アイテム詳細

要旨

The transition from ice to liquid phase of precipitating particles in the atmospheric melting layer on their way down to the earth surface has high impact on cloud microphysical and precipitating processes. For many decades, this topic is investigated through theoretical modeling and experimentally. The theoretical descriptions are based on the general heat transfer equation, including potential heat sources and sinks at the surface of an ice particle. Assuming steady-state conditions, deduced equations allow the calculation of melting times and rates. Laboratory experiments using various techniques pursued the goal to observe and measure parameters that are important to characterize the melting process. These are shape variations of melting ice particles and crystals, the melting behavior, that is, changes of the fall mode during melting, melting rates, total melting times, and, in the case of water shedding, the mass and size distribution of the shed droplets. In this chapter the focus lies on the development of technical methods over decades to improve more and more the evolution of melting experiments in the laboratory so that finally the simulations are as close as possible to the situation in real atmosphere.