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Distinct Impacts of Increased Aerosols on Cloud Droplet Number Concentration of Stratus/Stratocumulus and Cumulus

Journal Article · · Geophysical Research Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085081· OSTI ID:1574425
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2]
  1. Nanjing Univ. of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing (China); Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, and Key Laboratory for Aerosol‐Cloud‐Precipitation of China Meteorological Administration, School of Atmospheric Physics; Univ. at Albany, Albany, NY (United States). Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
  2. Nanjing Univ. of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing (China); Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, and Key Laboratory for Aerosol‐Cloud‐Precipitation of China Meteorological Administration, School of Atmospheric Physics
  3. Univ. at Albany, Albany, NY (United States). Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
  4. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Environmental and Climate Sciences Dept.
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In situ aircraft measurements obtained during the RACORO field campaign are analyzed to study the aerosol effects on different cloud regimes. Here, the results show that with increasing cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), cloud droplet number concentration (Nd) significantly increases in stratocumulus (Sc) while remains almost unchanged in cumulus (Cu). By using a new approach to strictly constrain the dynamics in Cu, we found that neither simultaneously changing cloud dynamics nor dilution of cloud water induced by entrainment-mixing can explain the observed insensitivity of Nd. The different degree of reduction in cloud supersaturation caused by increasing aerosols might be responsible for the observed different aerosol indirect effect between Sc and Cu.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012704
OSTI ID:
1574425
Report Number(s):
BNL--212322-2019-JAAM
Journal Information:
Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 22 Vol. 46; ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
aerosol‐cloud correlation
cloud condensation nucle
cloud droplet number concentration
cloud supersaturation
cumulus
stratocumulus