Ice in Clouds Monograph

Droplet Measurement Technologies, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides partial funding for a monograph on the role of ice in clouds. Ice crystals play an important role in the formation, evolution and impact of clouds on weather and climate. The monograph is a summary of the scientific field's current state of understanding of how ice forms and evolves and of our technological capability to measure the critical properties of these ice crystals. Broad dissemination of the results of past research and workshops will help the community to guide future research that is necessary in ice microphysics. The monograph, titled "Ice Formation and Evolution in Clouds and Precipitation: Measurement and Modeling Challenges," has 5 primary objectives: 1) To summarize our current understanding of ice evolution in clouds, from first ice formation to removal by precipitation, melting, evaporation or sublimation, 2) To identify those processes in ice formation and evolution that are not well understood, and highlight the impacts of those knowledge gaps on the ability to forecast weather, predict future climate, understand cloud electrification, and aviation hazards, 3) To assess current and new measurement systems that characterize ice particle properties and of models that diagnose or prognose ice evolution, 4) To evaluate and compare methodologies used for processing measurements of cloud properties and recommend best practices that minimize uncertainties and maximize extracted information, 5) To formulate a list of recommended actions that can and should be implemented to improve our understanding of ice evolution in cloud.