Abstract
The microphysical characteristics of wintertime cold clouds in North China were investigated from 22 aircraft observation flights from 2014 to 2017, 2020, and 2021. The clouds were generated by mesoscale weather systems with little orographic component. Over the mixed-phase temperature range (−10°C to 0°C), the average fraction of liquid, mixed-phase, and ice cloud was 4.9%, 23.3%, and 71.8%, respectively, and the probability distribution of ice mass fraction was a half-U-shape, suggesting that ice cloud was the primary cloud type. The wintertime mixed-phase clouds in North China were characterized by large cloud droplet number concentration, small liquid water content (LWC), and small effective diameter of cloud droplets. The main reason for larger cloud droplet number concentration and smaller effective diameter of cloud droplets was the heavy pollution in winter in North China, while for smaller LWC was the lower temperature during flights and the difference in air mass type. With the temperature increasing, cloud droplet number concentration, LWC, and the size of ice particles increased, but ice number concentration and effective diameter of cloud droplets decreased, similar to other mid-latitude regions, indicating the similarity in the temperature dependence of cloud properties of mixed-phase clouds. The variation of the cloud properties and ice habit at different temperatures indicated the operation of the aggregation and riming processes, which were commonly present in the wintertime mixed-phase clouds. This study fills a gap in the aircraft observation of wintertime cold clouds in North China.
摘要
基于 2014 年至 2017 年、 2020 年和 2021 年的 22 次飞机观测航次, 我们研究了华北地区冬季冷云的微物理特征. 华北地区冬季冷云多由中尺度天气系统产生, 受到地形的影响较小. 在混合相温度范围内 (-40°C 至 0°C), 过冷云、 混合相云和冰云的平均出现频率分别为 4.9%、 23.3% 和 71.8%. 冰水质量比的概率密度分布为 “半U型”, 表明冰相是主导的云相态. 与其他中纬度地区相比, 华北地区冬季混合相云的云粒子数浓度较大, 液态水含量和云粒子有效直径较小. 云粒子数浓度较大和云粒子有效直径较小的主要原因是华北地区冬季污染严重, 而液态水含量较小的主要原因是飞行探测期间温度较低和气团类型的差异. 在混合相云中, 随着温度升高, 云粒子数浓度、 液态水含和冰晶的体积增大, 但冰晶数浓度和云粒子有效直径减小. 与其他中纬度地区相比, 云微物理参数随温度变化的趋势是相似的. 通过分析不同温度下的云微物理参数和冰晶形状, 我们发现凇附过程和聚并过程是混合相云中主要的微物理过程. 本研究的进行, 拓展了我们对于华北地区冬季冷云微物理特征的认识和理解, 弥补了之前冬季飞机云物理观测稀缺的不足.
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Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41925023, 91744208, 41575073, 41621005, and 42075084) and by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (Grant Nos. 2017YFA0604002 and 2016YFC0200503). This research is also supported by the Collaborative Innovation Center of Climate Change, Jiangsu Province.
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Article Highlights
• Ice clouds were the primary cloud type in winter in North China, while the proportions of mixed-phase and supercooled clouds were small.
• The temperature dependence of cloud properties for wintertime mixed-phase clouds was similar to other mid-latitude regions.
• The aggregation and riming processes were commonly presented in the wintertime mixed-phase clouds.
This paper is a contribution to the special issue on Cloud-Aerosol-Radiation-Precipitation Interaction: Progress and Challenges.
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Wu, X., Wang, M., Zhao, D. et al. The Microphysical Characteristics of Wintertime Cold Clouds in North China. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 39, 2056–2070 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-022-1274-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-022-1274-4