The occurrence of "Irregular" ice particles in stratiform clouds

Recent studies that have classified ice particles from airborne imaging probe data have concluded that the vast majority of ice particles in stratiform precipitation systems are of an "irregular shape." This conclusion stands in contrast to the findings from microscope observations of snow particles at the ground during the Improvement of Microphysical Parameterization through Observational Verification Experiment from November to December 2001 in the Oregon Cascade Mountains (IMPROVE-2), which show that most snow crystals (either single crystals or the component crystals of snow aggregates) are readily identified as regular types within established crystal classification systems. This apparent contradiction is rectified by examining the definition of the term irregular as applied to ice particles and by considering limitations of different methods for observing ice particles. It is concluded that the finding of the airborne probe-based studies is a consequence of both limitations of the observing technology and an overly broad definition of irregular shape that is not consistent with the more restrictive definition established in well-known snow crystal classification schemes. When detailed microscope analysis of snow crystals is performed at the ground, and all regular types are included in the classification, the vast majority of snow crystals are of an identifiable regular type, rather than an irregular type. The classification of the vast majority of particles as irregular implies that there is little hope to describe the important properties of these particles (such as their scattering properties, fall speeds, and temperature and humidity conditions in which they grew), when in fact, many of these particles are of known types with known properties. Instead of using the term irregular, classification studies should use a term that focuses on the limitation of the observation method as being the defining characteristic of the category, such as "unidentified" or "undetermined".