Ice particle sampling from aircraft – influence of the probing position on the ice water content

<p>The ice water content (IWC) of cirrus clouds is an essential parameter determining their radiative properties and thus is important for climate simulations. Therefore, for a reliable measurement of IWC on board research aircraft, it is important to carefully design the ice crystal samp...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: A. Afchine, C. Rolf, A. Costa, N. Spelten, M. Riese, B. Buchholz, V. Ebert, R. Heller, S. Kaufmann, A. Minikin, C. Voigt, M. Zöger, J. Smith, P. Lawson, A. Lykov, S. Khaykin, M. Krämer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2018-07-01
Series:Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Online Access:https://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/11/4015/2018/amt-11-4015-2018.pdf
_version_ 1818191196493709312
author A. Afchine
C. Rolf
A. Costa
N. Spelten
M. Riese
B. Buchholz
V. Ebert
R. Heller
S. Kaufmann
A. Minikin
C. Voigt
M. Zöger
J. Smith
P. Lawson
A. Lykov
S. Khaykin
M. Krämer
author_facet A. Afchine
C. Rolf
A. Costa
N. Spelten
M. Riese
B. Buchholz
V. Ebert
R. Heller
S. Kaufmann
A. Minikin
C. Voigt
M. Zöger
J. Smith
P. Lawson
A. Lykov
S. Khaykin
M. Krämer
author_sort A. Afchine
collection DOAJ
description <p>The ice water content (IWC) of cirrus clouds is an essential parameter determining their radiative properties and thus is important for climate simulations. Therefore, for a reliable measurement of IWC on board research aircraft, it is important to carefully design the ice crystal sampling and measuring devices. During the ML-CIRRUS field campaign in 2014 with the German Gulfstream GV HALO (High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft), IWC was recorded by three closed-path total water together with one gas-phase water instrument. The hygrometers were supplied by inlets mounted on the roof of the aircraft fuselage. Simultaneously, the IWC is determined by a cloud particle spectrometer attached under an aircraft wing. Two more examples of simultaneous IWC measurements by hygrometers and cloud spectrometers are presented, but the inlets of the hygrometers were mounted at the fuselage side (M-55 Geophysica, StratoClim campaign 2017) and bottom (NASA WB57, MacPex campaign 2011). This combination of instruments and inlet positions provides the opportunity to experimentally study the influence of the ice particle sampling position on the IWC with the approach of comparative measurements. As expected from theory and shown by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations, we found that the IWCs provided by the roof inlets deviate from those measured under the aircraft wing. As a result of the inlet position in the shadow zone behind the aircraft cockpit, ice particle populations with mean mass sizes larger than about 25 µm radius are subject to losses, which lead to strongly underestimated IWCs. On the other hand, cloud populations with mean mass sizes smaller than about 12 µm are dominated by particle enrichment and thus overestimated IWCs. In the range of mean mass sizes between 12 and 25 µm, both enrichment and losses of ice crystals can occur, depending on whether the ice crystal mass peak of the size distribution – in these cases bimodal – is on the smaller or larger mass mode. The resulting deviations of the IWC reach factors of up to 10 or even more for losses as well as for enrichment. Since the mean mass size of ice crystals increases with temperature, losses are more pronounced at higher temperatures, while at lower temperatures IWC is more affected by enrichment. In contrast, in the cases where the hygrometer inlets were mounted at the fuselage side or bottom, the agreement of IWCs is most frequently within a factor of 2.5 or better – due to less disturbed ice particle sampling, as expected from theory – independently of the mean ice crystal sizes. The rather large scatter between IWC measurements reflects, for example, cirrus cloud inhomogeneities and instrument uncertainties as well as slight sampling biases which might also occur on the side or bottom of the fuselage and under the wing. However, this scatter is in the range of other studies and represent the current best possible IWC recording on fast-flying aircraft.</p>
first_indexed 2024-12-12T00:10:46Z
format Article
id doaj.art-a763f00287814df0aa3f13873e825b7e
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1867-1381
1867-8548
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-12T00:10:46Z
publishDate 2018-07-01
publisher Copernicus Publications
record_format Article
series Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
spelling doaj.art-a763f00287814df0aa3f13873e825b7e2022-12-22T00:44:59ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Measurement Techniques1867-13811867-85482018-07-01114015403110.5194/amt-11-4015-2018Ice particle sampling from aircraft – influence of the probing position on the ice water contentA. Afchine0C. Rolf1A. Costa2N. Spelten3M. Riese4B. Buchholz5V. Ebert6R. Heller7S. Kaufmann8A. Minikin9C. Voigt10M. Zöger11J. Smith12P. Lawson13A. Lykov14S. Khaykin15M. Krämer16Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-7), Jülich, GermanyForschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-7), Jülich, GermanyForschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-7), Jülich, GermanyForschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-7), Jülich, GermanyForschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-7), Jülich, GermanyPhysikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt Braunschweig, Braunschweig, GermanyPhysikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt Braunschweig, Braunschweig, GermanyDeutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institute for Physics of the Atmosphere, Oberpfaffenhofen, GermanyDeutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institute for Physics of the Atmosphere, Oberpfaffenhofen, GermanyDeutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institute for Physics of the Atmosphere, Oberpfaffenhofen, GermanyDeutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institute for Physics of the Atmosphere, Oberpfaffenhofen, GermanyDeutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Institute for Physics of the Atmosphere, Oberpfaffenhofen, GermanyAnderson Group/CCB, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USASPEC Incorporated, Boulder, CO, USADepartment of Upper Atmospheric Layers Physics, Central Aerological Observatory (CAO), Moscow, RussiaLATMOS/IPSL, UVSQ Université Paris-Saclay, UPMC University Paris 06, CNRS, Guyancourt, FranceForschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-7), Jülich, Germany<p>The ice water content (IWC) of cirrus clouds is an essential parameter determining their radiative properties and thus is important for climate simulations. Therefore, for a reliable measurement of IWC on board research aircraft, it is important to carefully design the ice crystal sampling and measuring devices. During the ML-CIRRUS field campaign in 2014 with the German Gulfstream GV HALO (High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft), IWC was recorded by three closed-path total water together with one gas-phase water instrument. The hygrometers were supplied by inlets mounted on the roof of the aircraft fuselage. Simultaneously, the IWC is determined by a cloud particle spectrometer attached under an aircraft wing. Two more examples of simultaneous IWC measurements by hygrometers and cloud spectrometers are presented, but the inlets of the hygrometers were mounted at the fuselage side (M-55 Geophysica, StratoClim campaign 2017) and bottom (NASA WB57, MacPex campaign 2011). This combination of instruments and inlet positions provides the opportunity to experimentally study the influence of the ice particle sampling position on the IWC with the approach of comparative measurements. As expected from theory and shown by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations, we found that the IWCs provided by the roof inlets deviate from those measured under the aircraft wing. As a result of the inlet position in the shadow zone behind the aircraft cockpit, ice particle populations with mean mass sizes larger than about 25 µm radius are subject to losses, which lead to strongly underestimated IWCs. On the other hand, cloud populations with mean mass sizes smaller than about 12 µm are dominated by particle enrichment and thus overestimated IWCs. In the range of mean mass sizes between 12 and 25 µm, both enrichment and losses of ice crystals can occur, depending on whether the ice crystal mass peak of the size distribution – in these cases bimodal – is on the smaller or larger mass mode. The resulting deviations of the IWC reach factors of up to 10 or even more for losses as well as for enrichment. Since the mean mass size of ice crystals increases with temperature, losses are more pronounced at higher temperatures, while at lower temperatures IWC is more affected by enrichment. In contrast, in the cases where the hygrometer inlets were mounted at the fuselage side or bottom, the agreement of IWCs is most frequently within a factor of 2.5 or better – due to less disturbed ice particle sampling, as expected from theory – independently of the mean ice crystal sizes. The rather large scatter between IWC measurements reflects, for example, cirrus cloud inhomogeneities and instrument uncertainties as well as slight sampling biases which might also occur on the side or bottom of the fuselage and under the wing. However, this scatter is in the range of other studies and represent the current best possible IWC recording on fast-flying aircraft.</p>https://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/11/4015/2018/amt-11-4015-2018.pdf
spellingShingle A. Afchine
C. Rolf
A. Costa
N. Spelten
M. Riese
B. Buchholz
V. Ebert
R. Heller
S. Kaufmann
A. Minikin
C. Voigt
M. Zöger
J. Smith
P. Lawson
A. Lykov
S. Khaykin
M. Krämer
Ice particle sampling from aircraft – influence of the probing position on the ice water content
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
title Ice particle sampling from aircraft – influence of the probing position on the ice water content
title_full Ice particle sampling from aircraft – influence of the probing position on the ice water content
title_fullStr Ice particle sampling from aircraft – influence of the probing position on the ice water content
title_full_unstemmed Ice particle sampling from aircraft – influence of the probing position on the ice water content
title_short Ice particle sampling from aircraft – influence of the probing position on the ice water content
title_sort ice particle sampling from aircraft influence of the probing position on the ice water content
url https://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/11/4015/2018/amt-11-4015-2018.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT aafchine iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT crolf iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT acosta iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT nspelten iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT mriese iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT bbuchholz iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT vebert iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT rheller iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT skaufmann iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT aminikin iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT cvoigt iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT mzoger iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT jsmith iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT plawson iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT alykov iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT skhaykin iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent
AT mkramer iceparticlesamplingfromaircraftinfluenceoftheprobingpositionontheicewatercontent