Land–ocean differences in the warm‐rain formation process in satellite and ground‐based observations and model simulations. (24th May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Takahashi, Hanii; Suzuki, Kentaroh; Stephens, Graeme
• Is Part Of: Quarterly journal of the Royal Meteorological Society. Volume 143:Number 705(2017)
• Page Start: 1804
• Page End: 1815
• Publication Date: 2017-05-24
• Subjects: the warm‐rain process -- drizzle -- vertical velocity -- the A‐Train observations -- Atmospheric Radiation Measurement -- a one‐dimensional model; Meteorology -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1002/qj.3042
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0035-9009

Abstract

Abstract : A previous study explored land–ocean differences in the warm‐rain formation process. In that study, aerosol effects were removed, or at least partially removed, but some land–ocean differences remained. Therefore, the study hypothesized that the land–ocean difference in the microphysical structure of warm clouds and in the formation of warm rain can be explained by differences in the nature of updraughts. To test this hypothesis, this study provides a detailed analysis of the land–ocean differences in warm clouds using a combination of CloudSat and MODerate‐resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations, ground‐based measurements obtained from Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM), as well as a simple model framework. Our results show that a stronger updraught increases the height at which significant coalescence begins, and also prolongs the lifetime of falling drops promoting larger droplet growth. A consequence of this difference is that drizzle is less frequently observed at cloud base over land. Our results point to the critical role of the strength of the convective updraught in the warm‐rain formation process. Abstract : A schematic illustration describing the warm‐rain formation process over (a) weaker (i.e. ocean) and (b) stronger (i.e. land) updraughts. CloudSat and MODerate‐resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations, ground‐based measurements obtained from Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM), and a simple model framework all produce a consistent result, that updraught intensity affects both the height at which significant coalescence begins and the lifetime of falling drops. A consequence of this difference is that drizzle is less frequently observed at cloud base over land.