SUMMARYMechanisms through which atmospheric aerosols affect cloud microphysics, dynamics and precipitation are investigated using a spectral microphysics two-dimensional cloud model. A significant effect of aerosols on cloud microphysics and dynamics has been found. Maritime aerosols lead to a rapid formation of raindrops that fall down through cloud updraughts increasing the loading in the lower part of a cloud. This is, supposedly, one of the reasons for comparatively low updraughts in maritime convective clouds. An increase in the concentration of small cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) leads to the formation of a large number of small droplets with a low collision rate, resulting in a time delay of raindrop formation. Such a delay prevents a decrease in the vertical velocity caused by the falling raindrops and thus increases the duration of the diffusion droplet growth stage, increasing latent heat release by condensation. The additional water that rises to the freezing level increases latent heat release by freezing. As a result, clouds developing in continental-type aerosol tend to have larger vertical velocities and to attain higher levels.The results show that a decrease in precipitation efficiency of single cumulus clouds arising in microphysically continental air is attributable to a greater loss of the precipitating mass due to a greater sublimation of ice and evaporation of drops while they are falling from higher levels through a deep layer of dry air outside cloud updraughts. By affecting precipitation, atmospheric aerosols influence the net heating of the atmosphere. Simulations show that aerosols also change the vertical distribution of latent heat release, increasing the level of the heating peak.Clouds arising under continental aerosol conditions produce as a rule stronger downdraughts and stronger convergence in the boundary layer. Being triggered by larger dynamical forcing, secondary clouds arising in microphysically continental air are stronger and can, according to the results of simulations, form a squall line. The squall line formation was simulated both under maritime (GATE-74) and continental (PRE-STORM) thermodynamic conditions. In the maritime aerosol cases, clouds developing under similar thermodynamic conditions do not produce strong downdraughts and do not lead to squall line formation.Thus, the 'aerosol effect' on precipitation can be understood only in combination with the 'dynamical effect' of aerosols. Simulations allow us to suggest that aerosols, which decrease the precipitation efficiency of most single clouds, can contribute to the formation of very intensive convective clouds and thunderstorms (e.g. squall lines, etc.) accompanied by very high precipitation rates. Affecting precipitation, net atmospheric heating and its vertical distribution, as well as cloud depth and cloud coverage, atmospheric aerosols (including anthropogenic ones) influence atmospheric motions and radiation balance at different scales, from convective to, possibly, global ones.

An updated version of the spectral (bin) microphysics cloud model developed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem [the Hebrew University Cloud Model (HUCM)] is described. The model microphysics is based on the solution of the equation system for size distribution functions of cloud hydrometeors of seven types (water drops, plate-, columnar-, and branch-like ice crystals, aggregates, graupel, and hail/frozen drops) as well as for the size distribution function of aerosol particles playing the role of cloud condensational nuclei (CCN). Each size distribution function contains 33 mass bins. The conditions allowing numerical reproduction of a narrow droplet spectrum up to the level of homogeneous freezing in deep convective clouds developed in smoky air are discussed and illustrated using as an example Rosenfeld and Woodley's case of deep Texas clouds. The effects of breakup on precipitation are illustrated by the use of a new collisional breakup scheme. Variation of the microphysical structure of a melting layer is illustrated by using the novel melting procedure. It is shown that an increase in the aerosol concentration leads to a decrease in precipitation from single clouds both under continental and maritime conditions. To provide similar precipitation, a cloud developed in smoky air should have a higher top height. The mechanisms are discussed through which aerosols decrease precipitation efficiency. It is shown that aerosols affect the vertical profile of the convective heating caused by latent heat release.

The simulation of the dynamics and the microphysics of clouds observed during the Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia—Smoke, Aerosols, Clouds, Rainfall, and Climate (LBA–SMOCC) campaign, as well as extremely continental and extremely maritime clouds, is performed using an updated version of the Hebrew University spectral microphysics cloud model (HUCM). A new scheme of diffusional growth allows the reproduction of in situ–measured droplet size distributions including those formed in extremely polluted air. It was shown that pyroclouds forming over the forest fires can precipitate. Several mechanisms leading to formation of precipitation from pyroclouds are considered. The mechanisms by which aerosols affect the microphysics and precipitation of warm cloud-base clouds have been investigated by analyzing the mass, heat, and moisture budgets. The increase in aerosol concentration increases both the generation and the loss of the condensate mass. In the clouds developing in dry air, the increase in the loss is dominant, which suggests a decrease in the accumulated precipitation with the aerosol concentration increase. On the contrary, an increase in aerosol concentration in deep maritime clouds leads to an increase in precipitation. The precipitation efficiency of clouds in polluted air is found to be several times lower than that of clouds forming in clean air. A classification of the results of aerosol effects on precipitation from clouds of different types developing in the atmosphere with high freezing level (about 4 km) is proposed. The role of air humidity and other factors in precipitation’s response to aerosols is discussed. The analysis shows that many discrepancies between the results reported in different observational and numerical studies can be attributed to the different atmospheric conditions and cloud types analyzed.

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The radar observation operator for computation of polarimetric radar variables from the output of numerical cloud models is described in its most generic form. This operator is combined with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem cloud model with spectral microphysics. The model contains 7 classes of hydrometeors and each class is represented by size distribution functions in 43 size bins. The performance of the cloud model and radar observation operator has been evaluated for the case of a hailstorm in Oklahoma on 2 February 2009. It is shown that the retrieved fields of polarimetric radar variables at C and S microwave bands are generally consistent with results of observations. The relationship between microphysical and polarimetric signatures is illustrated.

Considerable research investments have been made to improve the accuracy of forecasting precipitation systems in cloud-resolving, mesoscale atmospheric models. Yet, despite a significant improvement in model grid resolution and a decrease in initial condition uncertainty, the accurate prediction of precipitation amount and distribution still remains a difficult problem. Now, the development of a fast version of spectral (bin) microphysics (SBM Fast) offers significant potential for improving the description of precipitation-forming processes in mesoscale atmospheric models. The SBM Fast is based on solving a system of equations for size distribution functions for water drops and three types of ice crystals (plates, columns, and dendrites), as well as snowflakes, graupel, and hail/frozen drops. Ice processes are represented by three size distributions, instead of six in the original SBM code. The SBM uses first principles to simulate microphysical processes such as diffusional growth and collision. A budget for aerosols is used to obtain the spectrum of condensation nuclei, which is used to obtain the initial drop spectrum. Hence, SBM allows one to take into account aerosol effects on precipitation, and corresponding cloud effects on the atmospheric aerosol concentration and distribution. SBM Fast has been coupled with the three-dimensional fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5), which allows SBM Fast to simulate microphysics within a realistic, time-varying mesoscale environment. This paper describes the first three-dimensional SBM mesoscale model and presents results using 1-km resolution to simulate initial development of a cloud system over Florida on 27 July 1991. The focus is on initial cloud development along the west coast, just prior to sea-breeze formation. The results indicate that the aerosol concentration had a very important impact on cloud dynamics, microphysics, and rainfall. Vertical cross sections of clouds obtained using SBM Fast are compared to those from a version of the “Reisner2” bulk-parameterization scheme that uses the Kessler autoconversion formula. The results show that this version of “Reisner2” produced vertically upright clouds that progressed very quickly from initial cloud formation to raindrop formation. In contrast, clouds obtained using SBM were relatively long lasting with greater production of stratiform clouds.

Spectral (bin) microphysics (SBM) has been implemented into the three-dimensional fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5). The new model was used to simulate a squall line that developed over Florida on 27 July 1991. It is shown that SBM reproduces precipitation rate, rain amounts, and location, radar reflectivity, and cloud structure much better than bulk parameterizations currently implemented in MM5. Sensitivity tests show the importance of (i) raindrop breakup, (ii) in-cloud turbulence, (iii) different aerosol concentrations, and (iv) inclusion of scavenging of aerosols. Breakup decreases average and maximum rainfall. In-cloud turbulence enhances particle drop collision rates and increases rain rates. A “continental” aerosol concentration produces a much larger maximum rainfall rate versus that obtained with “maritime” aerosol concentration. At the same time accumulated rain is larger with maritime aerosol concentration. The scavenging of aerosols by nucleating water droplets strongly affected the concentration of aerosols in the atmosphere. The spectral (bin) microphysics mesoscale model can potentially be used for studies of specific phenomena such as severe storms, winter storms, tropical cyclones, etc. The more realistic reproduction of cloud structure than that obtained with bulk parameterization implies that the model will be more useful for remote sensing applications and in the development of advanced rain retrieval algorithms. The model can also simulate the effect of cloud seeding on rain production.

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