scholarly journals Sensitivity of precipitation formation to secondary ice production in winter orographic mixed-phase clouds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zane Dedekind ◽  
Annika Lauber ◽  
Sylvaine Ferrachat ◽  
Ulrike Lohmann
Keyword(s):  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Ice Formation ◽  
Ice Crystal ◽  
Surface Precipitation ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Ice Production ◽  
Precipitation Formation

Abstract. The discrepancy between the observed concentration of ice nucleating particles (INPs) and the ice crystal number concentration (ICNC) remains unresolved and limits our understanding of ice formation and hence precipitation amount, location and intensity. Enhanced ice formation through secondary ice production (SIP) could be accounting for this discrepancy. Here, we present the results from a sensitivity model study in the Eastern Swiss Alps with additional simulated in-cloud SIP on precipitation formation and consequently on surface precipitation. The SIP processes considered include rime splintering, droplet shattering during freezing and breakup through ice-ice collisions. We simulated the passage of a cold front at Gotschnagrat, a peak at 2281 m above sea level (a.s.l.), on 7 March 2019 with COSMO, at a 1 km horizontal resolution, as part of the RACLETS field campaign in the Davos region in Switzerland. The largest simulated difference in the ICNC at the surface originated from the breakup simulations. Indeed, breakup caused a 1 to 3 order of magnitude increase in the ICNC compared to SIP from rime splintering or without SIP processes in the control simulations. The ICNCs from the collisional breakup simulations at Gotschnagrat were in better agreement with the ICNCs measured on a gondola near the surface. However, these simulations were not able to reproduce the ice crystal habits near the surface. Enhanced ICNCs from collisional breakup reduced localized regions of higher precipitation and thereby improving the model performance in terms of surface precipitation over the domain.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of precipitation formation to secondary ice production in winter orographic mixed-phase clouds

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (19) ◽  
pp. 15115-15134
Author(s):  
Zane Dedekind ◽  
Annika Lauber ◽  
Sylvaine Ferrachat ◽  
Ulrike Lohmann
Keyword(s):  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Ice Formation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Ice Crystal ◽  
Surface Precipitation ◽  
Ice Production ◽  
Mixed Phase Clouds ◽  
Precipitation Formation

Abstract. The discrepancy between the observed concentration of ice nucleating particles (INPs) and the ice crystal number concentration (ICNC) remains unresolved and limits our understanding of ice formation and, hence, precipitation amount, location and intensity. Enhanced ice formation through secondary ice production (SIP) could account for this discrepancy. Here, in a region over the eastern Swiss Alps, we perform sensitivity studies of additional simulated SIP processes on precipitation formation and surface precipitation intensity. The SIP processes considered include rime splintering, droplet shattering during freezing and breakup through ice–graupel collisions. We simulated the passage of a cold front at Gotschnagrat, a peak at 2281 m a.s.l. (above sea level), on 7 March 2019 with the Consortium for Small-scale Modeling (COSMO), at a 1 km horizontal grid spacing, as part of the RACLETS (Role of Aerosols and CLouds Enhanced by Topography and Snow) field campaign in the Davos region in Switzerland. The largest simulated difference in the ICNC at the surface originated from the breakup simulations. Indeed, breakup caused a 1 to 3 orders of magnitude increase in the ICNC compared to SIP from rime splintering or without SIP processes in the control simulation. The ICNCs from the collisional breakup simulations at Gotschnagrat were in best agreement with the ICNCs measured on a gondola near the surface. However, these simulations were not able to reproduce the ice crystal habits near the surface. Enhanced ICNCs from collisional breakup reduced localized regions of higher precipitation and, thereby, improved the model performance in terms of surface precipitation over the domain.

scholarly journals Transmission of solar radiation through clouds on melting glaciers: a comparison of parameterizations and their impact on melt modelling

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (202) ◽  
pp. 367-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Pellicciotti ◽  
Thomas Raschle ◽  
Thomas Huerlimann ◽  
Marco Carenzo ◽  
Paolo Burlando
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Cloud Radiative Forcing ◽  
Correct Definition ◽  
Diurnal Range ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWe explore the robustness and transferability of parameterizations of cloud radiative forcing used in glacier melt models at two sites in the Swiss Alps. We also look at the rationale behind some of the most commonly used approaches, and explore the relationship between cloud transmittance and several standard meteorological variables. The 2 m air-temperature diurnal range is the best predictor of variations in cloud transmittance. However, linear and exponential parameterizations can only explain 30–50% of the observed variance in computed cloud transmittance factors. We examine the impact of modelled cloud transmittance factors on both solar radiation and ablation rates computed with an enhanced temperature-index model. The melt model performance decreases when modelled radiation is used, the reduction being due to an underestimation of incoming solar radiation on clear-sky days. The model works well under overcast conditions. We also seek alternatives to the use of in situ ground data. However, outputs from an atmospheric model (2.2 km horizontal resolution) do not seem to provide an alternative to the parameterizations of cloud radiative forcing based on observations of air temperature at glacier automatic weather stations. Conversely, the correct definition of overcast conditions is important.

scholarly journals The effect of secondary ice production parameterization on the simulation of a cold frontal rainband

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 16461-16480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia C. Sullivan ◽  
Christian Barthlott ◽  
Jonathan Crosier ◽  
Ilya Zhukov ◽  
Athanasios Nenes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
Ice Crystal ◽  
Surface Precipitation ◽  
Earth’S Climate ◽  
Ice Production ◽  
Cloud Ice ◽  
Droplet Shattering ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Secondary ice production via processes like rime splintering, frozen droplet shattering, and breakup upon ice hydrometeor collision have been proposed to explain discrepancies between in-cloud ice crystal and ice-nucleating particle numbers. To understand the impact of this additional ice crystal generation on surface precipitation, we present one of the first studies to implement frozen droplet shattering and ice–ice collisional breakup parameterizations in a mesoscale model. We simulate a cold frontal rainband from the Aerosol Properties, PRocesses, And InfluenceS on the Earth's Climate campaign and investigate the impact of the new parameterizations on the simulated ice crystal number concentrations (ICNC) and precipitation. Near the convective regions of the rainband, contributions to ICNC can be as large from secondary production as from primary nucleation, but ICNCs greater than 50 L−1 remain underestimated by the model. The addition of the secondary production parameterizations also clearly intensifies the differences in both accumulated precipitation and precipitation rate between the convective towers and non-convective gap regions. We suggest, then, that secondary ice production parameterizations be included in large-scale models on the basis of large hydrometeor concentration and convective activity criteria.

scholarly journals Microphysical investigation of the seeder and feeder region of an Alpine mixed-phase cloud

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 6681-6706
Author(s):  
Fabiola Ramelli ◽  
Jan Henneberger ◽  
Robert O. David ◽  
Johannes Bühl ◽  
Martin Radenz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Phase ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Ice Formation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Orographic Precipitation ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Cloud Radar ◽  
Ice Production

Abstract. The seeder–feeder mechanism has been observed to enhance orographic precipitation in previous studies. However, the microphysical processes active in the seeder and feeder region are still being understood. In this paper, we investigate the seeder and feeder region of a mixed-phase cloud passing over the Swiss Alps, focusing on (1) fallstreaks of enhanced radar reflectivity originating from cloud top generating cells (seeder region) and (2) a persistent low-level feeder cloud produced by the boundary layer circulation (feeder region). Observations were obtained from a multi-dimensional set of instruments including ground-based remote sensing instrumentation (Ka-band polarimetric cloud radar, microwave radiometer, wind profiler), in situ instrumentation on a tethered balloon system, and ground-based aerosol and precipitation measurements. The cloud radar observations suggest that ice formation and growth were enhanced within cloud top generating cells, which is consistent with previous observational studies. However, uncertainties exist regarding the dominant ice formation mechanism within these cells. Here we propose different mechanisms that potentially enhance ice nucleation and growth in cloud top generating cells (convective overshooting, radiative cooling, droplet shattering) and attempt to estimate their potential contribution from an ice nucleating particle perspective. Once ice formation and growth within the seeder region exceeded a threshold value, the mixed-phase cloud became fully glaciated. Local flow effects on the lee side of the mountain barrier induced the formation of a persistent low-level feeder cloud over a small-scale topographic feature in the inner-Alpine valley. In situ measurements within the low-level feeder cloud observed the production of secondary ice particles likely due to the Hallett–Mossop process and ice particle fragmentation upon ice–ice collisions. Therefore, secondary ice production may have been partly responsible for the elevated ice crystal number concentrations that have been previously observed in feeder clouds at mountaintop observatories. Secondary ice production in feeder clouds can potentially enhance orographic precipitation.

scholarly journals Observations and comparisons of cloud microphysical properties in spring and summertime Arctic stratocumulus clouds during the ACCACIA campaign

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 3719-3737 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Lloyd ◽  
T. W. Choularton ◽  
K. N. Bower ◽  
J. Crosier ◽  
H. Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Arctic ◽  
Ice Crystal ◽  
Microphysical Properties ◽  
Prediction Scheme ◽  
Stratocumulus Clouds ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Climate Interactions ◽  
Ice Production ◽  
Cloud Tops ◽  
Summer Time

Abstract. Measurements from four case studies in spring and summer-time Arctic stratocumulus clouds during the Aerosol-Cloud Coupling And Climate Interactions in the Arctic (ACCACIA) campaign are presented. We compare microphysics observations between cases and with previous measurements made in the Arctic and Antarctic. During ACCACIA, stratocumulus clouds were observed to consist of liquid at cloud tops, often at distinct temperature inversions. The cloud top regions precipitated low concentrations of ice into the cloud below. During the spring cases median ice number concentrations (~ 0.5 L−1) were found to be lower by about a factor of 5 than observations from the summer campaign (~ 3 L−1). Cloud layers in the summer spanned a warmer temperature regime than in the spring and enhancement of ice concentrations in these cases was found to be due to secondary ice production through the Hallett–Mossop (H–M) process. Aerosol concentrations during spring ranged from ~ 300–400 cm−3 in one case to lower values of ~ 50–100 cm−3 in the other. The concentration of aerosol with sizes Dp > 0.5 μm was used in a primary ice nucleus (IN) prediction scheme (DeMott et al., 2010). Predicted IN values varied depending on aerosol measurement periods but were generally greater than maximum observed median values of ice crystal concentrations in the spring cases, and less than the observed ice concentrations in the summer due to the influence of secondary ice production. Comparison with recent cloud observations in the Antarctic summer (Grosvenor et al., 2012), reveals lower ice concentrations in Antarctic clouds in comparable seasons. An enhancement of ice crystal number concentrations (when compared with predicted IN numbers) was also found in Antarctic stratocumulus clouds spanning the H–M temperature zone; however, concentrations were about an order of magnitude lower than those observed in the Arctic summer cases but were similar to the peak values observed in the colder Arctic spring cases, where the H–M mechanism did not operate.

scholarly journals Secondary Ice Formation in Idealised Deep Convection—Source of Primary Ice and Impact on Glaciation

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 542
Author(s):  
Annette K. Miltenberger ◽  
Tim Lüttmer ◽  
Christoph Siewert
Keyword(s):  
Deep Convection ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Convective Cloud ◽  
Cloud Formation ◽  
Ice Formation ◽  
Ice Crystal ◽  
Lagrangian Analysis ◽  
Vertical Coupling ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Ice Production

Secondary ice production via rime-splintering is considered to be an important process for rapid glaciation and high ice crystal numbers observed in mixed-phase convective clouds. An open question is how rime-splintering is triggered in the relatively short time between cloud formation and observations of high ice crystal numbers. We use idealised simulations of a deep convective cloud system to investigate the thermodynamic and cloud microphysical evolution of air parcels, in which the model predicts secondary ice formation. The Lagrangian analysis suggests that the “in-situ” formation of rimers either by growth of primary ice or rain freezing does not play a major role in triggering secondary ice formation. Instead, rimers are predominantly imported into air parcels through sedimentation form higher altitudes. While ice nucleating particles (INPs) initiating heterogeneous freezing of cloud droplets at temperatures warmer than −10 °C have no discernible impact of the occurrence of secondary ice formation, in a scenario with rain freezing secondary ice production is initiated slightly earlier in the cloud evolution and at slightly different places, although with no major impact on the abundance or spatial distribution of secondary ice in the cloud as a whole. These results suggest that for interpreting and analysing observational data and model experiments regarding cloud glaciation and ice formation it is vital to consider the complex vertical coupling of cloud microphysical processes in deep convective clouds via three-dimensional transport and sedimentation.

scholarly journals The effect of secondary ice production parameterization on the simulation of a cold frontal rainband

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia C. Sullivan ◽  
Christian Barthlott ◽  
Jonathan Crosier ◽  
Athanasios Nenes ◽  
Corinna Hoose
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Ice Crystal ◽  
Surface Precipitation ◽  
Earth’S Climate ◽  
Ice Production ◽  
Cloud Ice ◽  
Droplet Shattering ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Secondary ice production via processes like rime splintering, frozen droplet shattering, and breakup upon ice hydrometeor collision have been proposed to explain discrepancies between in-cloud ice crystal and ice-nucleating particle numbers. To understand the impact of this kind of additional ice number generation on surface precipitation, we present one of the first studies to implement frozen droplet shattering and ice-ice collisional breakup parameterizations in a larger-scale model. We simulate a cold frontal rainband from the Aerosol Properties, PRocesses, And InfluenceS on the Earth's Climate campaign and investigate the impact of the new parameterizations on the simulated ice crystal number concentrations (ICNC) and precipitation. Near the convective regions of the rainband, contributions to ICNC can be as large from secondary production as from primary nucleation, but ICNCs greater than 50 L−1 remain underestimated by the model. Addition of the secondary production parameterizations also clearly intensifies the differences in both accumulated precipitation and precipitation rate between the convective towers and non-convective gap regions. We suggest, then, that secondary ice production parameterizations be included in large-scale models on the basis of large hydrometeor concentration and convective activity criteria.

scholarly journals Continuous secondary-ice production initiated by updrafts through the melting layer in mountainous regions

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 3855-3870
Author(s):  
Annika Lauber ◽  
Jan Henneberger ◽  
Claudia Mignani ◽  
Fabiola Ramelli ◽  
Julie T. Pasquier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Number Concentration ◽  
Ice Crystals ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Ice Crystal ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Melting Layer ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Ice Production ◽  
Droplet Fragmentation

Abstract. An accurate prediction of the ice crystal number concentration in clouds is important to determine the radiation budget, the lifetime, and the precipitation formation of clouds. Secondary-ice production is thought to be responsible for the observed discrepancies between the ice crystal number concentration and the ice-nucleating particle concentration in clouds. The Hallett–Mossop process is active between −3 and −8 ∘C and has been implemented into several models, while all other secondary-ice processes are poorly constrained and lack a well-founded quantification. During 2 h of measurements taken on a mountain slope just above the melting layer at temperatures warmer than −3 ∘C, a continuously high concentration of small plates identified as secondary ice was observed. The presence of drizzle drops suggests droplet fragmentation upon freezing as the responsible secondary-ice mechanism. The constant supply of drizzle drops can be explained by a recirculation theory, suggesting that melted snowflakes, which sedimented through the melting layer, were reintroduced into the cloud as drizzle drops by orographically forced updrafts. Here we introduce a parametrization of droplet fragmentation at slightly sub-zero temperatures, where primary-ice nucleation is basically absent, and the first ice is initiated by the collision of drizzle drops with aged ice crystals sedimenting from higher altitudes. Based on previous measurements, we estimate that a droplet of 200 µm in diameter produces 18 secondary-ice crystals when it fragments upon freezing. The application of the parametrization to our measurements suggests that the actual number of splinters produced by a fragmenting droplet may be up to an order of magnitude higher.

scholarly journals Continuous secondary ice production initiated by updrafts through the melting layer in mountainous regions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika Lauber ◽  
Jan Henneberger ◽  
Claudia Mignani ◽  
Fabiola Ramelli ◽  
Julie T. Pasquier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Number Concentration ◽  
Ice Crystals ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Ice Crystal ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Melting Layer ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Ice Production ◽  
Droplet Fragmentation ◽  
Precipitation Formation

Abstract. An accurate prediction of the ice crystal number concentration in clouds is important to determine the radiation budget, the lifetime, and the precipitation formation of clouds. Secondary ice production is thought to be responsible for the observed discrepancies between the ice crystal number concentration and the ice nucleating particle concentration in clouds. The Hallett-Mossop process is active between −3 °C and −8 °C and has been implemented into several models while all other secondary ice processes are poorly constrained and lack a well-founded quantification. During two hours of measurements taken on a mountain slope just above the melting layer at temperatures warmer than −3 °C, a continuously high concentration of small plates identified as secondary ice was observed. The presence of drizzle drops suggests droplet fragmentation upon freezing as the responsible secondary ice mechanism. The constant supply of drizzle drops can be explained by a recirculation theory, suggesting that melted snowflakes, which sedimented through the melting layer, were reintroduced into the cloud as drizzle drops by orographically forced updrafts. Here we introduce a parametrization of droplet fragmentation at high temperatures when primary ice nucleation is basically absent and the first ice is initiated by collision of drizzle drops with aged ice crystals sedimenting from higher altitudes. Based on previous measurements, we estimate that a droplet of 200 µm in diameter produces 18 secondary ice crystals when it fragments upon freezing. The application of the parametrization to our measurements shows high uncertainties, but the estimated number of splinters produced per fragmenting droplet (18–43) lies within the range of uncertainty if we assume that all droplets larger than 40 µm fragment when they freeze.

scholarly journals Microphysical investigation of the seeder and feeder region of an Alpine mixed-phase cloud

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiola Ramelli ◽  
Jan Henneberger ◽  
Robert O. David ◽  
Johannes Bühl ◽  
Martin Radenz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Phase ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Ice Formation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Orographic Precipitation ◽  
Local Flow ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Cloud Radar ◽  
Ice Production

Abstract. The seeder-feeder mechanism has been observed to enhance orographic precipitation in previous studies. However, the microphysical processes active in the seeder and feeder region are still being understood. In this paper, we investigate the seeder and feeder region of a mixed-phase cloud passing over the Swiss Alps, focusing on (1) fallstreaks of enhanced radar reflectivity originating from cloud top generating cells (seeder region) and (2) a persistent low-level feeder cloud produced by the boundary layer circulation (feeder region). Observations were obtained from a multi-dimensional set of instruments including ground-based remote sensing instrumentation (Ka-band polarimetric cloud radar, microwave radiometer, wind profiler), in situ instrumentation on a tethered balloon system and ground-based aerosol and precipitation measurements. The cloud radar observations suggest that ice formation and growth was enhanced within cloud top generating cells, which is consistent with previous observational studies. However, uncertainties exist regarding the dominant ice formation mechanism within these cells. Here we propose different mechanisms that potentially enhance ice nucleation and growth in cloud top generating cells (convective overshooting, radiative cooling, droplet shattering) and attempt to estimate their potential contribution from an ice nucleating particle perspective. Once ice formation and growth within the seeder region exceeded a threshold value, the mixed-phase cloud became fully glaciated. Local flow effects on the lee side of the mountain barrier induced the formation of a persistent low-level feeder cloud over a small-scale topographic feature in the inner-Alpine valley. In situ measurements within the low-level feeder cloud observed the production of secondary ice particles likely due to the Hallett–Mossop process and ice particle fragmentation upon ice–ice collisions. Therefore, secondary ice production may have been partly responsible for the elevated ice crystal number concentrations that have been previously observed in feeder clouds at mountain-top observatories. Secondary ice production in feeder clouds can potentially enhance orographic precipitation.

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