Growth of Cloud Drops by Collision, Coalescence and Breakup

Abstract

As we have already learned from our brief historical review in Chapter 1, it has long been established that the presence of ice is not always necessary for precipitation formation in clouds. In more recent times, radar observations have confirmed this early conclusion. In such cases, the flow of water up the spectrum from small droplets to rain must occur by the process of collision and coalescence of drops. This is often referred to as the collection process, and sometimes erroneously as the ‘warm rain’ process. The latter designation is somewhat inappropriate, since collection growth also occurs in clouds colder than 0°C (Braham, 1964).