Articles | Volume 8, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-761-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-761-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Feb 2015
Research article |
| 17 Feb 2015
Assessment of the performance of the inter-arrival time algorithm to identify ice shattering artifacts in cloud particle probe measurements
Environment Canada, Toronto, Canada
P. R. Field
Met Office, Exeter, UK, and University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Related authors
Alexei Korolev, Zhipeng Qu, Jason Milbrandt, Ivan Heckman, Mélissa Cholette, Mengistu Wolde, Cuong Nguyen, Greg McFarquhar, Paul Lawson, and Ann Fridlind
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1465, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1465, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The phenomenon of high ice water content (HIWC) occurs in mesoscale convective systems (MCS) when a large number of small ice particles with typical sizes of a few hundred micrometers are found at high altitudes. This study presents a conceptual model of the formation of HIWC in tropical MCSs developed based on in-situ observations and numerical simulation. It was found that secondary ice production in the vicinity of the melting layer plays a key role in the formation and maintenance of HIWC.
Sergey Y. Matrosov, Alexei Korolev, Mengistu Wolde, and Cuong Nguyen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6373–6386, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6373-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6373-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A remote sensing method to retrieve sizes of particles in ice clouds and precipitation from radar measurements at two wavelengths is described. This method is based on relating the particle size information to the ratio of radar signals at these two wavelengths. It is demonstrated that this ratio is informative about different characteristic particle sizes. Knowing atmospheric ice particle sizes is important for many applications such as precipitation estimation and climate modeling.
Alexei Korolev, Paul J. DeMott, Ivan Heckman, Mengistu Wolde, Earle Williams, David J. Smalley, and Michael F. Donovan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 13103–13113, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13103-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13103-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The present study provides the first explicit in situ observation of secondary ice production at temperatures as low as −27 °C, which is well outside the range of the Hallett–Mossop process (−3 to −8 °C). This observation expands our knowledge of the temperature range of initiation of secondary ice in clouds. The obtained results are intended to stimulate laboratory and theoretical studies to develop physically based parameterizations for weather prediction and climate models.
Zhipeng Qu, Alexei Korolev, Jason A. Milbrandt, Ivan Heckman, Yongjie Huang, Greg M. McFarquhar, Hugh Morrison, Mengistu Wolde, and Cuong Nguyen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12287–12310, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12287-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12287-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Secondary ice production (SIP) is an important physical phenomenon that results in an increase in the cloud ice particle concentration and can have a significant impact on the evolution of clouds. Here, idealized simulations of a tropical convective system were conducted. Agreement between the simulations and observations highlights the impacts of SIP on the maintenance of tropical convection in nature and the importance of including the modelling of SIP in numerical weather prediction models.
Yongjie Huang, Wei Wu, Greg M. McFarquhar, Ming Xue, Hugh Morrison, Jason Milbrandt, Alexei V. Korolev, Yachao Hu, Zhipeng Qu, Mengistu Wolde, Cuong Nguyen, Alfons Schwarzenboeck, and Ivan Heckman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2365–2384, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2365-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2365-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Numerous small ice crystals in tropical convective storms are difficult to detect and could be potentially hazardous for commercial aircraft. Previous numerical simulations failed to reproduce this phenomenon and hypothesized that key microphysical processes are still lacking in current models to realistically simulate the phenomenon. This study uses numerical experiments to confirm the dominant role of secondary ice production in the formation of these large numbers of small ice crystals.
Haoran Li, Alexei Korolev, and Dmitri Moisseev
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13593–13608, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13593-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13593-2021, 2021
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Kelvin–Helmholtz (K–H) clouds embedded in a stratiform precipitation event were uncovered via radar Doppler spectral analysis. Given the unprecedented detail of the observations, we show that multiple populations of secondary ice columns were generated in the pockets where larger cloud droplets are formed and not at some constant level within the cloud. Our results highlight that the K–H instability is favorable for liquid droplet growth and secondary ice formation.
Yongjie Huang, Wei Wu, Greg M. McFarquhar, Xuguang Wang, Hugh Morrison, Alexander Ryzhkov, Yachao Hu, Mengistu Wolde, Cuong Nguyen, Alfons Schwarzenboeck, Jason Milbrandt, Alexei V. Korolev, and Ivan Heckman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6919–6944, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6919-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6919-2021, 2021
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Numerous small ice crystals in the tropical convective storms are difficult to detect and could be potentially hazardous for commercial aircraft. This study evaluated the numerical models against the airborne observations and investigated the potential cloud processes that could lead to the production of these large numbers of small ice crystals. It is found that key microphysical processes are still lacking or misrepresented in current numerical models to realistically simulate the phenomenon.
Alexei Korolev and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11767–11797, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11767-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11767-2020, 2020
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Short summary
Secondary ice production (SIP) plays a key role in the formation of ice particles in tropospheric clouds. This work presents a critical review of the laboratory studies related to secondary ice production. It aims to identify gaps in our knowledge of SIP as well as to stimulate further laboratory studies focused on obtaining a quantitative description of efficiencies for each SIP mechanism.
Alexei Korolev, Ivan Heckman, Mengistu Wolde, Andrew S. Ackerman, Ann M. Fridlind, Luis A. Ladino, R. Paul Lawson, Jason Milbrandt, and Earle Williams
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 1391–1429, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1391-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1391-2020, 2020
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This study attempts identification of mechanisms of secondary ice production (SIP) based on the observation of small faceted ice crystals. It was found that in both mesoscale convective systems and frontal clouds, SIP was observed right above the melting layer and extended to the higher altitudes with colder temperatures. A principal conclusion of this work is that the freezing drop shattering mechanism is plausibly accounting for the measured ice concentrations in the observed condition.
Cuong M. Nguyen, Mengistu Wolde, and Alexei Korolev
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 5897–5911, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-5897-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-5897-2019, 2019
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This paper presents a methodology for high ice water content (HIWC) (up to 3.5 g m−3) retrieval from a dual-polarization side-looking X-band airborne radar. Zdr and Kdp are used to mitigate the effects of ice crystal shape and orientation on the variation in IWC – specific differential phase (Kdp) joint distribution. Empirical analysis shows that the proposed method improves the estimation bias by 35 % and increases the correlation by 4 % on average, compared to the method using Kdp alone.
Robert Jackson, Jeffrey R. French, David C. Leon, David M. Plummer, Sonia Lasher-Trapp, Alan M. Blyth, and Alexei Korolev
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15329–15344, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15329-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15329-2018, 2018
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This paper looks at microphysical observations of growing cumulus clouds in the southwest United Kingdom sampled during the COnvective Precipitation Experiment (COPE). Our results suggest that secondary ice production processes are contributing to the observed concentrations and that entrainment of particles from remnant cloud layers may have acted to aid in secondary ice production.
W. Richard Leaitch, Alexei Korolev, Amir A. Aliabadi, Julia Burkart, Megan D. Willis, Jonathan P. D. Abbatt, Heiko Bozem, Peter Hoor, Franziska Köllner, Johannes Schneider, Andreas Herber, Christian Konrad, and Ralf Brauner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 11107–11124, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11107-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11107-2016, 2016
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Thought to be mostly unimportant for summertime Arctic liquid-water clouds, airborne observations show that atmospheric aerosol particles 50 nm in diameter or smaller and most likely from natural sources are often involved in cloud formation in the pristine Arctic summer. The result expands the reference for aerosol forcing of climate. Further, for extremely low droplet concentrations, no evidence is found for a connection between cloud liquid water and aerosol particle concentrations.
Alexei Korolev, Alex Khain, Mark Pinsky, and Jeffrey French
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 9235–9254, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9235-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9235-2016, 2016
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Relationships between basic microphysical parameters are studied within the framework of homogeneous and extreme inhomogeneous mixing. Analytical expressions and numerical simulations of relationships between droplet concentration, extinction coefficient, liquid water content, and mean volume droplet size are presented. The obtained relationships between moments are used to identify type of mixing for in situ observations obtained in convective clouds.
Mark Pinsky, Alexander Khain, Alexei Korolev, and Leehi Magaritz-Ronen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 9255–9272, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9255-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9255-2016, 2016
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The evolution of monodisperse and polydisperse droplet size distributions (DSDs) during
homogeneous mixing is analyzed. It is shown that the classic conceptual scheme, according to which homogeneous mixing leads to a decrease in the droplet mass under constant droplet concentration, is valid only in cases of initially very narrow DSDs. In cases of wide DSDs a decrease of both mass and concentration take place such that the characteristic droplet sizes remain nearly constant.
Mark Pinsky, Alexander Khain, and Alexei Korolev
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 9273–9297, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9273-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9273-2016, 2016
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An idealized diffusion--evaporation model of time-dependent mixing between cloud and non-cloud volumes is analyzed. It is shown that the evolution of microphysical variables and the final equilibrium stage are unambiguously determined by two non-dimensional parameters. Delimitation between the types of mixing on the plane of these parameters is carried out. The definitions of homogeneous and inhomogeneous mixings are reconsidered and clarified. Results are compared with the classical concept.
J. W. Taylor, T. W. Choularton, A. M. Blyth, Z. Liu, K. N. Bower, J. Crosier, M. W. Gallagher, P. I. Williams, J. R. Dorsey, M. J. Flynn, L. J. Bennett, Y. Huang, J. French, A. Korolev, and P. R. A. Brown
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 799–826, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-799-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-799-2016, 2016
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We present microphysical observations of cumulus clouds measured over south-west England during COPE in summer 2013. Detailed sampling focused on an isolated liquid cloud that glaciated as it matured to merge with a band of cloud downwind. The first ice particles observed were frozen drizzle, while columnar ice dominated in the mature stages. We discuss the interactions between the warm rain and secondary ice processes, and their importance for the formation of precipitation.
A. M. Fridlind, A. S. Ackerman, A. Grandin, F. Dezitter, M. Weber, J. W. Strapp, A. V. Korolev, and C. R. Williams
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 11713–11728, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11713-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11713-2015, 2015
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Airbus measurements at elevations circa 11 km within large storm systems near Darwin and Santiago indicate ice mass distributed over area-equivalent diameters of 100-500 µm. Profiler-observed radar reflectivity and mean Doppler velocity under similar conditions are found to be consistent with measurements and with 1D simulations of steady-state stratiform rain columns initialized with observed ice size distributions. Results motivate investigation of ice formation pathways in Part II.
A. S. Ackerman, A. M. Fridlind, A. Grandin, F. Dezitter, M. Weber, J. W. Strapp, and A. V. Korolev
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 11729–11751, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11729-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11729-2015, 2015
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An updraft parcel model with size-resolved microphysics is used to investigate microphysical pathways leading to ice water content > 2 g m-3 with mass median area-equivalent diameter of 200-300 micron reported at ~11 km in tropical deep convection. Parcel simulations require substantial source of small crystals at temperatures > ~-10 deg C growing by vapor deposition. Warm rain in weaker updrafts surprisingly leads to greater ice mass owing to reduced competition for available water vapor.
Weiyu Zhang, Kwinten Van Weverberg, Cyril J. Morcrette, Wuhu Feng, Kalli Furtado, Paul R. Field, Chih-Chieh Chen, Andrew Gettelman, Piers M. Forster, Daniel R. Marsh, and Alexandru Rap
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1573, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1573, 2024
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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Contrail cirrus is the largest, but also most uncertain contribution of aviation to global warming. We evaluate for the first time the impact of the host climate model on contrail cirrus properties. Substantial differences exist between contrail cirrus formation, persistence, and radiative effects in the host climate models. Reliable contrail cirrus simulations require advanced representation of cloud optical properties and microphysics, which should be better constrained by observations.
Erin N. Raif, Sarah L. Barr, Mark D. Tarn, James B. McQuaid, Martin I. Daily, Steven J. Abel, Paul A. Barrett, Keith N. Bower, Paul R. Field, Kenneth S. Carslaw, and Benjamin J. Murray
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1502, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1502, 2024
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) allow ice to form in clouds at temperatures warmer than -35°C. We measured INP concentrations over the Norwegian and Barents seas in weather events where cold air is ejected from the Arctic. These concentrations were among the highest measured in the Arctic and it is likely that the INPs were transported to the Arctic from distant regions. These results show it is important to consider hemispheric-scale INP processes to understand INP concentrations in the Arctic.
Alexei Korolev, Zhipeng Qu, Jason Milbrandt, Ivan Heckman, Mélissa Cholette, Mengistu Wolde, Cuong Nguyen, Greg McFarquhar, Paul Lawson, and Ann Fridlind
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1465, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1465, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The phenomenon of high ice water content (HIWC) occurs in mesoscale convective systems (MCS) when a large number of small ice particles with typical sizes of a few hundred micrometers are found at high altitudes. This study presents a conceptual model of the formation of HIWC in tropical MCSs developed based on in-situ observations and numerical simulation. It was found that secondary ice production in the vicinity of the melting layer plays a key role in the formation and maintenance of HIWC.
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.
Gillian Young McCusker, Jutta Vüllers, Peggy Achtert, Paul Field, Jonathan J. Day, Richard Forbes, Ruth Price, Ewan O'Connor, Michael Tjernström, John Prytherch, Ryan Neely III, and Ian M. Brooks
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 4819–4847, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4819-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4819-2023, 2023
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In this study, we show that recent versions of two atmospheric models – the Unified Model and Integrated Forecasting System – overestimate Arctic cloud fraction within the lower troposphere by comparison with recent remote-sensing measurements made during the Arctic Ocean 2018 expedition. The overabundance of cloud is interlinked with the modelled thermodynamic structure, with strong negative temperature biases coincident with these overestimated cloud layers.
Ruth Price, Andrea Baccarini, Julia Schmale, Paul Zieger, Ian M. Brooks, Paul Field, and Ken S. Carslaw
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2927–2961, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2927-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2927-2023, 2023
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Arctic clouds can control how much energy is absorbed by the surface or reflected back to space. Using a computer model of the atmosphere we investigated the formation of atmospheric particles that allow cloud droplets to form. We found that particles formed aloft are transported to the lowest part of the Arctic atmosphere and that this is a key source of particles. Our results have implications for the way Arctic clouds will behave in the future as climate change continues to impact the region.
Sergey Y. Matrosov, Alexei Korolev, Mengistu Wolde, and Cuong Nguyen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6373–6386, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6373-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6373-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A remote sensing method to retrieve sizes of particles in ice clouds and precipitation from radar measurements at two wavelengths is described. This method is based on relating the particle size information to the ratio of radar signals at these two wavelengths. It is demonstrated that this ratio is informative about different characteristic particle sizes. Knowing atmospheric ice particle sizes is important for many applications such as precipitation estimation and climate modeling.
Alexei Korolev, Paul J. DeMott, Ivan Heckman, Mengistu Wolde, Earle Williams, David J. Smalley, and Michael F. Donovan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 13103–13113, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13103-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-13103-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The present study provides the first explicit in situ observation of secondary ice production at temperatures as low as −27 °C, which is well outside the range of the Hallett–Mossop process (−3 to −8 °C). This observation expands our knowledge of the temperature range of initiation of secondary ice in clouds. The obtained results are intended to stimulate laboratory and theoretical studies to develop physically based parameterizations for weather prediction and climate models.
Zhipeng Qu, Alexei Korolev, Jason A. Milbrandt, Ivan Heckman, Yongjie Huang, Greg M. McFarquhar, Hugh Morrison, Mengistu Wolde, and Cuong Nguyen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12287–12310, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12287-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12287-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Secondary ice production (SIP) is an important physical phenomenon that results in an increase in the cloud ice particle concentration and can have a significant impact on the evolution of clouds. Here, idealized simulations of a tropical convective system were conducted. Agreement between the simulations and observations highlights the impacts of SIP on the maintenance of tropical convection in nature and the importance of including the modelling of SIP in numerical weather prediction models.
Kalli Furtado and Paul Field
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 3391–3407, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3391-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3391-2022, 2022
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The complex processes involved mean that no simple answer to this
question has so far been discovered: do aerosols increase or decrease precipitation? Using high-resolution weather simulations, we find a self-similar property of rainfall that is not affected by aerosols. Using this invariant, we can collapse all our simulations to a single curve. So, although aerosol effects on rain are many, there may be a universal constraint on the number of degrees of freedom needed to represent them.
Yongjie Huang, Wei Wu, Greg M. McFarquhar, Ming Xue, Hugh Morrison, Jason Milbrandt, Alexei V. Korolev, Yachao Hu, Zhipeng Qu, Mengistu Wolde, Cuong Nguyen, Alfons Schwarzenboeck, and Ivan Heckman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2365–2384, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2365-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2365-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Numerous small ice crystals in tropical convective storms are difficult to detect and could be potentially hazardous for commercial aircraft. Previous numerical simulations failed to reproduce this phenomenon and hypothesized that key microphysical processes are still lacking in current models to realistically simulate the phenomenon. This study uses numerical experiments to confirm the dominant role of secondary ice production in the formation of these large numbers of small ice crystals.
Zhiqiang Cui, Alan Blyth, Yahui Huang, Gary Lloyd, Thomas Choularton, Keith Bower, Paul Field, Rachel Hawker, and Lindsay Bennett
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 1649–1667, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1649-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1649-2022, 2022
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High concentrations of ice particles were observed at temperatures greater than about –8 C. The default scheme of the secondary ice production cannot explain the high concentrations. Relaxing the conditions for secondary ice production or considering dust aerosol alone is insufficient to produce the observed amount of ice particles. It is likely that multi-thermals play an important role in producing very high concentrations of secondary ice particles in some tropical clouds.
Rachel E. Hawker, Annette K. Miltenberger, Jill S. Johnson, Jonathan M. Wilkinson, Adrian A. Hill, Ben J. Shipway, Paul R. Field, Benjamin J. Murray, and Ken S. Carslaw
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17315–17343, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17315-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17315-2021, 2021
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We find that ice-nucleating particles (INPs), aerosols that can initiate the freezing of cloud droplets, cause substantial changes to the properties of radiatively important convectively generated anvil cirrus. The number concentration of INPs had a large effect on ice crystal number concentration while the INP temperature dependence controlled ice crystal size and cloud fraction. The results indicate information on INP number and source is necessary for the representation of cloud glaciation.
Haoran Li, Alexei Korolev, and Dmitri Moisseev
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13593–13608, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13593-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13593-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Kelvin–Helmholtz (K–H) clouds embedded in a stratiform precipitation event were uncovered via radar Doppler spectral analysis. Given the unprecedented detail of the observations, we show that multiple populations of secondary ice columns were generated in the pockets where larger cloud droplets are formed and not at some constant level within the cloud. Our results highlight that the K–H instability is favorable for liquid droplet growth and secondary ice formation.
Vidya Varma, Olaf Morgenstern, Kalli Furtado, Paul Field, and Jonny Williams
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-438, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-438, 2021
Revised manuscript not accepted
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We introduce a simple parametrisation whereby the immersion freezing temperature in the model is linked to the mineral dust distribution through a diagnostic function, thus invoking regional differences in the nucleation temperatures instead of the global default value of −10 °C. This provides a functionality to mimic the role of Ice Nucleating Particles in the atmosphere on influencing the short-wave radiation over the Southern Ocean region by impacting the cloud phase.
Yongjie Huang, Wei Wu, Greg M. McFarquhar, Xuguang Wang, Hugh Morrison, Alexander Ryzhkov, Yachao Hu, Mengistu Wolde, Cuong Nguyen, Alfons Schwarzenboeck, Jason Milbrandt, Alexei V. Korolev, and Ivan Heckman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6919–6944, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6919-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6919-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Numerous small ice crystals in the tropical convective storms are difficult to detect and could be potentially hazardous for commercial aircraft. This study evaluated the numerical models against the airborne observations and investigated the potential cloud processes that could lead to the production of these large numbers of small ice crystals. It is found that key microphysical processes are still lacking or misrepresented in current numerical models to realistically simulate the phenomenon.
Rachel E. Hawker, Annette K. Miltenberger, Jonathan M. Wilkinson, Adrian A. Hill, Ben J. Shipway, Zhiqiang Cui, Richard J. Cotton, Ken S. Carslaw, Paul R. Field, and Benjamin J. Murray
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 5439–5461, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5439-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-5439-2021, 2021
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The impact of aerosols on clouds is a large source of uncertainty for future climate projections. Our results show that the radiative properties of a complex convective cloud field in the Saharan outflow region are sensitive to the temperature dependence of ice-nucleating particle concentrations. This means that differences in the aerosol source or composition, for the same aerosol size distribution, can cause differences in the outgoing radiation from regions dominated by tropical convection.
Annette K. Miltenberger and Paul R. Field
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 3627–3642, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3627-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-3627-2021, 2021
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The formation of ice in clouds is an important processes in mixed-phase and ice-phase clouds. However, the representation of ice formation in numerical models is highly uncertain. In the last decade, several new parameterizations for heterogeneous freezing have been proposed. Here, we investigate the impact of the parameterization choice on the representation of the convective cloud field and compare the impact to that of initial condition uncertainty.
Jim M. Haywood, Steven J. Abel, Paul A. Barrett, Nicolas Bellouin, Alan Blyth, Keith N. Bower, Melissa Brooks, Ken Carslaw, Haochi Che, Hugh Coe, Michael I. Cotterell, Ian Crawford, Zhiqiang Cui, Nicholas Davies, Beth Dingley, Paul Field, Paola Formenti, Hamish Gordon, Martin de Graaf, Ross Herbert, Ben Johnson, Anthony C. Jones, Justin M. Langridge, Florent Malavelle, Daniel G. Partridge, Fanny Peers, Jens Redemann, Philip Stier, Kate Szpek, Jonathan W. Taylor, Duncan Watson-Parris, Robert Wood, Huihui Wu, and Paquita Zuidema
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 1049–1084, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1049-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-1049-2021, 2021
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Every year, the seasonal cycle of biomass burning from agricultural practices in Africa creates a huge plume of smoke that travels many thousands of kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean. This study provides an overview of a measurement campaign called the cloud–aerosol–radiation interaction and forcing for year 2017 (CLARIFY-2017) and documents the rationale, deployment strategy, observations, and key results from the campaign which utilized the heavily equipped FAAM atmospheric research aircraft.
Alexei Korolev and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11767–11797, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11767-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11767-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Secondary ice production (SIP) plays a key role in the formation of ice particles in tropospheric clouds. This work presents a critical review of the laboratory studies related to secondary ice production. It aims to identify gaps in our knowledge of SIP as well as to stimulate further laboratory studies focused on obtaining a quantitative description of efficiencies for each SIP mechanism.
Hamish Gordon, Paul R. Field, Steven J. Abel, Paul Barrett, Keith Bower, Ian Crawford, Zhiqiang Cui, Daniel P. Grosvenor, Adrian A. Hill, Jonathan Taylor, Jonathan Wilkinson, Huihui Wu, and Ken S. Carslaw
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 10997–11024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10997-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10997-2020, 2020
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The Met Office's Unified Model is widely used both for weather forecasting and climate prediction. We present the first version of the model in which both aerosol and cloud particle mass and number concentrations are allowed to evolve separately and independently, which is important for studying how aerosols affect weather and climate. We test the model against aircraft observations near Ascension Island in the Atlantic, focusing on how aerosols can "activate" to become cloud droplets.
Annette K. Miltenberger, Paul R. Field, Adrian H. Hill, and Andrew J. Heymsfield
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 7979–8001, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7979-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7979-2020, 2020
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Orographic wave clouds offer a natural laboratory to investigate cloud microphysical processes and their representation in atmospheric models. They impact the larger-scale flow by a vertical redistribution of moisture and aerosol. We use detailed observations from the ICE-L campaign to evaluate the representation of these clouds in a state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction model and explore the impact of environmental conditions on the vertical redistribution of moisture.
Vidya Varma, Olaf Morgenstern, Paul Field, Kalli Furtado, Jonny Williams, and Patrick Hyder
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 7741–7751, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7741-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7741-2020, 2020
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The present generation of global climate models has an insufficiently reflected short-wave radiation, especially over the Southern Ocean. This leads to an excessive heating of the ocean surface in the model, creating sea surface temperature biases and subsequent problems with atmospheric dynamics. Misrepresentation of clouds could be attributed to this radiation bias; we try to address this issue by slowing the growth rate of ice crystals and improving the supercooled liquid clouds in the model.
Kalli Furtado, Paul Field, Yali Luo, Tianjun Zhou, and Adrian Hill
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 5093–5110, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-5093-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-5093-2020, 2020
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By combining observations with simulations from a weather forecasting model, new insights are obtained into extreme rainfall processes. We use a model which includes the effects of aerosols on clouds in a fully consistent way. This greater complexity improves realism but raises the computational cost. We address the cost–benefit relationship of this and show that cloud–aerosol interactions have important, measurable benefits for simulating climate extremes.
Daniel T. McCoy, Paul Field, Hamish Gordon, Gregory S. Elsaesser, and Daniel P. Grosvenor
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 4085–4103, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4085-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4085-2020, 2020
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Incomplete understanding of how aerosol affects clouds degrades our ability to predict future climate. In particular, it is unclear how aerosol affects the lifetime of clouds. Does it increase or decrease it? This confusion is partially because causality flows from aerosol to clouds and clouds to aerosol, and it is hard to tell what is happening in observations. Here, we use simulations to tell us about how clouds affect aerosol and use this to interpret observations, showing increased lifetime.
Gary Lloyd, Thomas Choularton, Keith Bower, Jonathan Crosier, Martin Gallagher, Michael Flynn, James Dorsey, Dantong Liu, Jonathan W. Taylor, Oliver Schlenczek, Jacob Fugal, Stephan Borrmann, Richard Cotton, Paul Field, and Alan Blyth
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 3895–3904, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-3895-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-3895-2020, 2020
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Measurements of liquid and ice cloud particles were made using an aircraft to penetrate fresh growing convective clouds in the tropical Atlantic. We found small ice particles at surprisingly high temperatures just below freezing. At colder temperatures secondary ice processes rapidly generated high concentrations of ice crystals.
Alexei Korolev, Ivan Heckman, Mengistu Wolde, Andrew S. Ackerman, Ann M. Fridlind, Luis A. Ladino, R. Paul Lawson, Jason Milbrandt, and Earle Williams
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 1391–1429, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1391-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-1391-2020, 2020
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This study attempts identification of mechanisms of secondary ice production (SIP) based on the observation of small faceted ice crystals. It was found that in both mesoscale convective systems and frontal clouds, SIP was observed right above the melting layer and extended to the higher altitudes with colder temperatures. A principal conclusion of this work is that the freezing drop shattering mechanism is plausibly accounting for the measured ice concentrations in the observed condition.
Cuong M. Nguyen, Mengistu Wolde, and Alexei Korolev
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 5897–5911, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-5897-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-5897-2019, 2019
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This paper presents a methodology for high ice water content (HIWC) (up to 3.5 g m−3) retrieval from a dual-polarization side-looking X-band airborne radar. Zdr and Kdp are used to mitigate the effects of ice crystal shape and orientation on the variation in IWC – specific differential phase (Kdp) joint distribution. Empirical analysis shows that the proposed method improves the estimation bias by 35 % and increases the correlation by 4 % on average, compared to the method using Kdp alone.
George Spill, Philip Stier, Paul R. Field, and Guy Dagan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 13507–13517, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13507-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-13507-2019, 2019
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Shallow convective clouds are among the most common and least understood clouds in the atmosphere. Here we present simulations of realistic, shallow cloud fields in a large domain, in contrast to typical idealised simulations, and find that in these simulations the response to aerosol perturbations is different.
Daniel T. McCoy, Paul R. Field, Gregory S. Elsaesser, Alejandro Bodas-Salcedo, Brian H. Kahn, Mark D. Zelinka, Chihiro Kodama, Thorsten Mauritsen, Benoit Vanniere, Malcolm Roberts, Pier L. Vidale, David Saint-Martin, Aurore Voldoire, Rein Haarsma, Adrian Hill, Ben Shipway, and Jonathan Wilkinson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 1147–1172, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1147-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1147-2019, 2019
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The largest single source of uncertainty in the climate sensitivity predicted by global climate models is how much low-altitude clouds change as the climate warms. Models predict that the amount of liquid within and the brightness of low-altitude clouds increase in the extratropics with warming. We show that increased fluxes of moisture into extratropical storms in the midlatitudes explain the majority of the observed trend and the modeled increase in liquid water within these storms.
Robert Jackson, Jeffrey R. French, David C. Leon, David M. Plummer, Sonia Lasher-Trapp, Alan M. Blyth, and Alexei Korolev
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15329–15344, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15329-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15329-2018, 2018
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This paper looks at microphysical observations of growing cumulus clouds in the southwest United Kingdom sampled during the COnvective Precipitation Experiment (COPE). Our results suggest that secondary ice production processes are contributing to the observed concentrations and that entrainment of particles from remnant cloud layers may have acted to aid in secondary ice production.
Hamish Gordon, Paul R. Field, Steven J. Abel, Mohit Dalvi, Daniel P. Grosvenor, Adrian A. Hill, Ben T. Johnson, Annette K. Miltenberger, Masaru Yoshioka, and Ken S. Carslaw
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15261–15289, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15261-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15261-2018, 2018
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Smoke from African fires is frequently transported across the Atlantic Ocean, where it interacts with clouds. We simulate the interaction of the smoke with the clouds, and the consequences of this for the solar radiation the clouds reflect. The simulations use a new regional configuration of the UK Met Office climate model. Our simulations indicate that the properties of the clouds, in particular their height and reflectivity, and the fractional cloud cover, are strongly affected by the smoke.
Robin G. Stevens, Katharina Loewe, Christopher Dearden, Antonios Dimitrelos, Anna Possner, Gesa K. Eirund, Tomi Raatikainen, Adrian A. Hill, Benjamin J. Shipway, Jonathan Wilkinson, Sami Romakkaniemi, Juha Tonttila, Ari Laaksonen, Hannele Korhonen, Paul Connolly, Ulrike Lohmann, Corinna Hoose, Annica M. L. Ekman, Ken S. Carslaw, and Paul R. Field
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 11041–11071, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-11041-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-11041-2018, 2018
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We perform a model intercomparison of summertime high Arctic clouds. Observed concentrations of aerosol particles necessary for cloud formation fell to extremely low values, coincident with a transition from cloudy to nearly cloud-free conditions. Previous analyses have suggested that at these low concentrations, the radiative properties of the clouds are determined primarily by these particle concentrations. The model results strongly support this hypothesis.
Annette K. Miltenberger, Paul R. Field, Adrian A. Hill, Ben J. Shipway, and Jonathan M. Wilkinson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 10593–10613, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-10593-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-10593-2018, 2018
Daniel T. McCoy, Paul R. Field, Anja Schmidt, Daniel P. Grosvenor, Frida A.-M. Bender, Ben J. Shipway, Adrian A. Hill, Jonathan M. Wilkinson, and Gregory S. Elsaesser
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 5821–5846, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-5821-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-5821-2018, 2018
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Here we use a combination of global convection-permitting models, satellite observations and the Holuhraun volcanic eruption to demonstrate that aerosol enhances the cloud liquid content and brightness of midlatitude cyclones. This is important because the strength of anthropogenic radiative forcing is uncertain, leading to uncertainty in the climate sensitivity consistent with observed temperature record.
Annette K. Miltenberger, Paul R. Field, Adrian A. Hill, Phil Rosenberg, Ben J. Shipway, Jonathan M. Wilkinson, Robert Scovell, and Alan M. Blyth
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 3119–3145, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3119-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3119-2018, 2018
Daniel T. McCoy, Frida A.-M. Bender, Daniel P. Grosvenor, Johannes K. Mohrmann, Dennis L. Hartmann, Robert Wood, and Paul R. Field
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 2035–2047, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-2035-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-2035-2018, 2018
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The interaction between clouds and aerosols represents the largest source of uncertainty in the anthropogenic radiative forcing. Cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) is the state variable that moderates the interaction between aerosol and clouds. Here we show that CDNC decreases off the coasts of East Asia and North America due to controls on emissions. We support this analysis through an examination of volcanism in Hawaii and Vanuatu.
Daniel P. Grosvenor, Paul R. Field, Adrian A. Hill, and Benjamin J. Shipway
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 5155–5183, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5155-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-5155-2017, 2017
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We used a weather model to simulate low-level layer clouds that lie off the coast of Chile and tested how they would be affected by airborne particulate matter (aerosols) according to the model. We found that as aerosols were increased, the clouds reflected more and more of the sun’s incoming energy due to the combined effects of the cloud droplets becoming smaller, the thickening of clouds, and increased areal coverage. However, the latter two effects were only important at low aerosol levels.
Céline Planche, Graham W. Mann, Kenneth S. Carslaw, Mohit Dalvi, John H. Marsham, and Paul R. Field
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 3371–3384, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-3371-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-3371-2017, 2017
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A convection-permitting limited area model with prognostic aerosol microphysics is applied to investigate how concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in the marine boundary layer are affected by high-resolution dynamical and thermodynamic fields at sub-climate model scale. We gain new insight into the way primary sea-salt and secondary sulfate particles contribute to the overall CCN variance, and find a marked difference in the variability of super- and sub-micron CCN.
W. Richard Leaitch, Alexei Korolev, Amir A. Aliabadi, Julia Burkart, Megan D. Willis, Jonathan P. D. Abbatt, Heiko Bozem, Peter Hoor, Franziska Köllner, Johannes Schneider, Andreas Herber, Christian Konrad, and Ralf Brauner
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 11107–11124, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11107-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-11107-2016, 2016
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Thought to be mostly unimportant for summertime Arctic liquid-water clouds, airborne observations show that atmospheric aerosol particles 50 nm in diameter or smaller and most likely from natural sources are often involved in cloud formation in the pristine Arctic summer. The result expands the reference for aerosol forcing of climate. Further, for extremely low droplet concentrations, no evidence is found for a connection between cloud liquid water and aerosol particle concentrations.
Alexei Korolev, Alex Khain, Mark Pinsky, and Jeffrey French
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 9235–9254, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9235-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9235-2016, 2016
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Relationships between basic microphysical parameters are studied within the framework of homogeneous and extreme inhomogeneous mixing. Analytical expressions and numerical simulations of relationships between droplet concentration, extinction coefficient, liquid water content, and mean volume droplet size are presented. The obtained relationships between moments are used to identify type of mixing for in situ observations obtained in convective clouds.
Mark Pinsky, Alexander Khain, Alexei Korolev, and Leehi Magaritz-Ronen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 9255–9272, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9255-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9255-2016, 2016
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The evolution of monodisperse and polydisperse droplet size distributions (DSDs) during
homogeneous mixing is analyzed. It is shown that the classic conceptual scheme, according to which homogeneous mixing leads to a decrease in the droplet mass under constant droplet concentration, is valid only in cases of initially very narrow DSDs. In cases of wide DSDs a decrease of both mass and concentration take place such that the characteristic droplet sizes remain nearly constant.
Mark Pinsky, Alexander Khain, and Alexei Korolev
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 9273–9297, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9273-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9273-2016, 2016
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An idealized diffusion--evaporation model of time-dependent mixing between cloud and non-cloud volumes is analyzed. It is shown that the evolution of microphysical variables and the final equilibrium stage are unambiguously determined by two non-dimensional parameters. Delimitation between the types of mixing on the plane of these parameters is carried out. The definitions of homogeneous and inhomogeneous mixings are reconsidered and clarified. Results are compared with the classical concept.
Robert J. Farrington, Paul J. Connolly, Gary Lloyd, Keith N. Bower, Michael J. Flynn, Martin W. Gallagher, Paul R. Field, Chris Dearden, and Thomas W. Choularton
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 4945–4966, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4945-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4945-2016, 2016
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This paper assesses the reasons for high ice number concentrations observed in orographic clouds by comparing observations with model simulations over Jungfraujoch, Switzerland. The results suggest that ice nuclei do not significantly contribute to the high concentrations and that a surface source of ice crystals is responsible for the witnessed ice number concentrations.
J. W. Taylor, T. W. Choularton, A. M. Blyth, Z. Liu, K. N. Bower, J. Crosier, M. W. Gallagher, P. I. Williams, J. R. Dorsey, M. J. Flynn, L. J. Bennett, Y. Huang, J. French, A. Korolev, and P. R. A. Brown
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 799–826, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-799-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-799-2016, 2016
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We present microphysical observations of cumulus clouds measured over south-west England during COPE in summer 2013. Detailed sampling focused on an isolated liquid cloud that glaciated as it matured to merge with a band of cloud downwind. The first ice particles observed were frozen drizzle, while columnar ice dominated in the mature stages. We discuss the interactions between the warm rain and secondary ice processes, and their importance for the formation of precipitation.
A. M. Fridlind, A. S. Ackerman, A. Grandin, F. Dezitter, M. Weber, J. W. Strapp, A. V. Korolev, and C. R. Williams
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 11713–11728, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11713-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11713-2015, 2015
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Airbus measurements at elevations circa 11 km within large storm systems near Darwin and Santiago indicate ice mass distributed over area-equivalent diameters of 100-500 µm. Profiler-observed radar reflectivity and mean Doppler velocity under similar conditions are found to be consistent with measurements and with 1D simulations of steady-state stratiform rain columns initialized with observed ice size distributions. Results motivate investigation of ice formation pathways in Part II.
A. S. Ackerman, A. M. Fridlind, A. Grandin, F. Dezitter, M. Weber, J. W. Strapp, and A. V. Korolev
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 11729–11751, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11729-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-11729-2015, 2015
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An updraft parcel model with size-resolved microphysics is used to investigate microphysical pathways leading to ice water content > 2 g m-3 with mass median area-equivalent diameter of 200-300 micron reported at ~11 km in tropical deep convection. Parcel simulations require substantial source of small crystals at temperatures > ~-10 deg C growing by vapor deposition. Warm rain in weaker updrafts surprisingly leads to greater ice mass owing to reduced competition for available water vapor.
Related subject area
Subject: Clouds | Technique: In Situ Measurement | Topic: Data Processing and Information Retrieval
Innovative cloud quantification: deep learning classification and finite-sector clustering for ground-based all-sky imaging
Revealing halos concealed by cirrus clouds
Quantifying riming from airborne data during the HALO-(AC)3 campaign
Estimation of 24 h continuous cloud cover using a ground-based imager with a convolutional neural network
Neural network processing of holographic images
The Transition from Supercooled Liquid Water to Ice Crystals in Mixed-phase Clouds based on Airborne In-situ Observations
Ice crystal images from optical array probes: classification with convolutional neural networks
Detection and analysis of cloud boundary in Xi'an, China, employing 35 GHz cloud radar aided by 1064 nm lidar
The University of Washington Ice–Liquid Discriminator (UWILD) improves single-particle phase classifications of hydrometeors within Southern Ocean clouds using machine learning
Twenty-four-hour cloud cover calculation using a ground-based imager with machine learning
Application of cloud particle sensor sondes for estimating the number concentration of cloud water droplets and liquid water content: case studies in the Arctic region
Clouds over Hyytiälä, Finland: an algorithm to classify clouds based on solar radiation and cloud base height measurements
A convolutional neural network for classifying cloud particles recorded by imaging probes
Spatiotemporal variability of solar radiation introduced by clouds over Arctic sea ice
Analysis algorithm for sky type and ice halo recognition in all-sky images
Study of the diffraction pattern of cloud particles and the respective responses of optical array probes
A method for computing the three-dimensional radial distribution function of cloud particles from holographic images
A new method for calculating number concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei based on measurements of a three-wavelength humidified nephelometer system
Cloud radiative effect, cloud fraction and cloud type at two stations in Switzerland using hemispherical sky cameras
Evaluation of radar reflectivity factor simulations of ice crystal populations from in situ observations for the retrieval of condensed water content in tropical mesoscale convective systems
Cloud detection in all-sky images via multi-scale neighborhood features and multiple supervised learning techniques
From pixels to patches: a cloud classification method based on a bag of micro-structures
Evaluation of cloud base height measurements from Ceilometer CL31 and MODIS satellite over Ahmedabad, India
Software to analyze the relationship between aerosol, clouds, and precipitation: SAMAC
Block-based cloud classification with statistical features and distribution of local texture features
Assessment of cloud supersaturation by size-resolved aerosol particle and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) measurements
Inversion of droplet aerosol analyzer data for long-term aerosol–cloud interaction measurements
Response of the Nevzorov hot wire probe in clouds dominated by droplet conditions in the drizzle size range
Jingxuan Luo, Yubing Pan, Debin Su, Jinhua Zhong, Lingxiao Wu, Wei Zhao, Xiaoru Hu, Zhengchao Qi, Daren Lu, and Yinan Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3765–3781, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3765-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3765-2024, 2024
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Accurate cloud quantification is critical for climate research. We developed a novel computer vision framework using deep neural networks and clustering algorithms for cloud classification and segmentation from ground-based all-sky images. After a full year of observational training, our model achieves over 95 % accuracy on four cloud types. The framework enhances quantitative analysis to support climate research by providing reliable cloud data.
Yuji Ayatsuka
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3739–3750, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3739-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3739-2024, 2024
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Many types of halos appear in the sky. Each type of halo reflects the state of the atmosphere; therefore observing them from the ground greatly helps in understanding the state of the atmosphere. However, halos are easily obscured by the contrast of the cloud itself, making it difficult to observe them. This study describes the construction of a sky-color model for halos and a new effective algorithm to reveal halos in images.
Nina Maherndl, Manuel Moser, Johannes Lucke, Mario Mech, Nils Risse, Imke Schirmacher, and Maximilian Maahn
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1475–1495, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1475-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1475-2024, 2024
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In some clouds, liquid water droplets can freeze onto ice crystals (riming). Riming leads to the formation of snowflakes. We show two ways to quantify riming using aircraft data collected in the Arctic. One aircraft had a cloud radar, while the other aircraft was measuring directly in cloud. The first method compares radar and direct observations. The second looks at snowflake shape. Both methods agree, except when there were gaps in the cloud. This improves our ability to understand riming.
Bu-Yo Kim, Joo Wan Cha, and Yong Hee Lee
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5403–5413, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5403-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5403-2023, 2023
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A camera-based imager and convolutional neural network (CNN) were used to estimate ground cloud cover. Image data from 2019 were used for training and validation, and those from 2020 were used for testing. The CNN model exhibited high performance, with an accuracy of 0.92, RMSE of 1.40 tenths, and 93% agreement with observed cloud cover within ±2 tenths' difference. It also outperformed satellites and ceilometers and proved to be the most suitable for ground-based cloud cover estimation.
John S. Schreck, Gabrielle Gantos, Matthew Hayman, Aaron Bansemer, and David John Gagne
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5793–5819, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5793-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5793-2022, 2022
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We show promising results for a new machine-learning based paradigm for processing field-acquired cloud droplet holograms. The approach is fast, scalable, and leverages GPUs and other heterogeneous computing platforms. It combines applications of transfer and active learning by using synthetic data for training and a small set of hand-labeled data for refinement and validation. Artificial noise applied during synthetic training enables optimized models for real-world situations.
Flor Vanessa Maciel and Minghui Diao
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2022-256, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2022-256, 2022
Revised manuscript accepted for AMT
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The transition from supercooled liquid water to ice crystals in mixed-phase clouds is investigated using aircraft-based in-situ observations over the Southern Ocean. A novel method was developed to distinguish four transition phases for mixed-phase cloud evolution. Relationships between cloud macrophysical and microphysical properties are quantified. Effects of aerosols, thermodynamic and dynamical conditions on ice nucleation and phase partitioning are investigated.
Louis Jaffeux, Alfons Schwarzenböck, Pierre Coutris, and Christophe Duroure
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5141–5157, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5141-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5141-2022, 2022
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Optical array probes are instruments used aboard research aircraft to capture 2D images of ice or water particles in clouds. This study presents a new tool using innovative machine learning, called convolutional neural networks, designed to identify the shape of imaged ice particles for two of these imagers, namely 2DS and PIP. Such a tool will be a very strong asset for understanding cloud microphysics. Beyond traditional evaluation metrics, human inspections were performed of unknown data.
Yun Yuan, Huige Di, Yuanyuan Liu, Tao Yang, Qimeng Li, Qing Yan, Wenhui Xin, Shichun Li, and Dengxin Hua
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4989–5006, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4989-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4989-2022, 2022
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We put forward a new algorithm for joint observation of the cloud boundary by lidar and Ka-band millimetre-wave cloud radar. Cloud cover and boundary distribution characteristics are analysed from December 2020 to November 2021 in Xi'an. More than 34 % of clouds appear as a single layer every month. The maximum and minimum normalized cloud cover occurs in summer and winter, respectively. The study can provide more information on aerosol–cloud interactions and forecasting numerical models.
Rachel Atlas, Johannes Mohrmann, Joseph Finlon, Jeremy Lu, Ian Hsiao, Robert Wood, and Minghui Diao
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7079–7101, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7079-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7079-2021, 2021
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Many clouds with temperatures between 0 °C and −40 °C contain both liquid and ice particles, and the ratio of liquid to ice particles influences how the clouds interact with radiation and moderate Earth's climate. We use a machine learning method called random forest to classify images of individual cloud particles as either liquid or ice. We apply our algorithm to images captured by aircraft within clouds overlying the Southern Ocean, and we find that it outperforms two existing algorithms.
Bu-Yo Kim, Joo Wan Cha, and Ki-Ho Chang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6695–6710, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6695-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6695-2021, 2021
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This study investigates a method for 24 h cloud cover calculation using a camera-based imager and supervised machine learning methods. The cloud cover is calculated by learning the statistical characteristics of the ratio, difference, and luminance using RGB channels of the image with a machine learning model. The proposed approach is suitable for nowcasting because it has higher learning and prediction speed than the method in which the many pixels of a 2D image are learned.
Jun Inoue, Yutaka Tobo, Kazutoshi Sato, Fumikazu Taketani, and Marion Maturilli
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4971–4987, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4971-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4971-2021, 2021
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A cloud particle sensor (CPS) sonde is an observing system to obtain the signals of the phase, size, and the number of cloud particles. Based on the field experiments in the Arctic regions and numerical experiments, we proposed a method to correct the CPS sonde data and found that the CPS sonde system can appropriately observe the liquid cloud if our correction method is applied.
Ilona Ylivinkka, Santeri Kaupinmäki, Meri Virman, Maija Peltola, Ditte Taipale, Tuukka Petäjä, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Markku Kulmala, and Ekaterina Ezhova
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 5595–5619, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5595-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5595-2020, 2020
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In this study, we developed a new algorithm for cloud classification using solar radiation and cloud base height measurements. Our objective was to develop a simple and inexpensive but effective algorithm for the needs of studies related to ecosystem and atmosphere interactions. In the present study, we used the algorithm for obtaining cloud statistics at a measurement station in southern Finland, and we discuss the advantages and shortcomings of the algorithm.
Georgios Touloupas, Annika Lauber, Jan Henneberger, Alexander Beck, and Aurélien Lucchi
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 2219–2239, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-2219-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-2219-2020, 2020
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Images of cloud particles give important information for improving our understanding of microphysical cloud processes. For phase-resolved measurements, a large number of water droplets and ice crystals need to be classified by an automated approach. In this study, a convolutional neural network was designed, which exceeds the classification ability of traditional methods and therefore shortens the analysis procedure of cloud particle images.
Carola Barrientos Velasco, Hartwig Deneke, Hannes Griesche, Patric Seifert, Ronny Engelmann, and Andreas Macke
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 1757–1775, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-1757-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-1757-2020, 2020
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In the changing Arctic, quantifying the resulting variability of incoming solar radiation is important to better elucidate the net radiative effect of clouds. As part of a multidisciplinary expedition in the central Arctic held in early summer 2017, a novel network of pyranometers was deployed over an ice floe to investigate the spatiotemporal variability of solar radiation under different sky conditions. This study presents the collected data and an analysis of the spatiotemporal variability.
Sylke Boyd, Stephen Sorenson, Shelby Richard, Michelle King, and Morton Greenslit
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 4241–4259, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-4241-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-4241-2019, 2019
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How cirroform clouds affect the radiation balance of the atmosphere depends on their properties, including ice particle types such as crystals, pellets, and fragments. Ice halos form if ice particles in these clouds are in a smooth hexagonal crystalline form. This paper introduces a method to search long-term records of sky images for ice halos, as gathered by total sky imagers (TSIs). Such an analysis will allow one to explore geographical and seasonal variations in cirrus cloud particle types.
Thibault Vaillant de Guélis, Alfons Schwarzenböck, Valery Shcherbakov, Christophe Gourbeyre, Bastien Laurent, Régis Dupuy, Pierre Coutris, and Christophe Duroure
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 2513–2529, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2513-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2513-2019, 2019
Michael L. Larsen and Raymond A. Shaw
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 4261–4272, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4261-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4261-2018, 2018
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A statistical tool frequently utilized to measure scale-dependent departures from perfect randomness is the radial distribution function. This tool has many strengths, but it is not easy to calculate for particle detections within a three-dimensional sample volume. In this manuscript, we introduce and test a new method to estimate the three-dimensional radial distribution function in realistic measurement volumes.
Jiangchuan Tao, Chunsheng Zhao, Ye Kuang, Gang Zhao, Chuanyang Shen, Yingli Yu, Yuxuan Bian, and Wanyun Xu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 895–906, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-895-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-895-2018, 2018
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Existing chamber technologies for direct measurements of number concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (NCCN) are sophisticated and expensive. In this paper, a new method is proposed to calculate NCCN based only on measurements of a humidified nephelometer system which have accounted for influences of both aerosol size and aerosol hygroscopicity on NCCN calculation. This new method makes NCCN measurements more convenient and is capable of obtaining NCCN at lower supersaturations.
Christine Aebi, Julian Gröbner, Niklaus Kämpfer, and Laurent Vuilleumier
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 4587–4600, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4587-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4587-2017, 2017
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The current study analyses the cloud radiative effect during the daytime depending on cloud fraction and cloud type at two stations in Switzerland over a time period of 3–5 years. Information about fractional cloud coverage and cloud type is retrieved from images taken by visible all-sky cameras. Cloud cover, cloud type and other atmospheric parameters have an influence on the magnitude of the longwave cloud effect as well as on the shortwave.
Emmanuel Fontaine, Delphine Leroy, Alfons Schwarzenboeck, Julien Delanoë, Alain Protat, Fabien Dezitter, Alice Grandin, John Walter Strapp, and Lyle Edward Lilie
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 2239–2252, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2239-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2239-2017, 2017
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In this study we evaluate a method to estimate cloud water content (CWC) knowing cloud reflectivity. Ice hydrometeors are replace by ice oblate spheroids to simulate their reflectivity. There is no assumption on the relation between mass and their size. Then, a broad range of CWCs are compared with direct measurements of CWC. The accuracy of the method is ~ ±32 %. This study is performed in areas of convective clouds where reflectivity and CWC are especially high, what makes it unique.
Hsu-Yung Cheng and Chih-Lung Lin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 199–208, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-199-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-199-2017, 2017
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A cloud detection method for all-sky images is proposed. Obtaining improved cloud detection results is helpful for cloud classification, tracking and solar irradiance prediction. The features are extracted from local image patches with different sizes to include local structure and multi-resolution information. The cloud models are learned through the training process. We have shown that taking advantages of multiple classifiers and various patch sizes is able to increase the detection accuracy.
Qingyong Li, Zhen Zhang, Weitao Lu, Jun Yang, Ying Ma, and Wen Yao
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 753–764, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-753-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-753-2016, 2016
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This paper proposes a new cloud classification method, named bag of micro-structures (BoMS), for whole-sky imagers. BoMS treats an all-sky image as a collection of micro-structures mapped from image patches, rather than a collection of pixels. BoMS identifies five different sky conditions: cirriform, cumuliform, stratiform, clear sky, and mixed cloudiness (often appearing in all-sky images but seldom addressed in the literature). The performance of BoMS overperforms those of traditional methods.
Som Sharma, Rajesh Vaishnav, Munn V. Shukla, Prashant Kumar, Prateek Kumar, Pradeep K. Thapliyal, Shyam Lal, and Yashwant B. Acharya
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 711–719, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-711-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-711-2016, 2016
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Cloud base height observations from Ceilometer CL31 were extensively studied during May 2013 to January 2015 over Ahmedabad (23.03°N, 72.54°E), India. Results indicate that the ceilometer is an excellent instrument to precisely detect low- and mid-level clouds, and that the MODIS satellite provides accurate retrieval of high-level clouds over this region.
S. Gagné, L. P. MacDonald, W. R. Leaitch, and J. R. Pierce
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 619–630, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-619-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-619-2016, 2016
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Measurements of clouds with an aircraft are essential to understand how clouds form and how they affect the Earth's climate. These measurements are used in climate models to help predict how our climate might develop in the next century. Aircraft measurements are, however, difficult for modellers to interpret because the way they were acquired and analyzed varies from one team of scientists to the next. We present a software platform for scientists to share and compare their analysis tools.
H.-Y. Cheng and C.-C. Yu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 1173–1182, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-1173-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-1173-2015, 2015
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This work performs cloud classification on all-sky images. To deal with mixed cloud types, we propose performing block-based classification. The proposed method combines local texture features with classical statistical texture features. The experimental results have shown that applying the combined feature results in higher classification accuracy. It is also validated that using block-based classification outperforms classification on the entire images.
M. L. Krüger, S. Mertes, T. Klimach, Y. F. Cheng, H. Su, J. Schneider, M. O. Andreae, U. Pöschl, and D. Rose
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 2615–2629, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-2615-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-2615-2014, 2014
M. I. A. Berghof, G. P. Frank, S. Sjogren, and B. G. Martinsson
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 877–886, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-877-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-877-2014, 2014
A. Schwarzenboeck, G. Mioche, A. Armetta, A. Herber, and J.-F. Gayet
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 2, 779–788, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2-779-2009, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2-779-2009, 2009
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