A modified stratiform cloud microphysics parameterization : evaluation using the Community Atmosphere Model version 6 single-column model
Pant, Chandra Shekhar LU
; Waman, Deepak
LU
; Patade, Sachin
LU
; Deshmukh, Akash
LU
; Singh, Niharika
; Phillips, Vaughan
LU
and Bansemer, Aaron
(2026)
In Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
26(10).
p.7407-7433
- Abstract
Large-scale stratiform clouds are widespread and dominate the Earth's radiation budget. Their radiative and microphysical properties are inseparable, depending on ambient aerosol conditions and on properties of any convective outflow. In the Community Atmospheric Model, version 6 (CAM6), large-scale clouds were originally treated two decades ago with a two-moment bulk microphysics approach. Since then, the technological and empirical basis of global models has improved, for example by representing cloud microphysics to encompass extra processes of ice and droplet initiation, and by including dependencies on aerosol conditions of size, composition, and loading. To advance the microphysical realism of the large-scale cloud scheme of the... (More)
Large-scale stratiform clouds are widespread and dominate the Earth's radiation budget. Their radiative and microphysical properties are inseparable, depending on ambient aerosol conditions and on properties of any convective outflow. In the Community Atmospheric Model, version 6 (CAM6), large-scale clouds were originally treated two decades ago with a two-moment bulk microphysics approach. Since then, the technological and empirical basis of global models has improved, for example by representing cloud microphysics to encompass extra processes of ice and droplet initiation, and by including dependencies on aerosol conditions of size, composition, and loading. To advance the microphysical realism of the large-scale cloud scheme of the global model CAM6, most of the known mechanisms of secondary ice production (SIP) and an empirical formulation for heterogeneous ice nucleation have been represented in the stratiform scheme of the Global model CAM6. We included a hybrid bin/bulk microphysics scheme that treats aerosol activation, growth processes of accretion, aggregation, and riming, and three SIP mechanisms in the stratiform cloud scheme. We simulated an observed case of a mesoscale convective system during the Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) in Oklahoma, USA, using the Single-Column Atmosphere Model (SCAM6). The results from the simulations are validated against the aircraft, satellite, and ground measurements. Results show that the modified stratiform scheme can predict the cloud properties of the observed stratiform clouds realistically. Together with our improved convective scheme in CAM6, this paves the way for more realism in the treatment of aerosol-cloud interactions in global climate change by conventional General Circulation Models.
(Less)
- author
- Pant, Chandra Shekhar
LU
; Waman, Deepak
LU
; Patade, Sachin
LU
; Deshmukh, Akash
LU
; Singh, Niharika
; Phillips, Vaughan
LU
and Bansemer, Aaron
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-05-29
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
- volume
- 26
- issue
- 10
- pages
- 27 pages
- publisher
- Copernicus GmbH
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105040791698
- ISSN
- 1680-7316
- DOI
- 10.5194/acp-26-7407-2026
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2026 Chandra Shekhar Pant et al.
- id
- b19416c7-8393-490f-89ad-27bf97dc59ad
- date added to LUP
- 2026-07-21 14:19:48
- date last changed
- 2026-08-04 14:43:31
@article{b19416c7-8393-490f-89ad-27bf97dc59ad,
abstract = {{<p>Large-scale stratiform clouds are widespread and dominate the Earth's radiation budget. Their radiative and microphysical properties are inseparable, depending on ambient aerosol conditions and on properties of any convective outflow. In the Community Atmospheric Model, version 6 (CAM6), large-scale clouds were originally treated two decades ago with a two-moment bulk microphysics approach. Since then, the technological and empirical basis of global models has improved, for example by representing cloud microphysics to encompass extra processes of ice and droplet initiation, and by including dependencies on aerosol conditions of size, composition, and loading. To advance the microphysical realism of the large-scale cloud scheme of the global model CAM6, most of the known mechanisms of secondary ice production (SIP) and an empirical formulation for heterogeneous ice nucleation have been represented in the stratiform scheme of the Global model CAM6. We included a hybrid bin/bulk microphysics scheme that treats aerosol activation, growth processes of accretion, aggregation, and riming, and three SIP mechanisms in the stratiform cloud scheme. We simulated an observed case of a mesoscale convective system during the Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) in Oklahoma, USA, using the Single-Column Atmosphere Model (SCAM6). The results from the simulations are validated against the aircraft, satellite, and ground measurements. Results show that the modified stratiform scheme can predict the cloud properties of the observed stratiform clouds realistically. Together with our improved convective scheme in CAM6, this paves the way for more realism in the treatment of aerosol-cloud interactions in global climate change by conventional General Circulation Models.</p>}},
author = {{Pant, Chandra Shekhar and Waman, Deepak and Patade, Sachin and Deshmukh, Akash and Singh, Niharika and Phillips, Vaughan and Bansemer, Aaron}},
issn = {{1680-7316}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{05}},
number = {{10}},
pages = {{7407--7433}},
publisher = {{Copernicus GmbH}},
series = {{Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics}},
title = {{A modified stratiform cloud microphysics parameterization : evaluation using the Community Atmosphere Model version 6 single-column model}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-7407-2026}},
doi = {{10.5194/acp-26-7407-2026}},
volume = {{26}},
year = {{2026}},
}