Detrainment Dominates CCN Concentrations Around Non-Precipitating Convective Clouds Over the Amazon

Ramon C. Braga*, Daniel Rosenfeld, Meinrat O. Andreae, Christopher Pöhlker, Ulrich Pöschl, Christiane Voigt, Bernadett Weinzierl, Manfred Wendisch, Mira L. Pöhlker, Daniel Harrison

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between the number concentration of cloud droplets (Nd) in ice-free convective clouds and of particles large enough to act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) measured at the lateral boundaries of cloud elements. The data were collected during the ACRIDICON-CHUVA aircraft campaign over the Amazon Basin. The results indicate that the CCN particles at the lateral cloud boundaries are dominated by detrainment from the cloud. The CCN concentrations detrained from non-precipitating convective clouds are smaller compared to below cloud bases. The detrained CCN particles from precipitating cloud volumes have relatively larger sizes, but lower concentrations. Our findings indicate that CCN particles ingested from below cloud bases are activated into cloud droplets, which evaporate at the lateral boundaries and above cloud base and release the CCN again to ambient cloud-free air, after some cloud processing. These results support the hypothesis that the CCN around the cloud are cloud-processed.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2022GL100411
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume49
Issue number20
DOIs
StatePublished - 28 Oct 2022

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