Title: Observational Investigation of the Effect of Turbulence on Microphysics and Precipitation in Warm Marine Boundary Layer Clouds

Journal Article · · Geophysical Research Letters
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Environmental and Climate Sciences Department Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton NY USA
  2. Environmental and Climate Sciences Department Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton NY USA, Division of Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook University Stony Brook NY USA
+ Show Author Affiliations

Abstract Turbulence is omnipresent in the marine boundary layer (MBL) and several mechanisms have been proposed regarding its role on MBL cloud microphysics. In particular, past modeling studies suggested that increasing turbulence broaden the droplet size distribution (DSD) and leads to precipitation initiation, this suggested relationship has not been evaluated yet using long‐term observations. Here, comprehensive retrievals from long‐term ground‐based observations are used to explore the impact of turbulence on microphysics and precipitation in drizzling MBL clouds. Our analysis supports that broader DSD and larger droplets are observed with strong turbulence, but interestingly, the precipitation is reduced instead of being enhanced. This suppression mechanism is mainly due to the entrainment and mixing process in which the entrained dry air evaporates cloud water. This study provides observational evidence to show the complex effect of turbulence on MBL cloud properties and implies the potential influence of turbulence on the clouds lifetime.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (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)
Contributing Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012704
OSTI ID:
1974280
Report Number(s):
BNL-224430-2023-JAAM; e2022GL102578
Journal Information:
Geophysical Research Letters, Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 50; ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (43)

On the unified estimation of turbulence eddy dissipation rate using Doppler cloud radars and lidars: Radar and Lidar Turbulence Estimation journal May 2016
Recirculation and growth of raindrops in simulated shallow cumulus: RECIRCULATION AND GROWTH OF RAINDROPS journal April 2016
The dynamics of stratocumulus: Aircraft observations and comparisons with a mixed layer model journal October 1984
Large-eddy simulation: A critical review of the technique journal January 1994
Cloud parameterization for climate modeling: Status and prospects journal October 1989
The impact of boundary layer turbulence on snow growth and precipitation: Idealized Large Eddy Simulations journal May 2018
Turbulence effects on droplet growth and size distribution in clouds—A review journal October 1997
Physical Processes in Clouds and Cloud Modeling book January 2018
Marine boundary layer clouds at the heart of tropical cloud feedback uncertainties in climate models journal January 2005
Cloud radar Doppler spectra in drizzling stratiform clouds: 1. Forward modeling and remote sensing applications journal January 2011
The Vertical Structure of Liquid Water Content in Shallow Clouds as Retrieved From Dual‐Wavelength Radar Observations journal December 2019
On the Estimation of In‐Cloud Vertical Air Motion Using Radar Doppler Spectra journal January 2021
Intercomparison and interpretation of climate feedback processes in 19 atmospheric general circulation models journal January 1990
Aerosol indirect effect from turbulence-induced broadening of cloud-droplet size distributions journal November 2016
Network approach to patterns in stratocumulus clouds journal September 2017
Retrieving Liquid Wat0er Path and Precipitable Water Vapor From the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Microwave Radiometers journal November 2007
Can We Understand Clouds Without Turbulence? journal February 2010
Dissipation of Marine Stratiform Clouds and Collapse of the Marine Boundary Layer Due to the Depletion of Cloud Condensation Nuclei by Clouds journal October 1993
Cloud-Top Entrainment in Stratocumulus Clouds journal January 2017
Growth of Cloud Droplets in a Turbulent Environment journal January 2013
P ARTICLE -T URBULENCE I NTERACTIONS IN A TMOSPHERIC C LOUDS journal January 2003
The Influence of Pollution on the Shortwave Albedo of Clouds journal July 1977
Marine Stratocumulus Layers. Part II: Turbulence Budgets journal April 1982
The Physics of the Marine Stratocumulus-Capped Mixed Layer journal October 1987
Effects of Variable Droplet Growth Histories on Droplet Size Distributions. Part I: Theory journal May 1989
Outlook for Research on Subtropical Marine Stratification Clouds journal December 1984
Collisions of Cloud Droplets in a Turbulent Flow. Part V: Application of Detailed Tables of Turbulent Collision Rate Enhancement to Simulation of Droplet Spectra Evolution journal February 2008
Growth of Cloud Droplets by Turbulent Collision–Coalescence journal February 2008
Large-Eddy Simulations of a Drizzling, Stratocumulus-Topped Marine Boundary Layer journal March 2009
Retrieving Stratocumulus Drizzle Parameters Using Doppler Radar and Lidar journal January 2005
Development and Applications of ARM Millimeter-Wavelength Cloud Radars journal April 2016
The ARM Radar Network: At the Leading Edge of Cloud and Precipitation Observations journal May 2020
Exact Expression for the Lifting Condensation Level journal December 2017
Turbulence Effects of Collision Efficiency and Broadening of Droplet Size Distribution in Cumulus Clouds journal January 2018
Collision Rates of Cloud Droplets in Turbulent Flow journal July 2005
Turbulence as a Mechanism for Orographic Precipitation Enhancement journal October 2005
Cloud Feedbacks in the Climate System: A Critical Review journal January 2005
Stratocumulus Clouds journal August 2012
Broadening of droplet size distributions from entrainment and mixing in a cumulus cloud
  • Lasher-Trapp, Sonia G.; Cooper, William A.; Blyth, Alan M.
  • Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, Vol. 131, Issue 605 https://doi.org/10.1256/qj.03.199
journal January 2005
Broadening of Cloud Droplet Size Distributions by Condensation in Turbulence journal January 2019
A comprehensive numerical study of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in marine stratocumulus journal January 2011
Drizzle formation in stratocumulus clouds: effects of turbulent mixing journal January 2016
Characterization of Shallow Oceanic Precipitation using Profiling and Scanning Radar Observations at the Eastern North Atlantic ARM Observatory journal April 2019

Similar Records

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES