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Understanding the history of complex ice crystal habits deduced from a holographic imager
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  • Julie Thérèse Pasquier,
  • Jan Henneberger,
  • Alexei Korolev,
  • Fabiola Ramelli,
  • Jörg Wieder,
  • Annika Lauber,
  • Guangyu Li,
  • Robert Oscar David,
  • Tim Carlsen,
  • Rosa Gierens,
  • Marion Maturilli,
  • Ulrike Lohmann
Julie Thérèse Pasquier
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zürich

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Jan Henneberger
ETH Zurich
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Alexei Korolev
Environment Canada
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Fabiola Ramelli
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich
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Jörg Wieder
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science
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Annika Lauber
Center for Climate Systems Modeling (C2SM)
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Guangyu Li
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zürich
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Robert Oscar David
University of Oslo
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Tim Carlsen
University of Oslo
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Rosa Gierens
University of Cologne
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Marion Maturilli
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
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Ulrike Lohmann
ETH Zurich
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Abstract

The sizes and shapes of ice crystals influence the radiative properties of clouds, as well as precipitation initiation and aerosol scavenging. However, ice crystal growth mechanisms remain only partially characterized. We present the growth processes of two complex ice crystal habits observed in Arctic mixed-phase clouds during the NASCENT campaign. First, are capped-columns with multiple columns growing out of the plates’ corners that we define as columns on capped-columns (CCC). These ice crystals originated from cycling through the columnar and plate temperature growth regimes, during their vertical transport by in-cloud circulation. Second, is aged rime on the surface of ice crystals having grown into faceted columns or plates depending on the environmental conditions. Despite their complexity, the shapes of these ice crystals allow to infer their growth history and provide information about the in-cloud conditions. Additionally, these ice crystals exhibit complex shapes and could enhance aggregation and secondary ice production.