Influences of drizzle on stratocumulus cloudiness and organization [Influences of drizzle on cloudiness and stratocumulus organization]

Zhou, Xiaoli; Heus, Thijs; Kollias, Pavlos

doi:10.1002/2017JD026641

Title: Influences of drizzle on stratocumulus cloudiness and organization [Influences of drizzle on cloudiness and stratocumulus organization]

Journal Article · Tue Jun 06 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JD026641· OSTI ID:1405931

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McGill Univ., Montreal, QC (Canada)
Cleveland State Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States)
State Univ. of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY (United States); Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Abstract Large‐eddy simulations are used to study the influence of drizzle on stratocumulus organization, based on measurements made as part of the Second Dynamics and Chemistry of the Marine Stratocumulus field study‐II. Cloud droplet number concentration ( N _c ) is prescribed and considered as the proxy for different aerosol loadings. Our study shows that the amount of cloudiness does not decrease linearly with precipitation rate. An N _c threshold is observed below which the removal of cloud water via precipitation efficiently reduces cloud depth, allowing evaporation to become efficient and quickly remove the remaining thin clouds, facilitating a fast transition from closed cells to open cells. Using Fourier analysis, stratocumulus length scales are found to increase with drizzle rates. Raindrop evaporation below 300 m lowers the cloud bases and amplifies moisture variances in the subcloud layer, while it does not alter the horizontal scales in the cloud layer, suggesting that moist cold pool dynamic forcings are not essential for mesoscale organization of stratocumulus. The cloud scales are greatly increased when the boundary layer is too deep to maintain well mixed.

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Research Organization:: Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0012704; DE‐SC0013489

OSTI ID:: 1405931

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1402151

Report Number(s):: BNL-114420-2017-JA; R&D Project: 2019‐BNL-EE630EECA-Budg; KP1701000; TRN: US1702900

Journal Information:: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 122, Issue 13; ISSN 2169-897X

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 14 works

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