• Atmosphere
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.435-444
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• 2016

In spite of considerable progress in the recent decades, there still remain large uncertainties in numerical cloud models. In this study, effects of uncertainty in terminal velocity of graupel on cloud simulation are investigated. For this, a two-dimensional bin microphysics cloud model is employed, and deep convective clouds are simulated under idealized environmental conditions. In the sensitivity experiments, the terminal velocity of graupel is changed to twice and half the velocity in the control experiment. In the experiment with fast graupel terminal velocity, a large amount of graupel mass is present in the lower layer. On the other hand, in the experiment with slow graupel terminal velocity, almost all graupel mass remains in the upper layer. The graupel size distribution exhibits that as graupel terminal velocity increases, in the lower layer, the number of graupel particles increases and the peak radius in the graupel mass size distribution decreases. In the experiment with fast graupel terminal velocity, the vertical velocity is decreased mainly due to a decrease in riming that leads to a decrease in latent heat release and an increase in evaporative cooling via evaporation, sublimation, and melting that leads to more stable atmosphere. This decrease in vertical velocity causes graupel particles to fall toward the ground easier. By the changes in graupel terminal velocity, the accumulated surface precipitation amount differs up to about two times. This study reveals that the terminal velocity of graupel should be estimated more accurately than it is now.

• Atmosphere
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.73-85
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• 2012

The collision efficiency data for collision between graupel or hail particles and cloud drops that take into account the differences of particle density are applied to the Takahashi cloud model. The original setting assumes that graupel or hail collision efficiency is the same as that of the cloud drops of the same volume. The Takahashi cloud model is run with the new collision efficiency data and the results are compared with those with the original. As an initial condition, a thermodynamic profile that can initiate strong convection is provided. Three different CCN concentration values and therefore three initial cloud drop spectra are prescribed that represent maritime (CCN concentration = 300 $cm^{-3}$), continental (1000 $cm^{-3}$) and extreme continental (5000 $cm^{-3}$) air masses to examine the aerosol effects on cloud and precipitation development. Increase of CCN concentration causes cloud drop sizes to decrease and cloud drop concentrations to increase. However, the concentration of ice particles decreases with the increase of CCN concentration because small drops are difficult to freeze. These general trends are well captured by both model runs (one with the new collision efficiency data and the other with the original) but there are significant differences: with the new data, the development of cloud and raindrop formation are delayed by (1) decrease of ice collision efficiency, (2) decrease of latent heat from riming process and (3) decrease of ice crystals generated by ice multiplication. These results indicate that the model run with the original collision efficiency data overestimates precipitation rates.