Global Analysis of Height-Resolved Ice Particle Categories From Spaceborne Lidar

A more accurate representation of ice-phase processes in numerical models necessitates an enhanced understanding of ice-particle microphysics and their respective formation conditions. Prior in situ measurements have noted distinctive ice-particle shape characteristics associated with different cloud systems and geographical locations. The recent advancement in ice-particle backscattering theories enables a more comprehensive exploration of the geographical distribution and seasonal dependence of ice-particle shape categories than ever before. This exploration is being undertaken for the first time using space-borne lidar measurements. Distinct geographical preferences were observed for five different ice-particle categories. Bullets/rosettes were the most common, followed by Voronois, which were especially prevalent in high-level tropical clouds, and 2D columns, which were commonly found in mid- and low-level clouds. Droxtals were primarily observed in high-level subtropical regions. The global distribution of ice-particle types provides valuable insights into the physical processes related to ice cloud particle shape formation, cloud duration, and radiative impacts.