Observations of Ice Microphysics through the Melting Layer

Abstract

Abstract The detailed microphysical processes and properties within the melting layer (ML)—the continued growth of the aggregates by the collection of the small particles, the breakup of these aggregates, the effects of relative humidity on particle melting—are largely unresolved. This study focuses on addressing these questions for in-cloud heights from just above to just below the ML. Observations from four field programs employing in situ measurements from above to below the ML are used to characterize the microphysics through this region. With increasing temperatures from about −4° to +1°C, and for saturated conditions, slope and intercept parameters of exponential fits to the particle size distributions (PSD) fitted to the data continue to decrease downward, the maximum particle size (largest particle sampled for each 5-s PSD) increases, and melting proceeds from the smallest to the largest particles. With increasing temperature from about −4° to +2°C for highly subsaturated conditions, the PSD slope and intercept continue to decrease downward, the maximum particle size increases, and there is relatively little melting, but all particles experience sublimation.