Abstract:
In order to improve the understanding of deep convective clouds over the Tibetan Plateau, the characteristics of vertical structures of a deep strong convective cloud over Naqu station and a deep weak convective cloud about 100 km to the west of Naqu station occurred during 13:00-16:00 BT 9 July 2014 in the Third Tibetan Plateau Atmospheric Science Experiment are analyzed based on multi-source satellite data from TRMM, CloudSat and Aqua and radar data from ground-based vertically pointing radars (C-band frequency modulation continuous wave radar and KA-band millimeter wave cloud radar). The results are as follows. (1) The horizontal scales of the deep strong convective cloud and deep weak convective cloud both were small (10-20 km), and the tops were high (15-16 km above the sea level, the same hereafter). Across the level of the 0℃ isotherm, the reflectivity increased rapidly, suggesting that the melting process of solid precipitation particles through the 0℃ level in the deep strong convective cloud played an important role. A bright band located at 5.5 km (1 km AGL) appeared during the period of convection weakening. (2) The reflectivities from TRMM precipitation radar below 11 km are found to be overestimated compared to that derived from the C-band frequency modulation continuous wave radar. (3) Deep convective clouds were mainly ice clouds, and there were rich small ice particles above 10 km, while few large ice particles were found below 10 km. The microphysical processes of deep strong convective cloud and deep weak convective cloud both mainly included mixed-phase process and glaciated process, and the mixed-phase process can be divided into two types, i.e., the riming process below the level of -25℃ (deep strong convective cloud) or -29℃ (deep weak convective cloud) and the aggregation and deposition process above the level. The latter process was accompanied with fast increase of ice particles effective radius. These evidences from space-based and ground-based observational data further reveal the characteristics of vertical structure of deep convective clouds over the Tibetan Plateau, and provide a basis for the evaluation of simulation results of deep convective clouds by cloud models.