Introducing the Video In Situ Snowfall Sensor (VISSS)

Maahn, Maximilian; Moisseev, Dmitri; Steinke, Isabelle; Maherndl, Nina; Shupe, Matthew D.

doi:10.5194/egusphere-2023-655

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 58 publications

(86 reference statements)

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“…The ɛ derived from the 3D ultrasonic anemometer data near the 2DVD could effectively characterize the ɛ near the raindrops in the core observation area of the 2DVD. In the future, the results can be compared against open measurements made with instruments such as the Video In Situ Snowfall Sensor (Maahn et al., 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raindrop Deformation in Turbulence

Zheng,

Zhang,

et al. 2024

Geophysical Research Letters

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The physical behavior of a falling raindrop is governed by delicate fluid dynamics and thermodynamics, and oscillates with time. Despite this time‐variant nature, past observational and simulation studies have aimed to generalize parameterizations for describing rain microphysics bearing the assumption that raindrops fall at terminal speeds with an equilibrium shape. However, the applicability of this hypothesis in a realistic atmosphere that is inherently turbulent remains an open question. Here, we employ novel retrieval techniques to quantify the impact of turbulence on raindrop microphysics using long‐term in situ observations with careful assessment of the wind effect. We find that raindrop microphysics increasingly deviate from the equilibrium state as the turbulence dissipation rate increases, and this effect is more pronounced for large raindrops. We present turbulence‐invoked rain microphysical parameterizations which shed light on the complex interactions between turbulence dynamics and raindrop microphysics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raindrop Deformation in Turbulence

Zheng,

Zhang,

et al. 2024

Geophysical Research Letters

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Introducing the Video In Situ Snowfall Sensor (VISSS)

Maahn,

Moisseev,

Steinke

et al. 2024

Atmos. Meas. Tech.

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Abstract. The open-source Video In Situ Snowfall Sensor (VISSS) is introduced as a novel instrument for the characterization of particle shape and size in snowfall. The VISSS consists of two cameras with LED backlights and telecentric lenses that allow accurate sizing and combine a large observation volume with relatively high pixel resolution and a design that limits wind disturbance. VISSS data products include various particle properties such as maximum extent, cross-sectional area, perimeter, complexity, and sedimentation velocity. Initial analysis shows that the VISSS provides robust statistics based on up to 10 000 unique particle observations per minute. Comparison of the VISSS with the collocated PIP (Precipitation Imaging Package) and Parsivel instruments at Hyytiälä, Finland, shows excellent agreement with the Parsivel but reveals some differences for the PIP that are likely related to PIP data processing and limitations of the PIP with respect to observing smaller particles. The open-source nature of the VISSS hardware plans, data acquisition software, and data processing libraries invites the community to contribute to the development of the instrument, which has many potential applications in atmospheric science and beyond.

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Low-level mixed-phase clouds at the high Arctic site of Ny-Ålesund: a comprehensive long-term dataset of remote sensing observations

Chellini,

Gierens,

Ebell

et al. 2023

Earth Syst. Sci. Data

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Abstract. We present a comprehensive quality-controlled 15-month dataset of remote sensing observations of low-level mixed-phase clouds (LLMPCs) taken at the high Arctic site of Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway. LLMPCs occur frequently in the Arctic region and extensively affect the energy budget. However, our understanding of the ice microphysical processes taking place in these clouds is incomplete. The dual-wavelength and polarimetric Doppler cloud radar observations, which are the cornerstones of the dataset, provide valuable fingerprints of ice microphysical processes, and the high number of cases included allows for the compiling of robust statistics for process studies. The radar data are complemented with thermodynamic retrievals from a microwave radiometer, liquid base height from a ceilometer, and wind fields from large-eddy simulations. All data are quality controlled, especially the cloud radar data, which are accurately calibrated, matched, and corrected for gas and liquid-hydrometeor attenuation, ground clutter, and range folding. We finally present an analysis of the temperature dependence of Doppler, dual-wavelength, and polarimetric radar variables, to illustrate how the dataset can be used for cloud microphysical studies. The dataset has been published in Chellini et al. (2023) and is freely available at: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7803064.

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Introducing the Video In Situ Snowfall Sensor (VISSS)

Cited by 3 publications

References 58 publications

Raindrop Deformation in Turbulence

Raindrop Deformation in Turbulence

Introducing the Video In Situ Snowfall Sensor (VISSS)

Low-level mixed-phase clouds at the high Arctic site of Ny-Ålesund: a comprehensive long-term dataset of remote sensing observations

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