Aggregation of Ice Crystals in Cirrus

Abstract

Results are given from analysis of the aggregation of thick plate, columnar, and bullet rosette ice crystals in cirrus. Data were obtained from PMS 2D-C images, oil coated slides, and aircraft meteorological measurements. Crystal size ranged from 100 to 900 μm in temperatures from −30°C to −45°C. The results indicate that the ratio of the sizes of aggregating crystals and the difference of their terminal velocities are important in aggregation. The collection efficiency was calculated for the thick plate crystals from the same data.