Characterizations of Aircraft Icing Environments that Include Supercooled Large Drops

Abstract

Abstract Measurements of aircraft icing environments that include supercooled large drops (SLD) greater than 50 μm in diameter have been made during 38 research flights. These flights were conducted during the First and Third Canadian Freezing Drizzle Experiments. A primary objective of each project was the collection of in situ microphysics data in order to characterize aircraft icing environments associated with SLD. In total there were 2793 30-s averages obtained in clouds with temperatures less than or equal to 0°C, maximum droplet sizes greater than or equal to 50 μm, and ice crystal concentrations less than 1 L−1. The data include measurements from 12 distinct environments in which SLD were formed through melting of ice crystals followed by supercooling in a lower cold layer and from 27 distinct environments in which SLD were formed through a condensation and collision–coalescence process. The majority of the data were collected at temperatures between 0° and −14°C, in stratiform winter clouds assoc...