On Snow Crystals with Small Raindrops Observed in Greenland

Snow crystals with small raindrops were observed all day long on 1 January 1990 during the observation period of the snow crystals of low temperature types in Godthiib, Greenland. The accreted frozen raindrops were divided into single crystal and polycrystalline, and in the favorable formation of polycrystalline the size effect was detected. The formation of snow crystals with small raindrops was considered as follows. Under the pressure pattern of east-high and west-low, Foehn wind blew across Greenland. It made wind waves on the sea surface and many N aCl particles origi· nated from the sea. As there were usually few aerosol particles in the atmosphere over the sea, the result was that there were few aerosol particles activated as condensation nuclei and N aCI particle ratio was high. Therefore, it was possible to grow to large water drops even under meteorological conditions without an abun· dance of water vapor content. Then, it was important, too, that there were little water vapor content expended by ice particles. 1