A case study of microphysical structures and hydrometeor phase in convection using radar Doppler spectra at Darwin, Australia
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA (United States)
- Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
To understand the microphysical processes that impact diabatic heating and cloud lifetimes in convection, we need to characterize the spatial distribution of supercooled liquid water. To address this observational challenge, ground-based vertically pointing active sensors at the Darwin Atmospheric Radiation Measurement site are used to classify cloud phase within a deep convective cloud. The cloud cannot be fully observed by a lidar due to signal attenuation. Therefore, we developed an objective method for identifying hydrometeor classes, including mixed-phase conditions, using k-means clustering on parameters that describe the shape of the Doppler spectra from vertically pointing Ka-band cloud radar. Furthermore, this approach shows that multiple, overlapping mixed-phase layers exist within the cloud, rather than a single region of supercooled liquid. Diffusional growth calculations show that the conditions for the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process exist within one of these mixed-phase microstructures.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0012704; AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1402422
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1375069
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-114428-2017-JA; R&D Project: 2019‐BNL-EE630EECA-Budg; KP1701000; TRN: US1702870
- Journal Information:
- Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 44, Issue 14; ISSN 0094-8276
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
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