Coupling Ice-Phase Multiparameter Bulk Schemes into a 1.5D Cloud Model: Application to Deep Convective Events

To enhance the microphysical parameterization of ice particles, this study incorporated the IAP-LACS multiparameter ice schemes into a 1.5D cloud model and developed an improved ice melting parameterization. The coupled scheme was evaluated using two convective cases (the 1981 CCOPE and 2011 ICE-T) and rigorously validated against independent observations from ground-based radars, airborne in situ probes, and high-resolution particle imaging systems. Results suggest that the updated ice-phase parameterization accurately simulates the ice and liquid condensate mass content, with simulated updraft velocities and ice particle number concentrations showing strong quantitative agreement with observations in both cases. In the ICE-T case, the model successfully captures the observed peak updraft magnitude and the vertical evolution of hydrometeor phase transitions—from supercooled liquid droplets to ice crystals—consistent with in situ particle imagery. Moreover, the melting scheme yields more accurate surface precipitation and explicitly resolves the narrowing effect of melting on the ice particle size distribution. High-reflectivity regions in radar simulations are largely governed by the distribution of ice rimers, and this key feature is well captured by the model.