Articles | Volume 20, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2735-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2735-2020
Research article
 | 
05 Mar 2020
Research article |  | 05 Mar 2020

The diurnal stratocumulus-to-cumulus transition over land in southern West Africa

Xabier Pedruzo-Bagazgoitia, Stephan R. de Roode, Bianca Adler, Karmen Babić, Cheikh Dione, Norbert Kalthoff, Fabienne Lohou, Marie Lothon, and Jordi Vilà-Guerau de Arellano

Related authors

Multi-year simulations at kilometre scale with the Integrated Forecasting System coupled to FESOM2.5/NEMOv3.4
Thomas Rackow, Xabier Pedruzo-Bagazgoitia, Tobias Becker, Sebastian Milinski, Irina Sandu, Razvan Aguridan, Peter Bechtold, Sebastian Beyer, Jean Bidlot, Souhail Boussetta, Michail Diamantakis, Peter Dueben, Emanuel Dutra, Richard Forbes, Helge F. Goessling, Ioan Hadade, Jan Hegewald, Sarah Keeley, Lukas Kluft, Nikolay Koldunov, Alexei Koldunov, Tobias Kölling, Josh Kousal, Kristian Mogensen, Tiago Quintino, Inna Polichtchouk, Domokos Sármány, Dmitry Sidorenko, Jan Streffing, Birgit Sützl, Daisuke Takasuka, Steffen Tietsche, Mirco Valentini, Benoît Vannière, Nils Wedi, Lorenzo Zampieri, and Florian Ziemen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-913,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-913, 2024
Short summary
Breakup of nocturnal low-level stratiform clouds during the southern West African monsoon season
Maurin Zouzoua, Fabienne Lohou, Paul Assamoi, Marie Lothon, Véronique Yoboue, Cheikh Dione, Norbert Kalthoff, Bianca Adler, Karmen Babić, Xabier Pedruzo-Bagazgoitia, and Solène Derrien
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 2027–2051, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-2027-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-2027-2021, 2021
Short summary
Conceptual model of diurnal cycle of low-level stratiform clouds over southern West Africa
Fabienne Lohou, Norbert Kalthoff, Bianca Adler, Karmen Babić, Cheikh Dione, Marie Lothon, Xabier Pedruzo-Bagazgoitia, and Maurin Zouzoua
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 2263–2275, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2263-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2263-2020, 2020
Short summary
Low-level stratiform clouds and dynamical features observed within the southern West African monsoon
Cheikh Dione, Fabienne Lohou, Marie Lothon, Bianca Adler, Karmen Babić, Norbert Kalthoff, Xabier Pedruzo-Bagazgoitia, Yannick Bezombes, and Omar Gabella
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 8979–8997, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8979-2019,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-8979-2019, 2019
Short summary
The observed diurnal cycle of low-level stratus clouds over southern West Africa: a case study
Karmen Babić, Bianca Adler, Norbert Kalthoff, Hendrik Andersen, Cheikh Dione, Fabienne Lohou, Marie Lothon, and Xabier Pedruzo-Bagazgoitia
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 1281–1299, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1281-2019,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1281-2019, 2019
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)
The presence of clouds lowers climate sensitivity in the MPI-ESM1.2 climate model
Andrea Mosso, Thomas Hocking, and Thorsten Mauritsen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12793–12806, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12793-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12793-2024, 2024
Short summary
Diurnal variation in an amplified canopy urban heat island during heat wave periods in the megacity of Beijing: roles of mountain–valley breeze and urban morphology
Tao Shi, Yuanjian Yang, Ping Qi, and Simone Lolli
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12807–12822, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12807-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12807-2024, 2024
Short summary
Diurnal evolution of non-precipitating marine stratocumuli in a large-eddy simulation ensemble
Yao-Sheng Chen, Jianhao Zhang, Fabian Hoffmann, Takanobu Yamaguchi, Franziska Glassmeier, Xiaoli Zhou, and Graham Feingold
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12661–12685, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12661-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12661-2024, 2024
Short summary
High ice water content in tropical mesoscale convective systems (a conceptual model)
Alexei Korolev, Zhipeng Qu, Jason Milbrandt, Ivan Heckman, Mélissa Cholette, Mengistu Wolde, Cuong Nguyen, Greg M. McFarquhar, Paul Lawson, and Ann M. Fridlind
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11849–11881, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11849-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11849-2024, 2024
Short summary
Evolution of cloud droplet temperature and lifetime in spatiotemporally varying subsaturated environments with implications for ice nucleation at cloud edges
Puja Roy, Robert M. Rauber, and Larry Di Girolamo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11653–11678, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11653-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11653-2024, 2024
Short summary

Cited articles

Ackerman, A. S., Kirkpatrick, M. P., Stevens, D. E., and Toon, O. B.: The impact of humidity above stratiform clouds on indirect aerosol climate forcing, Nature, 432, 1014–1017, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03174, 2004. a
Adler, B., Babić, K., Kalthoff, N., Lohou, F., Lothon, M., Dione, C., Pedruzo-Bagazgoitia, X., and Andersen, H.: Nocturnal low-level clouds in the atmospheric boundary layer over southern West Africa: an observation-based analysis of conditions and processes, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 663–681, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-663-2019, 2019. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h
Babić, K., Adler, B., Kalthoff, N., Andersen, H., Dione, C., Lohou, F., Lothon, M., and Pedruzo-Bagazgoitia, X.: The observed diurnal cycle of low-level stratus clouds over southern West Africa: a case study, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 1281–1299, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-1281-2019, 2019. a, b, c, d, e, f
Bauer-Pfundstein, M. R. and Goersdorf, U.: Target separation and classification using cloud radar Doppler-spectra, in: Proceedings of the 33rd Intern. Conf. on Radar Meteorology, Vol. 11.B2, 1–8, Cairns, Australia, available at: https://ams.confex.com/ams/33Radar/techprogram/paper_123456.htm (last access: 2 March 2020), 2007. a
Bellon, G. and Stevens, B.: Using the Sensitivity of Large-Eddy Simulations to Evaluate Atmospheric Boundary Layer Models, J. Atmos. Sci., 69, 1582–1601, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-11-0160.1, 2012. a
Download
Short summary
Using a high-resolution model we simulate the transition from night to day clouds on southern West Africa using observations from the DACCIWA project. We find that the radiative effects of clouds help mantain a thick cloud layer in the night, while the mixing of cloud air with air above during the day, aided by moisture and heat fluxes at the surface, thins this layer and promotes its transition to other clouds. The effect of changing wind with height accelerates the transition.
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint