Dearden, C orcid.org/0000-0001-7777-669X, Hill, A, Coe, H et al. (1 more author) (2018) The role of droplet sedimentation in the evolution of low-level clouds over southern West Africa. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 18 (19). pp. 14253-14269. ISSN 1680-7316
Abstract
Large-eddy simulations are performed to investigate the influence of cloud microphysics on the evolution of low-level clouds that form over southern West Africa during the monsoon season. We find that, even in clouds that are not precipitating, the size of cloud droplets has a non-negligible effect on liquid water path. This is explained through the effects of droplet sedimentation, which acts to remove liquid water from the entrainment zone close to cloud top, increasing the liquid water path. Sedimentation also produces a more heterogeneous cloud structure and lowers cloud base height. Our results imply that an appropriate parameterization of the effects of sedimentation is required to improve the representation of the diurnal cycle of the atmospheric boundary layer over southern West Africa in large-scale models.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Inst for Climate & Atmos Science (ICAS) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 25 Oct 2018 12:24 |
Last Modified: | 25 Oct 2018 12:24 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Copernicus Publications |
Identification Number: | 10.5194/acp-18-14253-2018 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:137737 |