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Early evolution of the largest‐sized droplets in maritime cumulus clouds
Author(s) -
Lowenstein Jason H.,
Blyth Alan M.,
Lawson R. Paul
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.597
Subject(s) - coalescence (physics) , cloud condensation nuclei , aerosol , atmospheric sciences , environmental science , cloud base , scattering , meteorology , physics , cloud computing , astronomy , optics , computer science , operating system
Droplet size distributions (DSDs) measured within a distance of approximately 1 km above the base of shallow maritime cumulus clouds during the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) field campaign are compared with results of a condensation and stochastic coalescence model, run in the framework of a closed parcel. New measurements of cloud droplets in the critical size range of 30 to 100 µm are presented from the 2D‐S probe. Observations are also presented of the large‐size tail of the sub‐cloud aerosol size distribution measured by the forward‐scattering spectrometer probe. Results show that droplet growth in this region is dominated by condensation, and the large‐size tail of the observed DSDs can be explained with the observed sub‐cloud particles, including giant and ultra‐giant aerosols. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society