Cloud-Aerosol-Precipitation Interactions Based of Satellite Retrieved Vertical Profiles of Cloud Microstructure

Satellite-retrieved particle effective radius (r_e) as a function of temperature (. T) of convective clouds can be used to infer precipitation forming processes and vigor of the clouds. High resolution satellite data is required to resolve the individual towers of small boundary layer convective clouds. The vertical growth rate of r_e with decreasing T allows calculating cloud base drop concentrations (N_d) and updraft (W_b), which in turn can be used to obtain cloud base supersaturation and CCN. The cloud depth for rain initiation increases linearly with N_d, and is reached when r_e exceeds 14 m. Glaciation temperature (T_g) is also controlled by N_d, where smaller droplets freeze at colder temperatures. Strong updrafts aloft can be revealed by further lowering T_g, which then can be used to detect developing severe convective storms. The combination of retrieved CCN, W_b, cloud microphysical, and precipitation properties provides a powerful tool to monitor and quantify cloud-aerosol interactions and impacts on a wide range of applications, from nowcasting to climate predictions.