Microphysical Properties and Ice Crystal Habits of Low-Level Arctic Mixed-Phase Clouds from Four Airborne In Situ Campaigns over the Svalbard Seas
Abstract
This study presents a statistical analysis of the microphysical properties and ice crystal habits of low-level Arctic mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) using in situ observations from four aircraft campaigns conducted near Svalbard, Norway. The dataset comprises 45 hours of in-cloud measurements, with 731 600 ice crystal images classified using a convolutional neural network. Observations were categorized into four meteorological regimes using the Marine Cold Air Outbreak index: Marine Cold Air Outbreaks (MCAOs), Warm Air Advections (WAAs), and two transitional states. Vertical profiles of microphysical properties exhibit clear differences between regimes. MCAO conditions are associated with deeper mixed-phase layers, larger ice water contents, and higher concentrations of ice particles. In contrast, WAA cases are associated with shallower clouds dominated by liquid water with lower ice water content. The analysis indicates that temperature inversions influence cloud microphysics: weaker inversions support deeper clouds and enhanced ice development, while stronger inversions limit the extent of the liquid-containing layer. Analysis of ice crystal habits reveals distinct growth patterns based on the meteorological regime and surface type. Rimed particles appear more frequently during MCAOs, particularly over open ocean where increased turbulence likely promotes droplet–ice interactions. Over sea ice, pristine and aggregated crystals are more prevalent, implying that riming plays a lesser role while depositional growth and aggregation are more significant. This combined multi-campaign dataset offers a comprehensive statistical view on the interaction of synoptic regime, temperature inversion, and surface conditions in determining the microphysical structure and ice crystal habits of Arctic MPCs.
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BibTeX
@misc{dziduch2026microphysical,
title = {{Microphysical Properties and Ice Crystal Habits of Low-Level Arctic Mixed-Phase Clouds from Four Airborne In Situ Campaigns over the Svalbard Seas}},
author = {Aymeric Dziduch and Antoine Baudoux and Guillaume Mioche and Antoine Canzi and Benjamin Doiteau and Manuel Moser and Emma Järvinen and Étienne Vignon and Jean-Christophe Raut and Régis Dupuy and Christophe Gourbeyre and Jean-Luc Baray and Marie Monier and Frédéric Szczap and Guillaume Penide and Julien Delanoë and Odran Sourdeval and Alfons Schwarzenboeck and Stephan Mertes and Franz Martin Schnaiter and Christiane Voigt and Mario Mech and Susanne Crewell and Andreas Herber and Christof Lüpkes and André Ehrlich and Manfred Wendisch and Olivier Jourdan},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.5194/egusphere-2026-3265},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05830053v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Microphysical Properties and Ice Crystal Habits of Low-Level Arctic Mixed-Phase Clouds from Four Airborne In Situ Campaigns over the Svalbard Seas
AU - Aymeric Dziduch
AU - Antoine Baudoux
AU - Guillaume Mioche
AU - Antoine Canzi
AU - Benjamin Doiteau
AU - Manuel Moser
AU - Emma Järvinen
AU - Étienne Vignon
AU - Jean-Christophe Raut
AU - Régis Dupuy
AU - Christophe Gourbeyre
AU - Jean-Luc Baray
AU - Marie Monier
AU - Frédéric Szczap
AU - Guillaume Penide
AU - Julien Delanoë
AU - Odran Sourdeval
AU - Alfons Schwarzenboeck
AU - Stephan Mertes
AU - Franz Martin Schnaiter
AU - Christiane Voigt
AU - Mario Mech
AU - Susanne Crewell
AU - Andreas Herber
AU - Christof Lüpkes
AU - André Ehrlich
AU - Manfred Wendisch
AU - Olivier Jourdan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/19
PB - HAL
DO - 10.5194/egusphere-2026-3265
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05830053v1
AB - This study presents a statistical analysis of the microphysical properties and ice crystal habits of low-level Arctic mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) using in situ observations from four aircraft campaigns conducted near Svalbard, Norway. The dataset comprises 45 hours of in-cloud measurements, with 731 600 ice crystal images classified using a convolutional neural network. Observations were categorized into four meteorological regimes using the Marine Cold Air Outbreak index: Marine Cold Air Outbreaks (MCAOs), Warm Air Advections (WAAs), and two transitional states. Vertical profiles of microphysical properties exhibit clear differences between regimes. MCAO conditions are associated with deeper mixed-phase layers, larger ice water contents, and higher concentrations of ice particles. In contrast, WAA cases are associated with shallower clouds dominated by liquid water with lower ice water content. The analysis indicates that temperature inversions influence cloud microphysics: weaker inversions support deeper clouds and enhanced ice development, while stronger inversions limit the extent of the liquid-containing layer. Analysis of ice crystal habits reveals distinct growth patterns based on the meteorological regime and surface type. Rimed particles appear more frequently during MCAOs, particularly over open ocean where increased turbulence likely promotes droplet–ice interactions. Over sea ice, pristine and aggregated crystals are more prevalent, implying that riming plays a lesser role while depositional growth and aggregation are more significant. This combined multi-campaign dataset offers a comprehensive statistical view on the interaction of synoptic regime, temperature inversion, and surface conditions in determining the microphysical structure and ice crystal habits of Arctic MPCs.
ER -