Influence of the liquid layer within mixed-phase clouds on radar observations

Influence of the liquid layer within mixed-phase clouds on radar observations

Pfitzenmaier, L.
Dufournet, Y.
Unal, C.M.H.
Russchenberg, H.W.J.

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Geoscience & Remote Sensing

2014-09-01

Mixed-phase clouds play an important role in the earth system. They affect earth radiative balance and the climate (Comstock et al., 2007; Solomon et al., 2007) as well as the formation of precipitation (de Boer et al., 2009; Fan et al., 2011; Lamb and Verlinde, 2011). Within such mixed-phase clouds supercooled water droplets and ice particles are coexisting in the same volume and interact via microphysical processes (Shupe et al., 2008). This processes lead to growing of ice particles via Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process (Fan et al., 2011), riming, and/or aggregation (Lamb and Verlinde, 2011). In theory (Fan et al., 2011; Lamb and Verlinde, 2011) and in laboratory experiments (Fukuta and Takahashi, 1999) this processes are well described. Observing such processes within mixed-phase clouds is still a challenge and closely connected to the two phases and their interaction. To measure all the different properties of the hydrometeors nowadays a synergy of different instruments have to be used (de Boer et al., 2011; Shupe et al., 2008; Verlinde et al., 2013). One of the main goals is to get a better understanding of such effects of supercooled water droplets on ice crystals within mixed-phase clouds. A first step is therefore to be able to separate liquid and ice phase within such clouds. To be able to do this for any kind on mixed phase cloud type this paper show the development of a radar-based technique which allow such observations for different cloud types. This technique is also compared with standard ones using a synergy with lidar and/or microwave radiometer.

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ERAD 2014: 8th European Conference on Radar in Meteorology and Hydrology, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, 1-5 September 2014

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conference paper

(c) 2014 The Author(s)