Articles | Volume 21, issue 23
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17649-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17649-2021
Research article
 | 
03 Dec 2021
Research article |  | 03 Dec 2021

Microphysical process of precipitating hydrometeors from warm-front mid-level stratiform clouds revealed by ground-based lidar observations

Yang Yi, Fan Yi, Fuchao Liu, Yunpeng Zhang, Changming Yu, and Yun He

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Cited articles

Aggarwal, P. K., Romatschke, U., Araguas-Araguas, L., Belachew, D., Longsta, F. J., Berg, P., Courtney Schumacher, C., and Funk, A.: Proportions of convective and stratiform precipitation revealed in water isotope ratios, Nat. Geosci., 9, 624–629, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2739, 2016. 
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Ansmann, A., Tesche, M., Seifert, P., Althausen, D., Engelmann, R., Fruntke, J., Wandinger, U., Mattis, I., and Müller, D.: Evolution of the ice phase in tropical altocumulus: SAMUM lidar observations over Cape Verde, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D17208, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD011659, 2009. 
Barrett, A. I., Westbrook, C. D., Nicol, J. C., and Stein, T. H. M.: Rapid ice aggregation process revealed through triple-wavelength Doppler spectrum radar analysis, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 5753–5769, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5753-2019, 2019. 
Behrendt, A. and Nakamura, T.: Calculation of the calibration constant of polarization lidar and its dependency in atmospheric temperature, Opt. Express, 10, 805–817, https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.10.000805, 2002. 
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Short summary
Our lidar observations reveal the complete microphysical process of hydrometeors falling from mid-level stratiform clouds. We find that the surface rainfall begins as supercooled mixed-phase hydrometeors fall out of a liquid parent cloud base. We find also that the collision–coalescence growth of precipitating raindrops and subsequent spontaneous breakup always occur around 0.6 km altitude during surface rainfalls. Our findings provide new insights into stratiform precipitation formation.
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