Wu et al. (2026) Analytical and numerical solutions of hydrometeor momentum equations

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-08-26
• Authors: Samuel Wu, Matthew R. Igel, Adele L. Igel, David H. Marsico
• DOI: 10.1002/qj.70283

Research Groups

• Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley
• Atmospheric Science Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

Short Summary

This study investigates the momentum equations of hydrometeors and air under various forcing conditions, revealing unexpected behavior in equilibration times and acceleration rates. The research highlights the complex interactions between hydrometeors and air, particularly when considering multiple effects on terminal fall speeds.

Objective

• Investigate the momentum equations of hydrometeors and air under gravity and frictional dissipation to understand their behavior and interactions.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global, with a focus on atmospheric dynamics.
• Temporal Scale: Short-term (hours to days) and long-term (seasonal to annual) scales for understanding equilibration times and acceleration rates.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Numerical solutions of the momentum equations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
• Data sources: Theoretical models, with no specific observational or reanalysis data mentioned in the abstract.

Main Results

• Extremely long equilibration times for hydrometeors accelerating to a constant horizontal wind velocity due to friction alone.
• Acceleration occurring for about twice as long as naive scaling would suggest for both horizontally and vertically accelerating systems.
• Drops acting as a damper on air motion, illustrating the complex interactions between hydrometeors and air.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the behavior of hydrometeors and air under various forcing conditions, shedding light on the modification of terminal fall speeds due to multiple effects.

Funding

• No specific funding information is provided in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Wu2026Analytical,
  author = {Wu, Samuel and Igel, Matthew R. and Igel, Adele L. and Marsico, David H.},
  title = {Analytical and numerical solutions of hydrometeor momentum equations},
  journal = {Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1002/qj.70283},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.70283}
}