Cloud Top Radiative Cooling Rate Drives Non-Precipitating Stratiform Cloud Responses to Aerosol Concentration
Increases in aerosol concentration are well known to influence the microphysical processes and radiative properties of clouds. By reducing droplet size, an increase in aerosol can lessen collision efficiency and increase liquid water path (LWP) in precipitating clouds or enhance evaporation rate and...
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Online Access: | http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1852801 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1852801 https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gl094740 |
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ftosti:oai:osti.gov:1852801 2023-07-30T04:01:42+02:00 Cloud Top Radiative Cooling Rate Drives Non-Precipitating Stratiform Cloud Responses to Aerosol Concentration Williams, Abigail S. Igel, Adele L. 2022-09-13 application/pdf http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1852801 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1852801 https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gl094740 unknown http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1852801 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1852801 https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gl094740 doi:10.1029/2021gl094740 58 GEOSCIENCES 2022 ftosti https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gl094740 2023-07-11T10:10:54Z Increases in aerosol concentration are well known to influence the microphysical processes and radiative properties of clouds. By reducing droplet size, an increase in aerosol can lessen collision efficiency and increase liquid water path (LWP) in precipitating clouds or enhance evaporation rate and decrease LWP in non-precipitating clouds. We utilize large eddy simulations to further investigate these aerosol indirect effects in Arctic mixed-phase clouds and find, in agreement with previous studies, precipitating clouds to experience an increase in LWP and non-precipitating clouds a decrease in LWP. Most importantly however, our results reveal a different explanation for why such an LWP decrease occurs in decoupled, non-precipitating clouds. We find enhanced evaporation near cloud top to be driven primarily by a strengthening of maximum radiative cooling rate with aerosol concentration which drives stronger entrainment, an effect that holds true even in clouds that are optically thick. Other/Unknown Material Arctic SciTec Connect (Office of Scientific and Technical Information - OSTI, U.S. Department of Energy) Arctic Geophysical Research Letters 48 18 |
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Open Polar |
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SciTec Connect (Office of Scientific and Technical Information - OSTI, U.S. Department of Energy) |
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ftosti |
language |
unknown |
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58 GEOSCIENCES |
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58 GEOSCIENCES Williams, Abigail S. Igel, Adele L. Cloud Top Radiative Cooling Rate Drives Non-Precipitating Stratiform Cloud Responses to Aerosol Concentration |
topic_facet |
58 GEOSCIENCES |
description |
Increases in aerosol concentration are well known to influence the microphysical processes and radiative properties of clouds. By reducing droplet size, an increase in aerosol can lessen collision efficiency and increase liquid water path (LWP) in precipitating clouds or enhance evaporation rate and decrease LWP in non-precipitating clouds. We utilize large eddy simulations to further investigate these aerosol indirect effects in Arctic mixed-phase clouds and find, in agreement with previous studies, precipitating clouds to experience an increase in LWP and non-precipitating clouds a decrease in LWP. Most importantly however, our results reveal a different explanation for why such an LWP decrease occurs in decoupled, non-precipitating clouds. We find enhanced evaporation near cloud top to be driven primarily by a strengthening of maximum radiative cooling rate with aerosol concentration which drives stronger entrainment, an effect that holds true even in clouds that are optically thick. |
author |
Williams, Abigail S. Igel, Adele L. |
author_facet |
Williams, Abigail S. Igel, Adele L. |
author_sort |
Williams, Abigail S. |
title |
Cloud Top Radiative Cooling Rate Drives Non-Precipitating Stratiform Cloud Responses to Aerosol Concentration |
title_short |
Cloud Top Radiative Cooling Rate Drives Non-Precipitating Stratiform Cloud Responses to Aerosol Concentration |
title_full |
Cloud Top Radiative Cooling Rate Drives Non-Precipitating Stratiform Cloud Responses to Aerosol Concentration |
title_fullStr |
Cloud Top Radiative Cooling Rate Drives Non-Precipitating Stratiform Cloud Responses to Aerosol Concentration |
title_full_unstemmed |
Cloud Top Radiative Cooling Rate Drives Non-Precipitating Stratiform Cloud Responses to Aerosol Concentration |
title_sort |
cloud top radiative cooling rate drives non-precipitating stratiform cloud responses to aerosol concentration |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1852801 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1852801 https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gl094740 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_relation |
http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1852801 https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1852801 https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gl094740 doi:10.1029/2021gl094740 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2021gl094740 |
container_title |
Geophysical Research Letters |
container_volume |
48 |
container_issue |
18 |
_version_ |
1772812470805594112 |