Light scattering by ice crystals in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

Cirrus cloud optical properties strongly depend on the orientation of nonspherical ice crystals, which are influenced by the interplay between turbulence and gravitational settling. In this study, we introduce a stochastic modelling framework that predicts ensemble-averaged light scattering from ice crystals with turbulence-driven orientation distributions. The orientation statistics are derived from a stochastic representation of turbulent velocity gradients, and single-particle scattering properties are computed using a Lattice Boltzmann Method–based electromagnetic solver. Integrating over the derived orientation probability density function yields bulk optical quantities such as phase functions and scattering intensities. Results show that turbulence modulates scattering anisotropy and phase function features, revealing measurable optical impacts even in weakly turbulent regimes. The framework offers a physically consistent and computationally efficient approach for incorporating orientation effects into radiative transfer and remote sensing models of ice clouds.