NUMERICAL SIMULATION STDUY OF HAIL CLOUDPART Ⅱ.MECHANISM OF HALL FORMATION AND HAIL SUPPRESSION WITH SEEDING

A detailed 3-D hail cloud numerical model and parameterization of mierophysieal processeswere described in Part Ⅰ(Hong 1999)of this study.In this part,a hail cloud occurring in Xunyiarea.Shaanxi Province on July 8,1997 is simulated by the model to analyze mechanisms of hailformation and hail suppression with seeding.The results show that 97% of hail embryos are frozendrops.The seeding experiments with AgI in terms of heights show that if the seeding is madebefore hail formation,the optimum seeding position is located in the maximum updraft area and itscenter,i.e.,AgI is seeded in the zone with high water content to be coordinated with maximumzone of the updraft.The seeding makes concentrations of graupel and frozen drop increase andtheir average mass or size decrease,so that the proportion of conversion from graupel and frozendrop into hail descends greatly,and the mass and concentration of hailstone are decreased toachieve our purpose for hail suppression.     

Numerical Simulation of the Influence of Drop Size Distribution Shape on Cloud and Precipitation

At present,parameterization methods to describe cloud and precipitation processes are widely used in cloud and mesoscale models,but with different drop size distributions.When precipitation formation mechanism,weather modification technique,and mechanism of hail suppression with seeding are studied by using these models,a question that needs to be addressed is：what is the influence of different drop size distributions and related parameters on cloud and precipitation？In this paper,by using a three-dimensional hail cloud numerical model developed by the Institutes of Atmospheric Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences, we performed numerical experiments with varied drop size distribution parameters for two hail storms,and analyzed the influence of shape parameters（ar,ai,and ag）of raindrops,ice crystal,and graupel size distributions on rainfall,hail amount,and microphysical processes in clouds.The results show that the variation of ar has no effect on precipitation formation on the whole,but affects directly the production rates for the physical processes related to raindrop.The ag variation has a less obvious effect on rainfall amount,but has a significant effect on hail amount,hailfall rate,and rainfall intensity.It impacts noticeably on the generation rate of the number and mass of ice crystal,graupel,and hail,and also to various degrees on all the microphysical processes in clouds.The ag variation also influences the growing process of the hydrometeors.The effects of the ai variation on part of the generation and growing processes of all the hydrometeors are significant,and even dramatic,such as the collection process of cloud water to rain through melting ice crystal（T CLcir）.However,for clouds located in different geographic regions,the variation of ai has different effects on precipitation,which reflects the complexity of the impact of drop size distribution on cloud and precipitation.At last,some issues about the application of cloud models are also discussed.     

催化对降水区域外效应的中尺度数值模拟

The Fifth-Generation NCAR/Penn State Mesoscale Model (MM5) has been used to investigate the extra-area effects of silver iodide (AgI) seeding on stratiform clouds performed at the supercooled layer.A bulk two-moment microphysical scheme and the new software package for silver iodide are incorporated in MM5.Extra conservation equations are applied to trace the seeding agent,which is transported along the flow field and interacts with the supercooled cloud fields.In this study,the model was run using three nested grids,with 3.3 km × 3.3 km horizontal resolution in the finest grid.The model results showed that seeding with AgI at the 5 to 15℃ levels had microphysical effects on the simulated clouds and that the simulation produced a longer-lasting seeding effect because of the transport of the seeding agent by upper-level winds.Most of the AgI particles acted as deposition nuclei,and the deposition nucleation process contributed mostly to additional cloud ice formation in this study.The results showed that more precipitation results from seeded than unseeded case,and the precipitation was redistributed downwind of the target.Augmented precipitation (varying from 5% to 25% downwind) was confined in space to within 250 km of the seeding target and in time to the 3-h period after initial seeding.     

梅雨锋暴雨中云物理过程的观测和数值模拟

Cloud micro-physical structures in a precipitation system associated with the Meiyu front are observedusing the balloon-borne Precipitation Particle Image Sensor at Baoshan observatory station, Shanghaiduring June and July 1999. The vertical distributions of various cloud particle size, number density, andmass density are retrieved from the observations. Analyses of observations show that ice-phase particles(ice crystals, graupel, snowflakes, and frozen drops) often exist in the cloud of torrential rain associatedwith the Meiyu front. Among the various particles, ice crystals and graupel are the most numerous, butgraupel and snow have the highest mass density. Ice-phase particles coexist with liquid water dropletsnear the 0℃ level. The graupel is similarly distributed with height as the ice crystals. Raindrops belowthe 0℃ level are mainly from melted grauple, snowflakes and frozen drops. They may further grow largerby coalescence with smaller ones as they fall from the cloud base. Numerical simulations using the non-hydrostatic meso-scale model MM5 with the Reisner graupel explicit moisture scheme confirm the mainobservational results. Rain water at the lower level is mainly generated from the melting of snow andgraupel falling from the upper level where snow and graupel are generated and grown from collection withcloud and rain water. Thus the mixed-phase cloud process, in which ice phase coexists and interacts withliquid phase (cloud and rain drops), plays the most important role in the formation and development ofheavy convective rainfall in the Meiyu frontal system.     

The Role of Initial Cloud Condensation Nuclei Concentration in Hail Using the WRF NSSL 2-moment Microphysics Scheme

The effects of the initial cloud condensation nuclei(CCN) concentrations(100–3000 mg~(-1)) on hail properties were investigated in an idealized non-severe hail storm experiment using the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF) model, with the National Severe Storms Laboratory 2-moment microphysics scheme. The initial CCN concentration(CCNC) had obvious non-monotonic effects on the mixing ratio, number concentrations, and radius of hail, both in clouds and at the surface, with a CCNC threshold between 300 and 500 mg~(-1). An increasing CCNC is conducive(suppressive) to the amount of surface hail precipitation below(above) the CCNC threshold. The non-monotonic effects were due to both the thermodynamics and microphysics. Below the CCNC threshold, the mixing ratios of cloud droplets and ice crystals increased dramatically with the increasing CCNC, resulting in more latent heat released from condensation and frozen between 4 and 8 km and intensified updraft volume. The extent of the riming process, which is the primary process for hail production, increased dramatically. Above the CCNC threshold, the mixing ratio of cloud droplets and ice crystals increased continuously, but the maximum updraft volume was weakened because of reduced frozen latent heating at low level. The smaller ice crystals reduced the formation of hail and smaller clouds, with decreased rain water reducing riming efficiency so that graupel and hail also decreased with increasing CCNC, which is unfavorable for hail growth.     

Numerical Study on a Severe Downburst-Producing Thunderstorm on 23 August 2001 in Beijing

A thunderstorm that produced severe wind, heavy rain and hail on 23 August 2001 in Beijing was studied by a three-dimensional cloud model including hail-bin microphysics. This model can provide important information for hail size at the surface, which is not available in hail parameterization cloud models. The results shows that the cloud model, using hail-bin microphysics, could reasonably reflect the storm＇s characteristics such as life cycle, rainfall distribution and the diameter of the hailstones and also can reproduce developing processes of downbursts, where they can then be compared with the observed features of the storm. The downburst formation mechanism was investigated based on the cloud microphysics of the simulated storm and it was found that the downburst was primarily produced by hail-loading and enhanced by cooling processes that were due to hail melting and rain evaporation. The loading and melting of hail played crucial roles in the formation of downbursts within the storm.     

Cloud Seedability Study with a Dual-Model System

In this research,a novel dual-model system,one-dimensional stratiform cold cloud model(1DSC) coupled to Weather Research and Forecast(WRF) model(WRF-1DSC for short),was employed to investigate the effects of cloud seeding by silver iodide(AgI) on rain enhancement.Driven by changing environmental conditions extracted from the WRF model,WRF-1DSC could be used to assess the cloud seeding effects quantitatively.The employment of WRF-1DSC,in place of a one-dimensional two-moment cloud seeding model applied to a three-dimensional mesoscale cloud-resolving model,was found to result in massive reduction of computational resources.Numerical experiments with WRF-1DSC were conducted for a real stratiform precipitation event observed on 4-5 July 2004,in Northeast China.A good agreement between the observed and modeled cloud system ensured the ability of WRF-1DSC to simulate the observed precipitation process efficiently.Sensitivity tests were performed with different seeding times,locations,and amounts.Experimental results showed that the optimum seeding effect(defined as the percentage of rain enhancement or rain enhancement rate) could be achieved through proper seeding at locations of maximum cloud water content when the updraft was strong.The optimum seeding effect was found to increase by 5.61% when the cloud was seeded at 5.5 km above ground level around 2300 UTC 4 July 2004,with the maximum AgI mixing ratio(X s) equaling 15 ng kg 1.On the other hand,for an overseeded cloud,a significant reduction occurred in the accumulated precipitation(-12.42%) as X s reached 100 ng kg 1.This study demonstrates the potential of WRF1DSC in determining the optimal AgI seeding strategy in practical operations of precipitation enhancement.     

Comparison Between Computer Simulation of Transport and Diffusion of Cloud Seeding Material Within Stratiform Cloud and the NOAA-14 Satellite Cloud Track

A precipitation enhancement operation using an aircraft was conducted from 1415 to 1549 LST 14 March 2000 in Shaanxi Province. The NOAA-14 satellite data received at 1535 LST soon after the cloud seeding shows that a vivid cloud track appears on the satellite image. The length, average width and maximum width of the cloud track are 301 kin, 8.3 and 11 kin, respectively. Using a three-dimensional numerical model of transport and diffusion of seeding material within stratiform clouds, the spatial concentration distribution characteristics of seeding material at different times, especially at the satellite receiving time,are simulated. The model results at the satellite receiving time axe compared with the features of the cloud track. The transported position of the cloud seeding material coincides with the position of the track. The width, shape and extent of diffusion of the cloud seeding material are similar to that of the cloud track.The spatial variation of width is consistent with that of the track. The simulated length of each segment of the seeding line accords with the length of every segment of the track. Each segment of the cloud track corresponds to the transport and diffusion of each segment of the seeding line. These results suggest that the cloud track is the direct physical reflection of cloud seeding at the cloud top. The comparison demonstrates that the numerical model of transport and diffusion can simulate the main characteristics of transport and diffusion of seeding material, and the simulated results are sound and trustworthy. The area, volume, width, depth, and lateral diffusive rate corresponding to concentrations 1, 4, and 10 L^-1 are simulated in order to understand the variations of influencing range.     

A NUMERICAL MODEL OF MIXED CONVECTIVESTRATIFORM CLOUD

A 2-D slab-symmetric model of mixed convective-stratiform cloud is developed bysuperimposing convective cloud-size field on the convergence field,in order to simulate and studythe mixed clouds consisting of stratiform cloud and convective cloud.A deep convective,anelasticand conservative system of equations with basic variables(V,θ,π')is solved by a new method tocalculate dynamic field.The water substance in the cloud is divided into 6 categories and themicrophysical processes are described in spectrum with two variable parameters and morereasonable particle number/size distributions.To compare with measured radar echo intensity andstructure,the model may calculate echo intensity of the model cloud observed by radar.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF ACIDIFICATION PROCESSES IN COLD CUMULUS CLOUDS

In this paper, a 1-D time dependent cold cumulus chemistry model is presented. In the coldcumulus model, 4 categories of hydrometeors: cloud drops, raindrops, cloud ice crystals, graupelparticles, and 18 microphysical interactions are considered, In the chemical model, the source andsink terms for pollutants include: the complicated interactions between pollutants (gases andaerosol particles) and the hydrometeors (especially ice crystals and graupel particles), the ex-changes of chemical compounds between two hydrometeors accompanying microphysical processesand the aqueous oxidations of S (IV) to S (VI). The two models are combined to study the acidifi-cation processes in cold cumulus clouds.     

一次冰雹过程的卫星反演分析

A case of hailstorm process occurring on 24 June 2006 in northwestern China was studied using satellite retrieval methodology. The particle effective radius （re） in the cloud tops was calculated by the reflectance in the 3.7μm channel, and cloud-top microphysical properties were vividly represented using the RGB visual multispectral classification scheme. The microphysical zones of clouds and the processes of hail formation and development are inferred using the relations of cloud-top temperature （T） versus re for the tops of convective clouds. The results show that particle effective radius was smaller near the cloud base of hailstorm. There was a deep zone of diffusional droplet growth at the low level where the particles grew slowly with height, and there existed an evident area of small ice particles in the cloud top, suggesting the existence of a strong updraft in the clouds. The low glaciated temperature indicated a great depth from the cloud base to the glaciation height, which provided a deep layer of supercooled water for hail growth.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF MICROPHYSICAL PROCESSES IN CUMULONIMBUS——PART Ⅰ:MICROPHYSICAL MODEL

A comprehensive parameterized model of microphysical processes in cumulonimbus clouds is presented.The transformation rates of the water contents and number concentrations of the cloud droplets,rain drops,ice crystals,graupels and hails are deduced on theoretical and experimental results for 26 kinds of micro-physical processes,which include condensation,deposition,evaporation,collection,ice nucleation,ice mul-tiplication,melting,freezing,and autoconversions of cloud to rain,ice to graupel and graupel to hail.     

Numerical Simulation of Effects of Cloud Top Temperatures and Generating Cells on Secondary Ice Production in Stratiform Clouds with a Detailed Microphysical Model

This paper outlines a one-dimensional,heightdependent bin model with detailed microphysical processes in which ice splinters are produced by a riming process.The model is then applied to simulate the shift of particle size distribution effected by the secondary ice production process within clouds with different generating cells and cloud top temperatures.The result of model simulations reveals the general effects of cloud updrafts on increasing ice particle concentration by extending the residence time of ice particles in clouds and providing sufficiently large supercooled water droplets.The rimesplintering mechanism is more effective in clouds with lower ice seeding rates than those with higher rates.Evolutions of hydrometeor size distribution triggered by the rime-splintering mechanism indicate that the interaction between large ice particles and supercooled water drops adds a "second maximum" to the primary ice spectra.     

A Numerical Investigation on Microphysical Properties of Clouds and Precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau in Summer 2014

In order to improve our understanding of microphysical properties of clouds and precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), six cloud and precipitation processes with different intensities during the Third Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Science Experiment (TIPEX-Ⅲ) from 3 July to 25 July 2014 in Naqu region of the TP are investigated by using the high-resolution mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The results show unique properties of summertime clouds and precipitation processes over the TP. The initiation process of clouds is closely associated with strong solar radiative heating in the daytime, and summertime clouds and precipitation show an obvious diurnal variation. Generally, convective clouds would transform into stratiform clouds with an obvious bright band and often produce strong rainfall in midnight. The maximum cloud top can reach more than 15 km above sea level and the velocity of updraft ranges from 10 to 40 m s-1. The simulations show high amount of supercooled water content primarily located between 0 and -20℃ layer in all the six cases. Ice crystals mainly form above the level of -20℃ and even appear above the level of -40℃ within strong convective clouds. Rainwater mostly appears below the melting layer, indicating that its formation mainly depends on the melting process of precipitable ice particles. Snow and graupel particles have the characteristics of high content and deep vertical distribution, showing that the ice phase process is very active in the development of clouds and precipitation. The conversion and formation of hydrometeors and precipitation over the plateau exhibit obvious characteristics. Surface precipitation is mainly formed by the melting of graupel particles. Although the warm cloud microphysical process has less direct contribution to the formation of surface precipitation, it is important for the formation of supercooled raindrops, which are essential for the formation of graupel embryos through heterogeneous freezing process. The growth of graupel particles mainly relies on the riming process with supercooled cloud water and aggregation of snow particles.     

ANALYSING THE CLOUD MICRO- AND MACRO-PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE CYCLONE EYE WALL AND ITS SURROUNDING SPIRAL CLOUD BANDS BASED ON CLOUDSAT AND TRMM DATA

In this study, the micro- and macro-physical properties, thermal structure and precipitation characteristics of cyclone eye walls and their surrounding spiral clouds were analysed with CloudSat and TRMM data for five tropical cyclones (TCs) in 2013. The results show that the ice-phase clouds of a mature TC are mainly above 5 km. With increasing altitude, the cloud droplet effective radius decreases, and the particle number concentration increases. Ice water content first increases and then decreases with increasing height. In the eye area, in addition to the well-known warm-core area, another warm core is also apparent around the eye at a height of 8 to 15 km. The horizontal distribution of precipitation is characterized by large-scale stratiform precipitation mixed with independent convective precipitation. The height of precipitation is mostly below 7.5 km, and the heavy rain is mainly below 5 km. When the peripheral convective clouds are strong enough, ice particles would be generated, thus providing conditions that are favourable for the formation of precipitation below.     

Mesoscale numerical simulation study of warm fog dissipation by salt particles seeding

Based on the dynamic framework of WRF and Morrison 2-moment explicit cloud scheme, a salt-seeding scheme was developed and used to simulate the dissipation of a warm fog event during 6–7 November 2009 in the Beijing and Tianjin area. The seeding effect and its physical mechanism were studied. The results indicate that when seeding fog with salt particles sized 80 μm and at a quantity of 6 gm~(-2) at the fog top, the seeding effect near the ground surface layer is negative in the beginning period, and then a positive seeding effect begins to appear at 18 min, with the best effect appearing at 21 min after seeding operation. The positive effect can last about 35 min. The microphysical mechanism of the warm fog dissipation is because of the evaporation due to the water vapor condensation on the salt particles and coalescence with salt particles.The process of fog water coalescence with salt particles contributed mostly to this warm fog dissipation. Furthermore, two series of sensitivity experiments were performed to study the seeding effect under different seeding amounts and salt particles sizes. The results show that seeding fog with salt particles sized of 80 μm can have the best seeding effect, and the seeding effect is negative when the salt particle size is less than 10 μm. For salt particles sized 80 μm, the best seeding effect, with corresponding visibility of 380 m, can be achieved when the seeding amount is 30 g m~(-2).     

Influence of Graupel/Hail Parameters on the Simulation of a Convective System over Coastal South China in Summer

This paper discusses the effect of graupel/hail parameters on a convective system in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province. The simulation results using the original model settings were similar to observations in terms of radar reflectivity and sea level pressure, as well as the identification of hydrometeor particle classification by X-band dual-polarization radar data. Sensitivity tests using changed parameters of graupel/hail indicated that a size distribution with larger and denser but fewer hail hydrometers resulted in a weaker development of the convective system in the horizontal and vertical directions. With a large terminal velocity of hail, the melting rate of graupel and evaporation rate of rain were the lowest. Hail could reach the ground and the mixing ratio of rain was the largest near the ground. Precipitation, including rainwater and hail, was the largest. However, a size distribution with smaller and lighter but numerous graupel hydrometers resulted in a stronger development of the convective system. The melting rate of graupel and evaporation rate of rain were the largest. More graupel particles were stranded in the air for a longer time—and the maximum mixing ratio of rain was the largest. The precipitation amount, including rainwater only, was the smallest. The changes to graupel parameters also led to differences in microphysical processes.     

ALLOCATION DIFFERENCE ANALYSES OF WATER SUBSTANCES DURING TYPHOON LANDING PROCESSES

Based on a successful simulation of Typhoon Haikui (2012) using WRF (Weather Research & Forecasting) model with the WSM6 microphysics scheme, a high-resolution model output is presented and analyzed in this study. To understand the cause of the average gridded rainfall stability and increases after Haikui’s landfall, this research examines the fields of the physical terms as well as the vapor and condensate distributions and budgets, including their respective changes during the landing process. The environmental vapor supply following the typhoon landfall has no significant difference from that before the landfall. Although Haikui’s secondary circulation weakens, this circulation is not conducive to typhoon rainfall stability or increases, although the amounts of the six kinds of water substances (vapor, cloud water, cloud ice, snow, rain, and graupel) increase in the outer region of the typhoon. This reallocation of water substances is essential to the maintenance of rainfall. The six kinds of water substances are classified as vapor, clouds (cloud water and ice) and precipitation (snow, rain, and graupel) to diagnose their budgets. This sorting reveals that the changes in the budgets of different kinds of water substances, caused by the reduced mixing ratios of snow and ice, the water consumption of clouds, and the transformation of graupel, induce increased concentrations of precipitation fallout, which occur closer to the ground after typhoon landfall. In addition, this pattern is an efficient way for Haikui’s rainfall to remain stable after its landfall. Thus, the allocation and budget analyses of water substances are meaningful when forecasting the typhoon rainfall stability and increases after landfall.     

Parameterized Forward Operators for Simulation and Assimilation of Polarimetric Radar Data with Numerical Weather Predictions

Many weather radar networks in the world have now provided polarimetric radar data(PRD)that have the potential to improve our understanding of cloud and precipitation microphysics,and numerical weather prediction(NWP).To realize this potential,an accurate and efficient set of polarimetric observation operators are needed to simulate and assimilate the PRD with an NWP model for an accurate analysis of the model state variables.For this purpose,a set of parameterized observation operators are developed to simulate and assimilate polarimetric radar data from NWP model-predicted hydrometeor mixing ratios and number concentrations of rain,snow,hail,and graupel.The polarimetric radar variables are calculated based on the T-matrix calculation of wave scattering and integrations of the scattering weighted by the particle size distribution.The calculated polarimetric variables are then fitted to simple functions of water content and volumeweighted mean diameter of the hydrometeor particle size distribution.The parameterized PRD operators are applied to an ideal case and a real case predicted by the Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF)model to have simulated PRD,which are compared with existing operators and real observations to show their validity and applicability.The new PRD operators use less than one percent of the computing time of the old operators to complete the same simulations,making it efficient in PRD simulation and assimilation usage.     

Classification of Hailstone Trajectories in a Hail Cloud over a Semi-Arid Region in China

The growth trajectory of hailstones in clouds determines the ground intensity and spatial distribution of hailfall. A systematic study of hail trajectories can help improve the current scientific understanding of the mechanisms by which hail forms in semi-arid regions of China and, in doing so, improve the quality of hail forecasts and warnings and help to prevent and mitigate disasters. In this study, the WRFv3.7.1 model was employed to provide the background field to drive the hailstone trajec...