Abstract
Abstract. The projections of small ice crystals (with maximum dimension <50 μm) appear quasi-circular when imaged by probes on aircraft flying through cloud. Therefore, idealized models constructed to calculate their single-scattering properties have included quasi-spherical models such as Chebyshev particles, Gaussian random spheres, and droxtals. Recently, an ice analogue grown from sodium fluorosilicate solution on a glass substrate, with several columns emanating from a common center of mass, was shown to be quasi-circular when imaged by state-of-the-art cloud probes. In this study, a new idealized model, called the budding Bucky ball (3B) that resembles the shape of the small ice analogue is developed. The corresponding single-scattering properties (scattering phase function P11 and asymmetry parameter g) are computed by a ray-tracing code. Compared with previously used models, 3B scatters less light in the forward and more light in the lateral and backward directions. The Chebyshev particles and Gaussian random spheres show smooth and featureless P11, whereas droxtals and 3Bs, which have a faceted structure, show several peaks in P11 associated with angles of minimum deviation. Overall, the difference in the forward (lateral; backward) scattering between models are up to 22% (994%; 132%), 20% (510%; 101%), and 16% (146%; 156%) for small ice crystals with respective area ratios of 0.85, 0.77, and 0.69. The g for different models varies by up to 25%, 23%, and 19% for particles with area ratios of 0.85, 0.77, and 0.69, respectively. Because the single-scattering properties of small ice crystals depend both on the choice of the idealized model and the area ratios used to characterize the small ice crystals, higher resolution observations of small ice crystals or direct observations of their single-scattering properties are required.
Highlights
Because cirrus located in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere occur at very cold temperatures (
These models do not have the arm structures shown in the small ice analogue and in the small ice crystals grown in the DRI fall tower
Images of ice crystals from cloud probes installed on aircraft flying through clouds during TWP-ICE and other field those for the other models by up to 24.60% because the com- campaigns in diverse geographic regimes have shown that plex shape of the 3.5 Budding Bucky ball (3B) allows for more lateral and backward 34 small ice crystals appear quasi-circular
Summary
Because cirrus located in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere occur at very cold temperatures (
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