Numerical simulation of aerosol scavenging by ice-bearing convective clouds

Conference · Sun Apr 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6856583

Bradley, M M; Molenkamp, C R

Precipitation is the most effective mechanism for cleansing the atmosphere of small aerosol particles. Although there are many process paths by which precipitation can ultimately deposit aerosol on the ground, each path begins with the initial capture, or scavenging, of an aerosol particle. One of the most effective of these processes, at least in the absence of strong electric fields, is condensation nucleation scavenging, in which an aerosol particle serves as a cloud condensation nucleus. Although scavenging is a necessary precursor to aerosol removal by precipitation, scavenging does not guarantee that an aerosol particle will be removed from the atmosphere. For example, the particle will be resuspended if its host cloud droplet evaporates or if the droplet is collected by a raindrop which subsequently evaporates. The removal process becomes further complicated if ice is present in the cloud. The purpose of this research is to study the effects of various ice processes on the net aerosol removal efficiency of convective clouds. 8 refs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/DP
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6856583
• Report Number(s): UCRL-101997; CONF-900796--1; ON: DE90010676
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540110*
AEROSOLS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CHEMISTRY
CLOUDS
COLLOIDS
COMPUTER CODES
DEPOSITION
DISPERSIONS
DROPLETS
FIRES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ICE
MIXING
O CODES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PRECIPITATION SCAVENGING
RAIN WATER
RESIDUES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SMOKES
SOLS
WATER