Sensitivity study of the influence of cloud droplet concentration on hail suppression effectiveness

Abstract

A cloud-resolving mesoscale model with a two-moment microphysical scheme has been used. The software package for cloud seeding and two categories of precipitation elements (graupel and frozen raindrops) are incorporated in the model. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of cloud droplet concentration on hail suppression effectiveness. The concentration level of cloud droplets is prescribed in the model. We performed sensitivity tests of precipitation amounts (rain and hail) on the cloud droplet concentration in unseeded and seeded cases. We demonstrated for the unseeded case that increasing the concentration of cloud droplets created a reduction in rain accumulation, while the amount of hail accumulation increased. It is necessary to understand whether natural diversity in the cloud droplet concentration can affect the effectiveness of hail suppression. For operational cloud seeding activities, it would be helpful to determine whether it is possible to suppress hail if we know the optimal level of concentration for cloud droplets. Our study showed that hail suppression effectiveness had the greatest influence on lowering cloud droplet concentration levels; suppression effectiveness decreased as the cloud droplet concentration increased. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Wien.