New insights into precipitation development as affected by novel investigations on the limitation of large raindrops' sizes

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Klaus Dieter Beheng (†); Professor Dr.-Ing. Bernhard Weigand
• Subject Area: Atmospheric Science
• Term: from 2006 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 25482868

To the ultimate goal to improve precipitation forecasts a basic mechanism limiting the size of large raindrops (collision-induced breakup), which has been examined in the very past by very few laboratory experiments only, is re-investigated. Its effect is estimated by numerical studies using a cloud-resolving operational weather forecast model of the German Weather Service. The studies are partitioned into two parts: At first numerical experiments with an advanced fluid-dynamics code were performed where the collision and the breakup of colliding large (rain)drops are followed in greatest detail. They will be checked by according laboratory experiments. The results provide characteristics whose values may depend on specific breakup modes if results of the few past experiments are confirmed. The new data will be used in a ID-rainshaft model. Besides equilibrium raindrop size spectra important in many fields related to precipitation physics as, e.g., in radar meteorology, the rainshaft model delivers basic values for deriving a (coarser) parameterization of breakup. Prom the latter values then a new parameterization of breakup is developed for operational applications. It will replace the traditional formulation which actually is part of a bulk cloudmicrophysical scheme running already in a cloud-resolving version of a weather forecast model of the German Weather Service. First sensitivity studies will be undertaken to assess the effect of the new data on the breakup process on precipitation.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1167: Quantitative Precipitation Forecast PQP (Praecipitationis Quantitativae Praedictio)
• Participating Person: Dr.-Ing. Norbert Roth