Open AccessSimple formulas calculate cloud droplet concentration
Author(s) -
Balcerak Ernie
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2012eo500012
Subject(s) - cloud base , cloud computing , supersaturation , liquid water content , nucleation , meteorology , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , drop (telecommunication) , cloud condensation nuclei , cloud physics , aerosol , physics , computer science , thermodynamics , operating system , telecommunications
Droplets in clouds form on atmospheric aerosols known as cloud condensational nuclei. More than 90% of cloud droplets nucleate within a few tens of meters above the base of clouds, where the air is supersaturated. The microphysical processes of drop formation within this thin layer above the cloud base determine the structure of the entire cloud, which can be 10–14 kilometers deep. Cloud structure in turn determines the cloud's effects on local and global weather and climate, so the accurate representation of droplet nucleation processes is important for modeling atmospheric processes on scales from single clouds to global scales. However, even with advanced supercomputers, cloud models cannot simulate the small‐scale processes in the thin layer above the cloud base, so analytical solutions are needed.