Effects of solid aerosols on partially glaciated clouds
Kudzotsa, Innocent LU ; Phillips, Vaughan T.J. LU
and Dobbie, Steven
(2018)
In Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
144(717).
p.2634-2649
- Abstract
Sensitivity tests were conducted using a state-of-the-art aerosol–cloud to investigate the key microphysical and dynamical mechanisms by which solid aerosols affect glaciated clouds. The tests involved simulations of two contrasting cases of deep convection—a tropical maritime case and a midlatitude continental case, in which solid aerosol concentrations were increased from their pre-industrial (1850) to their present-day (2010) levels. In the midlatitude continental case, the boosting of the number concentrations of solid aerosols weakened the updrafts in deep convective clouds, resulting in reduced snow and graupel production. Consequently, the cloud fraction and the cloud optical thickness increased with increasing ice nuclei (IN),... (More)
Sensitivity tests were conducted using a state-of-the-art aerosol–cloud to investigate the key microphysical and dynamical mechanisms by which solid aerosols affect glaciated clouds. The tests involved simulations of two contrasting cases of deep convection—a tropical maritime case and a midlatitude continental case, in which solid aerosol concentrations were increased from their pre-industrial (1850) to their present-day (2010) levels. In the midlatitude continental case, the boosting of the number concentrations of solid aerosols weakened the updrafts in deep convective clouds, resulting in reduced snow and graupel production. Consequently, the cloud fraction and the cloud optical thickness increased with increasing ice nuclei (IN), causing a negative radiative flux change at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), that is, a cooling effect of −1.96 ± 0.29 W/m2. On the other hand, in the tropical maritime case, increased ice nuclei invigorated upper-tropospheric updrafts in both deep convective and stratiform clouds, causing cloud tops to shift upwards. Snow production was also intensified, resulting in reduced cloud fraction and cloud optical thickness, hence a positive radiative flux change at the TOA—a warming effect of 1.02 ± 0.36 W/m2 was predicted.
(Less)
- author
- Kudzotsa, Innocent
LU
; Phillips, Vaughan T.J.
LU
and Dobbie, Steven
- organization
- publishing date
- 2018
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- aerosol–cloud interactions, cloud microphysics, cloud-resolving models, clouds, glaciated clouds, indirect effects
- in
- Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
- volume
- 144
- issue
- 717
- pages
- 16 pages
- publisher
- Royal Meteorological Society
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85058536082
- ISSN
- 0035-9009
- DOI
- 10.1002/qj.3376
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- ce52f5cd-6d89-48cd-a8ac-23946ed02782
- date added to LUP
- 2019-01-04 14:10:58
- date last changed
- 2022-04-25 20:28:08
@article{ce52f5cd-6d89-48cd-a8ac-23946ed02782,
abstract = {{<p>Sensitivity tests were conducted using a state-of-the-art aerosol–cloud to investigate the key microphysical and dynamical mechanisms by which solid aerosols affect glaciated clouds. The tests involved simulations of two contrasting cases of deep convection—a tropical maritime case and a midlatitude continental case, in which solid aerosol concentrations were increased from their pre-industrial (1850) to their present-day (2010) levels. In the midlatitude continental case, the boosting of the number concentrations of solid aerosols weakened the updrafts in deep convective clouds, resulting in reduced snow and graupel production. Consequently, the cloud fraction and the cloud optical thickness increased with increasing ice nuclei (IN), causing a negative radiative flux change at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), that is, a cooling effect of −1.96 ± 0.29 W/m<sup>2</sup>. On the other hand, in the tropical maritime case, increased ice nuclei invigorated upper-tropospheric updrafts in both deep convective and stratiform clouds, causing cloud tops to shift upwards. Snow production was also intensified, resulting in reduced cloud fraction and cloud optical thickness, hence a positive radiative flux change at the TOA—a warming effect of 1.02 ± 0.36 W/m<sup>2</sup> was predicted.</p>}},
author = {{Kudzotsa, Innocent and Phillips, Vaughan T.J. and Dobbie, Steven}},
issn = {{0035-9009}},
keywords = {{aerosol–cloud interactions; cloud microphysics; cloud-resolving models; clouds; glaciated clouds; indirect effects}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{717}},
pages = {{2634--2649}},
publisher = {{Royal Meteorological Society}},
series = {{Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society}},
title = {{Effects of solid aerosols on partially glaciated clouds}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/qj.3376}},
doi = {{10.1002/qj.3376}},
volume = {{144}},
year = {{2018}},
}