Laboratory studies of cloud microphysical processes using a state of the art particle generation system

  • Supervisors: Dr Jonathan Crosier
    Dr Martin Gallagher


  • External Supervisors:

  • Contact:

    Jonathan Crosier j.crosier@manchester.ac.uk

  • CASE Partner: No

Application deadline: 3 February 2017

Introduction:

Clouds have a considerable effect on the climate system. They interact with “shortwave” solar radiation, and also “longwave” terrestrial radiation, leading to changes in surface heating rates, moisture content, and large scale dynamics. Clouds are also a key component of the water cycles, as the control the distribution of precipitation to the surface. In order to understand the formation, evolution and eventually the dissipation of clouds, a detailed understanding of the microphysical processes of how cloud particles interact is crucial.

For example, understanding the interactions between clouds droplets is crucial for predicting the onset of warm rain. Other important microphysical process include riming (the collection/freezing of supercooled water droplets on the surface of impinging ice particles), aggregation (the collision and sticking together of multiple ice particles), and ice multiplication processes (a single particle interacts with its environment to produce several additional ice particles.

Instrumentation has been developed to allow microphysical properties to be measured from research aircraft. This provides key insights into processes which occur in clouds. However, some processes thought to be important remain unobservable with such methods due to the course spatial resolution of these observations.

Project Summary:

References:

Lance, S., Brock, C. A., Rogers, D., and Gordon, J. A.: Water droplet calibration of the Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP) and in-flight performance in liquid, ice and mixed-phase clouds during ARCPAC, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 3, 1683-1706, doi:10.5194/amt-3-1683-2010, 2010. 

Connolly, PJ; Emersic, C; Field, PR. A laboratory investigation into the aggregation efficiency of small ice crystals. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2012; 12(4): 2055-2076. eScholarID:198848| DOI:10.5194/acp-12-2055-2012 

Emersic C, Connolly P. The breakup of levitating water drops observed with a high speed camera. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS. 2011; 11(19): 10205-10218. eScholarID:151034 | DOI:10.5194/acp-11-10205-2011

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