Investigation of Surface and Marine-Cloud Coupling and its Impact on Cloud Droplet Number Concentrations and Cloud Cover Over the Southern Ocean
- Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
The proposed work involves characterizing and quantifying both the thermodynamic and dynamical coupling of marine low clouds (MLC) with the sea surface using Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) observations during MARCUS field campaign and an LES model. ARM data from multiple sensors will be used (e.g., Doppler cloud radar, ceilometer, and microwave radiometer) to characterize the MLC-surface coupling by virtue of the vertical structure and integrated quantities of boundary-layer clouds, aerosols, as well as atmospheric profiles and surface meteorology. We have used a combination of case studies and statistics-based composite analyses to find any linkages between large-scale dynamics, MLC-surface coupling, and cloud and boundary layer properties, the sequence of which reflects the chain of causality. An LES model with explicit aerosol physics, which includes the cycle of aerosols by being consumed as CCN and be regenerated following cloud droplet evaporation, has been run to determine the sources and sinks of Nd and their dependence on the degree of MLC-surface coupling. We have examined the systematic differences in both Nd and cloud occurrence between the two clusters under different meteorological conditions and further examine their respective roles, as well as causal relationships by means of LES modeling. This study helped improve our understanding of the ACI by differentiating the dynamic role of the coupling and cloud physics denoted by Nd, bridging the linkage in the chain toward understanding mechanisms governing the persistence of MLC over the Southern Ocean, solving the long-lasting problem of the cloud cover underestimation over the SO by GCMs. Ample ARM data and LES model have been employed to achieve the objectives of the study.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Earth and Environmental Systems Science Division
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0018996
- OSTI ID:
- 1975781
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-UMCP-18996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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