Since January 2014, I am an associate/full professor (see Resume for more details) at the Laboratory in Atmospheric Physics (LaMP) in Clermont-Ferrand and I have obtained a 5-years delegation to the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF) that has started on Oct. 1st, 2023.
My current work aims at a better understanding of the impact of the aerosol-cloud interactions and the microphysics of mixed-phase cloud systems. This research is based essentially on a modelling approach using 3D cloud-scale model with a bin microphysics scheme as well as meso-scale models using a bulk microphysics representation.
In general, my research interests are:
modelling microphysical processes
aerosol-cloud interactions
precipitation estimation
convective cloud system
observation – simulation duality
In order to response at the different scientific objectives, I am involved in different projects as coordinator or participant and most important results are described in peer-reviewed journal publications.
From October 2011 to December 2013, I was a Research Fellow at the Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science in Leeds (UK), in collaboration with the Met Office (ASCI project). Thanks to the Unified Model and the GLOMAP-mode aerosol scheme, this work explored the interactions between the atmospheric aerosol particles, the cloud microphysics and the weather-system dynamics over UK on the timescales relevant to operational weather forecasting.
I used the Met Office Unified Model to simulate the observed cases of the Convective Storm Initiation Project (CSIP) and the subsequent impacts of the aerosol particles on their microphysics and dynamics developments (Planche et al., 2015). Moreover, thanks to the GLOMAP scheme I studied the variability of the aerosol properties at high resolution (Planche et al., 2017).
In another way, a new multi-moment microphysics scheme was implemented in the Unified Model. Then, a coupling between this new version of the Unified Model and the GLOMAP aerosol-chemistry scheme can be developed.
I completed my PhD entitled "Development and evaluation of a 3D mixed phase cloud scale model with detailed microphysics: Application to the orographic precipitations " in June 2011. The overall goal of this PhD project was to make progress in improving the precipitation forecasts considering the impacts of the orography and aerosol particles on their formation during the Convective and Orographically indiced Precipitation Studies project (COPS).
The used strategy was to study the convective system over complex relief using the detailed microphysics scheme DESCAM-3D to better describe the aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions. The DESCAM-3D is capable of predicting aerosol mass in drops and ice crystals as well as the evolution of the aerosol particle, drop and crystal which allowed me to quantify the aerosol budget and estimate the influence of the particulate pollution on the in-cloud and precipitation properties (Planche et al., 2010).
I also assessed, with the bulk version of the microphysics, the role of the relief on the formation of the cloud system (Planche et al., 2013). Lastly, the rain estimations were compared with available radar data to evaluate the model's performances and help the interpretation of the radar reflectivity in the bright band level. I had to implement a non-instantaneous melting process in the detailed microphysics scheme which also improves the hydrometeors representation (Planche et al., 2014).