Precipitation properties of single-layer mixed-phase clouds in Barrow, Alaska

第6回極域科学シンポジウム[OM] 極域気水圏11月16日（月）　国立極地研究所１階交流アトリウ

Supercooled Liquid Water Detection Capabilities from Ka-Band Doppler Profiling Radars: Moment-Based Algorithm Formulation and Assessment

The occurrence of supercooled liquid water in mixed-phase cloud (MPC) affects their cloud microphysical and radiative properties. The prevalence of MPCs in the mid- and high latitudes translates these effects to significant contributions to Earth’s radiative balance and hydrological cycle. The current study develops and assesses a radar-only, moment-based phase partition technique for the demarcation of supercooled liquid water volumes in arctic, MPC conditions. The study utilizes observations from the Ka band profiling radar, the collocated high spectral resolution lidar, and ambient temperature profiles from radio sounding deployments following a statistical analysis of 5.5 years of data (January 2014–May 2019) from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement observatory at the North Slope of Alaska. The ice/liquid phase partition occurs via a per-pixel, neighborhood-dependent algorithm based on the premise that the partitioning can be deduced by examining the mean values of locally sampled probability distributions of radar-based observables and then compare those against the means of climatologically derived, per-phase probability distributions. Analyzed radar observables include linear depolarization ratio (LDR), spectral width, and vertical gradients of reflectivity factor and radial velocity corrected for vertical air motion. Results highlight that the optimal supercooled liquid water detection skill levels are realized for the radar variable combination of spectral width and reflectivity vertical gradient, suggesting that radar-based polarimetry, in the absence of full LDR spectra, is not as critical as Doppler capabilities. The cloud phase masking technique is proven particularly reliable when applied to cloud tops with an Equitable Threat Score (ETS) of 65%; the detection of embedded supercooled layers remains much more uncertain (ETS = 27%)

Deriving Mixed-Phase Cloud Properties from Doppler Radar Spectra

In certain circumstances, millimeter-wavelength Doppler radar velocity spectra can be used to estimate the microphysical composition of both phases of mixed-phase clouds. This distinction is possible when the cloud properties are such that they produce a bimodal Doppler velocity spectrum. Under these conditions, the Doppler spectrum moments of the distinct liquid and ice spectral modes may be computed independently and used to quantitatively derive properties of the liquid droplet and ice particle size distributions. Additionally, the cloud liquid spectral mode, which is a tracer for clear-air motions, can be used to estimate the vertical air motion and to correct estimates of ice particle fall speeds. A mixed-phase cloud case study from the NASA Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cloud Layers-Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE) is used to illustrate this new retrieval approach. The case of interest occurred on 29 July 2002 when a supercooled liquid cloud layer based at 5 km AGL and precipitating ice crystals advected over a ground measurement site. Ground-based measurements from both 35- and 94-GHz radars revealed clear bimodal Doppler velocity spectra within this cloud layer. Profiles of radar reflectivity were computed independently from the liquid and ice spectral modes of the velocity spectra. Empirical reflectivity-based relationships were then used to derive profiles of both liquid and ice microphysical parameters, such a

Retrieval of vertical air motion in precipitating clouds using Mie scattering and comparison with in situ measurements

The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-16-0158.1For the first time, the Mie notch retrieval technique is applied to airborne cloud Doppler radar observations in warm precipitating clouds to retrieve the vertical air velocity profile above the aircraft. The retrieval algorithm prescribed here accounts for two major sources of bias: aircraft motion and horizontal wind. The retrieval methodology is evaluated using the aircraft in situ vertical air velocity measurements. The standard deviations of the residuals for the retrieved and in situ measured data for an 18-s time segment are 0.21 and 0.24 m s−1, respectively; the mean difference between the two is 0.01 m s−1. For the studied cases, the total theoretical uncertainty is less than 0.19 m s−1 and the actual retrieval uncertainty is about 0.1 m s−1. These results demonstrate that the Mie notch technique combined with the bias removal procedure described in this paper can successfully retrieve vertical air velocity from airborne radar observations with low spectral broadening due to Doppler fading, which enables new opportunities in cloud and precipitation research. A separate spectral peak due to returns from the cloud droplets is also observed in the same radar Doppler spectra and is also used to retrieve vertical air motion. The vertical air velocities retrieved using the two different methods agree well with each other, and the correlation coefficient is as high as 0.996, which indicates that the spectral peak due to cloud droplets might provide another way to retrieve vertical air velocity in clouds when the Mie notch is not detected but the cloud droplets’ spectral peak is discernable.ONR N000140810465

Scaling of drizzle virga depth with cloud thickness for marine stratocumulus clouds

Drizzle is frequently observed in marine stratocumulus clouds and plays a crucial role in cloud lifetime and the radiation budget. Most drizzling stratocumulus clouds form drizzle virga below cloud base, where subcloud scavenging and evaporative cooling are important. We use unique ground‐based cloud radar observations (1) to examine the statistical properties of drizzle frequency and virga depth and (2) to test a simple analytical relationship derived between drizzle virga thickness (Hv) and cloud thickness (Hc). Observations show that 83% of marine stratocumulus clouds are drizzling although only 31% generate surface precipitation. The analytical expression for Hv is derived as a function of Hc and subcloud relative humidity considering in‐cloud accretion and subcloud evaporation of drizzle drops. The derived third‐order power law relationship,, shows good agreement with long‐term observational data. Our formula provides a simple parameterization for drizzle virga of stratocumulus clouds suitable for use in models

Analysis of the microphysical properties of snowfall using scanning polarimetric and vertically pointing multi-frequency Doppler radars

Radar dual-wavelength ratio (DWR) measurements from the Stony Brook Radar Observatory Ka-band scanning polarimetric radar (KASPR, 35 GHz), a W-band profiling radar (94 GHz), and a next-generation K-band (24 GHz) micro rain radar (MRRPro) were exploited for ice particle identification using triple-frequency approaches. The results indicated that two of the radar frequencies (K and Ka band) are not sufficiently separated; thus, the triple-frequency radar approaches had limited success. On the other hand, a joint analysis of DWR, mean Doppler velocity (MDV), and polarimetric radar variables indicated potential in identifying ice particle types and distinguishing among different ice growth processes and even in revealing additional microphysical details. We investigated all DWR pairs in conjunction with MDV from the KASPR profiling measurements and differential reflectivity (ZDR) and specific differential phase (KDP) from the KASPR quasi-vertical profiles. The DWR-versus-MDV diagrams coupled with the polarimetric observables exhibited distinct separations of particle populations attributed to different rime degrees and particle growth processes. In fallstreaks, the 35–94 GHz DWR pair increased with the magnitude of MDV corresponding to the scattering calculations for aggregates with lower degrees of riming. The DWR values further increased at lower altitudes while ZDR slightly decreased, indicating further aggregation. Particle populations with higher rime degrees had a similar increase in DWR but a 1–1.5 m s−1 larger magnitude of MDV and rapid decreases in KDP and ZDR. The analysis also depicted the early stage of riming where ZDR increased with the MDV magnitude collocated with small increases in DWR. This approach will improve quantitative estimations of snow amount and microphysical quantities such as rime mass fraction. The study suggests that triple-frequency measurements are not always necessary for in-depth ice microphysical studies and that dual-frequency polarimetric and Doppler measurements can successfully be used to gain insights into ice hydrometeor microphysics

Two Distinct Modes in One-Day Rainfall Event during MC3E Field Campaign: Analyses of Disdrometer Observations and WRF-SBM Simulation

A unique microphysical structure of rainfall is observed by the surface laser optical Particle Size and Velocity (Parsivel) disdrometers on 25 April 2011 during Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E). According to the systematic differences in rainfall rate and bulk effective droplet radius, the sampling data can be divided into two groups; the rainfall mostly from the deep convective clouds has relatively high rainfall rate and large bulk effective droplet radius, whereas the reverse is true for the rainfall from the shallow wrm clouds. The Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with spectral bin microphysics (WRF-SBM) successfully reproduces the two distinct modes in the observed rainfall microphysical structure. The results show that the up-to-date model can demonstrate how the cloud physics and the weather condition on the day are involved in forming the unique rainfall characteristic