Abstract:
Stratiform clouds with embedded convection are important targets for artificial precipitation enhancement. Danjiangkou Reservoir serves as a key water source for the “South-to-North Water Diversion” project, research on artificial enhancement of precipitation cloud systems in this region has gained increasing importance. Based on the bulk two-moment microphysical scheme of the mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, an explicit method was employed to incorporate the nucleation mechanism of silver iodide particles, introducing prognostic equations for the silver iodide mixing ratio and number concentration, thereby establishing a mesoscale WRF artificial seeding model. Using this WRF artificial seeding model, three seeding simulation experiments were conducted on a stratiform cloud with embedded convection in autumn on September 25, 2023: area-wide seeding (EXP1), line seeding (EXP2), and single-point seeding (EXP3). The results showed that, after seeding, silver iodide was transported downwind by airflow, with the widest diffusion range and largest amount in EXP1, followed by EXP2, and the smallest in EXP3. After nucleation, silver iodide significantly increased ice crystals in the cloud by consuming supercooled water, enhancing the ice–snow and snow–graupel conversion processes, and increasing the contents of snow and graupel particles, which in turn raised surface precipitation. The EXP1 experiment primarily increased surface precipitation through snow melting, the EXP2 experiment through graupel melting, while the EXP3 experiment showed the smallest increase in snow or graupel. Following seeding, increased precipitation occurred 40–90 km downwind of the seeding area. The EXP1 experiment produced the greatest enhancement in surface precipitation in terms of amount, percentage, and range. The maximum regional average precipitation enhancement rate occurred 1.5 h after the end of seeding, reaching 0.047 mm h
−1 in EXP1. The precipitation enhancement effect was strongest in EXP1, followed by EXP2, and weakest in EXP3, indicating that the seeding operation method significantly influences the seeding outcome. The results of this study provide scientific guidance for the operational management of weather modification.