1. Enhancements in cloud condensation nuclei concentrations from turbulent fluctuations in supersaturation
- Author
-
Anderson, Jesse C., Beeler, Payton, Ovchinnikov, Mikhail, Cantrell, Will, Krueger, Steven, Shaw, Raymond A., Yang, Fan, and Fierce, Laura
- Subjects
Physics - Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Abstract
The effect of aerosol emissions on the properties and distribution 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 activate into cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). A key challenge in modeling CCN activation and the formation of cloud droplets is the representation of interactions between turbulence and cloud microphysics. Turbulent mixing leads to small-scale fluctuations of water vapor and temperature that are not resolved in large-scale atmospheric models. We used Lagrangian parcel simulations driven by a high-resolution Large Eddy Simulation of a convective cloud chamber to quantify the impact of these small-scale fluctuations on CCN activation. We show that small-scale fluctuations in environmental properties strongly enhance CCN activation, which suggests that conventional Large Eddy Simulations and Earth System Models that neglect these fluctuations underestimate cloud droplet formation.
- Published
- 2022