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1. Arctic observations and numerical simulations of surface wind effects on Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera measurements

   https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-1127-2021  

   Fitch, Kyle E. ; Hang, Chaoxun ; Talaei, Ahmad ; Garrett, Timothy J. ( January 2021 , Atmospheric Measurement Techniques)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract. Ground-based measurements of frozen precipitation are heavily influenced by interactions of surface winds with gauge-shield geometry. The Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera (MASC), which photographs hydrometeors in free-fall from three different angles while simultaneously measuring their fall speed, has been used in the field at multiple midlatitude and polar locations both with and without wind shielding. Here, we present an analysis of Arctic field observations – with and without a Belfort double Alter shield – and compare the results to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the airflow and corresponding particle trajectories around the unshielded MASC. MASC-measured fall speeds compare well with Ka-band Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Zenith Radar (KAZR) mean Doppler velocities only when winds are light (≤5ms-1) and the MASC is shielded. MASC-measured fall speeds that do not match KAZR-measured velocities tend to fall below a threshold value that increases approximately linearly with wind speed but is generally <0.5ms-1. For those events with wind speeds ≤1.5ms-1, hydrometeors fall with an orientation angle mode of 12∘ from the horizontal plane, and large, low-density aggregates are as much as 5 times more likely to be observed. Simulations in the absence of a wind shield show a separation of flow at the upstream side of the instrument, with an upward velocity component just above the aperture, which decreases the mean particle fall speed by 55 % (74 %) for a wind speed of 5 m s−1 (10 m s−1). We conclude that accurate MASC observations of the microphysical, orientation, and fall speed characteristics of snow particles require shielding by a double wind fence and restriction of analysis to events where winds are light (≤5ms-1). Hydrometeors do not generally fall in still air, so adjustments to these properties' distributions within natural turbulence remain to be determined. 

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2. Estimation of Snowfall Properties at a Mountainous Site in Norway Using Combined Radar and In Situ Microphysical Observations

   https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-18-0281.1  

   Schirle, Claire E. ; Cooper, Steven J. ; Wolff, Mareile Astrid ; Pettersen, Claire ; Wood, Norman B. ; L’Ecuyer, Tristan S. ; Ilmo, Trond ; Nygård, Knut ( June 2019 , Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology)

   The ability of in situ snowflake microphysical observations to constrain estimates of surface snowfall accumulations derived from coincident, ground-based radar observations is explored. As part of the High-Latitude Measurement of Snowfall (HiLaMS) field campaign, a Micro Rain Radar (MRR), Precipitation Imaging Package (PIP), and Multi-Angle Snow Camera (MASC) were deployed to the Haukeliseter Test Site run by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute during winter 2016/17. This measurement site lies near an elevation of 1000 m in the mountains of southern Norway and houses a double-fence automated reference (DFAR) snow gauge and a comprehensive set of meteorological observations. MASC and PIP observations provided estimates of particle size distribution (PSD), fall speed, and habit. These properties were used as input for a snowfall retrieval algorithm using coincident MRR reflectivity measurements. Retrieved surface snowfall accumulations were evaluated against DFAR observations to quantify retrieval performance as a function of meteorological conditions for the Haukeliseter site. These analyses found differences of less than 10% between DFAR- and MRR-retrieved estimates over the field season when using either PIP or MASC observations for low wind “upslope” events. Larger biases of at least 50% were found for high wind “pulsed” events likely because of sampling limitations in the in situ observations used to constrain the retrieval. However, assumptions of MRR Doppler velocity for mean particle fall speed and a temperature-based PSD parameterization reduced this difference to +16% for the pulsed events. Although promising, these results ultimately depend upon selection of a snowflake particle model that is well matched to scene environmental conditions.

    

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3. P-type Processes and Predictability: The Winter Precipitation Type Research Multiscale Experiment (WINTRE-MIX)

   https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-22-0095.1  

   Minder, Justin R. ; Bassill, Nick ; Fabry, Frédéric ; French, Jeffrey R. ; Friedrich, Katja ; Gultepe, Ismail ; Gyakum, John ; Kingsmill, David E. ; Kosiba, Karen ; Lachapelle, Mathieu ; et al ( June 2023 , Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society)

   Abstract During near-0°C surface conditions, diverse precipitation types (p-types) are possible, including rain, drizzle, freezing rain, freezing drizzle, ice pellets, wet snow, snow, and snow pellets. Near-0°C precipitation affects wide swaths of the United States and Canada, impacting aviation, road transportation, power generation and distribution, winter recreation, ecology, and hydrology. Fundamental challenges remain in observing, diagnosing, simulating, and forecasting near-0°C p-types, particularly during transitions and within complex terrain. Motivated by these challenges, the field phase of the Winter Precipitation Type Research Multi-scale Experiment (WINTRE-MIX) was conducted from 1 February – 15 March 2022 to better understand how multiscale processes influence the variability and predictability of p-type and amount under near-0°C surface conditions. WINTRE-MIX took place near the US / Canadian border, in northern New York and southern Quebec, a region with plentiful near-0°C precipitation influenced by terrain. During WINTRE-MIX, existing advanced mesonets in New York and Quebec were complemented by deployment of: (1) surface instruments, (2) the National Research Council Convair-580 research aircraft with W- and X-band Doppler radars and in situ cloud and aerosol instrumentation, (3) two X-band dual-polarization Doppler radars and a C-band dual-polarization Doppler radar from University of Illinois, and (4) teams collecting manual hydrometeor observations and radiosonde measurements. Eleven intensive observing periods (IOPs) were coordinated. Analysis of these WINTRE-MIX IOPs is illuminating how synoptic dynamics, mesoscale dynamics, and microscale processes combine to determine p-type and its predictability under near-0°C conditions. WINTRE-MIX research will contribute to improving nowcasts and forecasts of near-0°C precipitation through evaluation and refinement of observational diagnostics and numerical forecast models. 

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4. Ice Crystal Size Distributions in Tropical Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Vicinity of Darwin, Australia: Results from the HAIC/HIWC Campaign

   https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-22-0209.1  

   Brechner, Peter ; McFarquhar, Greg M. ; Schwarzenboeck, Alfons ; Korolev, Alexei V. ( September 2023 , Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences)

   Total ice water content (IWC) derived from an isokinetic evaporator probe and ice crystal particle size distributions (PSDs) measured by a two-dimensional stereo probe and precipitation imaging probe installed on an aircraft during the 2014 European High Altitude Ice Crystals–North American High IWC field campaign (HAIC/HIWC) were used to characterize regions of high IWC consisting mainly of small ice crystals (HIWC_S) with IWC ≥ 1.0 g m⁻³and median mass diameter (MMD) < 0.5 mm. A novel fitting routine developed to automatically determine whether a unimodal, bimodal, or trimodal gamma distribution best fits a PSD was used to compare characteristics of HIWC_S and other PSDs (e.g., multimodality, gamma fit parameters) for HIWC_S simulations. The variation of these characteristics and bulk properties (MMD, IWC) was regressed with temperature, IWC, and vertical velocity. HIWC_S regions were most pronounced in updraft cores. The three modes of the PSD reveal different dominant processes contributing to ice growth: nucleation for maximum dimensionD< 0.15 mm, diffusion for 0.15 <D< 1.0 mm, and aggregation forD> 1.0 mm. The frequency of trimodal distributions increased with temperature. The volumes of equally plausible parameters derived in the phase space of gamma fit parameters increased with temperature for unimodal distributions and, for temperatures less than −27°C, for multimodal distributions. Bimodal distributions with 0.4 mm in the larger mode were most common in updraft cores and HIWC_S regions; bimodal distributions with 0.4 mm in the smaller mode were least common in convective cores.

    

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5. Convective Storm Life Cycle and Environments near the Sierras de Córdoba, Argentina

   Mulholland, J. P. ( July 2018 , Monthly weather review)

   Satellite observations have revealed that some of the world’s most intense deep convective storms occur near the Sierras de Córdoba, Argentina, South America. A C-band, dual-polarization Doppler weather radar recently installed in the city of Córdoba in 2015 is now providing a high-resolution radar perspective of this intense convection. Radar data from two austral spring and summer seasons (2015–17) are used to document the convective life cycle, while reanalysis data are utilized to construct storm environments across this region. Most of the storms in the region are multicellular and initiate most frequently during the early afternoon and late evening hours near and just east of the Sierras de Córdoba. Annually, the peak occurrence of these storms is during the austral summer months of December, January, and February. These Córdoba radar-based statistics are shown to be comparable to statistics derived from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Precipitation Radar data. While generally similar to storm environments in the United States, storm environments in central Argentina tend to be characterized by larger CAPE and weaker low-level vertical wind shear. One of the more intriguing results is the relatively fast transition from first storms to larger mesoscale convective systems, compared with locations in the central United States. 

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