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<br />1158 <br /> <br />JOURNAL OF APPLIED METEOROLOGY <br /> <br />VOLUME 27 <br /> <br />al. 1976; Holroyd 1986). Though these crystals were <br />most probably nucleated while passing over the wind- <br />ward (west) slope of the Bangtail Ridge, they may also <br />have formed over the Main Ridge, ceased growing or <br />even partially sublimated in the lee subsidence, and <br />resumed growth in the ascending SLW-rich air ap- <br />proaching the BRTA. <br />While seeding clearly enhanced the IPC, such en- <br />hancement will not necessarily result in greater precip- <br />itation. If, for example, smaller seeded ice particles were <br />created at the expense of some natural particles rather <br />than in addition to them, seeding might result in less <br />snowfall. Even if small seeded crystals were present in <br />addition to the natural background level of ice particles, <br />their contribution to precipitation might be insignifi- <br />cant. Most snowfall mass tends to be concentrated in <br />the largest particles, which often comprise a small frac- <br />tion of the total population. <br />North-south gradients in SL Wand natural snowfall <br />existed, with both being greater to the south. While the <br />estimated snowfall rate in Zone N-S was about twice <br />that of the adjoining Zone N-C, it was less than in <br />Zone S-c. However, Zone C-S had a mean snowfall <br />rate nearly twice that of Zone S-C and several times <br />that of Zone N-C. Zone S-S had even a higher rate, <br />near 0.17 mm h -I (all snowfall rates are for melt water <br />equivalents). Particles greater than 1.0 mm, generally <br />classified as aggregates, accounted for most of the <br />snowfall in Zone S-C. In contrast, though some aggre- <br />gates and graupel-like particles were observed in the <br />seeded zones, much of the snowfall resulted from par- <br />ticles smaller than 1.0 mm classified as hexagonal. <br />The mean precipitation rate of 0.09 mm h-I in the <br />seeded zones was three times the mean rate for the two <br />control zones, so it appears that the AgI seeding mark- <br />edly increased the snowfall. However, the precipitation <br />rates calculated from 2D-C probe images are believed <br />to be underestimates (Part I). Consequently, it is likely <br />that actual precipitation rates were greater at the 2.7 <br />km level than is indicated in Fig. 3. <br />Recent observational evidence from a number of <br />mountain ranges, some supported by numerical mod- <br />eling, indicates that SL W is often concentrated above <br />the windward slope and crest of the barriers in stable <br />winter storms (e.g., Boe and Super 1986; Rauber and <br />Grant 1986). These regions should contain greater <br />vertical velocities and water vapor contents than colder <br />regions further aloft. Though it was not possible to <br />monitor SL W between the lowest flight level and the <br />surface over the Bridger Range, it seems likely that <br />some SL W existed below the 2.7 km level. Even if only <br />ice saturation was exceeded, ice crystal growth could <br />continue, possibly resulting in greater snowfall at the <br />surface than at 2.7 km. However, no surface observa- <br />tions were made during the January 1985 experiments <br />to test this conjecture, although it was practical to ob- <br />tain such measurements over the Grand Mesa, Colo- <br />rado, as reported in Part III (Super and Boe 1988). <br /> <br />b. 15 Jan, a.m. <br /> <br />The climbout sounding over the Bozeman Airport <br />revealed very light amounts ofSLW from 2.6-2.8 km, <br />and concentrations of 0.05-0.15 g m -3 in the 3.5-3.9 <br />km layer. A zone ofSLW was encountered near cloud <br />top while flying at 4.5 km toward the Main Ridge. The <br />icing rate detector at the Crest Observatory measured <br />hourly mean values of 0.03-0.04 g m -3 throughout the <br />mission. <br />Single N-S passes were made at 3.9 and 3.3 km over <br />the BR T A. Supercooled liquid water amounts were <br />near 0.1 g m-3, and only 1-2 L -I IPC were found, <br />with the exception of a 1.5 km wide region at 3.3 km <br />centered about 9 km south of the SSL, which peaked <br />at 20 L -I. It coincided with a weak (6 counts) AgI <br />plume. <br />Pairs of passes were made at 3.0, 2.85 and 2.7 km. <br />The SL W content increased with altitude, with a two- <br />pass mean of 0.06 g m-3 at 2.7 km and 0.17 g m-3 at <br />3.0 km. The threshold diameter, Dr. averaged 15 tLm <br />for the wettest nonseeded 1 km at the 2.7 km level, <br />and the mean droplet concentration was 130 cm - 3. <br />A zone of very marked increase in IPC was evident <br />on each of the six passes in the 2.7-3.0 km layer, with <br />peak concentrations from 28-48 L -I. These enhanced <br />IPC zones were in spatial agreement with the AgI <br />plumes. Total counts per plume transit from the <br />acoustical counter ranged from 31-83. <br />Figures (not shown) similar to Fig. 2 were examined <br />for evidence of decreased SL W in the seeded zone. Any <br />such decrease was not obvious with the N-S gradient <br />and the considerable spatial and temporal variability <br />that were present. <br />The seeded zone for the mean of the two 2.7 km <br />sampling passes was again subdivided into three equal <br />segments and compared with the nearby 2.5 km wide <br />control zones. The mean IPC in the seeded segments <br />ranged from 6 L -I in Zone N-S to 12 L -I in Zone C- <br />S, while that in the controls was under 1 L -I . Most of <br />the increase was in the smaller size ranges, generally <br />less than 0.6 mm. As during the afternoon mission on <br />this date, most of the enhanced ice particle population <br />was classified as either hexagonal or spherical. Since <br />the temperature over the BRTA ranged from -10.50C <br />at 2.7 km to -12.50C at 3.0 km, production of hex- <br />agonal plates would be expected from AgI nucleation. <br />The estimated natural precipitation rate showed <br />about a threefold increase from Zone N-C to S-C, as- <br />sociated with a N-S gradient in SL W as during the <br />afternoon mission. A similar N-S gradient existed in <br />the seeded zones, with Zone N-S greater than the north <br />control but less than the south control and the other <br />two seeded zones above both controls. The south con- <br />trol had a low concentration oflarge (> 1.6 mm) ag- <br />gregates that produced most of its snowfall. The natural <br />N-S gradient complicates interpretation of any precip- <br />itation change due to seeding. However, the mean of <br /> <br />i <br />~1 <br /> <br />,I <br />i <br />