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Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Relationship between temperature and apparent shape of pristine ice crystals derived from polarimetric cloud radar observations during the ACCEPT campaign
    (München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2016) Myagkov, Alexander; Seifert, Patric; Wandinger, Ulla; Bühl, Johannes; Engelmann, Ronny
    This paper presents first quantitative estimations of apparent ice particle shape at the top of liquid-topped clouds. Analyzed ice particles were formed under mixed-phase conditions in the presence of supercooled water and in the temperature range from −20 to −3 °C. The estimation is based on polarizability ratios of ice particles measured by a Ka-band cloud radar MIRA-35 with hybrid polarimetric configuration. Polarizability ratio is a function of the geometrical axis ratio and the dielectric properties of the observed hydrometeors. For this study, 22 cases observed during the ACCEPT (Analysis of the Composition of Clouds with Extended Polarization Techniques) field campaign were used. Polarizability ratios retrieved for cloud layers with the cloud-top temperatures of  ∼ −5,  ∼ −8,  ∼ −15, and  ∼ −20 °C were 1.6, 0.9, 0.6, and 0.9, respectively. Such values correspond to prolate, quasi-isotropic, oblate, and quasi-isotropic particles, respectively. Data from a free-fall chamber were used for the comparison. A good agreement of detected apparent shapes with well-known shape–temperature dependencies observed in laboratories was found. Polarizability ratios used for the analysis were estimated for areas located close to the cloud top, where aggregation and riming processes do not strongly affect ice particles. We concluded that, in microwave scattering models, ice particles detected in these areas can be assumed to have pristine shapes. It was also found that even slight variations of ambient conditions at the cloud top with temperatures warmer than  ∼ −5 °C can lead to rapid changes of ice crystal shape.
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    Dual-FOV Raman and Doppler lidar studies of aerosol-cloud interactions: Simultaneous profiling of aerosols, warm-cloud properties, and vertical wind
    (Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2014) Schmidt, Jörg; Ansmann, Albert; Bühl, Johannes; Baars, Holger; Wandinger, Ulla; Müller, Detlef; Malinka, Aleksey V.
    For the first time, colocated dual-field of view (dual-FOV) Raman lidar and Doppler lidar observations (case studies) of aerosol and cloud optical and microphysical properties below and within thin layered liquid water clouds are presented together with an updraft and downdraft characterization at cloud base. The goal of this work is to investigate the relationship between aerosol load close to cloud base and cloud characteristics of warm (purely liquid) clouds and the study of the influence of vertical motions and turbulent mixing on this relationship. We further use this opportunity to illustrate the applicability of the novel dual-FOV Raman lidar in this field of research. The dual-FOV lidar combines the well-established multiwavelength Raman lidar technique for aerosol retrievals and the multiple-scattering Raman lidar technique for profiling of the single-scattering extinction coefficient, effective radius, number concentration of the cloud droplets, and liquid water content. Key findings of our 3 year observations are presented in several case studies of optically thin altocumulus layers occurring in the lower free troposphere between 2.5 and 4 km height over Leipzig, Germany, during clean and polluted situations. For the clouds that we observed, the most direct link between aerosol proxy (particle extinction coefficient) and cloud proxy (cloud droplet number concentration) was found at cloud base during updraft periods. Above cloud base, additional processes resulting from turbulent mixing and entrainment of dry air make it difficult to determine the direct impact of aerosols on cloud processes.
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    Observation of Arabian and Saharan dust in Cyprus with a new generation of the smart Raman lidar Polly
    (Les Ulis : EDP Sciences, 2016) Engelmann, Ronny; Ansmann, Albert; Bühl, Johannes; Heese, Birgit; Baars, Holger; Althausen, Dietrich; Marinou, Eleni; Amiridis, Vassilis; Mamouri, Rodanthi-Elisavet; Vrekoussis, Mihalis
    The atmospheric science community demands for autonomous and quality-assured vertically resolved measurements of aerosol and cloud properties. Aiming this goal, TROPOS developed the fully automated multiwavelength polarization Raman lidar Polly since over 10 years [1, 2]. In cooperation with different partner research institutes the system was improved continuously. Our latest lidar developments include aside the “3+2” measurements also a near-range receiver to measure aerosol extinction and backscatter down to 120 m above the lidar, a water-vapor channel, and measurements of the linear depolarization at two wavelengths. The latest system was built in cooperation with the National Observatory of Athens (NOA). Its first campaign however was performed at the Cyprus Institute of Nicosia from March to April 2015, aiming specifically at the observation of ice nuclei with in-situ and lidar remote sensing techniques in the framework of BACCHUS [3, 4].
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    Measuring ice- and liquid-water properties in mixed-phase cloud layers at the Leipzig Cloudnet station
    (München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2016) Bühl, Johannes; Seifert, Patric; Myagkov, Alexander; Ansmann, Albert
    An analysis of the Cloudnet data set collected at Leipzig, Germany, with special focus on mixed-phase layered clouds is presented. We derive liquid- and ice-water content together with vertical motions of ice particles falling through cloud base. The ice mass flux is calculated by combining measurements of ice-water content and particle Doppler velocity. The efficiency of heterogeneous ice formation and its impact on cloud lifetime is estimated for different cloud-top temperatures by relating the ice mass flux and the liquid-water content at cloud top. Cloud radar measurements of polarization and Doppler velocity indicate that ice crystals formed in mixed-phase cloud layers with a geometrical thickness of less than 350 m are mostly pristine when they fall out of the cloud.
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    Seasonal variability of heterogeneous ice formation in stratiform clouds over the Amazon Basin
    (Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2014) Seifert, Patric; Kunz, Clara; Baars, Holger; Ansmann, Albert; Bühl, Johannes; Senf, Fabian; Engelmann, Ronny; Althausen, Dietrich; Artaxo, Paulo
    Based on 11months of polarization lidar observations in the Amazon Basin near Manaus, Brazil (2.3°S, 60°W), the relationship between temperature and heterogeneous ice formation efficiency in stratiform clouds was evaluated in the cloud top temperature range between -40 and 0°C. Between -30 and 0°C, ice-containing clouds are a factor of 1.5 to 2 more frequent during the dry season. Free-tropospheric aerosol backscatter profiles revealed a twofold to tenfold increase in aerosol load during the dry season and a Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate - Interim Implementation reanalysis data set implies that the aerosol composition during the dry season is strongly influenced by biomass burning aerosol, whereas other components such as mineral dust do not vary strongly between the seasons. The injection of smoke accompanied by the likely dispersion of biological material, soil dust, or ash particles was identified as a possible source for the increased ice formation efficiency during the dry season. Key Points A unique 1year stratiform cloud data set was obtained for the Amazon Basin During the dry season, ice forms more efficient than during the wet season Biomass burning aerosols must be the source of ice nuclei during the dry season.