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The sensitivity of simulated high clouds to ice crystal fall speed, shape and size distribution
Author(s) -
Furtado K.,
Field P. R.,
Cotton R.,
Baran A. J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.2457
Subject(s) - environmental science , atmospheric sciences , ice crystals , flux (metallurgy) , sedimentation , sensitivity (control systems) , middle latitudes , cloud physics , meteorology , climatology , geology , physics , cloud computing , geomorphology , materials science , electronic engineering , sediment , computer science , engineering , metallurgy , operating system
The sensitivity of an operational numerical weather prediction model to the parametrized microphysical properties of ice hydrometeors is examined. The effects of varying ice‐particle size distribution, fall speed, mass and depositional capacitance are considered in kilometre‐scale simulations of midlatitude cloud systems and 20 year global climate integrations. It is shown that the observed sensitivity can be obtained from steady‐state arguments, whereby the vertical moisture flux is balanced by the hydrometeor sedimentation flux and supersaturation production is in equilibrium with depositional growth. The high‐resolution simulations are compared with in situ measurements from the Constrain field campaign (Prestwick, UK).