Accurate predictions of snowfall require good knowledge of the microphysical properties of the snow ice crystals and particles. Shape is an important parameter as it influences strongly the scattering properties of the ice particles, and thus their response to remote sensing techniques such as radar measurements. The fall speed of ice particles is another important parameter for both numerical forecast models as well as representation of ice clouds and snow in climate models, as it is responsible for the rate of removal of ice from these models.

The ground-based in-situ instrument Dual Ice Crystal Imager (D-ICI) has been used in Kiruna, Sweden, to determine snow ice particle properties and fall speed simultaneously. D-ICI takes two high-resolution images of the same falling ice particle from two different viewing directions, a top view and a side view. Both images have a pixel resolution of approximately 4 μm/pixel and an optical resolution of approximately 10 μm.

The top-view image with its close to vertical viewing direction is used to provide maximum dimension, cross-sectional area and shape of the ice particle. This viewing geometry is chosen instead of a horizontal one because shape and size of ice particles as viewed in the vertical direction are more relevant than these properties viewed horizontally as the vertical fall speed is more strongly influenced by the vertically viewed properties. In addition, a comparison with remote sensing instruments that mostly have a vertical or close to vertical viewing geometry is favoured when the particle properties are measured in the same direction.

The side-view image with its horizontal viewing direction is used both to aid shape determination as well as to determine fall speed by means of a double exposure. Two bright flashes of a light-emitting diode behind the camera illuminate the falling ice particle and create this double exposure, from which the vertical displacement of the particle is measured and used to determine its fall speed.

During four winter seasons, 2014/2015–2017/2018, D-ICI was employed in Kiruna, northern Sweden (67.8N, 20.4E). The dataset presented here has resulted from the D-ICI measurements during this period and consists of the determined snow ice particle properties and the dual images of the same particles.

The dataset is the basis of the article:Vázquez-Martín, S., Kuhn, T., and Eliasson, S.: Shape dependence of snow crystal fall speed, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 1–21, 2021 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-1056 (E-published)