Ice multiplication from ice-ice collisions in the high Arctic: sensitivity to ice habit, rimed fraction and the spectral representation of the colliding particles
Atmospheric models often fail to correctly reproduce the microphysical structure of Arctic mixed-phase clouds and underpredict ice water content, even when simulations are constrained by the observed levels of ice nucleating particles. In this study we investigate whether ice multiplication from ice...
Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2020
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-786 https://acp.copernicus.org/preprints/acp-2020-786/ |
Summary: | Atmospheric models often fail to correctly reproduce the microphysical structure of Arctic mixed-phase clouds and underpredict ice water content, even when simulations are constrained by the observed levels of ice nucleating particles. In this study we investigate whether ice multiplication from ice-ice collisions, a process missing in most models, can account for the observed cloud ice in a stratocumulus cloud observed during the Arctic Summer Cloud Study campaign. Our results indicate that including ice-ice collisions can improve the modeled cloud water properties, but the degree of influence depends on other poorly constrained microphysical aspects that include ice habit, rimed fraction and cloud ice-to-snow autoconversion rate. Simulations with dendrites are less sensitive to variations in the assumed rimed fraction of the particle that undergoes break-up, compared to those with planar ice. Activating cloud ice-to-snow autoconversion decreases the sensitivity of the break-up process to both the assumed ice habit and rimed fraction. Finally, adapting a relatively small value for the threshold diameter at which cloud ice is converted to snow enhances break-up efficiency and improves the macrophysical representation of the cloud. |
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