Review of Aerosol–Cloud Interactions: Mechanisms, Significance, and Challenges
Over the past decade, the number of studies that investigate aerosol-cloud interactions has increased considerably. Although tremendous progress has been made to improve our understanding of basic physical mechanisms of aerosol-cloud interactions and reduce their uncertainties in climate forcing, we are still in poor understanding of (1) some of the mechanisms that interact with each other over multiple spatial and temporal scales, (2) the feedback between microphysical and dynamical processes and between local-scale processes and large-scale circulations, and (3) the significance of cloud-aerosol interactions on weather systems as well as regional and global climate. This review focuses on recent theoretical studies and important mechanisms on aerosol-cloud interactions, and discusses the significances of aerosol impacts on raditative forcing and precipitation extremes associated with different cloud systems. Despite significant understanding has been gained about aerosol impacts on the main cloud types, there are still many unknowns especially associated with various deep convective systems. Therefore, large efforts are needed to escalate our understanding. Future directions should focus on obtaining concurrent measurements of aerosol properties, cloud microphysical and dynamic properties over a range of temporal and spatial scales collected over typical climate regimes and closure studies, as well as improving understanding and parameterizations of cloud microphysics such as ice nucleation, mixed-phase properties, and hydrometeor size and fall speed
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1340779
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-115661; KP1701000
- Journal Information:
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 73, Issue 11; ISSN 0022-4928
- Publisher:
- American Meteorological Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Parameterizations of Cloud Microphysics and Indirect Aerosol Effects
Tracking Aerosol Convective Interactions Experiment (TRACER) Science Plan