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Universality in snowflake aggregation

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Westbrook, C. D., Ball, R. C., Field, P. R. and Heymsfield, Andrew J.. (2004) Universality in snowflake aggregation. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol.31 (No.15). ISSN 0094-8276

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020363

Abstract

Aggregation of ice crystals is a key process governing precipitation. Individual ice crystals exhibit considerable diversity of shape, and a wide range of physical processes could influence their aggregation; despite this we show that a simple computer model captures key features of aggregate shape and size distribution reported recently from cirrus clouds. The results prompt a new way to plot the experimental size distributions leading to remarkably good dynamical scaling. That scaling independently confirms that there is a single dominant aggregation mechanism at play, albeit our model (based on undeflected trajectories to contact) does not capture its form exactly.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	Q Science > QC Physics Q Science > QD Chemistry
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > Physics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Ice crystals -- Computer simulation, Aggregation (Chemistry), Snowflakes, Clouds -- Dynamics, Cirrus clouds
Journal or Publication Title:	Geophysical Research Letters
Publisher:	American Geophysical Union
ISSN:	0094-8276
Date:	2004
Volume:	Vol.31
Number:	No.15
Number of Pages:	3
Identification Number:	10.1029/2004GL020363
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
Funder:	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Great Britain. Meteorological Office
References:	Field, P. R., and A. J. Heymsfield (2003), Aggregation and scaling of ice crystal distributions, J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 544– 560. Heymsfield, A. J., et al. (2002), A general approach for deriving the properties of cirrus and stratiform ice cloud particles, J. Atmos. Sci., 59, 3– 29. Korolev, A., and G. Isaac (2003), Roundness and aspect ratio of particles in ice clouds, J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 1795– 1808. Mitchell, A. L. (1996), Use of mass- and area-dimensional power laws for determining precipitation particle terminal velocities, J. Atmos. Sci., 53, 1710– 1723. Van Dongen, P. G. V., and M. H. Ernst (1985), Dynamical scaling in the kinetics of clustering, Phys. Rev. Lett., 54, 1396–1399. Westbrook, C. D., R. C. Ball, P. R. Field, and A. J. Heymsfield (2004), A theory of growth by differential sedimentation, with application to snowflake formation, Phys. Rev. E, in press.
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/3873