The vertical cloud structure can reflect the dynamic and thermal structural characteristics as well as microphysical characteristics of precipitating cloud clusters.
Aircraft cloud detection has become a basic method to determine the characteristics of cloud particle concentrations, liquid water content, and particle spectrum distributions. The airborne Ka-band cloud radar is able to observe the macrostructure of cloud particle characteristics in precipitating clouds during the process of the aircraft penetrating clouds.
A group led by researchers from the Beijing Weather Modification Center and Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences used aircraft detection data collected in Baoding on August 5, 2018, in combination with airborne Ka-band cloud radar, to study the microphysical characteristics of cumulus cloud.
According to their findings, in the high liquid-water-content regions above 1500 m, the cloud droplet concentration varied little, the aerosol number concentration decreased, and the cloud droplet average diameter as well as the aerosol effective radius increased slightly.
"All clouds we studied were pure liquid-phase clouds and dominated by spherical particles. Strong updrafts in the cumulus cloud increased the peak radius and cloud droplet concentration, and broadened the cloud droplet spectrum. Lower air temperature was favorable for particle condensational growth and produced larger droplets," said Dr. WEI Lei from the Beijing Weather Modification Center.
Due to the strong updrafts, the aircraft's ability to detect cumulus clouds is limited.
"If the aircraft can detect cumulus clouds in the vigorous development stage of convection, it is worthy to further discuss the physical characteristics of cumulus clouds," said Dr. WEI.
Cumulus clouds observed by airplane (Image by ZHAO Delong)
