment on Sub-Mesoscale Spatio-Temporal Variability in Lindenberg, www.fesstval.de).</p><p>Eine Studie von Suomi et al. (2017) hat gezeigt, dass eine Ableitung von Windböen aus Doppler Lidar Messungen prinzipiell möglich ist. Allerdings wird mit üblichen Messstrategien die hierfür erforderliche hohe zeitliche Auflösung in der Ermittlung des Windvektors nicht erreicht, so dass mit Skalierungsansätzen unter Verwendung von in-situ Windmessungen eine Korrektur der aus den Lidar-Daten abgeleiteten Böenwerte erfolgen muss.</p><p>Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde eine alternative Messstrategie für Doppler-Lidar-Systeme vom Typ „Streamline“ (Halo Photonics) entwickelt und über mehrere Monate in den Jahren 2020/21 auf dem Grenzschichtmessfeld Falkenberg des DWD erprobt. Die Böenableitung basiert auf einem sog. Continous Scan Mode (CSM); dabei werden die während einer vollständigen Rotation des Lidar-Scan-Kopfes kontinuierlich durchgeführten Messungen 10-11 Strahlrichtungen zugeordnet und die Radialwindgeschwindigkeiten wiederum mit dem VAD-Verfahren ermittelt. Die Dauer eines Scans beträgt etwa 3.4s, damit kann eine Zeitauflösung erreicht werden, die der heute weit verbreiteten Definition einer Windbö entspricht (3s gleitendes Mittel; WMO (2018)).</p><p>Diese neue Konfiguration bringt Herausforderungen an die Datenverarbeitung mit sich. Im CSM muss mit vergleichsweise wenigen Lidar-Pulsen pro Messstrahl gearbeitet werden, so dass klassische Ansätze der Datenfilterung (Signal-to-Noise Schwellwert, Consensus Filterung) nicht verwendet werden können. Es wird ein alternatives Verfahren für die Prozessierung der Lidar-Rohdaten vorgeschlagen. Die Ergebnisse der Ableitung sowohl des mittleren Windvektors als auch der jeweiligen maximalen Windbö in einem 10-Minuten-Mittelungsintervall werden mit Sonic-Messungen in 90m Höhe verglichen. </p><p>Im Rahmen des FESSTVaL Experimentes wurde diese neue Messkonfiguration an drei Standorten, die ein annähernd gleichseitiges Dreieck mit einer Kantenlänge von etwa 5 km bildeten, genutzt. Es werden Fallbeispiele aus der FESSTVaL Kampagne für die Variabilität im Auftreten von Windböen gezeigt.</p><p><strong>Referenzen</strong></p><p>Päschke, E., Leinweber, R., and Lehmann, V. (2015): An assessment of the performance of a 1.5 μm Doppler lidar for operational vertical wind profiling based on a 1-year trial, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 2251–2266, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-2251-2015</p><p>Suomi, I., Gryning, S.‐E., O'Connor, E.J. and Vihma, T. (2017): Methodology for obtaining wind gusts using Doppler lidar. Q.J.R. Meteorol. Soc., 143: 2061-2072. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3059</p><p>World Meteorological Organization (WMO) (2018): Measurement of surface wind. In Guide to Meteorological Instruments and Methods of Observation, Volume I -Measurement of Meteorological Variables, No.8: 196–213, URL: https://library.wmo.int/doc_num.php?explnum_id=10616 (accessed November 2021)</p>

Convective and turbulent motions in non-precipitating Cu. Part 1: Method of separation of convective and turbulent motions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Pinsky ◽  
Eshkol Eytan ◽  
Ilan Koren ◽  
Orit Altaratz ◽  
Alexander Khain
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Field ◽  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Convective Velocity ◽  
Cloud Dynamics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Homogeneous And Isotropic Turbulence ◽  
Microphysical Processes ◽  
Bin Microphysics ◽  
Parameter Values

AbstractAtmospheric motions in clouds and cloud surrounding have a wide range of scales, from several kilometers to centimeters. These motions have different impacts on cloud dynamics and microphysics. Larger-scale motions (hereafter referred to as convective motions) are responsible for mass transport over distances comparable with cloud scale, while motions of smaller scales (hereafter referred to as turbulent motions) are stochastic and responsible for mixing and cloud dilution. This distinction substantially simplifies the analysis of dynamic and microphysical processes in clouds. The present research is Part 1 of the study aimed at describing the method for separating the motion scale into a convective component and a turbulent component. An idealized flow is constructed, which is a sum of an initially prescribed field of the convective velocity with updrafts in the cloud core and downdrafts outside the core, and a stochastic turbulent velocity field obeying the turbulent properties, including the -5/3 law and the 2/3 structure function law. A wavelet method is developed allowing separation of the velocity field into the convective and turbulent components, with parameter values being in a good agreement with those prescribed initially. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated by an example of a vertical velocity field of a cumulus cloud simulated using SAM with bin-microphysics and resolution of 10 m. It is shown that vertical velocity in clouds indeed can be represented as a sum of convective velocity (forming zone of cloud updrafts and subsiding shell) and a stochastic velocity obeying laws of homogeneous and isotropic turbulence.

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