Felhők a Vezúv felett
Credit: Fotó: Mánfai György, 2016

Published: 

1 Feb 2023

Cloud physics research group

magyar zászló

Research group members:

István Geresdi (leader), Prof., PhD
Noémi Sarkadi, PhD
Anikó Cséplő
András Peterka
Máté Kurcsics

Former members:
Gabriella Schmeller, PhD
Jeevan Kumar Bodaballa, PhD

Understanding the physical and chemical processes in clouds is essential to reliably predict short-term (weather) and long-term (climate) changes in the atmosphere. With the help of computer models, we investigate a wide range of atmospheric processes (from the formation of water droplets of a few microns to flows of the order of km). Thanks to the developments made in recent years, among other things, we can more accurately simulate the effect of natural and artificial aerosol particles on precipitation formation, and we can also determine how atmospheric pollutants affect the chemical characteristics of water droplets.

We conduct our research in international and domestic cooperation. Our important partner for several decades is the National Center for Atmospheric Research (USA) (https://ncar.ucar.edu/). With them, in recent years we examined how and with what efficiency it is possible to artificially increase the amount of precipitation falling from the clouds in winter and summer climatic conditions. We are working with our domestic partners (National Meteorological Service, the University of Pannonia, and Eötvös University) to increase the efficiency of operational weather forecasting. In the most recently completed tender, we set ourselves the goal of more accurate forecasting of foggy weather situations.

In the past 5 years, three people in the research group obtained Ph.D. degrees.

Research topics

  • Aerosol-cloud-precipitation formation and interactions (physical and chemical processes)

BLK1_aerosol_evolution.mp4 (left) and BLK1_drop_evolution.mp4 (right)

Aerosol (left) and cloud drop (right) size distribution evolution in the case of a less hydrophobic (LH) and a near hygroscopic (NH) aerosol particle.

  • Artificial cloud seeding (effect on precipitation formation on AgI and on salt particles)
    Felhofizika_kep_pp
    Impacts of cloud seeding of the precipitation. (Source: Geresdi, István ✉; Xue, L.; Sarkadi, Noémi & Rasmussen, R.: Evaluation of orographic cloud seeding using a bin microphysics scheme: Three-dimensional simulation of real cases. JOURNAL OF APPLIED METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY, 59: 9 pp. 1537-1555., 19 p. (2020) (Q2))

  • Microphysical and dynamical processes in different clouds (such as in squall lines, orographically enhancing cloud formation, fog, etc.)
    Felhofizika_fog_gif
    Formation of fog in the Carpathian Basin, 2019. 10. 26.
    Felhofizika_gif_squall3d
    3D simulation of mixing ratios of hydrometeors in a case of a squall line, 2011. 05. 20.

Felhofizika_kep_t-all-stations
The long-term predicted temperature anomaly by seasons at different meteorological stations by the end of 1961-2020. The symbols above each column denote the significant levels evaluated by z-probe. The data from different surface stations are depicted by columns with different colors.

Felhofizika_budapest
The anomalies of the temperature values in the time period of 1961-2020 compared to the reference period 1961-1990 for different seasons at Budapest station. T ref means the average value corresponding to the reference period.

Tenders

  • UAE-NATURE: Using Advanced Experimental - Numerical Approaches To Untangle Rain Enhancement
  • GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00055
  • OTKA (116025)

Selected publications (2021/2022)

  1. Sarkadi, Noémi ✉; Xue, Lulin ✉; Grabowski, Wojciech W.; Lebo, Zachary J.; Morrison, Hugh; White, Bethan; Fan, Jiwen; Dudhia, Jimy & Geresdi, István: Microphysical piggybacking in the Weather Research and Forecasting Model. JOURNAL OF ADVANCES IN MODELING EARTH SYSTEMS, 14: 8 Paper: e2021MS002890, 25 p. (2022) (Q1/D1)
  2. Schmeller, Gabriella; Nagy, Gábor; Sarkadi, Noémi ✉; Cséplő, Anikó; Pirkhoffer, Ervin; Geresdi, István; Balogh, Richárd; Ronczyk, Levente & Czigány, Szabolcs: Trends in extreme precipitation events (SW Hungary) based on a high-density monitoring network. HUNGARIAN GEOGRAPHICAL BULLETIN, (2009-) 71: 3 pp. 231-247., 17 p. (2022) (Q2)
  3. Cséplő, Anikó ✉; Izsák, Beatrix & Geresdi, István: Long-term trend of surface relative humidity in Hungary. THEORETICAL AND APPLIED CLIMATOLOGY, 149: 3-4 pp. 1629-1643., 15 p. (2022) (Q2)
  4. Jeevan Kumar, Bodaballa ✉; Geresdi, István; Ghude, Sachin D. & Salma, Imre: Numerical simulation of the microphysics and liquid chemical processes occur in fog using size resolving bin scheme. ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH, 266 Paper: 105972, 14 p. (2022) (Q1)
  5. Geresdi, Istvan; Xue, Lulin ✉; Chen, Sisi; Wehbe, Youssef; Bruintjes, Roelof; Lee, Jared A.; Rasmussen, Roy M.; Grabowski, Wojciech W.; Sarkadi, Noémi & Tessendorf, Sarah A.: Impact of hygroscopic seeding on the initiation of precipitation formation: results of a hybrid bin microphysics parcel model. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, 21: 21 pp. 16143-16159., 17 p. (2021) (Q1/D1)