Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
Enhancements in Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity From Turbulent Fluctuations in Supersaturation
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
Enhancements in Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity From Turbulent Fluctuations in Supersaturation
Do you wish to request the book?
Enhancements in Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity From Turbulent Fluctuations in Supersaturation
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Journal Article
Enhancements in Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity From Turbulent Fluctuations in Supersaturation
2023
Overview
The effect of aerosols on the properties of clouds is a large source of uncertainty in predictions of weather and climate. These aerosol‐cloud interactions depend critically on the ability of aerosol particles to form cloud droplets. A challenge in modeling aerosol‐cloud interactions is the representation of interactions between turbulence and cloud microphysics. Turbulent mixing leads to small‐scale fluctuations in water vapor and temperature that are unresolved in large‐scale atmospheric models. To quantify the impact of turbulent fluctuations on cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activation, we used a high‐resolution Large Eddy Simulation of a convective cloud chamber to drive particle‐based cloud microphysics simulations. We show small‐scale fluctuations strongly impact CCN activity. Once activated, the relatively long timescales of evaporation compared to fluctuations causes droplets to persist in subsaturated regions, which further increases droplet concentrations. Plain Language Summary Increases in cloud droplet number concentrations from human emissions of aerosol particles modify cloud properties, which strongly impacts Earth's energy balance. Large Eddy Simulations and Earth System Models are used to quantify these aerosol‐cloud interactions, but the spatial and temporal resolution of these models is too coarse to represent the impact of turbulence at the smallest scales. In this study, we show that small‐scale turbulent fluctuations lead to cloud droplet formation even when air is, on average, subsaturated, which would be impossible in conventional models of cloud microphysics. Our findings suggest that models that neglect turbulent fluctuations in supersaturation will underestimate cloud condensation nuclei activity under specific supersaturation regimes, which will may lead to error in modeled cloud properties. Key Points Small‐scale turbulence leads to variability in the supersaturation experienced by aerosol particles and cloud droplets within clouds Turbulent fluctuations increase cloud droplet formation at low supersaturation levels in comparison with uniform environmental conditions Atmospheric models that neglect supersaturation variability due to turbulence may underestimate the number concentration of cloud droplets
