Articles | Volume 23, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5297-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5297-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
11 May 2023
Research article |
| 11 May 2023
| 11 May 2023
Seasonal controls on isolated convective storm drafts, precipitation intensity, and life cycle as observed during GoAmazon2014/5
Environmental and Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National
Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA
Thiago S. Biscaro
Meteorological Satellites and Sensors Division, National Institute for
Space Research, Cachoeira Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
John M. Peters
Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, The Pennsylvania
State University, University Park, PA, USA
Related authors
Min Deng, Scott E. Giangrande, Michael P. Jensen, Karen Johnson, Christopher R. Williams, Jennifer M. Comstock, Ya-Chien Feng, Alyssa Matthews, Iosif A. Lindenmaier, Timothy G. Wendler, Marquette Rocque, Aifang Zhou, Zeen Zhu, Edward Luke, and Die Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 1641–1657, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1641-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1641-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
A relative calibration technique is developed for the cloud radar by monitoring the intercept of the wet-radome attenuation log-linear behavior as a function of rainfall rates in light and moderate rain conditions. This resulting reflectivity offset during the recent field campaign is compared favorably with the traditional disdrometer comparison near the rain onset, while it also demonstrates similar trends with respect to collocated and independently calibrated reference radars.
Kaiden Sookdar, Scott Edward Giangrande, John Rausch, Lihong Ma, Meng Wang, Dié Wang, Michael Jensen, Ching-Shu Hung, and J. Christine Chiu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-694, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-694, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Short summary
Photometer observations of stratocumulus cloud properties are evaluated for a multiyear archive. Retrievals for cloud optical depth, cloud droplet effective radius, and liquid water path show solid agreement with collocated references. Continental stratocumulus clouds sorted by cloud thickness indicate double the cloud optical depth and liquid water path of their marine counterparts, while exhibiting similar bulk cloud droplet effective radius.
Toshi Matsui, Daniel Hernandez-Deckers, Scott E. Giangrande, Thiago S. Biscaro, Ann Fridlind, and Scott Braun
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10793–10814, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10793-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10793-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using computer simulations and real measurements, we discovered that storms over the Amazon were narrower but more intense during the dry periods, producing heavier rain and more ice particles in the clouds. Our research showed that cumulus bubbles played a key role in creating these intense storms. This study can improve the representation of the effect of continental and ocean environments on tropical regions' rainfall patterns in simulations.
Siddhant Gupta, Dié Wang, Scott E. Giangrande, Thiago S. Biscaro, and Michael P. Jensen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4487–4510, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4487-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4487-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We examine the lifecycle of isolated deep convective clouds (DCCs) in the Amazon rainforest. Weather radar echoes from the DCCs are tracked to evaluate their lifecycle. The DCC size and intensity increase, reach a peak, and then decrease over the DCC lifetime. Vertical profiles of air motion and mass transport from different seasons are examined to understand the transport of energy and momentum within DCC cores and to address the deficiencies in simulating DCCs using weather and climate models.
Yang Wang, Chanakya Bagya Ramesh, Scott E. Giangrande, Jerome Fast, Xianda Gong, Jiaoshi Zhang, Ahmet Tolga Odabasi, Marcus Vinicius Batista Oliveira, Alyssa Matthews, Fan Mei, John E. Shilling, Jason Tomlinson, Die Wang, and Jian Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15671–15691, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15671-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15671-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We report the vertical profiles of aerosol properties over the Southern Great Plains (SGP), a region influenced by shallow convective clouds, land–atmosphere interactions, boundary layer turbulence, and the aerosol life cycle. We examined the processes that drive the aerosol population and distribution in the lower troposphere over the SGP. This study helps improve our understanding of aerosol–cloud interactions and the model representation of aerosol processes.
Christopher R. Williams, Joshua Barrio, Paul E. Johnston, Paytsar Muradyan, and Scott E. Giangrande
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2381–2398, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2381-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2381-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses surface disdrometer observations to calibrate 8 years of 915 MHz radar wind profiler deployed in the central United States in northern Oklahoma. This study had two key findings. First, the radar wind profiler sensitivity decreased approximately 3 to 4 dB/year as the hardware aged. Second, this drift was slow enough that calibration can be performed using 3-month intervals. Calibrated radar wind profiler observations and Python processing code are available on public repositories.
Michael P. Jensen, Virendra P. Ghate, Dié Wang, Diana K. Apoznanski, Mary J. Bartholomew, Scott E. Giangrande, Karen L. Johnson, and Mandana M. Thieman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14557–14571, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14557-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14557-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This work compares the large-scale meteorology, cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and thermodynamics of closed- and open-cell cloud organizations using long-term observations from the astern North Atlantic. Open-cell cases are associated with cold-air outbreaks and occur in deeper boundary layers, with stronger winds and higher rain rates compared to closed-cell cases. These results offer important benchmarks for model representation of boundary layer clouds in this climatically important region.
Christopher R. Williams, Karen L. Johnson, Scott E. Giangrande, Joseph C. Hardin, Ruşen Öktem, and David M. Romps
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4425–4444, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4425-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4425-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In addition to detecting clouds, vertically pointing cloud radars detect individual insects passing over head. If these insects are not identified and removed from raw observations, then radar-derived cloud properties will be contaminated. This work identifies clouds in radar observations due to their continuous and smooth structure in time, height, and velocity. Cloud masks are produced that identify cloud vertical structure that are free of insect contamination.
Thiago S. Biscaro, Luiz A. T. Machado, Scott E. Giangrande, and Michael P. Jensen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6735–6754, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6735-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6735-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study suggests that there are two distinct modes driving diurnal precipitating convective clouds over the central Amazon. In the wet season, local factors such as turbulence and nighttime cloud coverage are the main controls of daily precipitation, while dry-season daily precipitation is modulated primarily by the mesoscale convective pattern. The results imply that models and parameterizations must consider different formulations based on the seasonal cycle to correctly resolve convection.
Robert Jackson, Scott Collis, Valentin Louf, Alain Protat, Die Wang, Scott Giangrande, Elizabeth J. Thompson, Brenda Dolan, and Scott W. Powell
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 53–69, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-53-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-53-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
About 4 years of 2D video disdrometer data in Darwin are used to develop and validate rainfall retrievals for tropical convection in C- and X-band radars in Darwin. Using blended techniques previously used for Colorado and Manus and Gan islands, with modified coefficients in each estimator, provided the most optimal results. Using multiple radar observables to develop a rainfall retrieval provided a greater advantage than using a single observable, including using specific attenuation.
Scott E. Giangrande, Dié Wang, and David B. Mechem
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 7489–7507, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7489-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7489-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The Amazon basin experiences prolific and diverse cloud conditions that are strongly influenced by (and influence via feedbacks) seasonal shifts in the local conditions and larger-scale atmospheric circulations. The primary atmospheric regimes observed during a heavily instrumented 2-year Amazon deployment are classified. We assess the potential atmospheric controls on convective clouds, precipitation, and the propensity for these regimes to promote extremes in precipitation.
Ann M. Fridlind, Marcus van Lier-Walqui, Scott Collis, Scott E. Giangrande, Robert C. Jackson, Xiaowen Li, Toshihisa Matsui, Richard Orville, Mark H. Picel, Daniel Rosenfeld, Alexander Ryzhkov, Richard Weitz, and Pengfei Zhang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 2979–3000, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2979-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2979-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Weather radars are offering improved capabilities to investigate storm physics, which remain poorly understood. We investigate enhanced use of such data near Houston, Texas, where pollution sources often provide a convenient contrast between polluted and clean air. We conclude that Houston is a favorable location to conduct a future field campaign during June through September because isolated storms are common and tend to last an hour, allowing frequent observations of a full life cycle.
Die Wang, Scott E. Giangrande, Mary Jane Bartholomew, Joseph Hardin, Zhe Feng, Ryan Thalman, and Luiz A. T. Machado
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 9121–9145, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9121-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9121-2018, 2018
Luiz A. T. Machado, Alan J. P. Calheiros, Thiago Biscaro, Scott Giangrande, Maria A. F. Silva Dias, Micael A. Cecchini, Rachel Albrecht, Meinrat O. Andreae, Wagner F. Araujo, Paulo Artaxo, Stephan Borrmann, Ramon Braga, Casey Burleyson, Cristiano W. Eichholz, Jiwen Fan, Zhe Feng, Gilberto F. Fisch, Michael P. Jensen, Scot T. Martin, Ulrich Pöschl, Christopher Pöhlker, Mira L. Pöhlker, Jean-François Ribaud, Daniel Rosenfeld, Jaci M. B. Saraiva, Courtney Schumacher, Ryan Thalman, David Walter, and Manfred Wendisch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 6461–6482, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6461-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6461-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This overview discuss the main precipitation processes and their sensitivities to environmental conditions in the Central Amazon Basin. It presents a review of the knowledge acquired about cloud processes and rainfall formation in Amazonas. In addition, this study provides a characterization of the seasonal variation and rainfall sensitivities to topography, surface cover, and aerosol concentration. Airplane measurements were evaluated to characterize and contrast cloud microphysical properties.
Scott E. Giangrande, Zhe Feng, Michael P. Jensen, Jennifer M. Comstock, Karen L. Johnson, Tami Toto, Meng Wang, Casey Burleyson, Nitin Bharadwaj, Fan Mei, Luiz A. T. Machado, Antonio O. Manzi, Shaocheng Xie, Shuaiqi Tang, Maria Assuncao F. Silva Dias, Rodrigo A. F de Souza, Courtney Schumacher, and Scot T. Martin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 14519–14541, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-14519-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-14519-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The Amazon forest is the largest tropical rain forest on the planet, featuring
prolific and diverse cloud conditions. The Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) experiment was motivated by demands to gain a better understanding of aerosol and cloud interactions on climate and the global circulation. The routine DOE ARM observations from this 2-year campaign are summarized to help quantify controls on clouds and precipitation over this undersampled region.
Kirk W. North, Mariko Oue, Pavlos Kollias, Scott E. Giangrande, Scott M. Collis, and Corey K. Potvin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 2785–2806, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2785-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2785-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Vertical air motion retrievals from 3DVAR multiple distributed scanning Doppler radars are compared against collocated profiling radars and retrieved from an upward iteration integration iterative technique to characterize their veracity. The retrieved vertical air motions are generally within 1–2 m s−1 of agreement with profiling radars and better solution than the upward integration technique, and therefore can be used as a means to improve parameterizations in numerical models moving forward.
Min Deng, Scott E. Giangrande, Michael P. Jensen, Karen Johnson, Christopher R. Williams, Jennifer M. Comstock, Ya-Chien Feng, Alyssa Matthews, Iosif A. Lindenmaier, Timothy G. Wendler, Marquette Rocque, Aifang Zhou, Zeen Zhu, Edward Luke, and Die Wang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 1641–1657, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1641-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1641-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
A relative calibration technique is developed for the cloud radar by monitoring the intercept of the wet-radome attenuation log-linear behavior as a function of rainfall rates in light and moderate rain conditions. This resulting reflectivity offset during the recent field campaign is compared favorably with the traditional disdrometer comparison near the rain onset, while it also demonstrates similar trends with respect to collocated and independently calibrated reference radars.
Kaiden Sookdar, Scott Edward Giangrande, John Rausch, Lihong Ma, Meng Wang, Dié Wang, Michael Jensen, Ching-Shu Hung, and J. Christine Chiu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-694, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-694, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Short summary
Photometer observations of stratocumulus cloud properties are evaluated for a multiyear archive. Retrievals for cloud optical depth, cloud droplet effective radius, and liquid water path show solid agreement with collocated references. Continental stratocumulus clouds sorted by cloud thickness indicate double the cloud optical depth and liquid water path of their marine counterparts, while exhibiting similar bulk cloud droplet effective radius.
Camila da Cunha Lopes, Rachel Ifanger Albrecht, Douglas Messias Uba, Thiago Souza Biscaro, and Ivan Saraiva
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-438, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-438, 2024
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
This study used observations collected during The Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) Experiment to create a database of storms and thunderstorms characteristics with weather radar and lightning measurements. These storms have different sizes and durations between wet and dry seasons as well as throughout the day, with the most intense ones occurring in the dry-to-wet transition. This database is useful in future studies on Amazonian clouds.
Toshi Matsui, Daniel Hernandez-Deckers, Scott E. Giangrande, Thiago S. Biscaro, Ann Fridlind, and Scott Braun
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10793–10814, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10793-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10793-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using computer simulations and real measurements, we discovered that storms over the Amazon were narrower but more intense during the dry periods, producing heavier rain and more ice particles in the clouds. Our research showed that cumulus bubbles played a key role in creating these intense storms. This study can improve the representation of the effect of continental and ocean environments on tropical regions' rainfall patterns in simulations.
Siddhant Gupta, Dié Wang, Scott E. Giangrande, Thiago S. Biscaro, and Michael P. Jensen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4487–4510, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4487-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4487-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We examine the lifecycle of isolated deep convective clouds (DCCs) in the Amazon rainforest. Weather radar echoes from the DCCs are tracked to evaluate their lifecycle. The DCC size and intensity increase, reach a peak, and then decrease over the DCC lifetime. Vertical profiles of air motion and mass transport from different seasons are examined to understand the transport of energy and momentum within DCC cores and to address the deficiencies in simulating DCCs using weather and climate models.
Yang Wang, Chanakya Bagya Ramesh, Scott E. Giangrande, Jerome Fast, Xianda Gong, Jiaoshi Zhang, Ahmet Tolga Odabasi, Marcus Vinicius Batista Oliveira, Alyssa Matthews, Fan Mei, John E. Shilling, Jason Tomlinson, Die Wang, and Jian Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15671–15691, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15671-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15671-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We report the vertical profiles of aerosol properties over the Southern Great Plains (SGP), a region influenced by shallow convective clouds, land–atmosphere interactions, boundary layer turbulence, and the aerosol life cycle. We examined the processes that drive the aerosol population and distribution in the lower troposphere over the SGP. This study helps improve our understanding of aerosol–cloud interactions and the model representation of aerosol processes.
Christopher R. Williams, Joshua Barrio, Paul E. Johnston, Paytsar Muradyan, and Scott E. Giangrande
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2381–2398, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2381-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2381-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses surface disdrometer observations to calibrate 8 years of 915 MHz radar wind profiler deployed in the central United States in northern Oklahoma. This study had two key findings. First, the radar wind profiler sensitivity decreased approximately 3 to 4 dB/year as the hardware aged. Second, this drift was slow enough that calibration can be performed using 3-month intervals. Calibrated radar wind profiler observations and Python processing code are available on public repositories.
Michael P. Jensen, Virendra P. Ghate, Dié Wang, Diana K. Apoznanski, Mary J. Bartholomew, Scott E. Giangrande, Karen L. Johnson, and Mandana M. Thieman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14557–14571, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14557-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14557-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This work compares the large-scale meteorology, cloud, aerosol, precipitation, and thermodynamics of closed- and open-cell cloud organizations using long-term observations from the astern North Atlantic. Open-cell cases are associated with cold-air outbreaks and occur in deeper boundary layers, with stronger winds and higher rain rates compared to closed-cell cases. These results offer important benchmarks for model representation of boundary layer clouds in this climatically important region.
Christopher R. Williams, Karen L. Johnson, Scott E. Giangrande, Joseph C. Hardin, Ruşen Öktem, and David M. Romps
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4425–4444, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4425-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4425-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In addition to detecting clouds, vertically pointing cloud radars detect individual insects passing over head. If these insects are not identified and removed from raw observations, then radar-derived cloud properties will be contaminated. This work identifies clouds in radar observations due to their continuous and smooth structure in time, height, and velocity. Cloud masks are produced that identify cloud vertical structure that are free of insect contamination.
Thiago S. Biscaro, Luiz A. T. Machado, Scott E. Giangrande, and Michael P. Jensen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6735–6754, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6735-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6735-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study suggests that there are two distinct modes driving diurnal precipitating convective clouds over the central Amazon. In the wet season, local factors such as turbulence and nighttime cloud coverage are the main controls of daily precipitation, while dry-season daily precipitation is modulated primarily by the mesoscale convective pattern. The results imply that models and parameterizations must consider different formulations based on the seasonal cycle to correctly resolve convection.
Robert Jackson, Scott Collis, Valentin Louf, Alain Protat, Die Wang, Scott Giangrande, Elizabeth J. Thompson, Brenda Dolan, and Scott W. Powell
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 53–69, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-53-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-53-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
About 4 years of 2D video disdrometer data in Darwin are used to develop and validate rainfall retrievals for tropical convection in C- and X-band radars in Darwin. Using blended techniques previously used for Colorado and Manus and Gan islands, with modified coefficients in each estimator, provided the most optimal results. Using multiple radar observables to develop a rainfall retrieval provided a greater advantage than using a single observable, including using specific attenuation.
Scott E. Giangrande, Dié Wang, and David B. Mechem
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 7489–7507, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7489-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7489-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The Amazon basin experiences prolific and diverse cloud conditions that are strongly influenced by (and influence via feedbacks) seasonal shifts in the local conditions and larger-scale atmospheric circulations. The primary atmospheric regimes observed during a heavily instrumented 2-year Amazon deployment are classified. We assess the potential atmospheric controls on convective clouds, precipitation, and the propensity for these regimes to promote extremes in precipitation.
Ann M. Fridlind, Marcus van Lier-Walqui, Scott Collis, Scott E. Giangrande, Robert C. Jackson, Xiaowen Li, Toshihisa Matsui, Richard Orville, Mark H. Picel, Daniel Rosenfeld, Alexander Ryzhkov, Richard Weitz, and Pengfei Zhang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 2979–3000, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2979-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2979-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Weather radars are offering improved capabilities to investigate storm physics, which remain poorly understood. We investigate enhanced use of such data near Houston, Texas, where pollution sources often provide a convenient contrast between polluted and clean air. We conclude that Houston is a favorable location to conduct a future field campaign during June through September because isolated storms are common and tend to last an hour, allowing frequent observations of a full life cycle.
Jean-François Ribaud, Luiz Augusto Toledo Machado, and Thiago Biscaro
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 811–837, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-811-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-811-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The dominant hydrometeor types associated with Brazilian tropical precipitation systems are identified for the Amazon region during both the wet and dry seasons. Overall the stratiform regions are composed of five hydrometeor classes: drizzle, rain, wet snow, aggregates, and ice crystals, whereas convective echoes are generally associated with light rain, moderate rain, heavy rain, graupel, aggregates and ice crystals.
Die Wang, Scott E. Giangrande, Mary Jane Bartholomew, Joseph Hardin, Zhe Feng, Ryan Thalman, and Luiz A. T. Machado
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 9121–9145, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9121-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9121-2018, 2018
Luiz A. T. Machado, Alan J. P. Calheiros, Thiago Biscaro, Scott Giangrande, Maria A. F. Silva Dias, Micael A. Cecchini, Rachel Albrecht, Meinrat O. Andreae, Wagner F. Araujo, Paulo Artaxo, Stephan Borrmann, Ramon Braga, Casey Burleyson, Cristiano W. Eichholz, Jiwen Fan, Zhe Feng, Gilberto F. Fisch, Michael P. Jensen, Scot T. Martin, Ulrich Pöschl, Christopher Pöhlker, Mira L. Pöhlker, Jean-François Ribaud, Daniel Rosenfeld, Jaci M. B. Saraiva, Courtney Schumacher, Ryan Thalman, David Walter, and Manfred Wendisch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 6461–6482, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6461-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6461-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This overview discuss the main precipitation processes and their sensitivities to environmental conditions in the Central Amazon Basin. It presents a review of the knowledge acquired about cloud processes and rainfall formation in Amazonas. In addition, this study provides a characterization of the seasonal variation and rainfall sensitivities to topography, surface cover, and aerosol concentration. Airplane measurements were evaluated to characterize and contrast cloud microphysical properties.
Scott E. Giangrande, Zhe Feng, Michael P. Jensen, Jennifer M. Comstock, Karen L. Johnson, Tami Toto, Meng Wang, Casey Burleyson, Nitin Bharadwaj, Fan Mei, Luiz A. T. Machado, Antonio O. Manzi, Shaocheng Xie, Shuaiqi Tang, Maria Assuncao F. Silva Dias, Rodrigo A. F de Souza, Courtney Schumacher, and Scot T. Martin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 14519–14541, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-14519-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-14519-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The Amazon forest is the largest tropical rain forest on the planet, featuring
prolific and diverse cloud conditions. The Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) experiment was motivated by demands to gain a better understanding of aerosol and cloud interactions on climate and the global circulation. The routine DOE ARM observations from this 2-year campaign are summarized to help quantify controls on clouds and precipitation over this undersampled region.
Kirk W. North, Mariko Oue, Pavlos Kollias, Scott E. Giangrande, Scott M. Collis, and Corey K. Potvin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 2785–2806, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2785-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-2785-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Vertical air motion retrievals from 3DVAR multiple distributed scanning Doppler radars are compared against collocated profiling radars and retrieved from an upward iteration integration iterative technique to characterize their veracity. The retrieved vertical air motions are generally within 1–2 m s−1 of agreement with profiling radars and better solution than the upward integration technique, and therefore can be used as a means to improve parameterizations in numerical models moving forward.
Related subject area
Subject: Clouds and Precipitation | Research Activity: Remote Sensing | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Study of optical scattering properties and direct radiative effects of high-altitude cirrus clouds in Barcelona, Spain, with 4 years of lidar measurements
Co-variability drives the inverted-V sensitivity between liquid water path and droplet concentrations
Lightning declines over shipping lanes following regulation of fuel sulfur emissions
Post-return stroke VHF electromagnetic activity in north-western Mediterranean cloud-to-ground lightning flashes
Technical note: Applicability of physics-based and machine-learning-based algorithms of a geostationary satellite in retrieving the diurnal cycle of cloud base height
Observing convective activities in complex convective organizations and their contributions to precipitation and anvil cloud amounts
Weak liquid water path response in ship tracks
A new aggregation and riming discrimination algorithm based on polarimetric weather radars
Relationship between latent and radiative heating fields of Tropical cloud systems using synergistic satellite observations
Shallow cloud variability in Houston, Texas during the ESCAPE and TRACER field experiments
Air mass history linked to the development of Arctic mixed-phase clouds
Distinct structure, radiative effects, and precipitation characteristics of deep convection systems in the Tibetan Plateau compared to the tropical Indian Ocean
The correlation between Arctic sea ice, cloud phase and radiation using A-Train satellites
Impact of wildfire smoke on Arctic cirrus formation, part 1: analysis of MOSAiC 2019–2020 observations
Technical note: Retrieval of the supercooled liquid fraction in mixed-phase clouds from Himawari-8 observations
Characterisation of low-base and mid-base clouds and their thermodynamic phase over the Southern Ocean and Arctic marine regions
A survey of radiative and physical properties of North Atlantic mesoscale cloud morphologies from multiple identification methodologies
Extensive coverage of ultrathin tropical tropopause layer cirrus clouds revealed by balloon-borne lidar observations
The effects of warm-air intrusions in the high Arctic on cirrus clouds
The characteristics of cloud macro-parameters caused by the seeder–feeder process inside clouds measured by millimeter-wave cloud radar in Xi'an, China
Shallow- and deep-convection characteristics in the greater Houston, Texas, area using cell tracking methodology
Observations of the macrophysical properties of cumulus cloud fields over the tropical western Pacific and their connection to meteorological variables
A Lagrangian perspective on the lifecycle and cloud radiative effect of deep convective clouds over Africa
How does the lifetime of detrained cirrus impact the high cloud radiative effect in the tropics?
Daytime variation in the aerosol indirect effect for warm marine boundary layer clouds in the eastern North Atlantic
Technical note: Bimodal parameterizations of in situ ice cloud particle size distributions
Inter-relations of precipitation, aerosols, and clouds over Andalusia, southern Spain, revealed by the Andalusian Global ObseRvatory of the Atmosphere (AGORA)
On the relationship between mesoscale cellular convection and meteorological forcing: comparing the Southern Ocean against the North Pacific
Aerosol-related effects on the occurrence of heterogeneous ice formation over Lauder, New Zealand ∕ Aotearoa
Low-level Arctic clouds: a blind zone in our knowledge of the radiation budget
Climatologically invariant scale invariance seen in distributions of cloud horizontal sizes
Variability and properties of liquid-dominated clouds over the ice-free and sea-ice-covered Arctic Ocean
Asymmetries in cloud microphysical properties ascribed to sea ice leads via water vapour transport in the central Arctic
Quantifying the dependence of drop spectrum width on cloud drop number concentration for cloud remote sensing
The evolution of deep convective systems and their associated cirrus outflows
Wildfire smoke triggers cirrus formation: lidar observations over the eastern Mediterranean
Rapid saturation of cloud water adjustments to shipping emissions
Sensitivities of cloud radiative effects to large-scale meteorology and aerosols from global observations
Distinct secondary ice production processes observed in radar Doppler spectra: insights from a case study
Investigating the development of clouds within marine cold-air outbreaks
Detection of large-scale cloud microphysical changes within a major shipping corridor after implementation of the International Maritime Organization 2020 fuel sulfur regulations
Examining cloud vertical structure and radiative effects from satellite retrievals and evaluation of CMIP6 scenarios
Influence of cloud microphysics schemes on weather model predictions of heavy precipitation
Convective organization and 3D structure of tropical cloud systems deduced from synergistic A-Train observations and machine learning
Uncertainty in aerosol–cloud radiative forcing is driven by clean conditions
Surface-based observations of cold-air outbreak clouds during the COMBLE field campaign
Boundary layer moisture variability at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Eastern North Atlantic observatory during marine conditions
Profile-based estimated inversion strength
Characteristics of supersaturation in midlatitude cirrus clouds and their adjacent cloud-free air
Establishment of an analytical model for remote sensing of typical stratocumulus cloud profiles under various precipitation and entrainment conditions
Cristina Gil-Díaz, Michäel Sicard, Odran Sourdeval, Athulya Saiprakash, Constantino Muñoz-Porcar, Adolfo Comerón, Alejandro Rodríguez-Gómez, and Daniel Camilo Fortunato dos Santos Oliveira
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3445–3464, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3445-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3445-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a comprehensive analysis of optical scattering properties and direct radiative effects of cirrus clouds based on 4 years of continuous ground-based lidar measurements with the Barcelona MPLNET lidar. A novel approach of the self-consistent scattering model for cirrus clouds is presented to determine their optical scattering properties at different wavelengths, and their direct radiative effects are calculated with the discrete ordinates method embedded in the ARTDECO package.
Tom Goren, Goutam Choudhury, Jan Kretzschmar, and Isabel McCoy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3413–3423, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3413-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3413-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Many studies have identified an inverted-V relationship between the liquid water path (LWP) and droplet concentration (Nd), where LWP increases and then decreases with Nd. Using satellite observations and meteorological data, we demonstrate that the inverted V primarily reflects co-variability between LWP and Nd. We suggest taking a holistic approach that considers this co-variability when assessing the climatological sensitivity of LWP to anthropogenic aerosols.
Chris J. Wright, Joel A. Thornton, Lyatt Jaeglé, Yang Cao, Yannian Zhu, Jihu Liu, Randall Jones II, Robert Holzworth, Daniel Rosenfeld, Robert Wood, Peter Blossey, and Daehyun Kim
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2937–2946, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2937-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2937-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Aerosol particles influence clouds, which exert a large forcing on solar radiation and freshwater. To better understand the mechanisms by which aerosol influences thunderstorms, we look at the two busiest shipping lanes in the world, where recent regulations have reduced sulfur emissions by nearly an order of magnitude. We find that the reduction in emissions has been accompanied by a dramatic decrease in both lightning and the number of droplets in clouds over the shipping lanes.
Andrea Kolínská, Ivana Kolmašová, Eric Defer, Ondřej Santolík, and Stéphane Pédeboy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1791–1803, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1791-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1791-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We contribute to understanding differences in lightning flashes of opposite polarity by explaining distinct in-cloud processes after return strokes. Using data from multiple sensors, including individual Lightning Mapping Array stations, we reveal that positive flashes sustain strong high-frequency radiation due to the recharging of their in-cloud leader; this is in contrast to negative flashes, for which this activity declines rapidly.
Mengyuan Wang, Min Min, Jun Li, Han Lin, Yongen Liang, Binlong Chen, Zhigang Yao, Na Xu, and Miao Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 14239–14256, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14239-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14239-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Although machine learning technology is advanced in the field of satellite remote sensing, the physical inversion algorithm based on cloud base height can better capture the daily variation in the characteristics of the cloud base.
Zhenquan Wang and Jian Yuan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13811–13831, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13811-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13811-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Tropical convection organizations are normally connected complexes of many convective activities. In this work, a novel variable-brightness-temperature segment tracking algorithm is established to partition the complex convective organizations into structural components of single cold cores for tracking separately. The duration, precipitation and anvil amount of the tracked organization segments have strong loglinear relationships with brightness temperature structures.
Anna Tippett, Edward Gryspeerdt, Peter Manshausen, Philip Stier, and Tristan W. P. Smith
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13269–13283, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13269-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13269-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ship emissions can form artificially brightened clouds, known as ship tracks, and provide us with an opportunity to investigate how aerosols interact with clouds. Previous studies that used ship tracks suggest that clouds can experience large increases in the amount of water (LWP) from aerosols. Here, we show that there is a bias in previous research and that, when we account for this bias, the LWP response to aerosols is much weaker than previously reported.
Armin Blanke, Mathias Gergely, and Silke Trömel
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3336, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3336, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The area-wide radar-based distinction between riming and aggregation is crucial for model microphysics and data assimilation. This study introduces a discrimination algorithm based on polarimetric radar networks only. Exploiting the unique opportunity to link fall velocities from Doppler spectra to polarimetric variables in an operational setting enables us to set up and evaluate a well-performing machine learning algorithm.
Xiaoting Chen, Claudia J. Stubenrauch, and Giulio Mandorli
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3434, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3434, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Strongly precipitating mesoscale convective systems produce large diabatic heating of the atmosphere, influencing atmospheric circulation. Their complete 3D description, attained by machine learning techniques in combination with satellite observations, has enabled a detailed study of the relationship between latent and radiative heating in these cloud systems. Convective organization increases both the average and vertical gradient of radiative effects of the mesoscale convective systems.
Zackary Mages, Pavlos Kollias, Bernat Puigdomenech Treserras, Paloma Borque, and Mariko Oue
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2984, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2984, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Convective clouds are a key component of the climate system. Using remote sensing observations during two field experiments in Houston, Texas, we identify four diurnal patterns of shallow convective clouds. We find areas more frequently experiencing shallow convective clouds, and we find areas where the vertical extent of shallow convective clouds is higher and where they are more likely to precipitate. This provides insight into the complicated environment that forms these clouds in Houston.
Rebecca J. Murray-Watson and Edward Gryspeerdt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 11115–11132, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11115-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-11115-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The formation of mixed-phase clouds during marine cold-air outbreaks is not well understood. Our study, using satellite data and Lagrangian trajectories, reveals that the occurrence of these clouds depends on both time and temperature, influenced partly by the presence of biological ice-nucleating particles. This highlights the importance of comprehending local aerosol dynamics for precise modelling of cloud-phase transitions in the Arctic.
Yuxin Zhao, Jiming Li, Deyu Wen, Yarong Li, Yuan Wang, and Jianping Huang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 9435–9457, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9435-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-9435-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study identifies deep convection systems (DCSs), including deep convection cores and anvils, over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and tropical Indian Ocean (TO). The DCSs over the TP are less frequent, showing narrower and thinner cores and anvils compared to those over the TO. TP DCSs show a stronger longwave cloud radiative effect at the surface and in the low-level atmosphere. Distinct aerosol–cloud–precipitation interaction is found in TP DCSs, probably due to the cold cloud bases.
Grégory V. Cesana, Olivia Pierpaoli, Matteo Ottaviani, Linh Vu, Zhonghai Jin, and Israel Silber
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7899–7909, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7899-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7899-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Better characterizing the relationship between sea ice and clouds is key to understanding Arctic climate because clouds and sea ice affect surface radiation and modulate Arctic surface warming. Our results indicate that Arctic liquid clouds robustly increase in response to sea ice decrease. This increase has a cooling effect on the surface because more solar radiation is reflected back to space, and it should contribute to dampening future Arctic surface warming.
Albert Ansmann, Cristofer Jimenez, Johanna Roschke, Johannes Bühl, Kevin Ohneiser, Ronny Engelmann, Martin Radenz, Hannes Griesche, Julian Hofer, Dietrich Althausen, Daniel A. Knopf, Sandro Dahlke, Tom Gaudek, Patric Seifert, and Ulla Wandinger
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2008, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2008, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we focus on the potential impact of wildfire smoke on cirrus formation. For the first time, state-of-the-art aerosol and cirrus observations with lidar and radar, presented in part 1 of a series of two articles, are closely linked to comprehensive modeling of gravity-wave-induced ice nucleation in cirrus evolution processes, presented in part 2. We found a clear impact of wildfire smoke on cirrus evolution.
Ziming Wang, Husi Letu, Huazhe Shang, and Luca Bugliaro
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7559–7574, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7559-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7559-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The supercooled liquid fraction (SLF) in mixed-phase clouds is retrieved for the first time using passive geostationary satellite observations based on differences in liquid droplet and ice particle radiative properties. The retrieved results are comparable to global distributions observed by active instruments, and the feasibility of the retrieval method to analyze the observed trends of the SLF has been validated.
Barbara Dietel, Odran Sourdeval, and Corinna Hoose
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7359–7383, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7359-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7359-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Uncertainty with respect to cloud phases over the Southern Ocean and Arctic marine regions leads to large uncertainties in the radiation budget of weather and climate models. This study investigates the phases of low-base and mid-base clouds using satellite-based remote sensing data. A comprehensive analysis of the correlation of cloud phase with various parameters, such as temperature, aerosols, sea ice, vertical and horizontal cloud extent, and cloud radiative effect, is presented.
Ryan Eastman, Isabel L. McCoy, Hauke Schulz, and Robert Wood
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 6613–6634, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6613-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-6613-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Cloud types are determined using machine learning image classifiers applied to satellite imagery for 1 year in the North Atlantic. This survey of these cloud types shows that the climate impact of a cloud scene is, in part, a function of cloud type. Each type displays a different mix of thick and thin cloud cover, with the fraction of thin cloud cover having the strongest impact on the clouds' radiative effect. Future studies must account for differing properties and processes among cloud types.
Thomas Lesigne, François Ravetta, Aurélien Podglajen, Vincent Mariage, and Jacques Pelon
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5935–5952, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5935-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5935-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Upper tropical clouds have a strong impact on Earth's climate but are challenging to observe. We report the first long-duration observations of tropical clouds from lidars flying on board stratospheric balloons. Comparisons with spaceborne observations reveal the enhanced sensitivity of balloon-borne lidar to optically thin cirrus. These clouds, which have a significant coverage and lie in the uppermost troposphere, are linked with the dehydration of air masses on their way to the stratosphere.
Georgios Dekoutsidis, Martin Wirth, and Silke Groß
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5971–5987, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5971-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5971-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
For decades the earth's temperature has been rising. The Arctic regions are warming faster. Cirrus clouds can contribute to this phenomenon. During warm-air intrusions, air masses are transported into the Arctic from the mid-latitudes. The HALO-(AC)3 campaign took place to measure cirrus during intrusion events and under normal conditions. We study the two cloud types based on these measurements and find differences in their geometry, relative humidity distribution and vertical structure.
Huige Di and Yun Yuan
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5783–5801, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5783-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5783-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We observed the seeder–feeder process among double-layer clouds using a cloud radar and microwave radiometer. By defining the parameters of the seeding depth and seeding time of the upper cloud affecting the lower cloud, we find that the cloud particle terminal velocity is significantly enhanced during the seeder–feeder period, and the lower the height and thinner the thickness of the height difference between double-layer clouds, the lower the height and thicker the thickness of seeding depth.
Kristofer S. Tuftedal, Bernat Puigdomènech Treserras, Mariko Oue, and Pavlos Kollias
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5637–5657, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5637-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5637-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study analyzed coastal convective cells from June through September 2018–2021. The cells were classified and their lifecycles were analyzed to better understand their characteristics. Features such as convective-core growth, for example, are shown. The study found differences in the initiation location of shallow convection and in the aerosol loading in deep convective environments. This work provides a foundation for future analyses of convection or other tracked events elsewhere.
Michie Vianca De Vera, Larry Di Girolamo, Guangyu Zhao, Robert M. Rauber, Stephen W. Nesbitt, and Greg M. McFarquhar
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5603–5623, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5603-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5603-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Tropical oceanic low clouds remain a dominant source of uncertainty in cloud feedback in climate models due to their macrophysical properties (fraction, size, height, shape, distribution) being misrepresented. High-resolution satellite imagery over the Philippine oceans is used here to characterize cumulus macrophysical properties and their relationship to meteorological variables. Such information can act as a benchmark for cloud models and can improve low-cloud generation in climate models.
William K. Jones, Martin Stengel, and Philip Stier
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 5165–5180, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5165-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-5165-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Storm clouds cover large areas of the tropics. These clouds both reflect incoming sunlight and trap heat from the atmosphere below, regulating the temperature of the tropics. Over land, storm clouds occur in the late afternoon and evening and so exist both during the daytime and at night. Changes in this timing could upset the balance of the respective cooling and heating effects of these clouds. We find that isolated storms have a larger effect on this balance than their small size suggests.
George Horner and Edward Gryspeerdt
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1090, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1090, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This work tracks the lifecycle of thin cirrus clouds that flow out of tropical convective storms. These cirrus clouds are found to have a warming effect on the atmosphere over their whole lifetime. Thin cirrus that originate from land origin convection warm more than those of ocean origin. Moreover, if the lifetime of these cirrus clouds increase, the warming they exert over their whole lifetime also increases. These results help us understand how these clouds might change in a future climate.
Shaoyue Qiu, Xue Zheng, David Painemal, Christopher R. Terai, and Xiaoli Zhou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2913–2935, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2913-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2913-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The aerosol indirect effect (AIE) depends on cloud states, which exhibit significant diurnal variations in the northeastern Atlantic. Yet the AIE diurnal cycle remains poorly understood. Using satellite retrievals, we find a pronounced “U-shaped” diurnal variation in the AIE, which is contributed to by the transition of cloud states combined with the lagged cloud responses. This suggests that polar-orbiting satellites with overpass times at noon underestimate daytime mean values of the AIE.
Irene Bartolomé García, Odran Sourdeval, Reinhold Spang, and Martina Krämer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1699–1716, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1699-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1699-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
How many ice crystals of each size are in a cloud is a key parameter for the retrieval of cloud properties. The distribution of ice crystals is obtained from in situ measurements and used to create parameterizations that can be used when analyzing the remote-sensing data. Current parameterizations are based on data sets that do not include reliable measurements of small crystals, but in our study we use a data set that includes very small ice crystals to improve these parameterizations.
Wenyue Wang, Klemens Hocke, Leonardo Nania, Alberto Cazorla, Gloria Titos, Renaud Matthey, Lucas Alados-Arboledas, Agustín Millares, and Francisco Navas-Guzmán
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1571–1585, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1571-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1571-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The south-central interior of Andalusia experiences complex precipitation patterns as a result of the semi-arid Mediterranean climate and the influence of Saharan dust. This study monitored the inter-relations between aerosols, clouds, meteorological variables, and precipitation systems using ground-based remote sensing and in situ instruments.
Francisco Lang, Steven T. Siems, Yi Huang, Tahereh Alinejadtabrizi, and Luis Ackermann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1451–1466, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1451-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1451-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Marine low-level clouds play a crucial role in the Earth's energy balance, trapping heat from the surface and reflecting sunlight back into space. These clouds are distinguishable by their large-scale spatial structures, primarily characterized as hexagonal patterns with either filled (closed) or empty (open) cells. Utilizing satellite observations, these two cloud type patterns have been categorized over the Southern Ocean and North Pacific Ocean through a pattern recognition program.
Julian Hofer, Patric Seifert, J. Ben Liley, Martin Radenz, Osamu Uchino, Isamu Morino, Tetsu Sakai, Tomohiro Nagai, and Albert Ansmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1265–1280, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1265-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1265-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
An 11-year dataset of polarization lidar observations from Lauder, New Zealand / Aotearoa, was used to distinguish the thermodynamic phase of natural clouds. The cloud dataset was separated to assess the impact of air mass origin on the frequency of heterogeneous ice formation. Ice formation efficiency in clouds above Lauder was found to be lower than in the polluted Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes but higher than in very clean and pristine environments, such as Punta Arenas in southern Chile.
Hannes Jascha Griesche, Carola Barrientos-Velasco, Hartwig Deneke, Anja Hünerbein, Patric Seifert, and Andreas Macke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 597–612, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-597-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-597-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Arctic is strongly affected by climate change and the role of clouds therein is not yet completely understood. Measurements from the Arctic expedition PS106 were used to simulate radiative fluxes with and without clouds at very low altitudes (below 165 m), and their radiative effect was calculated to be 54 Wm-2. The low heights of these clouds make them hard to observe. This study shows the importance of accurate measurements and simulations of clouds and gives suggestions for improvements.
Thomas D. DeWitt, Timothy J. Garrett, Karlie N. Rees, Corey Bois, Steven K. Krueger, and Nicolas Ferlay
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 109–122, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-109-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-109-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Viewed from space, a defining feature of Earth's atmosphere is the wide spectrum of cloud sizes. A recent study predicted the distribution of cloud sizes, and this paper compares the prediction to observations. Although there is nuance in viewing perspective, we find robust agreement with theory across different climatological conditions, including land–ocean contrasts, time of year, or latitude, suggesting a minor role for Coriolis forces, aerosol loading, or surface temperature.
Marcus Klingebiel, André Ehrlich, Elena Ruiz-Donoso, Nils Risse, Imke Schirmacher, Evelyn Jäkel, Michael Schäfer, Kevin Wolf, Mario Mech, Manuel Moser, Christiane Voigt, and Manfred Wendisch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15289–15304, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15289-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15289-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we explain how we use aircraft measurements from two Arctic research campaigns to identify cloud properties (like droplet size) over sea-ice and ice-free ocean. To make sure that our measurements make sense, we compare them with other observations. Our results show, e.g., larger cloud droplets in early summer than in spring. Moreover, the cloud droplets are also larger over ice-free ocean than compared to sea ice. In the future, our data can be used to improve climate models.
Pablo Saavedra Garfias, Heike Kalesse-Los, Luisa von Albedyll, Hannes Griesche, and Gunnar Spreen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14521–14546, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14521-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14521-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
An important Arctic climate process is the release of heat fluxes from sea ice openings to the atmosphere that influence the clouds. The characterization of this process is the objective of this study. Using synergistic observations from the MOSAiC expedition, we found that single-layer cloud properties show significant differences when clouds are coupled or decoupled to the water vapour transport which is used as physical link between the upwind sea ice openings and the cloud under observation.
Matthew D. Lebsock and Mikael Witte
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14293–14305, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14293-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14293-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper evaluates measurements of cloud drop size distributions made from airplanes. We find that as the number of cloud drops increases the distribution of the cloud drop sizes narrows. The data are used to develop a simple equation that relates the drop number to the width of the drop sizes. We then use this equation to demonstrate that existing approaches to observe the drop number from satellites contain errors that can be corrected by including the new relationship.
George Horner and Edward Gryspeerdt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14239–14253, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14239-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14239-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Tropical deep convective clouds, and the thin cirrus (ice) clouds that flow out from them, are important for modulating the energy budget of the tropical atmosphere. This work uses a new method to track the evolution of the properties of these clouds across their entire lifetimes. We find these clouds cool the atmosphere in the first 6 h before switching to a warming regime after the deep convective core has dissipated, which is sustained beyond 120 h from the initial convective event.
Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Albert Ansmann, Kevin Ohneiser, Daniel A. Knopf, Argyro Nisantzi, Johannes Bühl, Ronny Engelmann, Annett Skupin, Patric Seifert, Holger Baars, Dragos Ene, Ulla Wandinger, and Diofantos Hadjimitsis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14097–14114, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14097-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14097-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
For the first time, rather clear evidence is found that wildfire smoke particles can trigger strong cirrus formation. This finding is of importance because intensive and large wildfires may occur increasingly often in the future as climate change proceeds. Based on lidar observations in Cyprus in autumn 2020, we provide detailed insight into the cirrus formation at the tropopause in the presence of aged wildfire smoke (here, 8–9 day old Californian wildfire smoke).
Peter Manshausen, Duncan Watson-Parris, Matthew W. Christensen, Jukka-Pekka Jalkanen, and Philip Stier
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 12545–12555, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12545-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-12545-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Aerosol from burning fuel changes cloud properties, e.g., the number of droplets and the content of water. Here, we study how clouds respond to different amounts of shipping aerosol. Droplet numbers increase linearly with increasing aerosol over a broad range until they stop increasing, while the amount of liquid water always increases, independently of emission amount. These changes in cloud properties can make them reflect more or less sunlight, which is important for the earth's climate.
Hendrik Andersen, Jan Cermak, Alyson Douglas, Timothy A. Myers, Peer Nowack, Philip Stier, Casey J. Wall, and Sarah Wilson Kemsley
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10775–10794, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10775-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10775-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses an observation-based cloud-controlling factor framework to study near-global sensitivities of cloud radiative effects to a large number of meteorological and aerosol controls. We present near-global sensitivity patterns to selected thermodynamic, dynamic, and aerosol factors and discuss the physical mechanisms underlying the derived sensitivities. Our study hopes to guide future analyses aimed at constraining cloud feedbacks and aerosol–cloud interactions.
Anne-Claire Billault-Roux, Paraskevi Georgakaki, Josué Gehring, Louis Jaffeux, Alfons Schwarzenboeck, Pierre Coutris, Athanasios Nenes, and Alexis Berne
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10207–10234, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10207-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10207-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Secondary ice production plays a key role in clouds and precipitation. In this study, we analyze radar measurements from a snowfall event in the Jura Mountains. Complex signatures are observed, which reveal that ice crystals were formed through various processes. An analysis of multi-sensor data suggests that distinct ice multiplication processes were taking place. Both the methods used and the insights gained through this case study contribute to a better understanding of snowfall microphysics.
Rebecca J. Murray-Watson, Edward Gryspeerdt, and Tom Goren
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9365–9383, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9365-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9365-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Clouds formed in Arctic marine cold air outbreaks undergo a distinct evolution, but the factors controlling their transition from high-coverage to broken cloud fields are poorly understood. We use satellite and reanalysis data to study how these clouds develop in time and the different influences on their evolution. The aerosol concentration is correlated with cloud break-up; more aerosol is linked to prolonged coverage and a stronger cooling effect, with implications for a more polluted Arctic.
Michael S. Diamond
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8259–8269, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8259-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8259-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Fuel sulfur regulations were implemented for ships in 2020 to improve air quality but may also accelerate global warming. We use spatial statistics and satellite retrievals to detect changes in the size of cloud droplets and find evidence for a resulting decrease in cloud brightness within a major shipping corridor after the sulfur limits went into effect. Our results confirm both that the regulations are being followed and that they are having a warming influence via their effect on clouds.
Hao Luo, Johannes Quaas, and Yong Han
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8169–8186, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8169-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8169-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Clouds exhibit a wide range of vertical structures with varying microphysical and radiative properties. We show a global survey of spatial distribution, vertical extent and radiative effect of various classified cloud vertical structures using joint satellite observations from the new CCCM datasets during 2007–2010. Moreover, the long-term trends in CVSs are investigated based on different CMIP6 future scenarios to capture the cloud variations with different, increasing anthropogenic forcings.
Gregor Köcher, Tobias Zinner, and Christoph Knote
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6255–6269, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6255-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6255-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Polarimetric radar observations of 30 d of convective precipitation events are used to statistically analyze 5 state-of-the-art microphysics schemes of varying complexity. The frequency and area of simulated heavy-precipitation events are in some cases significantly different from those observed, depending on the microphysics scheme. Analysis of simulated particle size distributions and reflectivities shows that some schemes have problems reproducing the correct particle size distributions.
Claudia J. Stubenrauch, Giulio Mandorli, and Elisabeth Lemaitre
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 5867–5884, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5867-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-5867-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Organized convection leads to large convective cloud systems and intense rain and may change with a warming climate. Their complete 3D description, attained by machine learning techniques in combination with various satellite observations, together with a cloud system concept, link convection to anvil properties, while convective organization can be identified by the horizontal structure of intense rain.
Edward Gryspeerdt, Adam C. Povey, Roy G. Grainger, Otto Hasekamp, N. Christina Hsu, Jane P. Mulcahy, Andrew M. Sayer, and Armin Sorooshian
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 4115–4122, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4115-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4115-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The impact of aerosols on clouds is one of the largest uncertainties in the human forcing of the climate. Aerosol can increase the concentrations of droplets in clouds, but observational and model studies produce widely varying estimates of this effect. We show that these estimates can be reconciled if only polluted clouds are studied, but this is insufficient to constrain the climate impact of aerosol. The uncertainty in aerosol impact on clouds is currently driven by cases with little aerosol.
Zackary Mages, Pavlos Kollias, Zeen Zhu, and Edward P. Luke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3561–3574, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3561-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3561-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cold-air outbreaks (when cold air is advected over warm water and creates low-level convection) are a dominant cloud regime in the Arctic, and we capitalized on ground-based observations, which did not previously exist, from the COMBLE field campaign to study them. We characterized the extent and strength of the convection and turbulence and found evidence of secondary ice production. This information is useful for model intercomparison studies that will represent cold-air outbreak processes.
Maria P. Cadeddu, Virendra P. Ghate, David D. Turner, and Thomas E. Surleta
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3453–3470, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3453-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3453-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We analyze the variability in marine boundary layer moisture at the Eastern North Atlantic site on a monthly and daily temporal scale and examine its fundamental role in the control of boundary layer cloudiness and precipitation. The study also highlights the complex interaction between large-scale and local processes controlling the boundary layer moisture and the importance of the mesoscale spatial distribution of vapor to support convection and precipitation.
Zhenquan Wang, Jian Yuan, Robert Wood, Yifan Chen, and Tiancheng Tong
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3247–3266, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3247-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3247-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study develops a novel profile-based algorithm based on the ERA5 to estimate the inversion strength in the planetary boundary layer better than the previous inversion index, which is a key low-cloud-controlling factor. This improved measure is more effective at representing the meteorological influence on low-cloud variations. It can better constrain the meteorological influence on low clouds to better isolate cloud responses to aerosols or to estimate low cloud feedbacks in climate models.
Georgios Dekoutsidis, Silke Groß, Martin Wirth, Martina Krämer, and Christian Rolf
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 3103–3117, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3103-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3103-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cirrus clouds affect Earth's atmosphere, deeming our study important. Here we use water vapor measurements by lidar and study the relative humidity (RHi) within and around midlatitude cirrus clouds. We find high supersaturations in the cloud-free air and within the clouds, especially near the cloud top. We study two cloud types with different formation processes. Finally, we conclude that the shape of the distribution of RHi can be used as an indicator of different cloud evolutionary stages.
Huazhe Shang, Souichiro Hioki, Guillaume Penide, Céline Cornet, Husi Letu, and Jérôme Riedi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 2729–2746, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2729-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2729-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We find that cloud profiles can be divided into four prominent patterns, and the frequency of these four patterns is related to intensities of cloud-top entrainment and precipitation. Based on these analyses, we further propose a cloud profile parameterization scheme allowing us to represent these patterns. Our results shed light on how to facilitate the representation of cloud profiles and how to link them to cloud entrainment or precipitating status in future remote-sensing applications.
Cited articles
Ackerman, T. P. and Stokes, G. M.: The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement
Program, Phys. Today, 56, 38–44, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1554135, 2003.
Adams, D. K., Gutman, S., Holub, K., and Pereira, D.: GNSS Observations of
Deep Convective timescales in the Amazon, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40,
2818–2823, https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50573, 2013.
Adams, D. K., Barbosa, H. M. J., and Gaitán De Los Ríos, K. P.: A
Spatiotemporal Water Vapor–Deep Convection Correlation Metric Derived from
the Amazon Dense GNSS Meteorological Network, Mon. Weather Rev., 145,
279–288, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-16-0140.1, 2017.
Anagnostou, E. N.: A convective/stratiform precipitation classification
algorithm for volume scanning weather radar observations, Meteorol. Appl., 11, 291–300, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1350482704001409, 2004.
Anderson, N. F., Grainger, C. A., and Stith, J. L.:. Characteristics
of Strong Updrafts in Precipitation Systems over the Central Tropical
Pacific Ocean and in the Amazon, J. Appl. Meteorol., 44,
731–738, 2005.
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM): Climate Research Facility:
Balloon-Borne Sounding System (SONDE), 3.21297∘ S 60.5981∘ W: ARM Mobile
Facility (MAO) Manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil; AMF1 (M1), in: Atmospheric Radiation
Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility Data Archive, edited by:
Holdridge, D., Kyrouac, J., and Coulter, R., Oak Ridge,
Tennessee, USA,
https://doi.org/10.5439/1025284, 1993.
Biscaro, T. S., Machado, L. A. T., Giangrande, S. E., and Jensen, M. P.: What drives daily precipitation over the central Amazon? Differences observed between wet and dry seasons, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 6735–6754, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-6735-2021, 2021.
Borque, P., Kollias, P., and Giangrande, S.: First Observations of
Tracking Clouds Using Scanning ARM Cloud Radars, J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 53, 2732–2746, 2014.
Cifelli, R., Petersen, W. A., Carey, L. D., Rutledge, S. A., and da Silva Dias, M. A. F.: Radar observations of the kinematic, microphysical, and
precipitation characteristics of two MCSs in TRMM LBA, J. Geophys. Res.,
107, 8077, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JD000264, 2002.
Coulter, R., Muradyan, P., and Martin, T.: Radar Wind Profiler (1290RWPPRECIPMOM),
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility, mao1290precipmomM1.a0, [data set], https://doi.org/10.5439/1256461 (last access: 10 August 2022), 2015.
Dixon, M. and Wiener, G.: 1 TITAN: Thunderstorm Identification,
Tracking, Analysis, and Nowcasting – A radar-based methodology, J. Atmos.
Ocean. Technol., 10, 785–797, 1993.
Feng Z., Dong, X., Xi, B., Xi, B., McFarlane, S. A., Kennedy, A., and Lin, B.: Life
Cycle of Midlatitude Deep Convective Systems in a Lagrangian Framework, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 117, doi:10.1029/2012JD018362, 2012.
Feng, Z., Leung, L. R., Hagos, S., Houze, R. A., Burleyson, C. D., and Balaguru, K.: More frequent intense and long-lived storms dominate
the springtime trend in central US rainfall, Nat. Commun., 7, 13429, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13429, 2016.
Feng, Z., Houze, R. A., Leung, L. R., Song, F., Hardin, J. C., Wang,
J., Gustafson, W. I., and Homeyer, C. R.: Spatiotemporal
Characteristics and Large-Scale Environments of Mesoscale Convective Systems
East of the Rocky Mountains, J. Climate, 32, 7303–7328, 2019.
Foote, G. B. and Du Toit, P. S.: Terminal Velocity of Raindrops
Aloft, J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 8, 249–253, 1969.
Fridlind, A. M., van Lier-Walqui, M., Collis, S., Giangrande, S. E., Jackson, R. C., Li, X., Matsui, T., Orville, R., Picel, M. H., Rosenfeld, D., Ryzhkov, A., Weitz, R., and Zhang, P.: Use of polarimetric radar measurements to constrain simulated convective cell evolution: a pilot study with Lagrangian tracking, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 2979–3000, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2979-2019, 2019.
Ghate, V. P. and Kollias, P.: On the Controls of Daytime
Precipitation in the Amazonian Dry Season, J. Hydrometeorol.,
17, 3079–3097, 2016.
Giangrande, S. E., Collis, S., Straka, J., Protat, A., Williams, C., and
Krueger, S.: A Summary of Convective-Core Vertical Velocity Properties Using
ARM UHF Wind Profilers in Oklahoma, J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 52, 2278–2295,
2013.
Giangrande, S. E., Johnson, K., Clothiaux, E., and Kollias, P.: W-band Cloud Radar Active Remote
Sensing of Cloud (ARSCLWACRBND1KOLLIAS), Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User
Facility, maoarsclwacrbnd1kolliasM1.c1, [data set], https://doi.org/10.5439/1097548, 2015.
Giangrande, S. E., Toto, T., Jensen, M. P., Bartholomew, M. J., Feng, Z., Protat, A., Williams, C.
R., Schumacher, C., and Machado, L.: Convective cloud vertical velocity and mass-flux
characteristics from radar wind profiler observations during GoAmazon2014/5, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 121, 12891–12913, doi:10.1002/2016JD025303, 2016.
Giangrande, S. E., Feng, Z., Jensen, M. P., Comstock, J. M., Johnson, K. L., Toto, T., Wang, M., Burleyson, C., Bharadwaj, N., Mei, F., Machado, L. A. T., Manzi, A. O., Xie, S., Tang, S., Silva Dias, M. A. F., de Souza, R. A. F., Schumacher, C., and Martin, S. T.: Cloud characteristics, thermodynamic controls and radiative impacts during the Observations and Modeling of the Green Ocean Amazon (GoAmazon2014/5) experiment, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 14519–14541, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-14519-2017, 2017.
Giangrande, S. E., Wang, D., and Mechem, D. B.: Cloud regimes over the Amazon Basin: perspectives from the GoAmazon2014/5 campaign, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 7489–7507, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-7489-2020, 2020.
Göke, S., Ochs, H. T., and Rauber, R. M.: Radar analysis of
precipitation initiation in maritime versus continental clouds near the
Florida coast: Inferences concerning the role of CCN and giant nuclei, J.
Atmos. Sci., 64, 3695–3707, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS3961.1, 2007.
Holdridge, D., Ritsche, M., Coulter, R., Kyrouac, J., and Keeler, E.: Atmospheric Radiation
Measurement (ARM) user facility, updated hourly, Balloon-Borne Sounding System
(SONDEWNPN), ARM Mobile Facility (MAO) Manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil, AMF1 (M1), ARM
Data Center, maosondewnpnM1.b1, [data set], https://doi.org/10.5439/1595321, 2015.
Hu, J., Rosenfeld, D., Ryzhkov, A., Zrnic, D., Williams, E., Zhang, P., Snyder, J. C., Zhang, R., and Weitz, R.: Polarimetric radar convective cell tracking reveals large
sensitivity of cloud precipitation and electrification properties to CCN,
J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 124, 12194–12205,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030857, 2019.
Jeyaratnam, J., Luo, Z. J., Giangrande, S. E., Wang, D., and Masunaga, H.:
A satellite-based estimate of convective vertical velocity and
convective mass flux: Global survey and comparison with radar wind profiler
observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, e2020GL090675,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090675, 2021.
Jorgensen, D. P., Zipser, E. J., and LeMone, M. A.: Vertical Motions
in Intense Hurricanes, J. Atmos. Sci., 42, 839–856, 1985.
Kumar, V. V., Jakob, C., Protat, A., Williams, C. R., and May, P. T.: Mass-Flux Characteristics of Tropical Cumulus Clouds from Wind
Profiler Observations at Darwin, Australia, J. Atmos. Sci., 72, 1837–1855, 2015.
Kumar, V. V., Protat, A., Jakob, C., Williams, C. R., Rauniyar, S., Stephens, G. L., and May, P. T.: The estimation of convective mass flux from radar reflectivities, J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 55, 1239–1257, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-15-0193., 2016.
Kyrouac, J. and Shi, Y.: Surface Meteorological Instrumentation (MET), Atmospheric Radiation
Measurement (ARM) User Facility, maometM1.b1, [data set], https://doi.org/10.5439/1786358, 2015.
Limpert, G., Houston, A., and Lock, N.: The advanced algorithm for tracking
objects (AALTO), Meteor. Apps., 22, 694–704,
https://doi.org/10.1002/met.1501, 2015.
Machado, L. A., Rossow, W. B., Guedes, R. L., and Walker, A. W.: Life
cycle variations of mesoscale convective systems over the Americas, Mon.
Weather Rev., 126, 1630–1654, 1998.
Machado, L. A. T., Laurent, H., Dessay, N., and Miranda, I.: Seasonal
and diurnal variability of convection over the Amazonia: A comparison of
different vegetation types and large scale forcing, Theor. Appl.
Climatol., 78, 61–77, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-004-0044-9, 2004.
Machado, L. A. T., Silva Dias, M. A. F., Morales, C., Fisch, G., Vila, D.,
Albrecht, R., Goodman, S. J., Calheiros, A. J. P., Biscaro, T., Kummerow,
C., Cohen, J., Fitzjarrald, D., Nascimento, E. L., Sakamoto, M. S.,
Cunningham, C., Chaboureau, J.-P., Petersen, W. A., Adams, D. K., Baldini,
L., Angelis, C. F., Sapucci, L. F., Salio, P., Barbosa, H. M. J., Landulfo,
E., Souza, R. A. F., Blakeslee, R. J., Bailey, J., Freitas, S., Lima, W. F.
A., and Tokay, A.: The CHUVA Project: How Does Convection Vary across
Brazil?, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 95, 1365–1380,
https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00084.1, 2014.
Machado, L. A. T., Calheiros, A. J. P., Biscaro, T., Giangrande, S., Silva Dias, M. A. F., Cecchini, M. A., Albrecht, R., Andreae, M. O., Araujo, W. F., Artaxo, P., Borrmann, S., Braga, R., Burleyson, C., Eichholz, C. W., Fan, J., Feng, Z., Fisch, G. F., Jensen, M. P., Martin, S. T., Pöschl, U., Pöhlker, C., Pöhlker, M. L., Ribaud, J.-F., Rosenfeld, D., Saraiva, J. M. B., Schumacher, C., Thalman, R., Walter, D., and Wendisch, M.: Overview: Precipitation characteristics and sensitivities to environmental conditions during GoAmazon2014/5 and ACRIDICON-CHUVA, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 6461–6482, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6461-2018, 2018.
Maddox, R. A.: Mesoscale convective complexes, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 61, 1374–1387, 1980.
Martin, S. T., Artaxo, P., Machado, L., Manzi, A. O., Souza, R. A.,
Schumacher, C., Wang, J., Biscaro, T., Brito, J., Calheiros, A., Jardine,
K., Medeiros, A., Portela, B., de Sá, S. S., Adachi, K., Aiken, A. C.,
Albrecht, R., Alexander, L., Andreae, M. O., Barbosa, H. M., Buseck, P.,
Chand, D., Comstock, J. M., Day, D. A., Dubey, M., Fan, J., Fast, J., Fisch,
G., Fortner, E., Giangrande, S., Gilles, M., Goldstein, A. H., Guenther, A.,
Hubbe, J., Jensen, M., Jimenez, J. L., Keutsch, F. N., Kim, S., Kuang, C.,
Laskin, A., McKinney, K., Mei, F., Miller, M., Nascimento, R., Pauliquevis,
T., Pekour, M., Peres, J., Petäjä, T., Pöhlker, C., Pöschl,
U., Rizzo, L., Schmid, B., Shilling, J. E., Dias, M. A., Smith, J. N.,
Tomlinson, J. M., Tóta, J., and Wendisch, M.: The Green Ocean Amazon
Experiment (GoAmazon2014/5) Observes Pollution Affecting Gases, Aerosols,
Clouds, and Rainfall over the Rain Forest, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 98,
981–997, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-15-00221.1, 2017.
Mather, J. H. and Voyles, J. W.: The ARM Climate Research Facility: A Review
of Structure and Capabilities, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 94, 377–392, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00218.11, 2013.
Morris, V., Zhang, D., and Ermold, B.: Ceilometer (CEIL), Atmospheric Radiation Measurement
(ARM) User Facility, maoceilM1.b1, [data set], https://doi.org/10.5439/1181954, 2015.
Morrison, H. and Peters, J. M.: Theoretical Expressions for the
Ascent Rate of Moist Deep Convective Thermals, J. Atmos. Sci., 75, 1699–1719, 2018.
Nobre, P., Malagutti, M., Urbano, D. F., De Almeida, R. A. F., and Giarolla,
E.: Amazon deforestation and climate change in a coupled model simulation,
J. Climate, 22, 5686–5697, 2009.
Peters, J. M., Mulholland, J. P., and Chavas, D. R.: Generalized
Lapse Rate Formulas for Use in Entraining CAPE Calculations, J. Atmos. Sci., 79, 815–836, 2022.
Petersen, W. A., Nesbitt, S. W., Blakeslee, R. J., Cifelli, R., Hein, P.,
and Rutledge, S. A.: TRMM Observations of Intraseasonal Variability
in Convective Regimes over the Amazon, J. Climate, 15,
1278–1294, 2002.
Prein, A. F., Liu, C. K. I., Trier, S. B., Rasmussen, R., M., Holland, G. J., and Clark, M. P.: Increased rainfall volume from future convective storms
in the US, Nat. Clim. Change, 7, 880–884, 2017.
Protat, A. and Williams, C. R.: The Accuracy of Radar Estimates of
Ice Terminal Fall Speed from Vertically Pointing Doppler Radar Measurements,
J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 50, 2120–2138, 2011.
Rosenfeld, D.: Objective method for analysis and tracking of
convective cells as seen by radar, J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol., 4, 422–434, 1987.
Saraiva, I., Silva Dias, M. A. F., Morales, C. A. R., and Saraiva, J. M. B.:
Regional Variability of Rain Clouds in the Amazon Basin as Seen by a Network
of Weather Radars, J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 55,
2657–2675, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-15-0183.1, 2016.
Schiro, K. A., Ahmed, F., Giangrande, S. E., and Neelin, J. D.: GoAmazon2014/5
campaign points to deep-inflow approach to deep convection across scales,
P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 115,
4577–4582, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1719842115, 2018.
Stein, T. H. M., Hogan, R. J., Clark, P. A., Halliwell, C. E., Hanley, K.
E., Lean, H. W., Nicol, J. C., and Plant, R. S.: The DYMECS project: A
statistical approach for the evaluation of convective storms in
high-resolution NWP models, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 96, 939–951,
https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00279.1, 2015.
Steiner, M., Houze, R. A., and Yuter, S. E.: Climatological
Characterization of Three-Dimensional Storm Structure from Operational Radar
and Rain Gauge Data, J. Appl. Meteorol. Clim., 34,
1978–2007, 1995.
Sušelj, K., Teixeira, J., and Chung, D.: A Unified Model for
Moist Convective Boundary Layers Based on a Stochastic
Eddy-Diffusivity/Mass-Flux Parameterization, J. Atmos.
Sci., 70, 1929–1953, 2013.
Sušelj, K., Kurowski, M. J., and Teixeira, J.: On the Factors
Controlling the Development of Shallow Convection in
Eddy-Diffusivity/Mass-Flux Models, J. Atmos. Sci.,
76, 433–456, 2019.
Tang, S., Xie, S., Zhang, Y., Zhang, M., Schumacher, C., Upton, H., Jensen, M. P., Johnson, K. L., Wang, M., Ahlgrimm, M., Feng, Z., Minnis, P., and Thieman, M.: Large-scale vertical velocity, diabatic heating and drying profiles associated with seasonal and diurnal variations of convective systems observed in the GoAmazon2014/5 experiment, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 14249–14264, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-14249-2016, 2016.
Tian, Y., Zhang, Y., Klein, S. A., and Schumacher, C.: Interpreting
the diurnal cycle of clouds and precipitation in the ARM GoAmazon
observations: Shallow to deep convection transition, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 126, e2020JD033766,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JD033766, 2021.
Tian, Y., Zhang, Y., and Klein, S. A.: What determines the number
and the timing of pulses in afternoon precipitation in the Green Ocean
Amazon (GoAmazon) observations?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 49,
e2021GL096075, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL096075, 2022.
Vila, D. A., Machado, L. A. T., Laurent, H., and Velasco, I.: Forecast and
Tracking the Evolution of Cloud Clusters (ForTraCC) Using Satellite Infrared
Imagery: Methodology and Validation, Weather Forecast., 23, 233–245,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2007WAF2006121.1, 2008.
Wang, J., Krejci, R., Giangrande, S., Kuang, C., Barbosa, H. M., Brito, J., Carbone, S.,
Chi, X., Comstock, J., Ditas, F., Lavric, J., Manninen, H. E., Mei, F., Moran-Zuloaga, D., Pöhlker, C.,
Pöhlker, M. L., Saturno, J., Schmid, B., Souza, R. A., Springston, S. R., Tomlinson, J. M., Toto, T., Walter, D.,
Wimmer, D., Smith, J. N., Kulmala, M., Machado, L. A., Artaxo, P., Andreae, M. O., Petäjä, T., and Martin, S. T.:
Amazon boundary layer aerosol concentration sustained by vertical transport Nature, 539, 416–419, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature19819, 2016.
Wang, D., Giangrande, S. E., Bartholomew, M. J., Hardin, J., Feng, Z., Thalman, R., and Machado, L. A. T.: The Green Ocean: precipitation insights from the GoAmazon2014/5 experiment, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 9121–9145, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9121-2018, 2018.
Wang, D., Giangrande, S. E., Schiro, K., Jensen, M. P., and Houze, R. A.:
The characteristics of tropical and midlatitude mesoscale convective systems
as revealed by radar wind profilers, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 124,
4601–4619, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD030087, 2019.
Wang, D., Giangrande, S. E., Feng, Z., Hardin, J. C., and Prein, A. F.:
Updraft and Downdraft Core Size and Intensity as Revealed by Radar Wind
Profilers: MCS Observations and Idealized Model Comparisons, J. Geophys.
Res.-Atmos., 125, e2019JD031774, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD031774, 2020.
Williams, M. and Houze, R. A.: Satellite-observed characteristics of
winter monsoon cloud clusters, Mon. Weather Rev., 115, 505–519, 1987.
Williams, E., Rosenfeld, D., Madden, N., Gerlach, J., Gears, N., Atkinson, L., Dunnemann, N., Frostrom, G., Antonio, M., Biazon, B., Camargo, R., Franca, H., Gomes, A., Lima, M., Machado, R.,
Manhaes, S., Nachtigall, L., Piva, H., Quintiliano, W., Machado, L., Artaxo, P., Roberts, G., Renno, N.,
Blakeslee, R., Bailey, J., Boccippio, D., Betts, A., Wolff, D., Roy, B., Halverson, J., Rickenbach, T.,
Fuentes, J., and Avelino, E.: Contrasting convective regimes over the
Amazon: Implications for cloud electrification, J. Geophys. Res., 107, 8082,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD000380, 2002.
Yin, L., Fu, R., Shevliakova, E., and Dickinson, R.: How well can CMIP5
simulate precipitation and its controlling processes over tropical South
America?, Clim. Dynam., 41, 3127–3143,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-012-1582-y, 2013.
Yuter, S. E. and Houze, R. A.: Three-dimensional kinematic and
microphysical evolution of Florida cumulonimbus, Part II: Frequency
distribution of vertical velocity, reflectivity, and differential
reflectivity, Mon. Weather Rev., 123, 1941–1963, 1995.
Short summary
Our study tracks thunderstorms observed during the wet and dry seasons of the Amazon Basin using weather radar. We couple this precipitation tracking with opportunistic overpasses of a wind profiler and other ground observations to add unique insights into the upwards and downwards air motions within these clouds at various stages in the storm life cycle. The results of a simple updraft model are provided to give physical explanations for observed seasonal differences.
Our study tracks thunderstorms observed during the wet and dry seasons of the Amazon Basin using...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint