Articles | Volume 19, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2621-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2621-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Using formvar to capture atmospheric ice crystals and retrieve roughness parameters
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
Andrew R. D. Smedley
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
Paul Connolly
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
Ann R. Webb
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
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Michael Biggart, Thomas W. Choularton, Martin W. Gallagher, Keith N. Bower, Gary Lloyd, Paul J. Connolly, Benjamin J. Murray, Mark D. Tarn, Erin N. Raif, and Steven J. Abel
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1272, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1272, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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Microphysical processes controlling the phase of mixed-phase clouds in cold air outbreaks (CAOs) are poorly represented by climate models. Of these, secondary ice production (SIP) is a major contributor to uncertainties in the mixed-phase cloud response to warming. We examine observations made in CAOs to understand which SIP processes are dominating and under which conditions. Our results inform future modelling, helping reduce radiative flux biases and uncertainties in climate sensitivity.
Bowen Z. Portman, Paul J. Connolly, Alan M. Blyth, Rachel L. James, and Huihui Wu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-302, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-302, 2026
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Secondary ice production (SIP) is key to explaining the high ice particle concentrations observed in deep convective clouds. We investigate secondary ice production in summer convective clouds over New Mexico, and our results show that collisions between supercooled water droplets and more massive ice particles are the dominant SIP mechanism in these clouds. We also find that the entrainment of external aerosols leads to earlier ice enhancement under homogeneous mixing.
Mengyu Sun, Paul J. Connolly, Paul R. Field, Declan L. Finney, and Alan M. Blyth
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 18549–18569, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18549-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18549-2025, 2025
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We investigated how extra ice particles form inside tropical storm clouds and how they affect rainfall and sunlight reflection. By using a weather model, we found that these extra ice particles can change how clouds grow, reduce heat escaping to space, and slightly shift where rain falls. This helps improve how weather and climate models predict tropical storms.
Huihui Wu, Nicholas Marsden, Paul Connolly, Michael Flynn, Paul I. Williams, Declan Finney, Kezhen Hu, Graeme J. Nott, Navaneeth M. Thamban, Keith Bower, Alan Blyth, Martin Gallagher, and Hugh Coe
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 18409–18429, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18409-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-18409-2025, 2025
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Airborne observations over the Magdalena Mountains in New Mexico underscore the combined influence of meteorological conditions and aerosol characteristics on the development of deep-convective clouds under different flow regimes. Model-observation comparisons emphasize the critical role of aerosol entrainment in reproducing the observed broad cloud droplet spectra. This study provides valuable constraints for improving parameterizations of aerosol-cloud interactions in deep convective systems.
Mengyu Sun, Paul J. Connolly, Paul R. Field, Declan L. Finney, and Alan M. Blyth
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5665, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5665, 2025
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We use a high resolution weather model together with satellite and radar data to study how small particles in the air influence ice and rain in a tropical storm near Darwin. We find that when particle levels are moderate, storm clouds form more ice high in the atmosphere, spread a wider cloud cover, and produce stronger rainfall concentrated in certain regions. These results help improve how weather and climate models represent tropical storms and their rainfall.
Carmen González, José M. Vilaplana, Alberto Redondas, Javier López-Solano, José M. San Atanasio, Richard Kift, Andrew R. D. Smedley, Pavel Babal, Ana Díaz, Nis Jepsen, Guisella Gacitúa, and Antonio Serrano
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 14131–14152, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-14131-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-14131-2025, 2025
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Brewer spectroradiometers are widely used instruments that have been monitoring global solar ultraviolet (UV) irradiance since the 1990s, playing a key role in solar UV research. The uncertainties of these measurements are rarely evaluated even though they are essential to determine the quality of these measurements. In this work, the uncertainty of 10 Brewers is estimated using the Monte Carlo method, showing that Brewers’ relative uncertainty is less than 5 % for wavelengths above 310 nm.
Declan L. Finney, Alan M. Blyth, Paul R. Field, Martin I. Daily, Benjamin J. Murray, Mengyu Sun, Paul J. Connolly, Zhiqiang Cui, and Steven Böing
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 10907–10929, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10907-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10907-2025, 2025
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We present observation-informed modelling from the Deep Convective Microphysics Experiment (DCMEX) to study how environmental conditions and cloud processes affect anvil cloud albedo and radiation. Aerosols influencing cloud droplets or influencing ice formation yield varying radiative effects. We introduce fingerprint metrics to discern these effects. Using detailed observations and modelling, we offer insights into high-cloud radiative effects and feedbacks.
Declan L. Finney, Alan M. Blyth, Martin Gallagher, Huihui Wu, Graeme J. Nott, Michael I. Biggerstaff, Richard G. Sonnenfeld, Martin Daily, Dan Walker, David Dufton, Keith Bower, Steven Böing, Thomas Choularton, Jonathan Crosier, James Groves, Paul R. Field, Hugh Coe, Benjamin J. Murray, Gary Lloyd, Nicholas A. Marsden, Michael Flynn, Kezhen Hu, Navaneeth M. Thamban, Paul I. Williams, Paul J. Connolly, James B. McQuaid, Joseph Robinson, Zhiqiang Cui, Ralph R. Burton, Gordon Carrie, Robert Moore, Steven J. Abel, Dave Tiddeman, and Graydon Aulich
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 2141–2163, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-2141-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-2141-2024, 2024
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The DCMEX (Deep Convective Microphysics Experiment) project undertook an aircraft- and ground-based measurement campaign of New Mexico deep convective clouds during July–August 2022. The campaign coordinated a broad range of instrumentation measuring aerosol, cloud physics, radar signals, thermodynamics, dynamics, electric fields, and weather. The project's objectives included the utilisation of these data with satellite observations to study the anvil cloud radiative effect.
Rachel L. James, Jonathan Crosier, and Paul J. Connolly
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9099–9121, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9099-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9099-2023, 2023
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Secondary ice production (SIP) may significantly enhance the ice particle concentration in mixed-phase clouds. We present a systematic modelling study of secondary ice formation in idealised shallow convective clouds for various conditions. Our results suggest that the SIP mechanism of collisions of supercooled water drops with more massive ice particles may be a significant ice formation mechanism in shallow convective clouds outside the rime-splintering temperature range (−3 to −8 °C).
Rachel L. James, Vaughan T. J. Phillips, and Paul J. Connolly
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 18519–18530, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-18519-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-18519-2021, 2021
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Secondary ice production (SIP) plays an important role in ice formation within mixed-phase clouds. We present a laboratory investigation of a potentially new SIP mechanism involving the collisions of supercooled water drops with ice particles. At impact, the supercooled water drop fragments form smaller secondary drops. Approximately 30 % of the secondary drops formed during the retraction phase of the supercooled water drop impact freeze over a temperature range of −4 °C to −12 °C.
Panagiotis G. Kosmopoulos, Stelios Kazadzis, Alois W. Schmalwieser, Panagiotis I. Raptis, Kyriakoula Papachristopoulou, Ilias Fountoulakis, Akriti Masoom, Alkiviadis F. Bais, Julia Bilbao, Mario Blumthaler, Axel Kreuter, Anna Maria Siani, Kostas Eleftheratos, Chrysanthi Topaloglou, Julian Gröbner, Bjørn Johnsen, Tove M. Svendby, Jose Manuel Vilaplana, Lionel Doppler, Ann R. Webb, Marina Khazova, Hugo De Backer, Anu Heikkilä, Kaisa Lakkala, Janusz Jaroslawski, Charikleia Meleti, Henri Diémoz, Gregor Hülsen, Barbara Klotz, John Rimmer, and Charalampos Kontoes
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 5657–5699, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5657-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5657-2021, 2021
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Large-scale retrievals of the ultraviolet index (UVI) in real time by exploiting the modern Earth observation data and techniques are capable of forming operational early warning systems that raise awareness among citizens of the health implications of high UVI doses. In this direction a novel UVI operating system, the so-called UVIOS, was introduced for massive outputs, while its performance was tested against ground-based measurements revealing a dependence on the input quality and resolution.
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Short summary
The surface structure of ice crystals in clouds influences how sunlight travels through the atmosphere and contributes to uncertainty in climate predictions. Because these features are difficult to observe, we present a practical approach for mapping ice crystal surface structure using an established capture technique. Ice crystals were produced in a laboratory cloud chamber and their surfaces were measured in detail. This approach enables reliable mapping of ice crystal surfaces.
The surface structure of ice crystals in clouds influences how sunlight travels through the...