Winter storms produce major problems for society and their varying types of precipitation are often the key factor responsible. The objective of this study is to better understand the formation of winter precipitation types (freezing rain, ice pellets, snow, slush, wet snow and refrozen wet snow) within the varying, and interacting, environmental conditions experienced within many winter storms. A one dimensional cloud model utilizing a double-moment microphysics scheme has been developed to address this issue. Temperature and moisture profiles favorable for the formation of different winter precipitation types were varied in a systematic manner in an environment in which snow is falling continuously from above a temperature inversion. The ensuing precipitation evolved due to atmospheric temperature and moisture variations arising from phase changes such as melting and freezing. Average soundings associated with various surface precipitation types were consequently defined as well as the atmospheric conditions leading to the longest duration of various precipitation events. In addition, the reduction of visibility by precipitation was calculated to determine the conditions leading to the greatest reduction and those leading to its most rapid changes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.82439 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Thériault, Julie M., 1980 Apr. 29- |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002209951, proquestno: AAIMR12554, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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