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Bimodal ice spectra in frontal clouds
Author(s) -
Field Paul R.
Publication year - 2000
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.49712656302
Subject(s) - spectral line , geology , lagrangian , atmospheric sciences , meteorology , climatology , physics , astronomy , mathematical physics
Aircraft observations from five Lagrangian descents in frontal clouds from around the British Isles are presented. A common bimodal ice size spectral evolution is observed using two‐dimensional optical array probes, and it is demonstrated that depositional growth alone is not responsible for the observed evolution. It is suggested that the process of aggregation is chiefly responsible for the large‐particle mode of bimodal ice size spectra. Synthetic bimodal spectra that are a function of depth below cloud top and ice‐water content are presented.