Title: On the Life Cycle of a Shallow Cumulus Cloud: Is It a Bubble or Plume, Active or Forced?

Journal Article · · Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [2]
  1. a Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, b Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California
  2. c Environmental and Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York
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Abstract A cloud’s life cycle determines how its mass flux translates into cloud cover, thereby setting Earth’s albedo. Here, an attempt is made to quantify the most basic aspects of the life cycle of a shallow cumulus cloud: the degree to which it is a bubble or a plume, and active or forced. Quantitative measures are proposed for these properties, which are then applied to hundreds of shallow cumulus clouds in Oklahoma using data from stereo cameras, a Doppler lidar, and large-eddy simulations. The observed clouds are intermediate between active and forced, but behave more like bubbles than plumes. The simulated clouds, on the other hand, are more active and plumelike, suggesting room for improvement in the modeling of shallow cumulus.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Data Center
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; SC0012704
OSTI ID:
1963747
Report Number(s):
BNL-221688-2021-JAAM
Journal Information:
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Journal Name: Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 78; ISSN 0022-4928
Publisher:
American Meteorological SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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