Dear Bruno, Thanks for your reply. It seems we are agreed on the following standard names:
mass_concentration_of_cloud_liquid_water_in_air; kg m-3 mass_concentration_of_drizzle_in_air; kg m-3 mass_concentration_of_rain_in_air; kg m-3 mass_concentration_of_liquid_water_in_air; kg m-3 and we have also agreed that the AMS definitions for drop diameters are acceptable for use in the standard name explanations. These names are accepted for inclusion in the standard name table. They will be added at the next update which will be announced shortly. Best wishes, Alison > -----Original Message----- > From: Bruno PIGUET [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: 26 November 2010 09:49 > To: Pamment, Alison (STFC,RAL,SSTD) > Cc: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [CF-metadata] Proposing new standard names. > > Dear Alison, > > Thank-you for your comments. > I apologize for my late responding, I was away from the net since > Wednesday at noon. > > I have no reason to oppose to the AMS diameters : I'm a data > processor, not a cloud physics specialist. > > The limit I proposed for the distinction between cloud and drizzle > comes from the growth mechanism : below 40 µm, coalescence is not > efficient, and cloud droplets will remain stable for a long time, > whereas larger droplets, while falling slowly (a few cm/s) will grow > and eventually fall. But it is true that a 100µm droplet is usually > considered as a cloudy one. > > Bruno. > > > > Thank you for proposing the names and definitions for liquid water > quantities in air. I think the names themselves are fine. > > > > As regards the various droplet sizes, I found the following > definitions in the AMS Glossary > (http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary). > > > > Cloud drop - "A spherical particle of liquid water, a few micrometers > to a few tens of micrometers diameter" but later it says "A diameter of > 0.2 mm has been suggested as an upper limit to the size of drops that > shall be regarded as cloud drops; larger drops fall rapidly enough so > that only very strong updrafts can sustain them. Any such division is > somewhat arbitrary, and active cumulus clouds sometimes contain cloud > drops much larger than this." > > > > Drizzle drop - A drop of water of diameter 0.2-0.5 mm (0.008-0.02 > in.) falling usually (but not always) from low stratus or stratocumulus > cloud. > > > > Rain drop - A drop of water of diameter greater than 0.5 mm falling > through the atmosphere. > > > > The range of rain drop diameters is similar to that suggested in your > own explanations, but the division between cloud drops and drizzle is > rather different. Would the AMS diameters be acceptable to you? > Whatever size ranges we choose to quote, I think that all the standard > name explanations will need to make clear that the numbers should be > regarded as indicative rather than definitive. > > > > Best wishes, > > Alison > > > > ------ > > Alison Pamment Tel: +44 1235 778065 > > NCAS/British Atmospheric Data Centre Fax: +44 1235 446314 > > Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Email: > [email protected] > > Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, U.K. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: [email protected] [mailto:cf-metadata- > > > [email protected]] On Behalf Of Bruno PIGUET > > > Sent: 24 November 2010 09:45 > > > To: cf-metadata > > > Subject: [CF-metadata] Proposing new standard names. > > > > > > Dear all, > > > > > > Last month, I wrote about the lack of variable name for a local > > > measurement of liquid water content. > > > > > > Jonathan Gregory made some constructive remarks, and, since > then, > > > nobody opposed. > > > > > > So, I would like to have these names added in the the next > > > version of the official list. What is the proper procedure ? Is > > > there some kind of formal proposal to write (a RFC) ? > > > > > > I recall hereafter what we came up to. Definition and size limits > > > are my own, I couldn't find any definitive and authoritative > > > numerical values, so I used "commonly accepted" ones. Do yous think > > > that we should add "about" ou "approximately" before the numbers in > > > the definition ? > > > > > > mass_concentration_of_cloud_liquid_water_in_air > > > Mass concentration means mass per unit volume. Cloud_liquid_water > > > means droplet that are not large enough to fall under common > > > circonstances (up to 40 µm diameter). > > > > > > mass_concentration_of_drizzle_in_air > > > Mass concentration means mass per unit volume. Drizzle means > > > droplets with diameter between 40 and 700 µm. > > > > > > mass_concentration_of_rain_in_air > > > Mass concentration means mass per unit volume. Rain means drops > of > > > diameter larger than 0.7 mm. This quantity corresponds to > > > mass_fraction_of_rain_in_air (which is expressed as ratio of the > > > mass of rain to the mass of air plus rain). > > > > > > mass_concentration_of_liquid_water_in_air > > > Mass concentration means mass per unit volume. All kinds of > > > droplets and drops are taken into account, whatever their sizes or > > > falling speed. > > > > > > > > > Bruno. > > > -- > > > > > > Bruno PIGUET > > > Mèl : [email protected] | GAME : URA CNRS & METEO-FRANCE > > > Tel : +33 (0)5 61 07 96 59 | CNRM/GMEI/TRAMM > > > Fax : +33 (0)5 61 07 96 27 | 42 Av. G. Coriolis > > > Sec : +33 (0)5 61 07 96 63 | 31057 TOULOUSE cedex 1 ------ Alison Pamment Tel: +44 1235 778065 NCAS/British Atmospheric Data Centre Fax: +44 1235 446314 Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Email: [email protected] Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, U.K. -- Scanned by iCritical. _______________________________________________ CF-metadata mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.cgd.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/cf-metadata
