The microphysical properties of small ice particles measured by the small ice detector-3 probe during the MACPEX Field Campaign

Schmitt, Carl G.; Schnaiter, Martin; Heymsfield, Andrew J.; Yang, Ping; Hirst, Edwin; Bansemer, Aaron

doi:10.1175/JAS-D-16-0126.1

Schmitt, C. G., Schnaiter, M., Heymsfield, A. J., Yang, P., Hirst, E., & Bansemer, A. (2016). The microphysical properties of small ice particles measured by the small ice detector-3 probe during the MACPEX Field Campaign. Journal Of The Atmospheric Sciences, 73, 4775-4791. doi:10.1175/JAS-D-16-0126.1

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Abstract

A reliable understanding of the microphysical properties of ice particles in atmospheric clouds is critical for assessing cloud radiative forcing effects in climate studies. Ice particle microphysical properties such as size, shape, and surface roughness all have substantial effects on the single... Show moreA reliable understanding of the microphysical properties of ice particles in atmospheric clouds is critical for assessing cloud radiative forcing effects in climate studies. Ice particle microphysical properties such as size, shape, and surface roughness all have substantial effects on the single-scattering characteristics of the particles. A recently developed ice particle probe, the Small Ice Detector-3 (SID-3), measures the two-dimensional near-forward light-scattering patterns of sampled ice particles. These scattering patterns provide a wealth of information for understanding the microphysical and radiative characteristics of ice particles. The SID-3 was operated successfully on 12 aircraft flights during the NASA Midlatitude Airborne Cirrus Properties Experiment (MACPEX) field campaign in April 2011. In this study, SID-3 measurements are used to investigate the frequency of occurrence of a number of ice particle properties observed during MACPEX. Individual scattering patterns (7.5 degrees-23 degrees) are used to infer properties of the observed particles as well as to calculate partial scattering functions (PSFs) for ensembles of particles in the measured size range (similar to 5-100 mu m). PSFs are compared to ray-tracing-based phase functions to infer additional properties of the particles. Two quantitative values halo ratio and steepness ratio are used to characterize PSFs. The MACPEX dataset suggests that most atmospheric ice particles have rough surfaces or are complex in nature. PSFs calculated for particles that were characterized as having smooth surfaces also appeared to more closely resemble rough crystal PSFs. PSFs measured with SID-3 compare well with those calculated for droxtals with rough surfaces. Show less

Published Version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-16-0126.1

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Author(s)

Carl G. Schmitt-NCAR/UCAR

Martin Schnaiter

Andrew J. Heymsfield-NCAR/UCAR

Ping Yang

Edwin Hirst

Aaron Bansemer-NCAR/UCAR

Title

The microphysical properties of small ice particles measured by the small ice detector-3 probe during the MACPEX Field Campaign

Publication Title

Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences

Date

2016-12

Volume

Issue

Pages

4775-4791

Resource Type

article

Peer Review

Refereed

Copyright Information

Copyright 2016 American Meteorological Society (AMS). Permission to use figures, tables, and brief excerpts from this work in scientific and educational works is hereby granted provided that the source is acknowledged. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be "fair use" under Section 107 or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law (17 USC, as revised by P.L. 94-553) does not require the Society's permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form on servers, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statements, requires written permission or license from the AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policies, available from the AMS at 617-227-2425 or amspubs@ametsoc.org. Permission to place a copy of this work on this server has been provided by the AMS. The AMS does not guarantee that the copy provided here is an accurate copy of the published work.

Publisher's Version of Record

http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-16-0126.1

OpenSky Citable URL

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d74f1shg

Funding Info

NASA-HQ/Headquarters #NNX11AC07G - Microphysical Observations in Support of Mid-latitude Airborne Cirrus Properties Experiment (MACPEX)

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The microphysical properties of small ice particles measured by the small ice detector-3 probe during the MACPEX Field Campaign

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