Investigating the impacts of Saharan dust on tropical deep convection using spectral bin microphysics

Gibbons, Matthew; Min, Qilong; Fan, Jiwen

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12161-2018

Articles | Volume 18, issue 16

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12161-2018

© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-12161-2018

© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 18, issue 16

Research article

|

23 Aug 2018

Research article |

| 23 Aug 2018

Investigating the impacts of Saharan dust on tropical deep convection using spectral bin microphysics

Matthew Gibbons, Qilong Min, and Jiwen Fan

Data sets

NCEP FNL Operational Model Global Tropospheric Analyses, continuing from July 1999 National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Weather Service/NOAA/U.S. Department of Commerce https://doi.org/10.5065/D6M043C6

AIRS/Aqua L2 Near Real Time (NRT) Standard Physical Retrieval (AIRS-only) V006 AIRS Science Team/Joao Texeira https://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/datacollection/AIRS2RET_NRT_006.html

Model code and software

WRF-ARW Model: A Description of the Advanced Research WRF Version 3 W. C. Skamarock, J. B. Klemp, J. Dudhia, D. O. Gill, D. M. Barker, M. G Duda, X.-Y. Huang, W. Wang, and J. G. Powers https://doi.org/10.5065/D68S4MVH

Short summary

The effects of dust aerosols on ice formation within a tropical Atlantic thunderstorm system were investigated using a 3-D weather model and compared with observations. Updated ice formation mechanisms directly connect available dust particles with ice particle formation. The resulting clouds were lower and narrower and produced less rain at the surface compared to cleaner conditions, due to ice formation occurring at warmer temperatures. These results agree well with observed changes.