Articles | Volume 21, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14141-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14141-2021
Research article
 | 
24 Sep 2021
Research article |  | 24 Sep 2021

Aerosol effects on electrification and lightning discharges in a multicell thunderstorm simulated by the WRF-ELEC model

Mengyu Sun, Dongxia Liu, Xiushu Qie, Edward R. Mansell, Yoav Yair, Alexandre O. Fierro, Shanfeng Yuan, Zhixiong Chen, and Dongfang Wang

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Subject: Aerosols | 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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Altaratz, O., Kucienska, B., Kostinski, A., Raga, G. B., and Koren, I.: Global association of aerosol with flash density of intense lightning, Environ. Res. Lett., 12, 114037, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa922b, 2017. 
Bougeault, P. and Lacarrere, P.: Parameterization of orography-induced turbulence in a mesobeta–scale model, Mon. Weather Rev., 117, 1872–1890, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0493(1989)117<1872:POOITI>2.0.CO;2, 1989. 
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Chaudhuri, S. and Middey, A.: Effect of meteorological parameters and environmental pollution on thunderstorm and lightning activity over an urban metropolis of India, Urban Clim., 3, 67–75, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2013.03.003, 2013. 
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By acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), increasing aerosol loading tends to enhance lightning activity through microphysical processes. We investigated the aerosol effects on the development of a thunderstorm. A two-moment bulk microphysics scheme and bulk lightning model were coupled in the WRF Model to simulate a multicell thunderstorm. Sensitivity experiments show that the enhancement of lightning activity under polluted conditions results from an increasing ice crystal number.
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