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Microphysical development of a pulsating cumulus tower: A case study
Author(s) -
Keller Ver W.,
Sax Robert I.
Publication year - 1981
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.49710745314
Subject(s) - graupel , environmental science , hard rime , atmospheric sciences , meteorology , cloud top , tower , drizzle , convection , cloud computing , climatology , precipitation , geology , physics , computer science , engineering , civil engineering , operating system
Abstract In‐cloud microphysical data collected within a 22 minute period during seven consecutive passes at the −13°C sampling level of a deep (base +22°C) convective cloud provide observational evidence for a secondary ice production mechanism at work in the Florida environment. the observed microphysical characteristics of the convective tower, particularly the spatial distribution and habit of the ice phase relative to the updraught, are consistent with a rime‐splintering hypothesis for secondary ice production. It is shown that the cloud's updraught structure is critically important in governing the timing of the ice production by controlling the flux of graupel particles through the critical temperature zone (−3°C to −8°C). the importance of the cloud's pulsation growth dynamics on the microphysics is emphasized, particularly as it relates to rapidly glaciating cumuli.