A Lagrangian Perspective of Microphysical Impact on Ice Cloud Evolution and Radiative Heating

We generate trajectories in storm-resolving simulations order to quantify the effect of ice microphysics on tropical upper-tropospheric cloud-radiative heating. The pressure and flow field tracked along are used run different microphysical schemes, both one- two-moment formulations within Icosahedral Non-hydrostatic Model model a separate offline box (CLaMS-Ice). This computational approach allows us isolate purely differences variant “microphysical piggybacking;” feedbacks onto field, for example, via latent heating, suppressed. Despite these constraints, we find about 5-fold difference median cloud mass mixing ratios (qi) crystal number (Ni) between schemes very distinct qi distributions versus temperature relative humidity with respect trajectories. After investigating nucleation, depositional growth, sedimentation, propose three cirrus lifecycles: weak source-strong sink lifecycle whose longwave shortwave heating smallest due short lifetime low optical depth, strong source-weak largest long high intermediate radiative properties.