Broadening of cloud droplet size distributions and warm rain initiation associated with turbulence: an overview

In the study of warm clouds,there are many outstanding questions.Cloud droplet size distributions are much wider,and warm rain is initiated in a shorter time and with a shallower cloud depth than theoretical expectations.This review summarizes the studies related to the effects of turbulent fluctuations and turbulent entrainment-mixing on the broadening of droplet size distributions and warm rain initiation,including observational,laboratorial,numerical,and theoretical achievements.Particular attention is paid to studies by Chinese scientists since the 1950s,since most results have been published in Chinese.The review reveals that high-resolution observations and simulations,and laboratory experiments,are needed because knowledge of the detailed physical processes involved in the effects of turbulence and entrainment-mixing on cloud microphysics still remains elusive.The effects of turbulent fluctuations and entrainment-mixing processes have been unrealistically separated in most theoretical studies.They could be unified by further advancement of a systems theory into a predictive theory.Developing parameterizations for the effects of fluctuations and entrainment-mixing processes is still in its infancy,and more studies are warranted.

Observational Study on the Supercooled Fog Droplet Spectrum Distribution and Icing Accumulation Mechanism in Lushan, Southeast China

A fog monitor, hotplate total precipitation sensor, weather identifier and visibility sensor, ultrasonic wind speed meter,an icing gradient observation frame, and an automated weather station were involved in the observations at the Lushan Meteorological Bureau of Jiangxi Province, China. In this study, for the icing process under a cold surge from 20–25 January2016, the duration, frequency, and spectrum distribution of agglomerate fog were analyzed. The effects of rain, snow, and supercooled fog on icing growth were studied and the icing and meteorological conditions at two heights(10 m and 1.5 m)were compared. There were 218 agglomerate fogs in this icing process, of which agglomerate fogs with durations less than and greater than 10 min accounted for 91.3% and 8.7%, respectively. The average time interval was 10.3 min. The fog droplet number concentration for sizes 2–15 μm and 30–50 μm increased during rainfall, and that for 2–27 μm decreased during snowfall. Icing grew rapidly(1.3 mm h-1) in the freezing rain phase but slowly(0.1 mm h-1) during the dry snow phase. Intensive supercooled fog, lower temperatures and increased wind speed all favored icing growth during dry snow(0.5 mm h-1). There were significant differences in the thickness, duration, density, and growth mechanism of icing at the heights of 10 m and 1.5 m. Differences in temperature and wind speed between the two heights were the main reasons for the differences in icing conditions, which indicated that icing was strongly affected by height.

Numerical Simulation to Evaluate the Effects of Upward Lightning Discharges on Thunderstorm Electrical Parameters

A theoretical discussion of the discharge effects of upward lightning simulated with a fine-resolution 2D thunderstorm model is performed in this paper,and the results reveal that the estimates of the total induced charge on the upward lightning discharge channels range from 0.67 to 118.8 C,and the average value is 19.0 C,while the ratio of the induced charge on the leader channels to the total opposite-polarity charge in the discharge region ranges from 5.9%to 47.3%,with an average value of 14.7%.Moreover,the average value of the space electrostatic energy consumed by upward lightning is 1.06×10^9 J.The above values are lower than those related to intracloud lightning discharges.The density of the deposited opposite-polarity charge is comparable in magnitude to that of the preexisting charge in the discharge area,and the deposition of these opposite-polarity charges rapidly destroys the original space potential well in the discharge area and greatly reduces the space electric field strength.In addition,these opposite-polarity charges are redistributed with the development of thunderstorms.The space charge redistribution caused by lightning discharges partly accounts for the complexity of the charge structures in a thunderstorm,and the complexity gradually decreases with the charge neutralization process.

Effect of Initial Vortex Intensity Correction on Tropical Cyclone Intensity Prediction:A Study Based on GRAPES_TYM

Predicting the intensity of tropical cyclones(TCs)is challenging in operational weather prediction systems,partly due to the difficulty in defining the initial vortex.In an attempt to solve this problem,this study investigated the effect of initial vortex intensity correction on the prediction of the intensity of TCs by the operational numerical prediction system GRAPES_TYM(Global and Regional Assimilation and Prediction System_Typhoon Model)of the National Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration.The statistical results based on experiments using data for major TCs in 2018 show that initial vortex intensity correction can reduce the errors in mean intensity for up to 120-h integration,with a noticeable decrease in the negative bias of intensity and a slight increase in the mean track error.The correction leads to an increase in the correlation coefficient of Vmax(maximum wind speed at 10-m height)for the severe typhoon and super typhoon stages.Analyses of the errors in intensity at different stages of intensity(including tropical storms,severe tropical storms,typhoons,severe typhoons,and super typhoons)show that vortex intensity correction has a remarkable positive influence on the prediction of super typhoons from 0 to 120h.Analyses of the errors in intensity for TCs with different initial intensities indicate that initial vortex correction can significantly improve the prediction of intensity from 24 to 96 h for weak TCs(including tropical storms and severe tropical storms at the initial time)and up to 24 h for strong TCs(including severe typhoons and super typhoons at the initial time).The effect of the initial vortex intensity correction is more important for developing TCs than for weakening TCs.