Articles | Volume 18, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7251-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7251-2018
Research article
 | 
25 May 2018
Research article |  | 25 May 2018

Bridging the condensation–collision size gap: a direct numerical simulation of continuous droplet growth in turbulent clouds

Sisi Chen, Man-Kong Yau, Peter Bartello, and Lulin Xue

Related authors

Assessing glaciogenic seeding impacts in Australia’s Snowy Mountains: an ensemble modeling approach
Sisi Chen, Lulin Xue, Sarah A. Tessendorf, Thomas Chubb, Andrew Peace, Suzanne Kenyon, Johanna Speirs, Jamie Wolff, and Bill Petzke
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1434,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1434, 2025
Short summary
Glaciation of mixed-phase clouds: insights from bulk model and bin-microphysics large-eddy simulation informed by laboratory experiment
Aaron Wang, Steve Krueger, Sisi Chen, Mikhail Ovchinnikov, Will Cantrell, and Raymond A. Shaw
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10245–10260, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10245-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10245-2024, 2024
Short summary
Mixed-phase direct numerical simulation: ice growth in cloud-top generating cells
Sisi Chen, Lulin Xue, Sarah Tessendorf, Kyoko Ikeda, Courtney Weeks, Roy Rasmussen, Melvin Kunkel, Derek Blestrud, Shaun Parkinson, Melinda Meadows, and Nick Dawson
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5217–5231, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5217-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5217-2023, 2023
Short summary
Impact of hygroscopic seeding on the initiation of precipitation formation: results of a hybrid bin microphysics parcel model
Istvan Geresdi, Lulin Xue, Sisi Chen, Youssef Wehbe, Roelof Bruintjes, Jared A. Lee, Roy M. Rasmussen, Wojciech W. Grabowski, Noemi Sarkadi, and Sarah A. Tessendorf
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16143–16159, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16143-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16143-2021, 2021
Short summary
Impact of aerosols and turbulence on cloud droplet growth: an in-cloud seeding case study using a parcel–DNS (direct numerical simulation) approach
Sisi Chen, Lulin Xue, and Man-Kong Yau
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 10111–10124, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10111-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10111-2020, 2020
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Clouds and Precipitation | Research Activity: Atmospheric Modelling and Data Analysis | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Counteracting influences of gravitational settling modulate aerosol impacts on cloud-base-lowering fog characteristics
Nathan H. Pope and Adele L. Igel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5433–5444, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5433-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5433-2025, 2025
Short summary
The critical number and size of precipitation embryos to accelerate warm rain initiation
Jung-Sub Lim, Yign Noh, Hyunho Lee, and Fabian Hoffmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5313–5329, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5313-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5313-2025, 2025
Short summary
Impact on the stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition of the interaction of cloud microphysics and macrophysics with large-scale circulation
Je-Yun Chun, Robert Wood, Peter N. Blossey, and Sarah J. Doherty
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5251–5271, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5251-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5251-2025, 2025
Short summary
Technical note: Phase space depiction of cloud condensation nuclei activation and cloud droplet diffusional growth
Wojciech W. Grabowski and Hanna Pawlowska
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5273–5285, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5273-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5273-2025, 2025
Short summary
Impact of wildfire smoke on Arctic cirrus formation – Part 2: Simulation of MOSAiC 2019–2020 cases
Albert Ansmann, Cristofer Jimenez, Daniel A. Knopf, Johanna Roschke, Johannes Bühl, Kevin Ohneiser, and Ronny Engelmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4867–4884, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4867-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4867-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Ayala, O., Rosa, B., Wang, L.-P., and Grabowski, W. W.: Effects of turbulence on the geometric collision rate of sedimenting droplets, Part 1 – Results from direct numerical simulation, New J. Phys., 10, 075015, http://stacks.iop.org/1367-2630/10/i=7/a=075015, 2008.
Baker, M., Corbin, R., and Latham, J.: The influence of entrainment on the evolution of cloud droplet spectra: I. A model of inhomogeneous mixing, Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 106, 581–598, 1980.
Blyth, A. M., Lasher-Trapp, S. G., Cooper, W. A., Knight, C. A., and Latham, J.: The role of giant and ultragiant nuclei in the formation of early radar echoes in warm cumulus clouds, J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 2557–2572, 2003.
Brenguier, J.-L. and Chaumat, L.: Droplet Spectra Broadening in Cumulus Clouds. Part I: Broadening in Adiabatic Cores, J. Atmos. Sci., 58, 628–641, 2001.
Chen, S., Bartello, P., Yau, M. K., Vaillancourt, P. A., and Zwijsen, K.: Cloud Droplet Collisions in Turbulent Environment: Collision Statistics and Parameterization, J. Atmos. Sci., 73, 621–636, 2016.
Download

The requested paper has a corresponding corrigendum published. Please read the corrigendum first before downloading the article.

Short summary
This paper introduces a sophisticated approach to incorporate the droplet hydrodynamic collision and condensation processes into a single DNS modeling framework. Arguably, this model provides a sophisticated approach to study the warm-rain initiation problem that has puzzled the cloud physics community for decades. The results show the increased condensation-mediated collisions when turbulence intensifies, indicating a positive impact of turbulence on droplet condensational–collisional growth.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint