Numerical Simulations of Cloud Number Concentration and Ice Nuclei Influence on Cloud Processes and Seeding Effects
Aerosols, through cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) or ice nuclei (IN), affect cloud microphysics. With increasing concentrations of aerosols, it is important to consider the impact of IN along with CCN on clouds and precipitation in numerical simulations; further, aerosols may also affect the weather...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/11/1792 |
| _version_ | 1797469136578674688 |
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| author | Wen Fang Xiaofeng Lou Xing Zhang Yu Fu |
| author_facet | Wen Fang Xiaofeng Lou Xing Zhang Yu Fu |
| author_sort | Wen Fang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aerosols, through cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) or ice nuclei (IN), affect cloud microphysics. With increasing concentrations of aerosols, it is important to consider the impact of IN along with CCN on clouds and precipitation in numerical simulations; further, aerosols may also affect the weather-modification seeding effect. On the basis of the observation of natural IN concentration and cloud-drop number concentrations, numerical sensitivity experiments for a snowfall case were designed to study the effects of parameters of IN and cloud number concentrations at the cloud base to consider the CCN effects on clouds and precipitation as well as weather-modification seeding effects. Generally, with smaller cloud-drop number concentration, the mass contents were much lower. With more ice nuclei, more ice crystals were able to nucleate, and additional snow particles were generated through ice crystals. Cloud-drop number concentrations heavily affected the location and amount of snowfall. During the 1e9 test, 2.4 mm was the highest reduction in the amount of snowfall; additionally, the amount of snowfall from the combined impacts of increased IN and cloud-drop number decreased in wide areas, and its maximum precipitation reduction exceeded 2.7 mm as well as up to 15% of the daily amount of snowfall. More IN reduced the artificial seeding effect, lowered the increase in snowfall in the center of the seeding, and lowered the reduction of snowfall in the reduction center of the seeding. With more IN, the seeding effect was able to shift approximately 0.6% from the 3.9% seeding effect of the control simulation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:17:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7e023c3c30f44777bf055d33b748e86a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:17:12Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-7e023c3c30f44777bf055d33b748e86a2023-11-24T03:42:16ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332022-10-011311179210.3390/atmos13111792Numerical Simulations of Cloud Number Concentration and Ice Nuclei Influence on Cloud Processes and Seeding EffectsWen Fang0Xiaofeng Lou1Xing Zhang2Yu Fu3CMA Cloud-Precipitation Physics and Weather Modification Key Laboratory, Beijing 100081, ChinaCMA Cloud-Precipitation Physics and Weather Modification Key Laboratory, Beijing 100081, ChinaBeijing Weather Modification Center, Beijing 100089, ChinaDalian Weather Modification Office of Liaoning Province, Dalian 116001, ChinaAerosols, through cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) or ice nuclei (IN), affect cloud microphysics. With increasing concentrations of aerosols, it is important to consider the impact of IN along with CCN on clouds and precipitation in numerical simulations; further, aerosols may also affect the weather-modification seeding effect. On the basis of the observation of natural IN concentration and cloud-drop number concentrations, numerical sensitivity experiments for a snowfall case were designed to study the effects of parameters of IN and cloud number concentrations at the cloud base to consider the CCN effects on clouds and precipitation as well as weather-modification seeding effects. Generally, with smaller cloud-drop number concentration, the mass contents were much lower. With more ice nuclei, more ice crystals were able to nucleate, and additional snow particles were generated through ice crystals. Cloud-drop number concentrations heavily affected the location and amount of snowfall. During the 1e9 test, 2.4 mm was the highest reduction in the amount of snowfall; additionally, the amount of snowfall from the combined impacts of increased IN and cloud-drop number decreased in wide areas, and its maximum precipitation reduction exceeded 2.7 mm as well as up to 15% of the daily amount of snowfall. More IN reduced the artificial seeding effect, lowered the increase in snowfall in the center of the seeding, and lowered the reduction of snowfall in the reduction center of the seeding. With more IN, the seeding effect was able to shift approximately 0.6% from the 3.9% seeding effect of the control simulation.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/11/1792cloud number concentrationice nucleimodel simulationinfluence on clouds and snowfallinfluence on seeding effect |
| spellingShingle | Wen Fang Xiaofeng Lou Xing Zhang Yu Fu Numerical Simulations of Cloud Number Concentration and Ice Nuclei Influence on Cloud Processes and Seeding Effects Atmosphere cloud number concentration ice nuclei model simulation influence on clouds and snowfall influence on seeding effect |
| title | Numerical Simulations of Cloud Number Concentration and Ice Nuclei Influence on Cloud Processes and Seeding Effects |
| title_full | Numerical Simulations of Cloud Number Concentration and Ice Nuclei Influence on Cloud Processes and Seeding Effects |
| title_fullStr | Numerical Simulations of Cloud Number Concentration and Ice Nuclei Influence on Cloud Processes and Seeding Effects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Numerical Simulations of Cloud Number Concentration and Ice Nuclei Influence on Cloud Processes and Seeding Effects |
| title_short | Numerical Simulations of Cloud Number Concentration and Ice Nuclei Influence on Cloud Processes and Seeding Effects |
| title_sort | numerical simulations of cloud number concentration and ice nuclei influence on cloud processes and seeding effects |
| topic | cloud number concentration ice nuclei model simulation influence on clouds and snowfall influence on seeding effect |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/13/11/1792 |
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