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@PHDTHESIS{Rolf:151817,
author = {Rolf, Christian},
title = {{L}idar observations of natural and volcanic-ash-induced
cirrus clouds},
volume = {163},
school = {Universität Wuppertal},
type = {Dissertation},
address = {Jülich},
publisher = {Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Zentralbibliothek, Verlag},
reportid = {FZJ-2014-01691},
isbn = {978-3-89336-847-1},
series = {Schriften des Forschungszentrums Jülich Reihe Energie $\&$
Umwelt / Energy $\&$ Environment},
pages = {124 p.},
year = {2013},
note = {Dissertation, Universität Wuppertal, 2012},
abstract = {Cirrus clouds - which consist solely of ice particles -
influence the Earth’s radiation budget and thus the
climate system since they scatter the incoming solar
radiation (cooling effect) and absorb the outgoing radiation
of the Earth (warming effect). However, this influence has
not yet been quantified. The purpose of this thesis is to
extend our knowledge about cirrus with the help of lidar
measurements in combination with model simulations. In the
first part, observations of cirrus clouds made with a
backscatter lidar over Jülich are presented, focusing on
obtaining a representative cirrus climatology. The cirrus
clouds are evaluated with a temporal average extinction
profile by considering a multiple scattering correction. By
using additional meteorological data, the climatological
observations are analyzed under macrophysical, radiative,
and microphysical aspects and considered to be
representative in comparison to other mid-latitude lidar
climatologies. Most of the observed cirrus clouds were
generated due to synoptic weather patterns (e.g. frontal
systems), showing a large vertical thickness of about 2.2 km
and occurring mostly directly below the tropopause. Mean and
median values of optical depth are found to be around 0.28
and 0.12 (range: 0.002 - 3), respectively. The most
frequently observed ice water content (IWC) was found to be
6 ppmv (range: 0.01 - 400 ppmv). The lowest detected IWC
values from aircraft in situ measurements (∼ 0.01 ppmv)
are confirmed by the lidar observations. This result is of
importance, since up to now it has been unclear whether in
situ aircraft instruments were able to detect the thinnest
cirrus clouds. In the second part of the thesis,
heterogeneous ice formation induced by volcanic ash from the
Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption in April 2010 is
investigated based on a lidar observation of an ash-induced
cirrus cloud in combination with model simulations along air
mass trajectories. The microphysical properties of the
cirrus cloud can only be represented by the microphysical
model simulations on the assumption of an enhanced number of
efficient ice nuclei (IN) originating from the volcanic
eruption. The IN concentration determined by lidar
measurements directly before and after cirrus cloud
occurrence implies a value of around 0.1 cm$^{−3}$ (in
comparison to normal IN conditions of 0.01 cm$^{−3}$).
This leads to a cirrus cloud with rather small ice crystals
having a mean radius of 12 μm and a modification of the ice
particle number (0.08 cm$^{−3}$ instead of 3 ·
10$^{−4}$ cm$^{−3}$ under normal IN conditions). The
effectiveness of IN was estimated by the microphysical model
and the backward trajectories based on ECMWF data,
establishing a freezing threshold of around 105 \% relative
humidity with respect to ice in a temperature range from -45
to −55$^{\circ}$C. Only these highly efficient IN made the
formation of the cirrus cloud in a slightly supersaturated
environment possible. With the help of this case study, the
possible influence of IN on the appearance and microphysical
- and thus radiative - properties of cirrus clouds was
demonstrated. From an additional set of idealized model
simulations it can be concluded that the microphysical and
thus optical properties of cirrus clouds are affected for
the complete range of atmospheric conditions in the presence
of a high number of IN.},
keywords = {Dissertation (GND)},
cin = {IEK-7},
cid = {I:(DE-Juel1)IEK-7-20101013},
pnm = {234 - Composition and Dynamics of the Upper Troposphere and
Stratosphere (POF2-234)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF2-234},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)3 / PUB:(DE-HGF)11},
url = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/151817},
}