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The Roles of Mineral Dust as Cloud Condensation Nuclei and Ice Nuclei During the Evolution of a Hail Storm
Author(s) -
Chen Qian,
Yin Yan,
Jiang Hui,
Chu Zhigang,
Xue Lulin,
Shi Rulin,
Zhang Xin,
Chen Jinghua
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1029/2019jd031403
Subject(s) - cloud condensation nuclei , weather research and forecasting model , graupel , ice nucleus , environmental science , ice crystals , atmospheric sciences , storm , liquid water content , winter storm , aerosol , snow , nucleation , meteorology , geology , chemistry , cloud computing , physics , organic chemistry , computer science , operating system
Aerosols play important roles in the evolution of deep convective systems like hailstorms. In this study, the heterogeneous ice nucleation schemes have been improved in the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with a spectral bin microphysics (WRF‐SBM), which considered aerosols acting as ice nuclei (IN). A hail storm occurred around Tianshan mountains, northwestern China, was simulated with updated WRF‐SBM, and the results have been compared with satellite observations. Further, four sensitive simulation tests were conducted with different cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and IN concentrations to investigate their respective roles during the evolution of the hailstorm. The increase in CCN concentration resulted in larger cloud droplet concentration and cloud water content, as well as enhanced condensational growth, which released more latent heat and led to stronger updraft at lower levels. The increase in IN number almost did not affect warm processes but led to larger ice crystal concentration and enhanced Bergeron process. Larger CCN concentration led to larger supercooled liquid water content, which in turn contributed to the enhanced hail growth by more efficient drop‐ice collisions and led to larger size of hail particles, while larger IN number reduced the size of graupel and suppressed the growth of hailstones. An analysis of the mobility of hail indicated increased frequency of larger hail with stronger sedimentation induced by more CCN. A further three ensemble runs with random perturbations on initial temperature and humidity were performed for each aerosol scenario, and the results suggested the robustness of simulated CCN and IN effects.