Articles | Volume 20, issue 23
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15297-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15297-2020
Research article
 | 
09 Dec 2020
Research article |  | 09 Dec 2020

Sensitivity of warm clouds to large particles in measured marine aerosol size distributions – a theoretical study

Tom Dror, J. Michel Flores, Orit Altaratz, Guy Dagan, Zev Levin, Assaf Vardi, and Ilan Koren

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Subject: Clouds and Precipitation | Research Activity: Atmospheric Modelling and Data Analysis | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
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Cited articles

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Allen, S., Allen, D., Moss, K., Le Roux, G., Phoenix, V. R., and Sonke, J. E.: Examination of the ocean as a source for atmospheric microplastics, PloS one, 15, e0232746, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232746, 2020. a
Altaratz, O., Koren, I., Remer, L., and Hirsch, E.: Cloud invigoration by aerosols – Coupling between microphysics and dynamics, Atmos. Res., 140, 38–60, 2014. a, b
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Betzer, P. R., Carder, K. L., Duce, R. A., Merrill, J. T., Tindale, N. W., Uematsu, M., Costello, D. K., Young, R. W., Feely, R. A., Breland, J. A., Bernstein, R. E., and Greco, A. M.: Long-range transport of giant mineral aerosol particles, Nature, 336, 568–571, https://doi.org/10.1038/336568a0, 1988.  a
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We used in situ aerosol measurements over the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific to initialize a cloud model and study the impact of aerosol concentration and sizes on warm clouds. We show that high aerosol concentration increases cloud mass and reduces surface rain when giant particles (diameter > 9 µm) are present. The large aerosols changed the timing and magnitude of internal cloud processes and resulted in an enhanced evaporation below cloud base and dramatically reduced surface rain.
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