Investigation of the action of hygroscopic particles on a warm convective cloud from the results of numerical simulation

The results of a numerical simulation of the action of hygroscopic particles on a warm convective cloud with the purpose of obtaining additional precipitation are presented. The one-dimensional numerical model considered in this work describes the evolution of the cloud medium in the central part of an axisymmetric convective cloud at the specified height-variable velocity of the upward air flow which forms the cloud. Our model comprehensively describes microphysical processes in the cloud medium with the use of the kinetic equation for the size distribution of cloud droplets. This model makes it possible to obtain the spatiotemporal pattern of the cloud formation and development and to analyze regular features in the cloud evolution under the action of hygroscopic reagents. The cloud characteristics calculated with the use of this model correspond to the cloud parameters observed in natural conditions of the atmosphere. The process of precipitation stimulation by hygroscopic particles in convective clouds with vertical thicknesses of 2.5–4.5 km was analyzed on the basis of the results of numerical calculations. The results of calculations of the dependence of the intensity and total amount of precipitation on the vertical cloud thickness and parameters of particles introduced into the cloud are presented. It is shown that hygroscopic particles with root-mean-cube radii of 1–1.5 μm are the most effective for acting on warm convective clouds with the purpose of obtaining additional precipitation. In this case, the required reagent expenditure is 100–200 kg/km². The conditions necessary for obtaining the maximal positive effect of the action are elucidated.     

Formation of cloud microstructure during hygroscopic seeding

The evolution of cloud microstructure initiated by hygroscopic seeding is studied on the basis of numerical simulation of cloud formation in the initial stage of condensation. The influence of both physicochemical properties of atmospheric aerosol and atmospheric conditions controlling the cloud type on the microstructure of a developing cloud (without hygroscopic seeding) is analyzed. It is shown that cloud seeding with additional particles whose sizes exceed the characteristic size of atmospheric condensation nuclei leads to a decrease in the concentration of cloud droplets and an increase in their sizes. This result of cloud seeding represents a positive effect for stimulation of precipitation from convective clouds. It is shown that this positive effect is achieved if there are some relationships between the parameters characterizing the hygroscopic particles and the atmospheric conditions. In particular, the maximum effect of action can be achieved at some optimal concentration of seeded particles. The decrease in the concentration of cloud droplets because of hygroscopic seeding is compared to the results of numerical simulations performed by other authors with allowance for coagulation processes in clouds. It is shown that this decrease can serve as an estimate for the effectiveness of hygroscopic seeding as a means for artificial intensification of precipitation from convective clouds.     

Efficiency of stimulating precipitation from convective clouds using salt powders

Comparative estimates of the efficiency of hygroscopic reagents for the seeding of convective clouds to obtain additional precipitation are performed based on numerical simulation. It is shown that the use of polydisperse salt powders has many benefits over other known hygroscopic reagents. The effect of seeding with salt powders manifests itself at mass concentrations of hygroscopic particles an order of magnitude less than when pyrotechnic flares are used. With salt-powder seeding, it is possible to obtain precipitation from warm convective clouds of moderate thickness from which precipitation does not typically fall. In this case the effect of “reseeding” of clouds, which can be observed in seeding with hygroscopic reagents having narrow size distributions of particles, does not reveal itself.     

Numerical simulation of the action on a warm convective cloud by hygroscopic particles

A one-dimensional numerical model of a warm convective cloud is presented. This model is used to study the effectiveness of the action on the cloud by hygroscopic particles with the aim of intensifying precipitation. The numerical simulation takes into account the processes of condensation, coagulation, and sedimentation of cloud droplets and makes it possible to obtain spatiotemporal characteristics of cloud development. A system of differential equations describing time variations in the temperature, pressure, and watervapor supersaturation during the adiabatic rise of a continuous air flow is solved. The evolution of the size distribution of cloud droplets is described by a kinetic equation. A continuous acting source of droplets with the size distribution calculated with consideration for condensation properties and dispersion characteristics of condensation nuclei (natural and additionally introduced during the action) is specified at the cloud-base level. The cloud top is formed owing to the evaporation of droplets in the barrier atmospheric layer over the cloud. The influence of changes in the barrier-layer height on the structure of cloud parameters and precipitation-formation processes is analyzed. The introduction of additional hygroscopic particles into a cloud is shown to act as a trigger mechanism initiating the processes of coagulation and sedimentation in the cloud medium. In this case, a positive effect of action by fine particles can be achieved if a certain reserve of sufficiently large droplets is present in the cloud. The results of calculating the dependence of the action effect on the height of the barrier layer, restricting cloud development, are presented.     

Experimental investigations of the effect of cloud-medium modification by salt powders

The results of experimental investigations into the action of polydispersion salt powders on model cloud media are presented. The results of experiments show a considerable positive effect of the modification of convective clouds by salt powders in order to obtain additional precipitation. The introduction of polydispersion salt powder into a forming cloud medium leads to the appearance of large cloud droplets and to the droplet-spectrum broadening. This result is a positive factor for the stimulation of coagulation processes and further precipitation formation. No “overseeding” phenomenon (when, instead of the enlargement of droplets, their sizes decrease and the concentration of cloud droplets increases) is observed at rather high mass concentrations of the introduced powder.     

Modeling the convective cloudiness and its impact on the atmospheric gaseous composition

A combined three-dimensional numerical model of convective cloudiness with detailed microphysics and a model of the transport of atmospheric trace gases with gas- and aqueous-phase chemistry were developed. We consider the main physical mechanisms responsible for the formation of midsized droplet clouds and the transport of gases with differing solubility therein. Test numerical calculations were performed to investigate the sensitivity of the cloud model to variations in input parameters, as well as the variability of the ion composition of cloud drops with regard to their size distribution. The results of numerical calculations are presented with a preliminary analysis.     

On the use of poorly soluble hygroscopic substances for modification of warm clouds and fogs

From analysis of the relationships between the equilibrium state of condensation nuclei and the relative humidity, a conclusion is made concerning the preferred use of poorly soluble substances for the generation of artificial condensation nuclei (ACN) designed for modification of warm clouds and fogs with the purpose of their dissipation and precipitation formation. The advantage of poorly soluble substances over commonly used soluble salts is that the finely dispersed part of the spectrum of the poorly soluble ACN does not deliquesce and so is not involved in the formation of cloud droplets. For experimental testing of the conclusions, preference was given to cement, whose main soluble substance is calcium oxide with a solubility of about 1 g/l. The spectrum of dispersed cement particles was measured and compared with the spectra of pyrotechnic flares widely used for modification at present. The process of formation of the cloud droplet spectra was simulated in the aerosol chamber of the Institute of Experimental Meteorology by decreasing the preliminarily generated excess pressure. It was found in these experiments that, compared to the spectra of particles formed on background condensation nuclei, the introduction of dispersed cement leads to the broadening of spectra and to a decrease in the concentration of droplets. Even at the early stage of condensation, droplets with radii of ∼20 μm appear. In this case, no “overseeding” phenomenon is observed, which, for soluble substances, manifests itself in an increase in the concentration of cloud droplets with a large ACN concentration. These effects indicate that, according to the existing concepts about the mechanism of warm-cloud modification with hygroscopic substances, the introduction of poorly soluble ACN (in particular, dispersed cement) below the base of cumulus clouds should stimulate coagulation processes and accelerate rain-formation processes. Considerations are given that the introduction of poorly soluble ACN into the already existing cumulus or stratocumulus clouds or fogs should also result in the acceleration of precipitation-formation processes or cloud dispersal. Comparison of cement powder with the well-known means of warm-cloud and fog modification is carried out. Original Russian Text ? N.P. Romanov, A.S. Drofa, N.S. Kim, A.V. Savchenko, G.F. Yaskevich, 2006, published in Izvestiya AN. Fizika Atmosfery i Okeana, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 80–91.     

Electricity of the convective atmospheric boundary layer: Field observations and numerical simulation

The electric state of the middle-latitude convective atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is investigated during a point in time when it is not disturbed by clouds, precipitation, mist, or industrial aerosols. A numerical model is developed that estimates the electroaerodynamic state of the convective ABL. The model is parameterized using results of field observations and laboratory experiments. According to the model, vertical profiles of atmospheric electric field strength, space charge density, electric conductivity, and atmospheric electric current density are calculated in the horizontally homogeneous approximation with a high space-time resolution.     

A comparison of summer precipitation structures over the South China Sea and the East China Sea based on tropical rainfall measurementmission

The three-dimensional structures of summer precipitation over the South China Sea （SCS） and the East China Sea （ECS） are investigated based on tropical rainfall measurement mission （TRMM）. The primary results are as follows. First, both the convective and stratiform precipitation rates in the SCS are much higher than those of the ECS. The contribution of the convective cloud precipitation to the surface precipitation is primarily over the SCS and the ECS with a proportion of about 70%, but the contribution of convective cloud precipitation is slightly larger in the SCS than the ECS. The contribution of stratus precipitation is slightly larger in the ECS than that in the SCS. Second, the content of cloud particles and precipitation particles in the ECS in June was greater than that in the SCS, while in July and August, the content of cloud and precipitation particles in the ECS was less than that in the SCS. Third, the latent heat profile of the ECS is quite different from that of the SCS. In June, the peak values of evaporation and condensation latent heating rates in the ECS are greater than those in the SCS. In July and August, however, the peak values of evaporation and condensation latent heating rates in the ECS are about 0.05°/h less than those in the SCS.     

Convective cloud fields in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic: Satellite and ground-based observations

Convective cloudiness in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic is considered as an atmospheric spatially self-organized convective field. Convective cloud development is usually studied as a local process reflecting the convective instability of the turbulent planetary boundary layer over a heated surface. The convective cloudiness has a different dynamical structure in high latitudes. Cloud development follows cold-air outbreaks into the areas with a relatively warm surface. As a result, the physical and morphological characteristics of clouds, such as the type of convective cloud, and their geographical localization are interrelated. It has been shown that marginal sea ice and coastal zones are the most frequently occupied by Cu hum, Cu med convective clouds, which are organized in convective rolls. Simultaneously, the open water marine areas are occupied by Cu cong, Cb, which are organized in convective cells. An intercomparison of cloud statistics using satellite data ISCCP and ground-based observations has revealed an inconsistency in the cloudiness trends in these data sources: convective cloudiness decreases in ISCCP data and increases in the groundbased observation data. In general, according to the stated hypothesis, the retreat of the sea-ice boundary may lead to an increase in the amount of convective clouds.     

Hydrometeor structure of a composite monsoon depression using the TRMM radar

This paper addresses the use of a satellite-based radar for obtaining the composite structure (from several monsoon depressions) of the distribution of precipitation elements in the horizontal and the vertical. This composting is based on the use of a simple elliptical layout of coordinates along the major and minor axes of each storm as it passed over north central India. This satellite, called the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), carries onboard a microwave instrument known as the Precipitation Radar (PR). The vertical structure of hydrometeors provided by the radar is somewhat of the same quality as the ground-based Doppler radar units. The PR could identify many features such as the melting layers, height of convection, extent of anvils and types of precipitation over different sections of the composited monsoon depression. Furthermore, the asymmetric nature of surface rainfall that intensifies around the composited monsoon depression has also been mapped, which could provide several more details than was possible from other satellite-based estimates. It is found that the most intense precipitation occurs in the south-southwest region of the monsoon depression. The preponderance of stratiform rain and the coverage of fewer deep convective elements, especially over the orographic upslope region, are some other noticeable features obtained using the TRMM PR. The stratiform rain was noted to arise where the melting layers (in the radar reflectivity signatures) were located near 5 km. In those few occasions where tall rain clouds were discernible, the cloud tops were seen to extend all the way from 12 to 15 km. Rainfall amounts across the composite monsoon depression range from 10 to 100 mm d⁻¹. The 3–4 d passage time of one of those disturbances resulted in local rainfall totals of the order of 200–300 min d⁻¹.     

Weekly variations in temperature and precipitation in Moscow: Relation with weekly cycles of air pollutants and synoptic variability

The results of an analysis of intraweek differences in surface temperature precipitation, and optical aerosol thickness (τ₅₅₀) in Moscow and in the vertical profiles of air temperature and wind over central Russia within the 2000–2009 period are given. The relation between the weekly cycles of the meteorological parameters and those of anthropogenic pollutions and dynamic processes is studied.     

9012号热带气旋维持的卫星云图和垂直结构特征分析

本文根据卫星云图的演变和常规天气分析相结合，对9012号热带气旋登陆后维持水消的成因进行了分析。指出该热带气旋经久不消的重要原因为其西南侧对流云团和东北侧高空槽前对流云带与热带气旋云系相衔接在中低层东北气流引导下卷入，热带气旋内部的两条云带的维持，以及利有的环流条件。     

辽东湾冰季太阳辐射分析

利用渤海辽东湾ＪＺ２０－２石油平台上的气象和海冰观测数据,研究了冰季大气层和云层对太阳辐射的影响,结果表明,辽东湾冰季大气光学可取为０．８３,碧空、少云、多云阴天、雾天和雨雪等不同天气条件下的云量系数可分别取为０、３、６、８、９和１０。分析了冰水混合情况下海面对太阳辐射的反射情况;讨论了太阳辐射对冰面长波辐射和对流传热的影响。利用冰面太阳辐射的实测值和计算结果,对整个冰季内太阳辐射的规律进行了分析     

Cloud Formation over the Ocean upon Cold Air Intrusion

The problem of stationary vertical distribution of saturated moist air thermodynamic parameters that takes place, for example, in an eyewall cloud of a tropical cyclone is considered. Based on these distributions, the cloud-growth dynamics problem is also considered. The heat and moisture fluxes from the ocean surface are determined by the wind and temperature difference and subcloud layer condition and last after the beginning of cloud formation. They change the condition of both the cloud and the subcloud layer. The coexistence and interaction of the two different regions require additional conditions. We assume continuity of the temperature and humidity profiles at the lower cloud boundary. The problem of cloud formation over the warmer ocean with account for water-phase transformations is considered in the present study. The cloud boundaries (the upper and the lower) in the process are determined and the temperature and moisture profiles within the cloud are also investigated. The lower boundary dipping is determined while taking the subcloud moisture into account. An approximate analytical model of these processes is formulated, and the corresponding equations are solved numerically. Approximate equations govern the vertical cloud structure well.     

Suspension of sediment particles over a ripple due to turbulent convection under unsteady flow conditions

We analyzed the motions of small sediment particles over a sinusoidal ripple due to an unsteady turbulent boundary layer flow using Large Eddy Simulation. The motions of sediment particles are described in terms of the Lagrangian framework as it is helpful in studying the structure of sediment suspension in detail. Strong coherent vortical structures are well developed along the upslope of the ripple surface during the accelerating flow phase, which effectively drag the particles to the ripple crest. At the maximum flow rate and at the decelerating flow phase, a cloud of vortical structures is developed vertically in the lee area of the ripple. Sediment particles render strong dispersion in the vertical direction when they are captured by these turbulent vortices, causing convective sediment flux that cannot be explained by the mean flows. The convective sediment suspension is strongest at the time of flow deceleration, while over a flat bed at the time of flow reversal. This observation suggests that bed form effect should be considered in modeling convective sediment flux.     

Experiment Study of the Evolution of Coral Sand Particle Clouds in Water

The motion of particle clouds (i.e., sediment clouds) usually can be found in engineering applications such as wastewater discharge, land reclamation, and marine bed capping. In this paper, a series of laboratory tests are conducted on coral sand to investigate the shape feature of the single particle and the mixing processes of the coral sand particle clouds. The shape of coral sand particle is measured and quantified. The experimental results demonstrate that the shape of coral sand particles tends to be spherical as the particle size decreases, and empirical equations were established to explain the variation of D₅₀ and f_S,50 of coral sand. Compared with the silica sand, the evolution of the coral sand particle cloud still experiences three stages, but the threshold for the Reynolds number of particle clouds entering the next stage changes. Further, the normalized axial distance of the coral sand particle clouds is 58% smaller. The frontal velocity exhibits similar varying tendency for the coral sand particle cloud. Considering the difference in shape between coral sand particles and silica sand particles, a semi-empirical formula was proposed based on the original silica sand prediction formula by adding the shape factor and the experimental data of 122 µm⩽D₅₀⩽842 µm. It can predict the frontal velocity of the coral sand particle clouds.

     

“12·14”山东暴雪过程降水相态的多源观测分析

基于毫米波云雷达、降水天气现象仪、风廓线雷达、双偏振雷达、自动气象站等多源观测资料及欧洲中期天气预报中心（European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts,ECMWF）第五代大气再分析（ECMWF Reanalysis v5,ERA5）资料,对2023年12月14日山东暴雪过程的环流背景和降水粒子微物理参数进行分析,探讨新型观测资料在降水相态监测与预报中的应用。结果表明：（1）此次过程受高空槽、低空西南急流和江淮气旋影响,伴随地面气温下降和中层暖层消退,出现雨、雨夹雪、冰粒和雪等相态。（2）降水天气现象仪探测发现,雪和雨的下落末速度均较小,雪粒子直径超过8 mm,雨粒子直径大多在4 mm以下。（3）毫米波云雷达观测到反射率因子、径向速度、谱宽和垂直液态水含量降低时,雨夹雪转为雪。（4）风廓线雷达显示雨夹雪和冰粒阶段对应强的低空西南急流和最大垂直速度（4~5 m·s^-1）,转雪时3 km以下垂直速度降低至2 m·s^-1左右。（5）相关系数（C_c）、差分反射率（Z_DR）和水平极化反射率因子（Z_h）等双偏振参量可判断融化层亮带,亮带的下降和消失可指示此次过程雨向雪的转换。     

多普勒雷达资料在近海强台风模拟中的同化试验

利用中尺度数值模式(WRF),并同化了多普勒雷达反射率和径向速度资料以及非常规的观测资料,对近几年登陆于浙闽沿海的4例强台风进行了数值模拟。通过高时空分辨率的模拟结果对比分析表明:雷达资料的同化,对近海登陆台风路径和降水模拟以及中尺度降水特征都有进一步改进的效果;模拟较好的揭示了台风近中心螺旋云带中的强中尺度对流系统。通过模拟分析表明,在台风近中心的螺旋云带中,低层有一条强辐合线存在,它与实况多普勒雷达给出的低层平显(PPI)强度回波带有较好的对应关系,也与沿海地区中尺度暴雨系统紧密联系,并由此看到近海海域降水带和强对流区的存在。