The impacts of secondary ice production on microphysics and dynamics in tropical convection

Abstract. Secondary ice production (SIP) is an important physical phenomenon that results in an increase of ice particle concentration and can therefore have a significant impact on the evolution of clouds. In this study, idealized simulations of a mesoscale convective systems (MCS) was conducted using a high-resolution (250-m horizontal grid spacing) mesoscale model and a detailed bulk microphysics scheme in order to examine the impacts of SIP on the microphysics and dynamics of a simulated tropical MCS. The simulations were compared to airborne in situ and remote sensing observations collected during the High Altitude Ice Crystals – High Ice Water Content (HAIC-HIWC) field campaign in 2015. It was found that simulated ice particle size distributions are highly sensitive to the parameterization of SIP. Inclusion of SIP processes in the microphysics scheme is crucial for the production and maintenance of high ice water content in the simulated tropical convection. It was shown that SIP can enhance the strength of the existing convective updrafts and result in the initiation of new updrafts above the melting layer. Agreement between the simulations and observations highlights the impacts of SIP on the maintenance of tropical MCSs in nature and the importance of including SIP parameterizations in models.