scholarly journals Sensitivity study of the aerosol effects on a supercell storm throughout its lifetime

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (17) ◽  
pp. 24087-24118 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Takeishi ◽  
T. Storelvmo
Keyword(s):  
Droplet Size ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Convective Cloud ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Microphysics Scheme ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Aerosol Loading ◽  
Deep Convective Clouds

Abstract. An increase in atmospheric aerosol loading could alter the microphysics, dynamics, and radiative characteristics of deep convective clouds. Earlier modeling studies have shown that the effects of increased aerosols on the amount of precipitation from deep convective clouds are model-dependent. This study aims to understand the effects of increased aerosol loading on a deep convective cloud throughout its lifetime with the use of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model as a cloud-resolving model (CRM). It simulates an idealized supercell thunderstorm with 8 different aerosol loadings, for three different cloud microphysics schemes. Variation in aerosol concentration is mimicked by varying either cloud droplet number concentration or the number of activated cloud condensation nuclei. We show that the sensitivity to aerosol loading is dependent on the choice of microphysics scheme. For the schemes that are sensitive to aerosols loading, the production of graupel via riming of snow is the key factor determining the precipitation response. The formulation of snow riming depends on the microphysics scheme and is usually a function of two competing effects, the size effect and the number effect. In many simulations, a decrease in riming is seen with increased aerosol loading, due to the decreased droplet size that lowers the riming efficiency drastically. This decrease in droplet size also results in a delay in the onset of precipitation, as well as so-called warm rain suppression. Although these characteristics of convective invigoration (Rosenfeld et al., 2008) are seen in the first few hours of the simulations, variation in the accumulated precipitation mainly stems from graupel production rather than convective invigoration. These results emphasize the importance of accurate representations of graupel formation in microphysics schemes.

scholarly journals Theoretical basis for convective invigoration due to increased aerosol concentration

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 2773-2842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. J. Lebo ◽  
J. H. Seinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Number Concentration ◽  
Latent Heating ◽  
Microphysics Scheme ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Aerosol Loading ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Deep Convective Clouds ◽  
Bin Microphysics ◽  
Cumulative Precipitation

Abstract. The potential effects of increased aerosol loading on the development of deep convective clouds and resulting precipitation amounts are studied by employing the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model as a detailed high-resolution cloud resolving model (CRM) with both detailed bulk and bin microphysics schemes. The bulk microphysics scheme incorporates a physically based parameterization of cloud droplet activation as well as homogeneous and heterogeneous freezing in order to explicitly resolve the possible aerosol-induced effects on the cloud microphysics. These parameterizations allow one to segregate the effects of an increase in the aerosol number concentration into enhanced cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and/or ice nuclei (IN) concentrations using bulk microphysics. The bin microphysics scheme, with its explicit calculations of cloud particle collisions, is shown to better predict cumulative precipitation. Increases in the CCN number concentration may not have a monotonic influence on the cumulative precipitation resulting from deep convective clouds. We demonstrate that the aerosol-induced effect is controlled by the balance between latent heating and the increase in condensed water aloft, each having opposing effects on buoyancy. It is also shown that under polluted conditions and in relatively dry environments, increases in the CCN number concentration reduce the cumulative precipitation due to the competition between the sedimentation and evaporation/sublimation timescales. The effect of an increase in the IN number concentration on the dynamics of deep convective clouds is small, but may act to suppress precipitation. A comparison of the predictions using the bin and bulk microphysics schemes demonstrate a significant difference between the predicted precipitation and the influence of aerosol perturbations on updraft velocity within the convective core. The bulk microphysics scheme is shown to be unable to capture the changes in latent heating that occur as a result of changes in the CCN number concentration, while the bin microphysics scheme demonstrates significant increases in the latent heating aloft with increasing CCN number concentration. This suggests that a detailed two-bulk microphysics scheme, which is more computationally efficient than bin microphysics schemes, may not be sufficient, even when coupled to a detailed activation scheme, to predict small changes that result from perturbations in aerosol loading.

scholarly journals The propagation of aerosol perturbations in convective cloud microphysics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Heikenfeld ◽  
Bethan White ◽  
Laurent Labbouz ◽  
Philip Stier
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Cloud Droplet ◽  
Convective Cloud ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Number Concentration ◽  
Microphysics Scheme ◽  
Microphysical Process ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The impact of aerosols on ice- and mixed-phase processes in deep convective clouds remains highly uncertain and the wide range of interacting microphysical processes are still poorly understood. To understand these processes, we analyse diagnostic output of all individual microphysical process rates for two cloud microphysics schemes in the Weather and Research Forecasting model (WRF). We investigate the response of individual processes to changes in aerosol conditions and the propagation of perturbations through the microphysics all the way to the macrophysical development of the convective clouds. We perform simulations for two different cases of idealised supercells using two double-moment bulk microphysics schemes and a bin microphysics scheme. We use simulations with a comprehensive range of values for cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration as a proxy for aerosol effects on convective clouds. We have developed a new cloud tracking algorithm to analyse the morphology and time evolution of individually tracked convective cells in the simulations and their response to the aerosol perturbations. This analysis confirms an expected decrease in warm rain formation processes due to autoconversion and accretion for polluted conditions. The height at which the freezing occurs increases with increasing CDNC. However, there is no evidence of a significant increase in the total amount of latent heat release from freezing and riming. The cloud mass and the altitude of the cloud centre of gravity show contrasting responses to changes in proxies for aerosol number concentration between the different microphysics schemes.

scholarly journals Theoretical basis for convective invigoration due to increased aerosol concentration

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 5407-5429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. J. Lebo ◽  
J. H. Seinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Number Concentration ◽  
Latent Heating ◽  
Heating Rates ◽  
Microphysics Scheme ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Aerosol Loading ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Deep Convective Clouds ◽  
Bin Microphysics ◽  
Cumulative Precipitation

Abstract. The potential effects of increased aerosol loading on the development of deep convective clouds and resulting precipitation amounts are studied by employing the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model as a detailed high-resolution cloud resolving model (CRM) with both detailed bulk and bin microphysics schemes. Both models include a physically-based activation scheme that incorporates a size-resolved aerosol population. We demonstrate that the aerosol-induced effect is controlled by the balance between latent heating and the increase in condensed water aloft, each having opposing effects on buoyancy. It is also shown that under polluted conditions, increases in the CCN number concentration reduce the cumulative precipitation due to the competition between the sedimentation and evaporation/sublimation timescales. The effect of an increase in the IN number concentration on the dynamics of deep convective clouds is small and the resulting decrease in domain-averaged cumulative precipitation is shown not to be statistically significant, but may act to suppress precipitation. It is also shown that even in the presence of a decrease in the domain-averaged cumulative precipitation, an increase in the precipitation variance, or in other words, andincrease in rainfall intensity, may be expected in more polluted environments, especially in moist environments. A significant difference exists between the predictions based on the bin and bulk microphysics schemes of precipitation and the influence of aerosol perturbations on updraft velocity within the convective core. The bulk microphysics scheme shows little change in the latent heating rates due to an increase in the CCN number concentration, while the bin microphysics scheme demonstrates significant increases in the latent heating aloft with increasing CCN number concentration. This suggests that even a detailed two-bulk microphysics scheme, coupled to a detailed activation scheme, may not be sufficient to predict small changes that result from perturbations in aerosol loading.

scholarly journals Are simulated aerosol-induced effects on deep convective clouds strongly dependent on saturation adjustment?

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 10059-10114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. J. Lebo ◽  
H. Morrison ◽  
J. H. Seinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flux ◽  
Cold Pool ◽  
Latent Heating ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Microphysics Scheme ◽  
Surface Precipitation ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Aerosol Loading ◽  
Deep Convective Clouds ◽  
Bulk Model

Abstract. Three configurations of a bulk microphysics scheme in conjunction with a detailed bin scheme are implemented in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to specifically address the role of the saturation adjustment assumption (i.e., condensing/evaporating the surplus/deficit water vapor relative to saturation in one time step) on aerosol-induced invigoration of deep convective clouds. The bulk model configurations are designed to treat cloud droplet condensation/evaporation using either saturation adjustment, as employed in most bulk models, or an explicit representation of supersaturation over a time step, as used in bin models. Results demonstrate that the use of saturation adjustment artificially enhances condensation and latent heating at low levels and limits the potential for an increase in aerosol concentration to increase buoyancy at mid to upper levels. This leads to a small weakening of the time- and domain-averaged convective mass flux (~ -3%) in polluted compared to clean conditions. In contrast, the bin model and bulk scheme with explicit prediction of supersaturation simulate an increase in latent heating aloft and the convective updraft mass flux is weakly invigorated (~5%). The bin model also produces a large increase in domain-mean cumulative surface precipitation in polluted conditions (~18%), while all of the bulk model configurations simulate little change in precipitation. Finally, it is shown that the cold pool weakens substantially with increased aerosol loading when saturation adjustment is applied, which acts to reduce the low-level convergence and weaken the convective dynamics. With an explicit treatment of supersaturation in the bulk and bin models there is little change in cold pool strength, so that the convective response to polluted conditions is influenced more by changes in latent heating aloft. It is concluded that the use of saturation adjustment can explain differences in the response of cold pool evolution and convective dynamics with aerosol loading simulated by the bulk and bin models, but cannot explain large differences in the response of surface precipitation between these models.

scholarly journals Aerosol effects on deep convection: the propagation of aerosol perturbations through convective cloud microphysics

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 2601-2627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Heikenfeld ◽  
Bethan White ◽  
Laurent Labbouz ◽  
Philip Stier
Keyword(s):  
Latent Heat ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Latent Heating ◽  
Microphysics Scheme ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Microphysical Processes ◽  
Aerosol Effects ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The impact of aerosols on ice- and mixed-phase processes in deep convective clouds remains highly uncertain, and the wide range of interacting microphysical processes is still poorly understood. To understand these processes, we analyse diagnostic output of all individual microphysical process rates for two bulk microphysics schemes in the Weather and Research Forecasting model (WRF). We investigate the response of individual processes to changes in aerosol conditions and the propagation of perturbations through the microphysics all the way to the macrophysical development of the convective clouds. We perform simulations for two different cases of idealised supercells using two double-moment bulk microphysics schemes and a bin microphysics scheme. The simulations cover a comprehensive range of values for cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration as a proxy for aerosol effects on convective clouds. We have developed a new cloud tracking algorithm to analyse the morphology and time evolution of individually tracked convective cells in the simulations and their response to the aerosol perturbations. This analysis confirms an expected decrease in warm rain formation processes due to autoconversion and accretion for more polluted conditions. There is no evidence of a significant increase in the total amount of latent heat, as changes to the individual components of the integrated latent heating in the cloud compensate each other. The latent heating from freezing and riming processes is shifted to a higher altitude in the cloud, but there is no significant change to the integrated latent heat from freezing. Different choices in the treatment of deposition and sublimation processes between the microphysics schemes lead to strong differences including feedbacks onto condensation and evaporation. These changes in the microphysical processes explain some of the response in cloud mass and the altitude of the cloud centre of gravity. However, there remain some contrasts in the development of the bulk cloud parameters between the microphysics schemes and the two simulated cases.

scholarly journals Aerosol-induced changes of convective cloud anvils produce strong climate warming

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1939-1956 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Koren ◽  
L. A. Remer ◽  
O. Altaratz ◽  
J. V. Martins ◽  
A. Davidi
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Convective Cloud ◽  
Coupled System ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Radiative Energy ◽  
Free Atmosphere ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Deep Convective Clouds ◽  
Induced Changes

Abstract. The effect of aerosol on clouds poses one of the largest uncertainties in estimating the anthropogenic contribution to climate change. In contrast, even small human-induced perturbations in cloud coverage, lifetime, height or optical properties can change the instantaneous radiative energy flux by hundreds of watts per unit area, and this forcing can be either warming or cooling. Clouds and aerosols form a complex coupled system that, unlike greenhouse gases, have relatively short lifetime (hours to days) and inhomogeneous distribution. This and the inherent complexity of cloud microphysics and dynamics, and the strong coupling with meteorology explain why the estimation of the overall effect of aerosol on climate is so challenging. Here we focus on the effect of aerosol on cloud top properties of deep convective clouds over the tropical Atlantic. The tops of these vertically developed clouds consist of mostly ice and can reach high levels of the atmosphere, overshooting the lower stratosphere and reaching altitudes greater than 16 km. We show a link between aerosol, clouds and the free atmosphere wind profile that can change the magnitude and sign of the overall climate radiative forcing. This study demonstrates the deep link between cloud shape and aerosol loading and that the overall aerosol effect in regions of deep convective clouds might be warming. Moreover we show how averaging the cloud height and optical properties over large regions may lead to a false cooling estimation.

scholarly journals Non-Monotonic Dependencies of Cloud Microphysics and Precipitation on Aerosol Loading in Deep Convective Clouds: A Case Study Using the WRF Model with Bin Microphysics

Atmosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye-Lim Jeon ◽  
Sungju Moon ◽  
Hyunho Lee ◽  
Jong-Jin Baik ◽  
Jambajamts Lkhamjav
Keyword(s):  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Ice Crystals ◽  
Precipitation Event ◽  
Cold Pool ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Aerosol Loading ◽  
Optimal Value ◽  
Deep Convective Clouds ◽  
Bin Microphysics

Aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in deep convective clouds are investigated through numerical simulations of a heavy precipitation event over South Korea on 15–16 July 2017. The Weather Research and Forecasting model with a bin microphysics scheme is used, and various aerosol number concentrations in the range N0 = 50–12,800 cm−3 are considered. Precipitation amount changes non-monotonically with increasing aerosol loading, with a maximum near a moderate aerosol loading (N0 = 800 cm−3). Up to this optimal value, an increase in aerosol number concentration results in a greater quantity of small droplets formed by nucleation, increasing the number of ice crystals. Ice crystals grow into snow particles through deposition and riming, leading to enhanced melting and precipitation. Beyond the optimal value, a greater aerosol loading enhances generation of ice crystals while the overall growth of ice hydrometeors through deposition stagnates. Subsequently, the riming rate decreases because of the smaller size of snow particles and supercooled drops, leading to a decrease in ice melting and a slight suppression of precipitation. As aerosol loading increases, cold pool and low-level convergence strengthen monotonically, but cloud development is more strongly affected by latent heating and convection within the system that is non-monotonically reinforced.

scholarly journals Are simulated aerosol-induced effects on deep convective clouds strongly dependent on saturation adjustment?

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 9941-9964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. J. Lebo ◽  
H. Morrison ◽  
J. H. Seinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flux ◽  
Cold Pool ◽  
Latent Heating ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Microphysics Scheme ◽  
Surface Precipitation ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Aerosol Loading ◽  
Deep Convective Clouds ◽  
Bulk Model

Abstract. Three configurations of a bulk microphysics scheme in conjunction with a detailed bin scheme are implemented in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to specifically address the role of the saturation adjustment assumption (i.e., condensing/evaporating the surplus/deficit water vapor relative to saturation in one time step) on aerosol-induced invigoration of deep convective clouds. The bulk model configurations are designed to treat cloud droplet condensation/evaporation using either saturation adjustment, as employed in most bulk models, or an explicit representation of supersaturation over a time step, as used in bin models. Results demonstrate that the use of saturation adjustment artificially enhances condensation and latent heating at low levels and limits the potential for an increase in aerosol concentration to increase buoyancy at mid to upper levels. This leads to a small weakening of the time- and domain-averaged convective mass flux (~-3%) in polluted compared to clean conditions. In contrast, the bin model and bulk scheme with explicit prediction of supersaturation simulate an increase in latent heating aloft and the convective updraft mass flux is weakly invigorated (~5%). The bin model also produces a large increase in domain-mean cumulative surface precipitation in polluted conditions (~18%), while all of the bulk model configurations simulate little change in precipitation. Finally, it is shown that the cold pool weakens substantially with increased aerosol loading when saturation adjustment is applied, which acts to reduce the low-level convergence and weaken the convective dynamics. With an explicit treatment of supersaturation in the bulk and bin models there is little change in cold pool strength, so that the convective response to polluted conditions is influenced more by changes in latent heating aloft. It is concluded that the use of saturation adjustment can explain differences in the response of cold pool evolution and convective dynamics with aerosol loading simulated by the bulk and bin models, but cannot explain large differences in the response of surface precipitation between these models.

scholarly journals The Impact of Aerosol Vertical Distribution on a Deep Convective Cloud

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 675
Author(s):  
Minzhong Zhang ◽  
Xin Deng ◽  
Ruihao Zhu ◽  
Yangze Ren ◽  
Huiwen Xue
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Distribution ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Convective Cloud ◽  
Cloud Microphysics ◽  
Aerosol Layer ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Microphysical Processes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Deep Convective Cloud

This study investigates the effects of aerosol vertical distribution on a deep convective cloud system. We intend to elucidate the mechanisms for aerosols entering the cloud from different heights, and how they affect cloud microphysics and precipitation. A thermal bubble is released at 1.5 km initially to run an idealized case using the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. The aerosol layer with high concentration was initially put at different altitudes in the model to study the mechanisms and the number of aerosols entering the cloud. It was found that there are three mechanisms for aerosols from different heights to enter the cloud, depending on their relative height with the thermal bubble. Aerosols from lower altitudes (below 1 km) enter the cloud through pumping, while aerosols from higher altitudes (2–3 km, 3–5 km) enter the cloud through entrainment. Both mechanisms lead to low cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration in the cloud. Only aerosols from intermediate altitudes (1–2 km), which is the same as the initial height of the thermal bubble, enter the cloud mainly by ascending with the bubble and lead to high CCN concentration in the cloud. The differences in activated CCN concentration affect the microphysical processes and precipitation remarkably. For the simulations with an initial aerosol layer at 1–2 km and 0–5 km, aerosols can enter the cloud more efficiently than the other four simulations. More activated CCNs in these two simulations lead to more graupels with smaller sizes at higher altitudes, which delays the precipitation but makes the precipitation last longer. However, the accumulated precipitation is similar in all six simulations, no matter what aerosol vertical distribution is like. The results in this study indicate that the altitude of aerosol layers determines the mechanisms for aerosols entering clouds, CCN concentration in the cloud, and to what extent the cloud microphysical processes and precipitation are affected.

scholarly journals The effects of aerosols on precipitation and dimensions of subtropical clouds: a sensitivity study using a numerical cloud model

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Teller ◽  
Z. Levin
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Cloud Model ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Noticeable Effect ◽  
Convective Clouds ◽  
Ice Nuclei

Abstract. Numerical experiments were carried out using the Tel-Aviv University 2-D cloud model to investigate the effects of increased concentrations of Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN), giant CCN (GCCN) and Ice Nuclei (IN) on the development of precipitation and cloud structure in mixed-phase sub-tropical convective clouds. In order to differentiate between the contribution of the aerosols and the meteorology, all simulations were conducted with the same meteorological conditions. The results show that under the same meteorological conditions, polluted clouds (with high CCN concentrations) produce less precipitation than clean clouds (with low CCN concentrations), the initiation of precipitation is delayed and the lifetimes of the clouds are longer. GCCN enhance the total precipitation on the ground in polluted clouds but they have no noticeable effect on cleaner clouds. The increased rainfall due to GCCN is mainly a result of the increased graupel mass in the cloud, but it only partially offsets the decrease in rainfall due to pollution (increased CCN). The addition of more effective IN, such as mineral dust particles, reduces the total amount of precipitation on the ground. This reduction is more pronounced in clean clouds than in polluted ones. Polluted clouds reach higher altitudes and are wider than clean clouds and both produce wider clouds (anvils) when more IN are introduced. Since under the same vertical sounding the polluted clouds produce less rain, more water vapor is left aloft after the rain stops. In our simulations about 3.5 times more water evaporates after the rain stops from the polluted cloud as compared to the clean cloud. The implication is that much more water vapor is transported from lower levels to the mid troposphere under polluted conditions, something that should be considered in climate models.

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