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In the frame of the Joint Aeolus Tropical Atlantic Campaigns, an airborne field campaign took place in Sal island of Cape-Verde from the 8th to 21st of September 2021, as part of the French CADDIWA mission. During this campaign, the SAFIRE F20 research aircraft equipped with in situ and remote sensing instruments performed nine 3 to 4 hour long flights sampling tropical environment underneath AEOLUS satellite tracks and performing exploration flights within the convective cloud systems of tropical disturbances. In this study, an overview of the available aerosol and cloud in situ dataset is given first, presenting the instrumental and methodological approaches relevant to the collection of data from a set of four instruments: the UHSAS (aerosol size range : 40 – 1000 nm, Cai et al. 2008), the SPP-300 (aerosol 0.3 – 20 µm, Baumgardner 1992) and the CDP-2 (droplets 2-50 µm, Lance et al. 2010) scattering probes, and the 2D-S imager (10-1280 µm, Lawson et al. 2006). Then a detailed microphysical analysis is conducted on two case studies: a tropical perturbation referred to as Pierre-Henri in this study (unnamed/numbered by NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC)), sampled during F20 flight #7/8, and the Tropical Storm Rose (# AL172021 according to NOAA NHC) sampled during flights #12/13. The analysis includes a discussion on the main microphysical properties such as Particle Size Distribution (PSD), Ice Water Content (IWC) retrieved at different locations in the cloud convective systems, complemented by 95GHz reflectivity and Doppler vertical velocity measured by the airborne cloud radar RASTA (Delanoe et al. 2013). The data supporting this study is illustrated in the figure below: the vertical velocity (derived from 3 Doppler non colinear measurements of the radar) and PSD time series are given on top of two samples ice crystal images taken by the 2DS imager at different location in the TS Rose. A newly developed image classification algorithm (Jaffeux et al. 2022) is applied to the 2D-S data to derive statistics on the ice particles morphological properties, yielding to a discussion on the microphysical ice growth processes occurring in these systems.

For the last twenty-five years, CO-PDD (Cézeaux-Aulnat-Opme-puy de Dôme) has evolved to become a full instrumented platform for atmospheric research. It is nationally accredited by CNRS, the French national center for scientific research, and recognized as a global station in the GAW network (Global Atmospheric Watch). It is a reference site of the European and national research infrastructures ACTRIS (Aerosol Cloud and Trace gases Research Infrastructure) and ICOS (Integrated Carbon Observing System). The site located on-top of the puy de Dôme mountain (1465 m a.s.l.) is completed by additional sites located at lower altitudes and adding the vertical dimension to the atmospheric observations: Opme (660 m a.s.l.), Cézeaux (410 m) and Aulnat (330 m). On the sites has been developed a unique combination of in-situ and remote sensing measurements capturing and documenting the variability of particulate and gaseous atmospheric composition, but also the optical, biochemical and physical properties of aerosol particles, clouds and precipitations. Given its location far away from any major emission sources, its altitude and the mountain orography, the puy de Dôme station is ideally situated to sample different air masses in the boundary layer or in the free troposphere depending on time of day and seasons. It is also an ideal place to study cloud properties with frequent presence of clouds at the top in autumn and winter. As a result of the natural conditions prevailing at the site and of the very exhaustive instrumental deployment, scientific studies at puy de Dôme strongly contribute to improving the knowledge in atmospheric sciences including the characterization of trends and variability, the understanding of complex and interconnected processes (microphysical, chemical, biological, chemical and dynamical) and providing a reference point for climate models. In this context, CO-PDD is a pilot site to conduct instrumental development inside its wind tunnel for testing liquid/ice cloud probes in natural conditions, or in-situ systems to collect aerosol and cloud. This paper reviews 25 years (1995–2020) of atmospheric observation at the station, and related scientific research contributing to atmospheric and climate science.

By combining AVHRR data from the NOAA satellites with information from a database of in situ measurements, large-scale maps can be generated of the microphysical parameters most immediately significant for the modelling of global circulation and climate. From the satellite data, the clouds can be classified into cumuliform, stratiform and cirrus classes and then into further sub-classes by cloud top temperature. At the same time a database of in situ measurements made by research aircraft is classified into the same sub-classes and a statistical analysis is used to derive relationships between the sub-classes and the cloud microphysical properties. These two analyses are then linked to give estimates of the microphysical properties of the satellite observed clouds. Examples are given of the application of this technique to derive maps of the probability of occurrence of precipitating clouds and of precipitating water content derived from a case study within the International Cirrus Experiment (ICE) held in 1989 over the North Sea.

This study aims to characterize the microphysical and optical properties of ice crystals and supercooled liquid droplets within low-level Arctic mixed-phase clouds (MPC). We compiled and analyzed cloud in situ measurements from 4 airborne campaigns (18 flights, 71 vertical profiles in MPC) over the Greenland Sea and the Svalbard region. Cloud phase discrimination and representative vertical profiles of number, size, mass and shapes of ice crystals and liquid droplets are assessed. The results show that the liquid phase dominates the upper part of the MPC with high concentration of small droplets (120 cm−3, 15&tinsp;μm), and averaged LWC around 0.2 g m−3. The ice phase is found everywhere within the MPC layers, but dominates the properties in the lower part of the cloud and below where ice crystals precipitate down to the surface. The analysis of the ice crystal morphology highlights that irregulars and rimed are the main particle habit followed by stellars and plates. We hypothesize that riming and condensational growth processes (including the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisein mechanism) are the main growth mechanisms involved in MPC. The differences observed in the vertical profiles of MPC properties from one campaign to another highlight that large values of LWC and high concentration of smaller droplets are possibly linked to polluted situations which lead to very low values of ice crystal size and IWC. On the contrary, clean situations with low temperatures exhibit larger values of ice crystal size and IWC. Several parameterizations relevant for remote sensing or modeling are also determined, such as IWC (and LWC) – extinction relationship, ice and liquid integrated water paths, ice concentration and liquid water fraction according to temperature. Finally, 4 flights collocated with active remote sensing observations from CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites are specifically analyzed to evaluate the cloud detection and cloud thermodynamical phase DARDAR retrievals. This comparison is valuable to assess the sub-pixel variability of the satellite measurements as well as their shortcomings/performance near the ground.

Tout aeronef civil destine a transporter des passagers est soumis a une procedure de certification garantissant le plus haut niveau possible de securite. En Europe, l'Agence europeenne de la securite aerienne (AESA) est a l'origine de l'actuelle reglementation en matiere de securite de l'aviation civile. Cette reglementation stipule que les constructeurs d'aeronefs doivent demontrer comment ils rendent acceptables le niveau de securite de leur appareil. Cet article explore la problematique de la mesure des caracteristiques d'un nuage naturel givrant, etape necessaire a la demonstration de l'aptitude de vol d'un appareil en conditions givrantes naturelles, et qui necessite une instrumentation specifique. Les deux familles d'instruments, granulometre laser et capteur a fil chaud sont decrits et critiques d'un point de vue theorique et experimental.

The performance of measurement systems for small ice crystals is an important issue because of the need to characterize cirrus cloud microphysics for climate research. In a cloud formed of small quasi-spherical ice particles, as found in recently formed aircraft contrails, the PMS FSSP probe gives reliable measurements consistent with other probes. This is in contrast to the expectation, based on earlier work by others, that the FSSP measurements are unreliable when ice is present in the cloud. In natural cirrus on the other hand, where there are irregular large ice particles, the FSSP indeed gives the exaggerated response reported earlier. Here simple criteria by which the presence of spherically shaped small ice particles can be recognized are proposed. These criteria provide a useful indication of the occasions in ice clouds when FSSP measurements can be relied on.

In this paper, we show that in mixed phase clouds, the presence of ice crystals may induce wrong FSSP 100 measurements interpretation especially in terms of particle size and subsequent bulk parameters. The presence of ice crystals is generally revealed by a bimodal feature of the particle size distribution (PSD). The combined measurements of the FSSP-100 and the Polar Nephelometer give a coherent description of the effect of the ice crystals on the FSSP-100 response. The FSSP-100 particle size distributions are characterized by a bimodal shape with a second mode peaked between 25 and 35 μm related to ice crystals. This feature is observed with the FSSP-100 at airspeed up to 200 m s−1 and with the FSSP-300 series. In order to assess the size calibration for clouds of ice crystals the response of the FSSP-100 probe has been numerically simulated using a light scattering model of randomly oriented hexagonal ice particles and assuming both smooth and rough crystal surfaces. The results suggest that the second mode, measured between 25 μm and 35 μm, does not necessarily represent true size responses but corresponds to bigger aspherical ice particles. According to simulation results, the sizing understatement would be neglected in the rough case but would be significant with the smooth case. Qualitatively, the Polar Nephelometer phase function suggests that the rough case is the more suitable to describe real crystals. Quantitatively, however, it is difficult to conclude. A review is made to explore different hypotheses explaining the occurrence of the second mode. However, previous cloud in situ measurements suggest that the FSSP-100 secondary mode, peaked in the range 25–35 μm, is likely to be due to the shattering of large ice crystals on the probe inlet. This finding is supported by the rather good relationship between the concentration of particles larger than 20 μm (hypothesized to be ice shattered-fragments measured by the FSSP) and the concentration of (natural) ice particles (CPI data). In mixed cloud, a simple estimation of the number of ice crystals impacting the FSSP inlet shows that the ice crystal shattering effect is the main factor in observed ice production.

A probabilistic model of the ice shattering effects on in-cloud measurements performed with instruments designed with inlets, which have the circular cross-section, is presented. Applications are made for the Polar Nephelometer and PMS FSSP instruments. The model provides rough estimates of the effects on microphysical measurements and assigns the key parameters that govern the efficiency of ice shattering. It is shown that experimental data are less affected by the shattering for clouds that have a lower proportion of large particles. The effects on derived integral microphysical parameters are shown to be very sensitive to the effective diameter of the ice fragments. The smaller the fragments from a given cloud particle are, the higher their effects are. Errors on Polar Nephelometer measurements were evaluated. It is shown that the ice particle shattering leads to the overestimation of the extinction coefficient. For example, for a given distribution with the effective diameter of 68 μm and with fragment effective diameters of 10 μm the extinction is overestimated by 25%. With larger particles having an effective diameter of 89 μm, the error increases up to 37%. As for the FSSP-300 instrument, under the same conditions the extinction coefficient is overrated by 17% and the number particle concentration is overestimated by 30%. The discussion of the results points out the main hypothesis which may seriously limit the reliability of the modelling results. Nevertheless, the magnitudes of the errors on extinction and particle concentration are of the same orders of those reported in the literature from experimental assessments.

International audience; In situ measurements of light scattering and microphysical characteristics of young and 20-min-aged persistent contrails and of frontal cirrus clouds were carried out with the airborne polar nephelometer and microphysical Particle Measuring Systems instruments. Optical and microphysical properties of contrails at different stages of evolution and of cirrus clouds sampled in ice-supersaturated air masses at ambient temperatures near −60°C are examined. The results show that quasi-spherical ice particles with diameters smaller than 5 μm control the optical properties of the plume shortly after formation. In slightly aged contrails the optical properties are governed by larger nonspherical ice crystals. Very similar optical properties are observed in frontal cirrus but with a different ice particle size distribution. The contrail optical and microphysical ice particle data obtained in this study are representative of the visible persistent contrail created by a midsized airliner after the wake vortices have decayed.

International audience; Observations of halos and related phenomena due to ice crystals are commonly reported from ground observations and presented in the literature. Nevertheless, ice crystal characteristics have only been poorly documented from in situ measurements performed in halo-producing cirrus with simultaneous observations of optical phenomena. Using the Polar Nephelometer, a new instrument for in situ measuring of the scattering phase function of cloud droplets and ice particles, 22 and 46 halo features have been evidenced during a cirrus uncinus cloud case study between 30C and 38C. Simultaneous microphysical measurements were made with a 2D-C probe manufactured by Particle Measuring Systems Inc. (PMS). The results show that ice crystal properties derived from 2D-C measurements do not present substantial differences when comparing cirrus cloud samples with and without halos. Consequently, the cloud scattering properties appear to be dominated by small ice particles (smaller than about 100 m), which are poorly documented with conventional PMS probes. The halo occurrences are observed in only a few cloud portions (2%), which are characterized by small horizontal scales (100-400 m). Furthermore, the observed 22 and 46 peak features are smoothed out with regard to modeling results relative to geometric pristine-crystal shape. These differences are discussed by using the new Inhomogeneous Hexagonal Monocrystal theoretical model of light scattering.

Original measurements were obtained in stratocumulus, contrails and cirrus clouds by using a new optical airborne probe, the ‘Polar Nephelometer’, which is the first airborne instrument to make direct in situ measurements of the scattering phase function of cloud particles over a broad range of sizes (from a few micrometers to about 500 µm diameter). Preliminary measurements show that in stratocumulus water droplet cloud, the measured phase function fits very well with the phase function derived from direct PMS probes measurements. This definitively confirms the reliability of the Polar Nephelometer for airborne measurements. In contrails and natural cirrus, measured scattering phase function indicates major differences with those used in cloud models which assume ice spheres or simple geometric shape of ice particles. These results highlight new potential insights on both modelling of climate processes and methodologies for cloud remote sensing from satellite measurements.

During the intensive International Cirrus Experiment conducted over the North Sea during fall 1989, natural cirrus and contrail-induced cirrus were analyzed from in situ and remote sensing measurements (lidar and infrared radiometer). These two cloud types primarily formed at the same range of altitude (8200 m, −37°C). Analysis of the measurements depicts distinctive microphysical and optical properties in the two types of cirrus. Natural cirrus exhibits sheared fallstreaks of ice crystals up to 750 µm in size near the base level. From the top to the base of this cloud the mean values of ice water content and particle concentration increase from 15 to 50 mg m−3 and from 26 to 60 L−1, respectively. The corresponding visible optical depth is around 2.0. Greatest particle concentration and smallest ice crystals are measured at all levels in contrails leading to an optical depth of 0.8 in the denser cloud despite an ice water content that never exceeds 18 mg m−3. These results are consistent with rem...

The problem of the lidar equation inversion lies in the fact that it requires a lidar calibration or else a reference value from the studied medium. This paper presents an approach to calibrate the lidar by calculating the constant Ak (lidar constant A multiplied by the ratio of backscatter coefficient to extinction coefficient k). This approach is based on statistical analysis of in situ measurements. This analysis demonstrates that the extinction coefficient has a typical probablility distribution in cirrus clouds. The property of this distribution, as far as the attenuation of laser beam in the cloud, is used as a constraint to calculate the value of Ak. The validity of this method is discussed and results compared with two other inversion methods.

Lidar and in situ aircraft measurements were performed in a marine stratiform layer during the intensive field observation of the International Cirrus Experiment (ICE 89). The analysis of the results shows that this marine boundary layer is mainly characterized by two decoupled stratiform cloud layers. Drizzle formation is evidenced to be efficient on an horizontal scale ranged between 20 and 30 km in the upper stratiform cloud and promotes depletion of the cloud water. The drops are large enough to fall through the lower layer without evaporation. Subsequent differences in microphysical properties between cloud and drizzle regions are clearly evidenced and may have a strong influence on visible optical depth and cloud albedo. The calibration of the Lidar data we propose leads to describe the vertical microstructure of the precipitating drizzle regions.

The limited accuracy of current cloud microphysics sensors used in cirrus cloud studies imposes limitations on the use of the data to examine the cloud's broadband radiative behaviour, an important element of the global energy balance. We review the limitations of the instruments, PMS probes, most widely used for measuring the microphysical structure of cirrus clouds and show the effect of these limitations on descriptions of the cloud radiative properties. The analysis is applied to measurements made as part of the European Cloud and Radiation Experiment (EUCREX) to determine mid-latitude cirrus microphysical and radiative properties.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (cloud physics and chemistry) · Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics · Radiative processes · Instruments and techniques