TY - JOUR
T1 - Microphysical Responses to Cloud Seeding
T2 - Insights From Observation-Validated Simulations
AU - Hua, Shaofeng
AU - Chen, Baojun
AU - Xue, Lulin
AU - Yue, Zhiguo
AU - Liu, Weiguo
AU - Yang, Jing
AU - Nie, Haohao
AU - Zhao, Shuwen
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025. The Author(s).
PY - 2025/6/28
Y1 - 2025/6/28
N2 - Cloud seeding models are essential for understanding seeding mechanisms, yet their reliability remains insufficiently verified due to limited cases with confirmed seeding effects. On 19 March 2017, significant seeding signals were observed by multiple instruments following airborne cloud seeding over a stratiform cloud system with abundant supercooled water in northern China. This study performed an ensemble simulation of the case using two cloud microphysics schemes and three silver iodide (AgI) nucleation parameterizations, successfully replicating the vertical structure and evolution of the seeding-induced cloud. The simulated seeding impact area, precipitation intensity, and changes in raindrop spectra closely aligned with observations. Results indicate that cloud seeding increased ice crystal amounts primarily through the deposition nucleation of AgI particles, activated the auto-conversion of ice crystals to snow, enhanced snow deposition and riming processes, and ultimately increased surface precipitation through enhanced snow melting.
AB - Cloud seeding models are essential for understanding seeding mechanisms, yet their reliability remains insufficiently verified due to limited cases with confirmed seeding effects. On 19 March 2017, significant seeding signals were observed by multiple instruments following airborne cloud seeding over a stratiform cloud system with abundant supercooled water in northern China. This study performed an ensemble simulation of the case using two cloud microphysics schemes and three silver iodide (AgI) nucleation parameterizations, successfully replicating the vertical structure and evolution of the seeding-induced cloud. The simulated seeding impact area, precipitation intensity, and changes in raindrop spectra closely aligned with observations. Results indicate that cloud seeding increased ice crystal amounts primarily through the deposition nucleation of AgI particles, activated the auto-conversion of ice crystals to snow, enhanced snow deposition and riming processes, and ultimately increased surface precipitation through enhanced snow melting.
KW - cloud seeding
KW - numerical simulation
KW - radar
KW - stratiform cloud
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105009293579
U2 - 10.1029/2024GL114426
DO - 10.1029/2024GL114426
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105009293579
SN - 0094-8276
VL - 52
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
IS - 12
M1 - e2024GL114426
ER -