Secondary Ice Formation Research Articles

Simulating the seeder–feeder impacts on cloud ice and precipitation over the Alps

Abstract. The ice phase impacts many cloud properties as well as cloud lifetime. Ice particles that sediment into a lower cloud from an upper cloud (external seeder–feeder process) or into the mixed-phase region of a deep cloud from cirrus levels (internal seeder–feeder process) can influence the ice phase of the lower cloud, amplify cloud glaciation and enhance surface precipitation. Recently, numerical weather prediction modeling studies have aimed at representing the ice crystal number concentration in mixed-phase clouds more accurately by including secondary ice formation processes. The increase in the ice crystal number concentration can impact the number of ice particles that sediment into the lower cloud and alter its composition and precipitation formation. In the Swiss Alps, the orography permits the formation of orographic clouds, making it ideal for studying the occurrence of multi-layered clouds and the seeder–feeder process. We present results from a case study on 18 May 2016, showing the occurrence frequency of multi-layered clouds and the seeder–feeder process. About half of all observed clouds were categorized as multi-layered, and the external seeder–feeder process occurred in 10 % of these clouds. Between cloud layers, ≈60 % of the ice particle mass was lost due to sublimation or melting. The external seeder–feeder process was found to be more important than the internal seeder–feeder process with regard to the impact on precipitation. In the case where the external seeder–feeder process was inhibited, the average surface precipitation and riming rate over the domain were both reduced by 8.5 % and 3.9 %, respectively. When ice–graupel collisions were allowed, further large reductions were seen in the liquid water fraction and riming rate. Inhibiting the internal seeder–feeder process enhanced the liquid water fraction by 6 % compared to a reduction of 5.8 % in the cloud condensate, therefore pointing towards the de-amplification in cloud glaciation and a reduction in surface precipitation. Adding to the observational evidence of frequent seeder–feeder situations, at least over Switzerland, our study highlights the extensive influence of sedimenting ice particles on the properties of feeder clouds as well as on precipitation formation.

A bin microphysics parcel model investigation of secondary ice formation in an idealised shallow convective cloud

Abstract. We provide the first systematic study of ice formation in idealised shallow clouds from collisions of supercooled water drops with ice particles (mode 2). Using the University of Manchester bin microphysics parcel model, we investigated the sensitivity of ice formation due to mode 2 for a wide range of parameters, including aerosol particle size distribution, updraft speed, cloud-base temperature, cloud depth, ice-nucleating particle concentration, and freezing fraction of mode 2. We provide context to our results with other secondary ice production mechanisms as single mechanisms and combinations (rime splintering, spherical freezing fragmentation of drops (mode 1), and ice–ice collisions). There was a significant sensitivity to aerosol particle size distribution when updraft speeds were low (0.5 m s−1); secondary ice formation did not occur when the aerosol particle size distribution mimicked polluted environments. Where secondary ice formation did occur in simulated clouds, significant ice formation in the shallower clouds (1.3 km deep) was due to mode 2 or a combination which included mode 2. The deeper clouds (2.4 km deep) also had significant contributions from rime splintering or ice–ice collisional breakup secondary ice production (SIP) mechanisms. While simulations with cloud-base temperatures of 7 ∘C were relatively insensitive to ice-nucleating particle concentrations, there was a sensitivity in simulations with cloud-base temperatures of 0 ∘C. Increasing the ice-nucleating particle concentration delayed ice formation. Our results suggest that collisions of supercooled water drops with ice particles may be a significant ice formation mechanism within shallow convective clouds where rime splintering is not active.

Inferring the Properties of Snow in Southern Ocean Shallow Convection and Frontal Systems Using Dual-Polarization C-Band Radar

Abstract We use dual-polarization C-band data collected in the Southern Ocean to examine the properties of snow observed during a voyage in the austral summer of 2018. Using existing forward modeling formalisms based on an assumption of Rayleigh scattering by soft spheroids, an optimal estimation algorithm is implemented to infer snow properties from horizontally polarized radar reflectivity, the differential radar reflectivity, and the specific differential phase. From the dual-polarization observables, we estimate ice water content qi, the mass-mean particle size Dm, and the exponent of the mass–dimensional relationship bm that, with several assumptions, allow for evaluation of snow bulk density, and snow number concentration. Upon evaluating the uncertainties associated with measurement and forward model errors, we determine that the algorithm can retrieve qi, Dm, and bm within single-pixel uncertainties conservatively estimated in the range 120%, 60%, and 40%, respectively. Applying the algorithm to open-cellular convection in the Southern Ocean, we find evidence for secondary ice formation processes within multicellular complexes. In stratiform precipitation systems we find snow properties and infer processes that are distinctly different from the shallow convective systems with evidence for riming and aggregation being common. We also find that embedded convection within the frontal system produces precipitation properties consistent with graupel. Examining 5 weeks of data, we show that snow in open-cellular cumulus has higher overall bulk density than snow in stratiform precipitation systems with implications for interpreting measurements from space-based active remote sensors.

Secondary ice production processes in wintertime alpine mixed-phase clouds

Abstract. Observations of orographic mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) have long shown that measured ice crystal number concentrations (ICNCs) can exceed the concentration of ice nucleating particles by orders of magnitude. Additionally, model simulations of alpine clouds are frequently found to underestimate the amount of ice compared with observations. Surface-based blowing snow, hoar frost, and secondary ice production processes have been suggested as potential causes, but their relative importance and persistence remains highly uncertain. Here we study ice production mechanisms in wintertime orographic MPCs observed during the Cloud and Aerosol Characterization Experiment (CLACE) 2014 campaign at the Jungfraujoch site in the Swiss Alps with the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF). Simulations suggest that droplet shattering is not a significant source of ice crystals at this specific location, but breakups upon collisions between ice particles are quite active, elevating the predicted ICNCs by up to 3 orders of magnitude, which is consistent with observations. The initiation of the ice–ice collisional breakup mechanism is primarily associated with the occurrence of seeder–feeder events from higher precipitating cloud layers. The enhanced aggregation of snowflakes is found to drive secondary ice formation in the simulated clouds, the role of which is strengthened when the large hydrometeors interact with the primary ice crystals formed in the feeder cloud. Including a constant source of cloud ice crystals from blowing snow, through the action of the breakup mechanism, can episodically enhance ICNCs. Increases in secondary ice fragment generation can be counterbalanced by enhanced orographic precipitation, which seems to prevent explosive multiplication and cloud dissipation. These findings highlight the importance of secondary ice and seeding mechanisms – primarily falling ice from above and, to a lesser degree, blowing ice from the surface – which frequently enhance primary ice and determine the phase state and properties of MPCs.

Pathways of precipitation formation in different thermodynamic and aerosol environments over the Indian Peninsula

This study examines precipitation pathways in different thermodynamic and aerosol environments over the Indian peninsula. A three-dimensional idealized Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) model with spectral bin microphysics is used to simulate convective clouds growing under different monsoon environments. Numerical simulations were evaluated using in-situ measurements from the Cloud-Aerosol Interactions and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX). Sensitivity studies were carried out using varied combinations of water vapor mixing ratio (by ±10 and ± 20%) and cloud condensation nuclei number concentrations (100 and 3000 cm−3). The response of various microphysical process rates to the changes in moisture and aerosol is analyzed. The clouds developed in a moist environment have a greater cloud depth, more supercooled liquid, broader cloud drop spectra, earlier onset of mixed-phase regimes, and enhanced precipitation. The amount of moisture is an important factor in determining the aerosol effects on cloud phase and precipitation, with a more significant aerosol impact in the moist environment (+ 20%). An increase in aerosol number concentration results in an enhanced mixed-phase fraction, updraft velocity, and precipitation, mainly through enhancing deposition and aggregation rates. The overall change in moisture by ±20% in cloud properties and precipitation is much more significant than the ten-times change in aerosol concentrations. The secondary ice formation via the Hallet-Mossop (H-M) process plays a significant role in determining the total ice crystal concentration, and its importance increases with the increases of both moisture and aerosol number concentration. The impact of this process on precipitation is minimal. These results provide an important understanding of how co-varied moisture and aerosols over the Indian region would affect the monsoon clouds and precipitation.

Vertical Structure of a Snowfall Event Based on Observations From the Aircraft and Mountain Station in Beijing

An aircraft platform, ground-based disdrometer, cloud radar, radiometer, and automatic station were combined to study a snowfall case (16:30–21:00 observed by ground cloud radar) on the Yangqing Mountains in Beijing. Comparing the variation of ice habit and number concentration at aircraft altitude (2.9–3.2 km) and ground, we discussed the ice growth mechanisms in the Beijing Mountains. Results indicated that the snowfall was steady but not strong with reflectivity less than 20dBZ, and cloud top altitude less than 4.5 km. The number concentrations for both liquid and ice crystals at aircraft altitude and ground were very similar, both dominated by small particles at diameters of 0.1–1.2 mm, and the proportion of mean number concentrations at small diameters both in the aircraft and on the ground was large, peaking at 44 L−1 mm−1 and 8826 L−1 mm−1 respectively, and decreased rapidly as the diameter increased. There was no mixed phase in clouds with little liquid water. Particles were relatively regular, and were transparent with dendritic and disk-hexagonal shapes. The ice crystals and snowflakes were mainly grown by the deposition and aggregation, rarely by the riming process, and no secondary ice formation was observed.

Kinetic study of methane hydrate development involving the role of self-preservation effect in frozen sandy sediments

The dissociation of natural gas hydrate in permafrost areas is a kinetic reaction process associated with the existence of ice and the accompanied self-preservation effect. The kinetic decomposition behaviors of methane hydrate below freezing point are investigated through both experimental and numerical simulations in this work. Dissociation experiments have been conducted in a high-pressure reactor (HPR) by depressurization and wellbore heating methods. Two kinetic models are employed for the prediction of gas recovery and hydrate dissociation in frozen sandy sediments. The modified new model which takes into account the protection effect of ice is found to predict more accurately than the traditional one. When the deposit is situated under frozen state, the hydrate particles can be maintained at a relatively stable state even when the external pressure has dropped below the equilibrium level. Such self-preservation effect is the main factor resulting in the undesirable recovery efficiency of frozen gas hydrate by pure depressurization, and it can be only eliminated by external heat injection. However, the heated wellbore has a limited influencing area, and lots of the provided heat is wasted outside through the boundary. Secondary ice formation exists in the cold regions far away from the well, which leads to incomplete decomposition of methane hydrate. The kinetic decomposition of frozen hydrate is mainly dominated by its self-preservation effect and the injected heat, and the dissociation process is not sensitive to the production pressure when it is adjusted below the equilibrium level.

How Snow Aggregate Ellipsoid Shape and Orientation Variability Affects Fall Speed and Self-Aggregation Rates

Abstract Snow aggregate shapes and orientations have long been known to exhibit substantial variability. Despite this observed variability, most weather and climate prediction models use fixed power-law functions that deterministically map particle size to mass and fall speed. As such, integrated quantities like precipitation and self-aggregation rates currently ignore nonlinear effects resulting from variation in shape and orientation for aggregates of the same size. This study therefore develops an analytic framework that couples an empirically based bivariate distribution of ellipsoid shapes to classical hydrodynamic theory so as to capture an appropriate dispersion of masses, projected areas, and fall speeds for an assumed size distribution. For a fixed aggregate size, shape variations produce approximately ±0.13 m s−1 standard deviation of fall speed which increases the mass flux fall speed dispersion by more than 100% over traditional microphysics models. This increased fall speed dispersion results predominantly from shape-induced mass dispersion whereas orientation and drag dispersion play a lesser role. Shape variations can increase mass- and reflectivity-weighted fall speeds by up to 60% of traditional models whereas self-aggregation rates can increase by a factor of 100 for very small slope parameters. This implies that aggregate shape variations effectively forestall the theorized onset of fall speed distribution narrowing and subsequent quenching of the aggregation process. As a result, it is likely that secondary ice formation is necessary to prevent an ever decreasing slope parameter. The mathematical theory presented in this study is used to develop simple correction factors for snow forecast and climate models.

Structure of an Atmospheric River Over Australia and the Southern Ocean: II. Microphysical Evolution

AbstractAn atmospheric river affecting Australia and the Southern Ocean on 28–29 January 2018 during the Southern Ocean Clouds, Radiation, Aerosol Transport Experimental Study (SOCRATES) is analyzed using nadir‐pointing W‐band cloud radar measurements and in situ microphysical measurements from a Gulfstream‐V aircraft. The AR had a two‐band structure, with the westernmost band associated with a cold frontal boundary. The bands were primarily stratiform with distinct radar bright banding. The microphysical evolution of precipitation is described in the context of the tropical‐ and midlatitude‐sourced moisture zones above and below the 0°C isotherm, respectively, identified in Part I. In the tropical‐sourced moisture zone, ice particles at temperatures less than −8°C had concentrations on the order of 10 L−1, with habits characteristic of lower temperatures, while between −8°C and −4°C, an order of magnitude increase in ice particle concentrations was observed, with columnar habits consistent with Hallett‐Mossop secondary ice formation. Ice particles falling though the 0°C level into the midlatitude‐sourced moisture region and melting provided “seed” droplets from which subsequent growth by collision‐coalescence occurred. In this region, raindrops grew to sizes of 3 mm and precipitation rates averaged 16 mm hr−1.

Secondary Ice Production upon Freezing of Freely Falling Drizzle Droplets

AbstractIce multiplication processes are known to be responsible for the higher concentration of ice particles versus ice nucleating particles in clouds, but the exact secondary ice formation mechanisms remain to be quantified. Recent in-cloud observations and modeling studies have suggested the importance of secondary ice production upon shattering of freezing drizzle droplets. In one of our previous studies, four categories of secondary ice formation during freezing of supercooled droplets have been identified: breakup, cracking, jetting, and bubble bursts. In this work, we extend the study to include pure water and an aqueous solution of analog sea salt drizzle droplets moving at terminal velocity with respect to the surrounding cold humid air. We observe an enhancement in the droplet shattering probability as compared to the stagnant air conditions used in the previous study. Under free-fall conditions, bubble bursts are the most common secondary ice production mode in sea salt drizzle droplets, while droplet fragmentation controls the secondary ice production in pure water droplets.

Secondary Ice Formation in Idealised Deep Convection—Source of Primary Ice and Impact on Glaciation

Secondary ice production via rime-splintering is considered to be an important process for rapid glaciation and high ice crystal numbers observed in mixed-phase convective clouds. An open question is how rime-splintering is triggered in the relatively short time between cloud formation and observations of high ice crystal numbers. We use idealised simulations of a deep convective cloud system to investigate the thermodynamic and cloud microphysical evolution of air parcels, in which the model predicts secondary ice formation. The Lagrangian analysis suggests that the “in-situ” formation of rimers either by growth of primary ice or rain freezing does not play a major role in triggering secondary ice formation. Instead, rimers are predominantly imported into air parcels through sedimentation form higher altitudes. While ice nucleating particles (INPs) initiating heterogeneous freezing of cloud droplets at temperatures warmer than −10 °C have no discernible impact of the occurrence of secondary ice formation, in a scenario with rain freezing secondary ice production is initiated slightly earlier in the cloud evolution and at slightly different places, although with no major impact on the abundance or spatial distribution of secondary ice in the cloud as a whole. These results suggest that for interpreting and analysing observational data and model experiments regarding cloud glaciation and ice formation it is vital to consider the complex vertical coupling of cloud microphysical processes in deep convective clouds via three-dimensional transport and sedimentation.

Heat and water vapor transfer in the wake of a falling ice sphere and its implication for secondary ice formation in clouds

We perform direct numerical simulations of the settling of an ice sphere in an ambient fluid accounting for heat and mass transfer with the aim of studying in a meteorological context the case of falling graupel in humid air. The study is motivated by the fact that falling graupels in clouds are heated by the latent heat released during the accretion of liquid water droplets. They may therefore be considerably warmer than their surrounding and evaporate water vapor, which mixes with the surrounding air in the wake of the graupel, thereby creating transient zones of supersaturation there. The problem of a falling graupel is modeled as that of a heated sphere falling in a quiescent ambient fluid under the action of gravity. The coupling between the temperature and velocity fields is accounted for by the Boussinesq approximation. This problem can be parameterized by four parameters: the particle/fluid density ratio , the Galileo number Ga = ug D/ν (where D is the diameter of the sphere, ν the viscosity of the fluid, , and g the gravitational acceleration), the Prandtl number Pr = ν/DT (where DT stands for the thermal diffusivity), and the Richardson number , where Tp − T∞ is the temperature difference between the sphere and the ambient fluid and β the thermal expansion coefficient of the fluid. A separate scalar transport equation accounts for the vapor transport. Typical cloud conditions involve small temperature differences between the sphere and the surrounding, yielding relatively small Richardson numbers for both heat and mass transport. We give a special emphasis to the Galileo numbers 150, 170, 200 and 300 in order to analyze the specificities of each settling regime. The questions addressed in this study are mainly methodological and concern the influence of the settling regime and the mobility of the sphere on the structure of the scalar fields, the possible influence of modest Richardson numbers on the structure of the wake, and the possible application of this simulation framework to the investigation of the saturation in the wake of a falling graupel. We observe that the body behaves similar to a body with infinitely large density. Buoyancy effects upon the wake at the values of the Richardson number corresponding to the atmospheric context are found to be negligible. We discuss the necessity to distinguish between the diffusivity of temperature and vapor content and for this the requirement to solve both scalar transport equations separately. The simulations reveal the structure of the saturation field which features zones of supersaturation that might indeed be the sites of secondary ice nucleation (formation of additional ice crystals). The potential error in not solving both fields separately is relatively low but affects the regions of the flow that feature the largest supersaturation, such that it could be preferable to separate both transport equations depending on the future questions addressed.

New type of evidence for secondary ice formation at around −15 °C in mixed-phase clouds

Abstract. Ice crystal numbers can exceed the numbers of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) observed in mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) by several orders of magnitude, also at temperatures that are colder than −8 ∘C. This disparity provides circumstantial evidence of secondary ice formation, also other than via the Hallett–Mossop process. In a new approach, we made use of the fact that planar, branched ice crystals (e.g. dendrites) grow within a relatively narrow temperature range (i.e. −12 to −17 ∘C) and can be analysed individually for INPs using a field-deployable drop-freezing assay. The novelty of our approach lies in comparing the growth temperature encoded in the habit of an individual crystal with the activation temperature of the most efficient INP contained within the same crystal to tell whether it may be the result of primary ice formation. In February and March 2018, we analysed a total of 190 dendritic crystals (∼3 mm median size) deposited within MPCs at the high-altitude research station Jungfraujoch (3580 m a.s.l.). Overall, one in eight of the analysed crystals contained an INP active at −17 ∘C or warmer, while the remaining seven most likely resulted from secondary ice formation within the clouds. The ice multiplication factor we observed was small (8), but relatively stable throughout the course of documentation. These measurements show that secondary ice can be observed at temperatures around −15 ∘C and thus advance our understanding of the extent of secondary ice formation in MPCs, even where the multiplication factor is smaller than 10.

Secondary Ice Formation during Freezing of Levitated Droplets

Abstract The formation of secondary ice in clouds, that is, ice particles that are created at temperatures above the limit for homogeneous freezing without the direct involvement of a heterogeneous ice nucleus, is one of the longest-standing puzzles in cloud physics. Here, we present comprehensive laboratory investigations on the formation of small ice particles upon the freezing of drizzle-sized cloud droplets levitated in an electrodynamic balance. Four different categories of secondary ice formation (bubble bursting, jetting, cracking, and breakup) could be detected, and their respective frequencies of occurrence as a function of temperature and droplet size are given. We find that bubble bursting occurs more often than droplet splitting. While we do not observe the shattering of droplets into many large fragments, we find that the average number of small secondary ice particles released during freezing is strongly dependent on droplet size and may well exceed unity for droplets larger than 300 μm in diameter. This leaves droplet fragmentation as an important secondary ice process effective at temperatures around −10°C in clouds where large drizzle droplets are present.

Classification of Arctic, midlatitude and tropical clouds in the mixed-phase temperature regime

Abstract. The degree of glaciation of mixed-phase clouds constitutes one of the largest uncertainties in climate prediction. In order to better understand cloud glaciation, cloud spectrometer observations are presented in this paper, which were made in the mixed-phase temperature regime between 0 and −38 °C (273 to 235 K), where cloud particles can either be frozen or liquid. The extensive data set covers four airborne field campaigns providing a total of 139 000 1 Hz data points (38.6 h within clouds) over Arctic, midlatitude and tropical regions. We develop algorithms, combining the information on number concentration, size and asphericity of the observed cloud particles to classify four cloud types: liquid clouds, clouds in which liquid droplets and ice crystals coexist, fully glaciated clouds after the Wegener–Bergeron–Findeisen process and clouds where secondary ice formation occurred. We quantify the occurrence of these cloud groups depending on the geographical region and temperature and find that liquid clouds dominate our measurements during the Arctic spring, while clouds dominated by the Wegener–Bergeron–Findeisen process are most common in midlatitude spring. The coexistence of liquid water and ice crystals is found over the whole mixed-phase temperature range in tropical convective towers in the dry season. Secondary ice is found at midlatitudes at −5 to −10 °C (268 to 263 K) and at higher altitudes, i.e. lower temperatures in the tropics. The distribution of the cloud types with decreasing temperature is shown to be consistent with the theory of evolution of mixed-phase clouds. With this study, we aim to contribute to a large statistical database on cloud types in the mixed-phase temperature regime.

Aerosol indirect effects on the nighttime Arctic Ocean surface from thin, predominantly liquid clouds.

Aerosol indirect effects have potentially large impacts on the Arctic Ocean surface energy budget, but model estimates of regional-scale aerosol indirect effects are highly uncertain and poorly validated by observations. Here we demonstrate a new way to quantitatively estimate aerosol indirect effects on a regional scale from remote sensing observations. In this study, we focus on nighttime, optically thin, predominantly liquid clouds. The method is based on differences in cloud physical and microphysical characteristics in carefully selected clean, average and aerosol-impacted conditions. The cloud subset of focus covers just ~5% of cloudy Arctic Ocean regions, warming the Arctic Ocean surface by ~1-1.4 W m-2 regionally during polar night. However, within this cloud subset, aerosol and cloud conditions can be determined with high confidence using CALIPSO and CloudSat data and model output. This cloud subset is generally susceptible to aerosols, with a polar nighttime estimated maximum regionally integrated indirect cooling effect of ~ -0.11 W m-2 at the Arctic sea ice surface (~10% of the clean background cloud effect), excluding cloud fraction changes. Aerosol presence is related to reduced precipitation, cloud thickness, and radar reflectivity, and in some cases, an increased likelihood of cloud presence in the liquid phase. These observations are inconsistent with a glaciation indirect effect and are consistent with either a deactivation effect or less efficient secondary ice formation related to smaller liquid cloud droplets. However, this cloud subset shows large differences in surface and meteorological forcing in shallow and higher altitude clouds and between sea ice and open ocean regions. For example, optically thin, predominantly liquid clouds are much more likely to overlay another cloud over the open ocean, which may reduce aerosol indirect effects on the surface. Also, shallow clouds over open ocean do not appear to respond to aerosols as strongly as over stratified sea ice environments, indicating a larger influence of meteorological forcing over aerosol microphysics in these types of clouds over the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean.

New particle-dependent parameterizations of heterogeneous freezing processes: sensitivity studies of convective clouds with an air parcel model

Abstract. Based on the outcome of laboratory results, new particle-dependent parameterizations of heterogeneous freezing were derived and used to improve and extend a two-dimensional spectral microphysics scheme. They include (1) a particle-type-dependent parameterization of immersion freezing using the numbers of active sites per mass, (2) a particle-type and size-resolved parameterization of contact freezing, and (3) a particle-type-dependent description of deposition freezing. The modified microphysical scheme was embedded in an adiabatic air parcel model with entrainment. Sensitivity studies were performed to simulate convective situations and to investigate the impact of ice nuclei concentrations and types on ice formation. As a central diagnostic parameter, the ice water fraction (IWF) was selected, which is the relation of the ice water content to the total amount of water in the condensed form. The following parameters were varied: initial aerosol particle number size distributions, types of ice nucleating particles, final temperature, and the fractions of potential ice nucleating particles. Single and coupled freezing processes were investigated. The results show that immersion freezing seems to be the most efficient process. Contact freezing is constrained by the collision kernel between supercooled drops and potential ice nucleating particles. The importance of deposition freezing lies in secondary ice formation; i.e., small ice particles produced by deposition nucleation trigger the freezing of supercooled drops by collisions. Thus, a broader ice particle spectrum is generated than that by immersion and contact freezing. During coupled immersion–contact and contact–deposition freezing no competition was observed, and both processes contribute to cloud ice formation but do not impede each other. As already suggested in the literature, mineral dust particles seem to be the most important ice nucleating particles. Biological particles are probably not involved in significant ice formation. The sensitive parameters affecting cloud properties are temperature, aerosol particle composition and concentration, and particle size distribution.

Revisiting ice nucleation from precipitation samples

An emerging and unsolved question is the sensitivity of cloud processes, precipitation, and climate to the atmospheric ice nucleus spectrum. This work revisits estimation of atmospheric ice-nucleating particle concentration derived from cloud water and precipitation samples representing a wide range of geographical locations, seasons, storm systems, precipitation types, instruments, concentrations, and temperatures. Concentrations of ice-nucleating particles are shown to vary over 10 orders of magnitude. High variability is observed in the −5°C to −12°C range which is suggested to be biologically derived nuclei whose life cycle is associated with intermittent source and efficient sink processes. The highest ever observed nucleus concentrations at −8°C are 3 orders of magnitude lower than observed ice crystal concentrations in tropical cumuli at the same temperature. The observed upper and lower limits of the nucleus spectrum provide a possible constraint on minimum enhancement factors for secondary ice formation processes.

The Mystery of Ice Crystal Multiplication in a Laboratory Experiment

Abstract This paper addresses the problem of the large discrepancies between ice crystal concentrations in clouds and the number of ice nuclei in nearby clear air reported in published papers. Such discrepancies cannot always be explained, even by taking into account both primary and secondary ice formation processes. A laboratory experiment was performed in a cylindrical column placed in a cold room at atmospheric pressure and temperature in the −12° to −14°C range. Supercooled droplets were nucleated in the column, in the absence of aerosol ice nuclei, by injecting ice crystals generated outside in a small syringe. A rapid increase in the ice crystal concentration was observed in the absence of any known ice multiplication. The ratio between the mean number of ice crystals in the column, after complete droplet vaporization, and the number of ice crystals introduced in the column was about 10:1. The presence of small ice crystals (introduced at the top of the column) in the unstable system (supercooled droplets) appears to trigger the transformation in the whole supercooled liquid cloud. A possible explanation could be that the rapidly evaporating droplets cool sufficiently to determine a homogeneous nucleation.

Examinations of ice formation processes in Florida cumuli using ice nuclei measurements of anvil ice crystal particle residues

A continuous flow diffusion chamber (CFDC) was used to measure ice formation by cloud particle residuals during the Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers‐Florida Area Cirrus Experiment. These measurements were directed toward determining the relative contributions of homogeneous nucleation, heterogeneous nucleation, and secondary ice formation processes to the concentrations of ice crystals in anvil cirrus formed from convection. The CFDC sampled residual particles remaining after evaporation of cloud particles initially collected by a counterflow virtual impactor. This allowed, for the first time, determination of the ice nucleation ability of particles that included the presumed nuclei for cloud‐ice formation. The approach proved successful for estimating concentrations of heterogeneous ice nuclei (IN) transported into anvil clouds, but experimental issues limited measurements of homogeneous freezing and, consequently, in determining the role of secondary ice formation. Results suggest agreement within a factor of 2–3 between CFDC heterogeneous IN concentrations and anvil ice crystal concentrations in the size range above ∼30 μm. IN concentrations also correlated with ice concentrations inferred from measurements by the FSSP (Forward Scattering Spectrometer Probe). However, measured IN concentrations were nearly two orders of magnitude lower than FSSP concentrations. This difference may have resulted from homogeneous freezing, secondary ice formation, or other unidentified ice formation processes that were not fully captured by the CFDC. The data suggest that heterogeneous nucleation played a smaller role than homogeneous nucleation in determining anvil ice crystal concentrations, except during periods of strong desert dust ingestion by cumuli. Nevertheless, heterogeneous nucleation may provide the source for larger ice crystals present in anvil regions.