Numerical study of the cloud seeding effects

Abstract

The microphysical model with the bulk water parameterization is applied to simulated both contact and deposition nucleation as well as the imersion freezing for unseeded cases and the cases immediately after seeding performed for the cold continental Cb clouds with small cloud droplets. The injection of agent AgI is performed in temperature region between -8°C and -12°C. The four groups of sensitivity experiments are executed. a. The Brownian coagulation of rain drops is the most important contact nucleation mechanism for seeded cases with great amount of rain drops. When cloud droplets mainly contribute to the liquid water content for seeded cases, the Brownian coagulation of cloud droplets is the primary nucleation mechanism while the inertial impact is the less effective contact nucleation mechanism; b. the mutual interdependence of contact and deposition nucleation mechanisms shows that the contact nucleation is more effective for graupel production than the deposition one for the temperature region considered in this model; c. the imersion freezing is the most important mechanism for all cases with significant amount of rain drops. It is more effective than the contact nucleation mechanism in unseeded cases with insufficient number of rain drops; d. the nucleation mechanisms are more sensitive to temperature changes than to pressure changes. © 1990 Springer-Verlag.