Vertical variation of turbulent entrainment mixing processes in marine stratocumulus clouds using high resolution digital holography

Desai, Neel; Liu, Yangang; Glienke, Susanne; Shaw, Raymond A.; Lu, Chunsong; Wang, Jian; Gao, Sinan

doi:10.1029/2020jd033527

Title: Vertical variation of turbulent entrainment mixing processes in marine stratocumulus clouds using high resolution digital holography

Journal Article · Sat Mar 20 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jd033527· OSTI ID:1770731

^[1];

^[2];

^[3];

^[4]; Wang, Jian ^[5];

^[4]

Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Michigan Technological Univ., Houghton, MI (United States)
Nanjing Univ. of Information Science and Technology (China)
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States)

Marine stratocumulus clouds contribute significantly to the Earth's radiation budget due to their extensive coverage and high albedo. Yet, subgrid variability in cloud properties, such as aerosol concentration, droplet number, and precipitation rates, lead to considerable errors in global climate models. While these clouds usually have small vertical extent, turbulent entrainment-mixing and precipitation can generate significant variations in droplet number, size, and relative dispersion with altitude. In this study, we analyze turbulent entrainment-mixing processes and the variability in cloud microphysical properties as a function of height within a warm marine stratocumulus cloud layer over the Eastern North Atlantic. We use high-resolution airborne holographic measurements and compare them with local turbulence measurements. We find that entrainment-mixing is primarily inhomogeneous near cloud top and homogeneous near cloud base. Further analysis of Damköhler number and transition scale number are able to explain the mixing mechanisms at different cloud heights using phase relaxation but not droplet evaporation as the microphysical time scale. A modified droplet evaporation time scale that considers local saturation deficit using a simple linear mixing model is developed, and it is able to reliably explain the observed mixing mechanisms. This study reinforces the importance of turbulent mixing and the use of appropriate microphysical time scales in determining cloud microphysical processes.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Data Center

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0020053; SC00112704; 33504; 41822504; DESC00112704; DESC0020053

OSTI ID:: 1770731

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1772901; OSTI ID: 1786809

Report Number(s):: BNL-221130-2021-JAAM

Journal Information:: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 126, Issue 7; ISSN 2169-897X

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (67)

Broadening of droplet size distributions from entrainment and mixing in a cumulus cloud Lasher-Trapp, Sonia G.; Cooper, William A.; Blyth, Alan M. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Vol. 131, Issue 605 https://doi.org/10.1256/qj.03.199	journal	January 2005
Microphysical and Radiative Properties of Marine Stratocumulus from Tethered Balloon Measurements Duda, David P.; Stephens, Graeme L.; Cox, S. K. Journal of Applied Meteorology, Vol. 30, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0450(1991)030<0170:MARPOM>2.0.CO;2	journal	February 1991
Marine boundary layer clouds at the heart of tropical cloud feedback uncertainties in climate models Bony, Sandrine Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 32, Issue 20 https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL023851	journal	January 2005
A study on the entrainment and mixing process in the continental stratocumulus clouds measured during the RACORO campaign Yeom, Jae Min; Yum, Seong Soo; Liu, Yangang Atmospheric Research, Vol. 194 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2017.04.028	journal	September 2017
Numerical Simulation of Cloud–Clear Air Interfacial Mixing: Effects on Cloud Microphysics Andrejczuk, Miroslaw; Grabowski, Wojciech W.; Malinowski, Szymon P. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 63, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS3813.1	journal	December 2006
Drizzle in Stratiform Boundary Layer Clouds. Part I: Vertical and Horizontal Structure Wood, R. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 62, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS3529.1	journal	September 2005
Investigation of Turbulent Entrainment-Mixing Processes With a New Particle-Resolved Direct Numerical Simulation Model Gao, Zheng; Liu, Yangang; Li, Xiaolin Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 123, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JD027507	journal	February 2018
Droplet Spectral Broadening in Marine Stratus Hudson, James G.; Yum, Seong Soo Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 54, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1997)054<2642:DSBIMS>2.0.CO;2	journal	November 1997
Growth Of Cloud Drops by Condensation: A Criticism of Currently Accepted Theory and a New Approach Srivastava, R. C. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 46, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1989)046<0869:GOCDBC>2.0.CO;2	journal	April 1989
A new aspect of condensation theory Telford, James W.; Chai, Steven K. Pure and Applied Geophysics PAGEOPH, Vol. 118, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01593025	journal	September 1980
Observational Study of the Entrainment-Mixing Process in Warm Convective Clouds Burnet, Frédéric; Brenguier, Jean-Louis Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 64, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS3928.1	journal	June 2007
Holographic measurements of inhomogeneous cloud mixing at the centimeter scale Beals, Matthew J.; Fugal, Jacob P.; Shaw, Raymond A. Science, Vol. 350, Issue 6256 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab0751	journal	October 2015
A Survey of Changes in Cloud Cover and Cloud Types over Land from Surface Observations, 1971–96 Warren, Stephen G.; Eastman, Ryan M.; Hahn, Carole J. Journal of Climate, Vol. 20, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI4031.1	journal	February 2007
Bridging the condensation–collision size gap: a direct numerical simulation of continuous droplet growth in turbulent clouds Chen, Sisi; Yau, Man-Kong; Bartello, Peter Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 18, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7251-2018	journal	January 2018
Ultraclean Layers and Optically Thin Clouds in the Stratocumulus-to-Cumulus Transition. Part I: Observations Wood, Robert; O., Kuan-Ting; Bretherton, Christopher S. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 75, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-17-0213.1	journal	May 2018
Cloud particle size distributions measured with an airborne digital in-line holographic instrument Fugal, J. P.; Shaw, R. A. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Vol. 2, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2-259-2009	journal	January 2009
Examination of turbulent entrainment-mixing mechanisms using a combined approach Lu, Chunsong; Liu, Yangang; Niu, Shengjie Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 116, Issue D20 https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD015944	journal	January 2011
Search for Microphysical Signatures of Stochastic Condensation in Marine Boundary Layer Clouds Using Airborne Digital Holography Desai, N.; Glienke, S.; Fugal, J. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 124, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD029033	journal	March 2019
Long-range transported North American wildfire aerosols observed in marine boundary layer of eastern North Atlantic Zheng, Guangjie; Sedlacek, Arthur J.; Aiken, Allison C. Environment International, Vol. 139 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105680	journal	June 2020
Drizzle and Turbulence Below Closed Cellular Marine Stratocumulus Clouds Ghate, Virendra P.; Cadeddu, Maria P. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD030141	journal	June 2019
Entrainment and Mixing in Stratocumulus: Effects of a New Explicit Subgrid-Scale Scheme for Large-Eddy Simulations with Particle-Based Microphysics Hoffmann, Fabian; Feingold, Graham Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 76, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-18-0318.1	journal	July 2019
Extensive closed cell marine stratocumulus downwind of Europe-A large aerosol cloud mediated radiative effect or forcing?: CLOSED CELL FORMATION DOWNWIND EUROPE Goren, Tom; Rosenfeld, Daniel Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 120, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023176	journal	June 2015
Cumulus Entrainment and Cloud Droplet Spectra: A Numerical Model within a Two-Dimensional Dynamical Framework Brenguier, Jean-Louis; Grabowski, Wojciech W. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 50, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1993)050<0120:CEACDS>2.0.CO;2	journal	January 1993
Observations of marine stratocumulus microphysics and implications for processes controlling droplet spectra: Results from the Marine Stratus/Stratocumulus Experiment Wang, Jian; Daum, Peter H.; Yum, Seong Soo Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 114, Issue D18 https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD011035	journal	January 2009
Scale dependence of entrainment-mixing mechanisms in cumulus clouds: Scale dependence of mixing mechanisms Lu, Chunsong; Liu, Yangang; Niu, Shengjie Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 119, Issue 24 https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD022265	journal	December 2014
The role of air turbulence in warm rain initiation Wang, Lian-Ping; Grabowski, Wojciech W. Atmospheric Science Letters, Vol. 10, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.210	journal	January 2009
Turbulence in the Atmosphere Wyngaard, John C. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511840524	book	January 2010
Growth of Cloud Droplets in a Turbulent Environment Grabowski, Wojciech W.; Wang, Lian-Ping Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 45, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-fluid-011212-140750	journal	January 2013
Observation of a Self-Limiting, Shear-Induced Turbulent Inversion Layer Above Marine Stratocumulus Katzwinkel, J.; Siebert, H.; Shaw, R. A. Boundary-Layer Meteorology, Vol. 145, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-011-9683-4	journal	December 2011
A single-column model intercomparison on the stratocumulus representation in present-day and future climate Dal Gesso, S.; van der Dussen, J. J.; Siebesma, A. P. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol. 7, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1002/2014MS000377	journal	April 2015
Practical methods for automated reconstruction and characterization of particles in digital in-line holograms Fugal, Jacob P.; Schulz, Timothy J.; Shaw, Raymond A. Measurement Science and Technology, Vol. 20, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/20/7/075501	journal	May 2009
Adiabatic predictions and observations of cloud droplet spectral broadness Yum, Seong Soo; Hudson, James G. Atmospheric Research, Vol. 73, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2004.10.006	journal	February 2005
Cloud-Top Entrainment in Stratocumulus Clouds Mellado, Juan Pedro Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 49, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-fluid-010816-060231	journal	January 2017
The influence of entrainment on the evolution of cloud droplet spectra: I. A model of inhomogeneous mixing Baker, M. B.; Corbin, R. G.; Latham, J. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Vol. 106, Issue 449 https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.49710644914	journal	July 1980
Turbulent Condensation of Droplets: Direct Simulation and a Stochastic Model Paoli, Roberto; Shariff, Karim Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 66, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JAS2734.1	journal	March 2009
Analytical three-moment autoconversion parameterization based on generalized gamma distribution Xie, Xiaoning; Liu, Xiaodong Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 114, Issue D17 https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD011633	journal	January 2009
Microphysical and Turbulent Structure of Nocturnal Stratocumulus as Observed during ASTEX Duynkerke, Peter G.; Zhang, He Qing; Jonker, Piet J. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 52, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1995)052<2763:MATSON>2.0.CO;2	journal	August 1995
The Microstructure of Cumulus Cloud: Part IV. The Effect on the Droplet Spectrum of Mixing Between Cloud and Environment Warner, J. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 30, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1973)030<0256:TMOCCP>2.0.CO;2	journal	March 1973
Effects of Variable Droplet Growth Histories on Droplet Size Distributions. Part I: Theory Cooper, William A. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 46, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1989)046<1301:EOVDGH>2.0.CO;2	journal	May 1989
Homogeneous and Inhomogeneous Mixing in Cumulus Clouds: Dependence on Local Turbulence Structure Lehmann, Katrin; Siebert, Holger; Shaw, Raymond A. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 66, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JAS3012.1	journal	December 2009
On Size Distributions of Cloud Droplets Growing by Condensation: A New Conceptual Model Liu, Yangang; Hallett, John Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 55, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1998)055<0527:OSDOCD>2.0.CO;2	journal	February 1998
Drizzle formation in stratocumulus clouds: effects of turbulent mixing Magaritz-Ronen, L.; Pinsky, M.; Khain, A. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 16, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-1849-2016	journal	January 2016
Influence of Microphysical Variability on Stochastic Condensation in a Turbulent Laboratory Cloud Desai, N.; Chandrakar, K. K.; Chang, K. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 75, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-17-0158.1	journal	January 2018
Continuous Growth of Droplet Size Variance due to Condensation in Turbulent Clouds Sardina, Gaetano; Picano, Francesco; Brandt, Luca Physical Review Letters, Vol. 115, Issue 18 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.184501	journal	October 2015
Spectral dispersion of cloud droplet size distributions and the parameterization of cloud droplet effective radius Liu, Yangang; Daum, Peter H. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 27, Issue 13 https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GL011011	journal	July 2000
Conditions for super-adiabatic droplet growth after entrainment mixing Yang, Fan; Shaw, Raymond; Xue, Huiwen Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 16, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-9421-2016	journal	January 2016
Empirical relationship between entrainment rate and microphysics in cumulus clouds: ENTRAINMENT RATE AND MICROPHYSICS Lu, Chunsong; Niu, Shengjie; Liu, Yangang Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 40, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50445	journal	May 2013
Design of an in-line, digital holographic imaging system for airborne measurement of clouds Spuler, Scott M.; Fugal, Jacob Applied Optics, Vol. 50, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.50.001405	journal	January 2011
On the Combined Effects of Turbulence and Gravity on Droplet Collisions in Clouds: A Numerical Study Woittiez, Eric J. P.; Jonker, Harm J. J.; Portela, Luís M. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 66, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1175/2005JAS2669.1	journal	July 2009
Aerosol indirect effect from turbulence-induced broadening of cloud-droplet size distributions Chandrakar, Kamal Kant; Cantrell, Will; Chang, Kelken Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 113, Issue 50 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1612686113	journal	November 2016
Stratocumulus Clouds Wood, Robert Monthly Weather Review, Vol. 140, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-11-00121.1	journal	August 2012
Microphysical properties of stratocumulus clouds during ACE-2 Pawlowska, Hanna; Brenguier, Jean-Louis Tellus B, Vol. 52, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0889.2000.00076.x	journal	April 2000
Mixing and the Evolution of Cloud Droplet Size Spectra in a Vigorous Continental Cumulus Paluch, Ilga R.; Knight, Charles A. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 41, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1984)041<1801:MATEOC>2.0.CO;2	journal	June 1984
Effects of Lateral Entrainment Mixing With Entrained Aerosols on Cloud Microphysics Chen, Jingyi; Liu, Yangang; Zhang, Minghua Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 47, Issue 13 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087667	journal	July 2020
Airborne digital holographic system for cloud particle measurements Fugal, Jacob P.; Shaw, Raymond A.; Saw, Ewe Wei Applied Optics, Vol. 43, Issue 32 https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.43.005987	journal	January 2004
Contrasting Scale Dependence of Entrainment‐Mixing Mechanisms in Stratocumulus Clouds Gao, Sinan; Lu, Chunsong; Liu, Yangang Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 47, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL086970	journal	May 2020
A new approach to estimate supersaturation fluctuations in stratocumulus cloud using ground-based remote-sensing measurements Yang, Fan; McGraw, Robert; Luke, Edward P. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Vol. 12, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-5817-2019	journal	January 2019
P ARTICLE -T URBULENCE I NTERACTIONS IN A TMOSPHERIC C LOUDS Shaw, Raymond A. Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 35, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.fluid.35.101101.161125	journal	January 2003
Turbulence Effects of Collision Efficiency and Broadening of Droplet Size Distribution in Cumulus Clouds Chen, Sisi; Yau, M. K.; Bartello, Peter Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 75, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-17-0123.1	journal	January 2018
The Influence of Entrainment and Mixing on the Initial Formation of Rain in a Warm Cumulus Cloud Cooper, William A.; Lasher-Trapp, Sonia G.; Blyth, Alan M. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 70, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-12-0128.1	journal	June 2013
Microphysical relationships in warm clouds Yum, Seong Soo; Hudson, James G. Atmospheric Research, Vol. 57, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-8095(00)00099-5	journal	March 2001
Summertime Post-Cold-Frontal Marine Stratocumulus Transition Processes over the Eastern North Atlantic kazemirad, Melissa; Miller, Mark A. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 77, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-19-0167.1	journal	May 2020
Theoretical expression for the autoconversion rate of the cloud droplet number concentration: NUMBER AUTOCONVERSION RATE Liu, Yangang; Daum, Peter H.; McGraw, Robert L. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 34, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL030389	journal	August 2007
The Earth's radiation budget and its relation to atmospheric hydrology: 2. Observations of cloud effects Stephens, Graeme L.; Greenwald, Thomas J. Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 96, Issue D8 https://doi.org/10.1029/91JD00972	journal	January 1991
Network approach to patterns in stratocumulus clouds Glassmeier, Franziska; Feingold, Graham Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 114, Issue 40 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1706495114	journal	September 2017
The Influence of Entrainment and Mixing Assumption on Aerosol–Cloud Interactions in Marine Stratocumulus Hill, Adrian A.; Feingold, Graham; Jiang, Hongli Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 66, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JAS2909.1	journal	May 2009
Cloud microphysical relationships and their implication on entrainment and mixing mechanism for the stratocumulus clouds measured during the VOCALS project: CLOUD MICROPHYSICS - ENTRAINMENT, MIXING Yum, Seong Soo; Wang, Jian; Liu, Yangang Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 120, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD022802	journal	May 2015

Similar Records

Vertical variation of turbulent entrainment mixing processes in marine stratocumulus clouds using high-resolution digital holography

Journal Article · Fri Apr 16 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres · OSTI ID:1770731

Desai, Neel; Liu, Yangang; Glienke, Susanne; +4 more

Influences of an entrainment–mixing parameterization on numerical simulations of cumulus and stratocumulus clouds

Journal Article · Mon Apr 25 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Online) · OSTI ID:1770731

Xu, Xiaoqi; Lu, Chunsong; Liu, Yangang; +5 more

Contrasting Scale Dependence of Entrainment-Mixing Mechanisms in Stratocumulus Clouds

Journal Article · Fri Apr 17 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · Geophysical Research Letters · OSTI ID:1770731

Gao, Sinan; Lu, Chunsong; Liu, Yangang; +4 more

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
turbulence
microphysics
entrainment
holography
boundary layer
clouds
54 Environmental Sciences

Title: Vertical variation of turbulent entrainment mixing processes in marine stratocumulus clouds using high resolution digital holography

Citation Formats

References (67)

Similar Records

Related Subjects