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Vaughan Phillips

Research in the Area of Clouds, Aerosols and Climate

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A DNS study of aerosol and small-scale cloud turbulence interaction

Author

  • Natalia Babkovskaia
  • Ullar Rannik
  • Vaughan Phillips
  • Holger Siebert
  • Birgit Wehner
  • Michael Boy

Summary, in English

The purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction between small-scale turbulence and aerosol and cloud microphysical properties using direct numerical simulations (DNS). We consider the domain located at the height of about 2000 m from the sea level, experiencing transient high supersaturation due to atmospheric fluctuations of temperature and humidity. To study the effect of total number of particles (Ntot) on air temperature, activation and supersaturation, we vary Ntot. To investigate the effect of aerosol dynamics on small-scale turbulence and vertical air motion, we vary the intensity of turbulent fluctuations and the buoyant force. We find that even a small number of aerosol particles (55.5 cm-3), and therefore a small droplet number concentration, strongly affects the air temperature due to release of latent heat. The system comes to an equilibrium faster and the relative number of activated particles appears to be smaller for larger Ntot. We conclude that aerosol particles strongly affect the air motion. In a case of updraught coursed by buoyant force, the presence of aerosol particles results in acceleration of air motion in vertical direction and increase of turbulent fluctuations.

Department/s

  • Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
  • MERGE: ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system

Publishing year

2016-06-29

Language

English

Pages

7889-7898

Publication/Series

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

Volume

16

Issue

12

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Copernicus GmbH

Topic

  • Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1680-7316