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Title: Substantial convection and precipitation enhancements by ultrafine aerosol particles

Journal Article · · Science
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Aerosol-cloud interactions remain the largest uncertainty in climate projections. Ultrafine aerosol particles smaller than 50 nanometers (UAP<50) can be abundant in the troposphere, but are conventionally considered too small to affect cloud formation. However, observational evidence and numerical simulations of deep convective clouds (DCCs) over the Amazon show that DCCs forming in a low aerosol environment can develop very large vapor supersaturation because fast droplet coalescence reduces integrated droplet surface area and subsequent condensation. UAP<50 from pollution plumes that are ingested into such clouds can be activated to form additional cloud droplets on which excess supersaturation condenses and forms additional cloud water and latent heating, thus intensifying convective strength. This mechanism suggests a strong anthropogenic invigoration of DCCs in previously pristine regions of the world.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Science Foundation (NSF); National Science Foundation of China; European Union (EU); Cloud Processes of the Main Precipitation System (CHUVA) project; National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA); Amazonas State Univ. (UEA); Amazonas State Research Support Foundation (FAPEAM); National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq); German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Grant/Contract Number:
award364292; award317001; AC06-76RLO1830; SC0012704; AC06-76RL01830; AGS1534670; 91544217; 2009/15235-8; 2013/05014-0; 2013/50510-5; 01LB1001A; 01.11.01248.00
OSTI ID:
1438524
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1424983
Report Number(s):
BNL-203206-2018-JAAM; /sci/359/6374/411.atom
Journal Information:
Science, Journal Name: Science Vol. 359 Journal Issue: 6374; ISSN 0036-8075
Publisher:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 221 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Upscaling urban data science for global climate solutions journal January 2019
Thermodynamics and Microphysics Relation During CAIPEEX-I journal July 2018
New Particle Formation in the Atmosphere: From Molecular Clusters to Global Climate journal July 2019
The Green Ocean: precipitation insights from the GoAmazon2014/5 experiment journal January 2018
Nucleation-mode particle pool and large increases in N cn and N ccn observed over the northwestern Pacific Ocean in the spring of 2014 journal January 2019
Ongoing Breakthroughs in Convective Parameterization journal April 2019
Locally Enhanced Aerosols Over a Shipping Lane Produce Convective Invigoration but Weak Overall Indirect Effects in Cloud-Resolving Simulations journal September 2018
Enlarging Rainfall Area of Tropical Cyclones by Atmospheric Aerosols journal August 2018
Investigation of Liquid Cloud Microphysical Properties of Deep Convective Systems: 2. Parameterization of Raindrop Size Distribution and its Application for Convective Rain Estimation journal October 2018
Long‐Term Fog Variation and Its Impact Factors Over Polluted Regions of East China journal February 2019
Year-Round In Situ Measurements of Arctic Low-Level Clouds: Microphysical Properties and Their Relationships With Aerosols journal February 2019
Effects of Sea Spray on Microphysics and Intensity of Deep Convective Clouds Under Strong Winds journal August 2019
On the TGF/Lightning Ratio Asymmetry journal June 2019
Wildfire Impact on Environmental Thermodynamics and Severe Convective Storms journal August 2019
Declining Summertime Local‐Scale Precipitation Frequency Over China and the United States, 1981–2012: The Disparate Roles of Aerosols journal November 2019
East Asian Study of Tropospheric Aerosols and their Impact on Regional Clouds, Precipitation, and Climate (EAST‐AIR CPC ) journal December 2019
Polarimetric Radar Convective Cell Tracking Reveals Large Sensitivity of Cloud Precipitation and Electrification Properties to CCN journal November 2019
The Impact of Cloud Processing on the Ice Nucleation Abilities of Soot Particles at Cirrus Temperatures journal February 2020
Possible Wintertime Sources of Fine Particles in an Urban Environment journal December 2019
Seasonal Variations and Long‐Term Trend of Dust Particle Number Concentration Over the Northeastern United States journal December 2019
Contrasting effects on deep convective clouds by different types of aerosols journal September 2018
Ice nucleation by aerosols from anthropogenic pollution journal July 2019
Effects of ocean warming and coral bleaching on aerosol emissions in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia journal September 2018
GoAmazon2014/5 campaign points to deep-inflow approach to deep convection across scales journal April 2018
Impact of a hydrophobic ion on the early stage of atmospheric aerosol formation journal October 2019
Remarkable nucleation and growth of ultrafine particles from vehicular exhaust journal February 2020
Atmospheric new particle formation and growth: review of field observations journal September 2018
Aerosol-driven droplet concentrations dominate coverage and water of oceanic low-level clouds journal January 2019
Long-term observations of cloud condensation nuclei over the Amazon rain forest – Part 2: Variability and characteristics of biomass burning, long-range transport, and pristine rain forest aerosols journal January 2018
Observations of sesquiterpenes and their oxidation products in central Amazonia during the wet and dry seasons journal January 2018
Aircraft observations of the chemical composition and aging of aerosol in the Manaus urban plume during GoAmazon 2014/5 journal January 2018
Aerosol as a potential factor to control the increasing torrential rain events in urban areas over the last decades journal January 2018
The climate impact of aerosols on the lightning flash rate: is it detectable from long-term measurements? journal January 2018
Aerosol-induced changes in the vertical structure of precipitation: a perspective of TRMM precipitation radar journal January 2018
Single-particle characterization of aerosols collected at a remote site in the Amazonian rainforest and an urban site in Manaus, Brazil journal January 2019
Chemical composition of ultrafine aerosol particles in central Amazonia during the wet season journal January 2019
Aerosol effects on deep convection: the propagation of aerosol perturbations through convective cloud microphysics journal January 2019
Quantifying the aerosol effect on droplet size distribution at cloud top journal January 2019
The challenge of simulating the sensitivity of the Amazonian cloud microstructure to cloud condensation nuclei number concentrations journal January 2020
Spatial and temporal variability in the ice-nucleating ability of alpine snowmelt and extension to frozen cloud fraction journal January 2020
Contribution of local and remote anthropogenic aerosols to a record-breaking torrential rainfall event in Guangdong Province, China journal January 2020
Method to retrieve cloud condensation nuclei number concentrations using lidar measurements journal January 2019
Explicit aerosol–cloud interactions in the Dutch Atmospheric Large-Eddy Simulation model DALES4.1-M7 journal January 2019

Figures / Tables (24)

Table 1(p. 14)table Table 1
Fig. 1(p. 16)figure Fig. 1
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Fig. 5(p. 20)figure Fig. 5
Table S1(p. 29)table Table S1
Fig. S1(p. 30)figure Fig. S1
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Fig. S3(p. 32)figure Fig. S3
Fig. S4(p. 33)figure Fig. S4
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Fig. S15(p. 44)figure Fig. S15
Fig. S16(p. 45)figure Fig. S16
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