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In this study, two bulk microphysical schemes were compared across mean radius values of the entire drop spectra. A cloud-resolving mesoscale model was used to analyze surface precipitation characteristics. The model included the following microphysical categories: water vapour, cloud droplets, raindrops, ice crystals, snow, graupel, frozen raindrops and hail. Two bulk schemes were used: a single-moment scheme in which the mean radius was specified as a parameter and a double-moment scheme in which the mean radius of drops was calculated diagnostically with a fixed value for the cloud droplet number concentration. Experiments were conducted out for three values of the mean radius (in the single-moment scheme) and two cloud droplet number concentrations (in the double-moment scheme). There were large differences in the surface precipitation for the two schemes, the simulated precipitation generated by the double-moment scheme had a higher sensitivity. The single-moment scheme generated an unrealistic collection rate of cloud droplets by raindrops and hail as well as unrealistic evaporation of rain and melting of solid hydrometeors; these processes led to inaccurate timing and amounts of surface precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cloud-resolving mesoscale model with a two-moment bulk microphysical scheme is used to perform cloud simulations for two different modes of the liquid water spectrum: a unified Khrgian–Mazin size distribution for the entire spectrum of drops and the monodisperse size distribution for cloud droplets with the exponential Marshall–Palmer distribution for raindrops. The cloud model calculates the mixing ratios and number concentrations of the six microphysical categories: raindrops, cloud ice, snow, graupel, frozen raindrops and hail. The cloud droplet number concentration was prescribed. The main purpose of this sensitivity study was to analyse the differences in simulated surface precipitation (rain and hail) for the two assumed approaches with different values of cloud droplet number concentration. The study showed that there are significant differences in the occurrence, amount and spatial distribution of accumulated precipitation at the surface. It can be noted that the unified Khrgian–Mazin size distribution is generally more sensitive to changes in the cloud droplet number concentration than an alternative approach. The rain showers and cloud splitting are well simulated with the unified Khrgian–Mazin size distribution, especially for smaller values of cloud droplet number concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]