ISSN 1006-9895

CN 11-1768/O4

Numerical Simulation Study on the Microphysical Characteristics of Stratiform Clouds with Embedded Convections in Northern China based on Aircraft Measurements
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    Abstract:

    To characterize the microphysical characteristics and transformation process of stratiform clouds with embedded convections, a study was performed using the WRFV3 model and based on two aircraft measurements taken on May 1, 2009. The aircraft observation results showed that significant differences in the shapes and formation process of ice particles existed between the regions of stratiform cloud and embedded convection. Compared with the embedded convection region, the stratiform cloud featured more complicated shapes of ice crystals, including needle column, capped column, and dendrite types. However, the dendrite-type ice crystals dominated in the embedded convection region, and their growth was controlled by aggregation and riming processes. Overall, the results indicated that the basic characteristics of this stratiform cloud with embedded convections simulated by the WRF model agreed well with the aircraft observations, including cloud distribution, LWC, and numerical concentration on the flight route. The simulation results showed that in the stratiform cloud, with higher cloud water content and larger W, embedded convection could be developed because of a strong riming process. The hydrometeors of snow, graupel, and rainwater in the clouds accounted for 51.9%, 31.0%, and 16.0%, respectively, while cloud ice and cloud water accounted for very little. In the higher level, snow and graupel grew through deposition process. In the lower level, they grew through the riming process and melted into rain. Stratiform clouds with lower cloud water content and smaller W would remain as stratiform cloud. The hydrometeors of snow, rainwater, and cloud ice accounted for 90.4%, 6.1%, and 3.5%, respectively. The ice and snow grew through deposition process and melted into rain in the lower level.

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History
  • Received:January 23,2019
  • Revised:
  • Adopted:
  • Online: September 27,2020
  • Published: