ICEPIC: A study of the formation and development of ice and precipitation particles in convective clouds over the United Kingdom

Principal Investigator: Prof Alan Blyth
Sponsor: NERC

Start Date: 1 February 2005 
End Date: 31 Jan 2008

Value to Leeds: £141,965.12

Institute: Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science

Abstract

This project involves research into understanding the formation and development of ice and precipitation particles in convective clouds. Flights will be made in the summer of 2005 with the new BAE 146 aircraft through cumulus clouds, often in the vicinity of the Chilbolton 3 GHz and 1275 MHz radars. Instruments on the aircraft will include the new Small Ice Detector and the Cloud Particle Imager, and standard microphysics probes. Specific questions to be addressed include: is the concentration and temperature of formation of the first ice particles observed in the cloud consistent with observed ice nuclei; and can the expected rapid rates of production of ice particles be known processes?

The project is in collaboration with scientists from the Met Office, the Universities of Manchester, Reading and Hertfordshire and NCAR, USA.