Size Distributions of Precipitation Particles in Frontal Clouds

Houze, Robert A.; Hobbs, Peter V.; Herzegh, Paul H.; Parsons, David B.

doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1979)036<0156:sdoppi>2.0.co;2

Cited by 172 publications

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“…For several cases of midlatitude cirrus Furtado et al (2015) compared the F07 moments to in situ measured moments, while ignoring particles less than 100 mm in size because of the current uncertainties in measuring the size of small ice at D , 100 mm, and found good correlations between the parameterization and measurements for all cases considered. However, poor correlations emerged in that study when the moments predicted by the Houze et al (1979) parameterization were compared against the in situ derived moments. The study of Furtado et al (2015) emphasizes that the F07 parameterization is a better representation of the ice PSD to apply to climate models in general than the Houze et al (1979) parameterization.…”

Section: The Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Therefore, it is currently unknown to what degree the F07 parameterization has been affected by the shattering of ice. However, this parameterization is more representative of cirrus PSDs than the Houze et al (1979) PSD parameterization, which is the current assumption in the MetUM operational model. The Houze et al (1979) parameterization is based on 37 in situ PSDs, 90% of which were measured at temperatures warmer than 2308C.…”

Section: The Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, this parameterization is more representative of cirrus PSDs than the Houze et al (1979) PSD parameterization, which is the current assumption in the MetUM operational model. The Houze et al (1979) parameterization is based on 37 in situ PSDs, 90% of which were measured at temperatures warmer than 2308C. Currently, within the operational MetUM, the Houze et al (1979) estimated PSD is kept constant at temperatures colder than 2358C.…”

Section: The Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Houze et al (1979) parameterization is based on 37 in situ PSDs, 90% of which were measured at temperatures warmer than 2308C. Currently, within the operational MetUM, the Houze et al (1979) estimated PSD is kept constant at temperatures colder than 2358C. This assumption means that at much colder temperatures, such as those that occur within the TTL region, there will be orders of magnitude more frequently occurring large ice crystals than there should be.…”

Section: The Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study of Furtado et al (2015) emphasizes that the F07 parameterization is a better representation of the ice PSD to apply to climate models in general than the Houze et al (1979) parameterization. This last statement is especially true in the TTL, given the above description of the Houze et al (1979) parameterization.…”

Section: The Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Impact of Two Coupled Cirrus Microphysics–Radiation Parameterizations on the Temperature and Specific Humidity Biases in the Tropical Tropopause Layer in a Climate Model

et al. 2016

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The impact of two different coupled cirrus microphysics-radiation parameterizations on the zonally averaged temperature and humidity biases in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) of a Met Office climate model configuration is assessed. One parameterization is based on a linear coupling between a model prognostic variable, the ice mass mixing ratio q i , and the integral optical properties. The second is based on the integral optical properties being parameterized as functions of q i and temperature, T c , where the mass coefficients (i.e., scattering and extinction) are parameterized as nonlinear functions of the ratio between q i and T c . The cirrus microphysics parameterization is based on a moment estimation parameterization of the particle size distribution (PSD), which relates the mass moment (i.e., second moment if mass is proportional to size raised to the power of 2) of the PSD to all other PSD moments through the magnitude of the second moment and T c . This same microphysics PSD parameterization is applied to calculate the integral optical properties used in both radiation parameterizations and, thus, ensures PSD and mass consistency between the cirrus microphysics and radiation schemes. In this paper, the temperature-nondependent and temperature-dependent parameterizations are shown to increase and decrease the zonally averaged temperature biases in the TTL by about 1 K, respectively. The temperature-dependent radiation parameterization is further demonstrated to have a positive impact on the specific humidity biases in the TTL, as well as decreasing the shortwave and longwave biases in the cloudy radiative effect. The temperature-dependent radiation parameterization is shown to be more consistent with TTL and global radiation observations.

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Section: The Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: The Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Parameterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The Impact of Two Coupled Cirrus Microphysics–Radiation Parameterizations on the Temperature and Specific Humidity Biases in the Tropical Tropopause Layer in a Climate Model

et al. 2016

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Evaluation of cloud‐resolving and limited area model intercomparison simulations using TWP‐ICE observations: 1. Deep convective updraft properties

et al. 2014

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Ten 3-D cloud-resolving model simulations and four 3-D limited area model simulations of an intense mesoscale convective system observed on 23-24 January 2006 during the Tropical Warm Pool-International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE) are compared with each other and with observed radar reflectivity fields and dual-Doppler retrievals of vertical wind speeds in an attempt to explain published results showing a high bias in simulated convective radar reflectivity aloft. This high-bias results from ice water content being large, which is a product of large, strong convective updrafts, although hydrometeor size distribution assumptions modulate the size of this bias. Making snow mass more realistically proportional to D 2 rather than D 3 eliminates unrealistically large snow reflectivities over 40 dBZ in some simulations. Graupel, unlike snow, produces high biased reflectivity in all simulations, which is partly a result of parameterized microphysics but also partly a result of overly intense simulated updrafts. Peak vertical velocities in deep convective updrafts are greater than dual-Doppler-retrieved values, especially in the upper troposphere. Freezing of liquid condensate, often rain, lofted above the freezing level in simulated updraft cores greatly contributes to these excessive upper tropospheric vertical velocities. The strongest simulated updraft cores are nearly undiluted, with some of the strongest showing supercell characteristics during the multicellular (presquall) stage of the event. Decreasing horizontal grid spacing from 900 to 100 m slightly weakens deep updraft vertical velocity and moderately decreases the amount of condensate aloft but not enough to match observational retrievals. Therefore, overly intense simulated updrafts may additionally be a product of unrealistic interactions between convective dynamics, parameterized microphysics, and large-scale model forcing that promote different convective strengths than observed.

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Particle size distribution properties in mixed‐phase monsoon clouds from in situ measurements during CAIPEEX

et al. 2015

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A comprehensive analysis of particle size distributions measured in situ with airborne instrumentation during the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) is presented. In situ airborne observations in the developing stage of continental convective clouds during premonsoon (PRE), transition, and monsoon (MON) period at temperatures from 25 to −22°C are used in the study. The PRE clouds have narrow drop size and particle size distributions compared to monsoon clouds and showed less development of size spectra with decrease in temperature. Overall, the PRE cases had much lower values of particle number concentrations and ice water content compared to MON cases, indicating large differences in the ice initiation and growth processes between these cloud regimes. This study provided compelling evidence that in addition to dynamics, aerosol and moisture are important for modulating ice microphysical processes in PRE and MON clouds through impacts on cloud drop size distribution. Significant differences are observed in the relationship of the slope and intercept parameters of the fitted particle size distributions (PSDs) with temperature in PRE and MON clouds. The intercept values are higher in MON clouds than PRE for exponential distribution which can be attributed to higher cloud particle number concentrations and ice water content in MON clouds. The PRE clouds tend to have larger values of dispersion of gamma size distributions than MON clouds, signifying narrower spectra. The relationships between PSDs parameters are presented and compared with previous observations.

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Size Distributions of Precipitation Particles in Frontal Clouds

Cited by 172 publications

References 0 publications

The Impact of Two Coupled Cirrus Microphysics–Radiation Parameterizations on the Temperature and Specific Humidity Biases in the Tropical Tropopause Layer in a Climate Model

The Impact of Two Coupled Cirrus Microphysics–Radiation Parameterizations on the Temperature and Specific Humidity Biases in the Tropical Tropopause Layer in a Climate Model

Evaluation of cloud‐resolving and limited area model intercomparison simulations using TWP‐ICE observations: 1. Deep convective updraft properties

Particle size distribution properties in mixed‐phase monsoon clouds from in situ measurements during CAIPEEX

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