Cloud microphysical response to entrainment of dry air containing aerosols
Abstract Impacts of aerosol particles on clouds, precipitation, and climate remain one of the significant uncertainties in climate change. Aerosol particles entrained at cloud top and edge can affect cloud microphysical and macrophysical properties, but the process is still poorly understood. Here w...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00889-7 |
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| author | Jae Min Yeom Hamed Fahandezh Sadi Jesse C. Anderson Fan Yang Will Cantrell Raymond A. Shaw |
| author_facet | Jae Min Yeom Hamed Fahandezh Sadi Jesse C. Anderson Fan Yang Will Cantrell Raymond A. Shaw |
| author_sort | Jae Min Yeom |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Impacts of aerosol particles on clouds, precipitation, and climate remain one of the significant uncertainties in climate change. Aerosol particles entrained at cloud top and edge can affect cloud microphysical and macrophysical properties, but the process is still poorly understood. Here we investigate the cloud microphysical responses to the entrainment of aerosol-laden air in the Pi convection-cloud chamber. Results show that cloud droplet number concentration increases and mean radius of droplets decreases, which leads to narrower droplet size distribution and smaller relative dispersion. These behaviors are generally consistent with the scenario expected from the first aerosol-cloud indirect effect for a constant liquid water content (L). However, L increases significantly in these experiments. Such enhancement of L can be understood as suppression of droplet sedimentation removal due to small droplets. Further, an increase in aerosol concentration from entrainment reduces the effective radius and ultimately increases cloud optical thickness and cloud albedo, making the clouds brighter. These findings are of relevance to the entrainment interface at stratocumulus cloud top, where modeling studies have suggested sedimentation plays a strong role in regulating L. Therefore, the results provide insights into the impacts of entrainment of aerosol-laden air on cloud, precipitation, and climate. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-119fcd07e39a44499af4075b7391eea2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2397-3722 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-119fcd07e39a44499af4075b7391eea22025-01-12T12:13:31ZengNature Portfolionpj Climate and Atmospheric Science2397-37222025-01-01811910.1038/s41612-024-00889-7Cloud microphysical response to entrainment of dry air containing aerosolsJae Min Yeom0Hamed Fahandezh Sadi1Jesse C. Anderson2Fan Yang3Will Cantrell4Raymond A. Shaw5Department of Physics and Atmospheric Sciences Program, Michigan Technological UniversityDepartment of Physics and Atmospheric Sciences Program, Michigan Technological UniversityDepartment of Physics and Atmospheric Sciences Program, Michigan Technological UniversityBrookhaven National LaboratoryDepartment of Physics and Atmospheric Sciences Program, Michigan Technological UniversityDepartment of Physics and Atmospheric Sciences Program, Michigan Technological UniversityAbstract Impacts of aerosol particles on clouds, precipitation, and climate remain one of the significant uncertainties in climate change. Aerosol particles entrained at cloud top and edge can affect cloud microphysical and macrophysical properties, but the process is still poorly understood. Here we investigate the cloud microphysical responses to the entrainment of aerosol-laden air in the Pi convection-cloud chamber. Results show that cloud droplet number concentration increases and mean radius of droplets decreases, which leads to narrower droplet size distribution and smaller relative dispersion. These behaviors are generally consistent with the scenario expected from the first aerosol-cloud indirect effect for a constant liquid water content (L). However, L increases significantly in these experiments. Such enhancement of L can be understood as suppression of droplet sedimentation removal due to small droplets. Further, an increase in aerosol concentration from entrainment reduces the effective radius and ultimately increases cloud optical thickness and cloud albedo, making the clouds brighter. These findings are of relevance to the entrainment interface at stratocumulus cloud top, where modeling studies have suggested sedimentation plays a strong role in regulating L. Therefore, the results provide insights into the impacts of entrainment of aerosol-laden air on cloud, precipitation, and climate.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00889-7 |
| spellingShingle | Jae Min Yeom Hamed Fahandezh Sadi Jesse C. Anderson Fan Yang Will Cantrell Raymond A. Shaw Cloud microphysical response to entrainment of dry air containing aerosols npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| title | Cloud microphysical response to entrainment of dry air containing aerosols |
| title_full | Cloud microphysical response to entrainment of dry air containing aerosols |
| title_fullStr | Cloud microphysical response to entrainment of dry air containing aerosols |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cloud microphysical response to entrainment of dry air containing aerosols |
| title_short | Cloud microphysical response to entrainment of dry air containing aerosols |
| title_sort | cloud microphysical response to entrainment of dry air containing aerosols |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-00889-7 |
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