A case study of microphysical structures and hydrometeor phase in convection using radar Doppler spectra at Darwin, Australia
Abstract
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.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1];
[3];
[4]
- 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)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1402422
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1375069
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-114428-2017-JA
Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276; R&D Project: 2019‐BNL-EE630EECA-Budg; KP1701000; TRN: US1702870
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0012704; AC05-76RL01830
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 44; Journal Issue: 14; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; supercooled liquid; cloud phase; convection; Darwin Australia; radar Doppler spectra; k-means clustering
Citation Formats
Riihimaki, Laura D., Comstock, J. M., Luke, E., Thorsen, T. J., and Fu, Q. A case study of microphysical structures and hydrometeor phase in convection using radar Doppler spectra at Darwin, Australia. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1002/2017GL074187.
Riihimaki, Laura D., Comstock, J. M., Luke, E., Thorsen, T. J., & Fu, Q. A case study of microphysical structures and hydrometeor phase in convection using radar Doppler spectra at Darwin, Australia. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074187
Riihimaki, Laura D., Comstock, J. M., Luke, E., Thorsen, T. J., and Fu, Q. Wed .
"A case study of microphysical structures and hydrometeor phase in convection using radar Doppler spectra at Darwin, Australia". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074187. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1402422.
@article{osti_1402422,
title = {A case study of microphysical structures and hydrometeor phase in convection using radar Doppler spectra at Darwin, Australia},
author = {Riihimaki, Laura D. and Comstock, J. M. and Luke, E. and Thorsen, T. J. and Fu, Q.},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {10.1002/2017GL074187},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
number = 14,
volume = 44,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Wed Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}
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