Aerosol impacts on isolated deep convection:  findings from TRACER

Wang, Dié; Kobrosly, Roni; Zhang, Tao; Subba, Tamanna; van den Heever, Susan; Gupta, Siddhant; Jensen, Michael

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9295-2025

Articles | Volume 25, issue 16

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9295-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9295-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 25, issue 16

Research article

|

26 Aug 2025

Research article |

| 26 Aug 2025

Aerosol impacts on isolated deep convection: findings from TRACER

Dié Wang, Roni Kobrosly, Tao Zhang, Tamanna Subba, Susan van den Heever, Siddhant Gupta, and Michael Jensen

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9295-2025-supplement

Data sets

Balloon-Borne Sounding System (SONDEWNPN), 2022-06-01 to 2022-09-30 E. Keeler et al. https://doi.org/10.5439/1595321

Cloud Condensation Nuclei Particle Counter (AOSCCN2COLA), 2022-06-01 to 2022-09-30 A. Koontz et al. https://doi.org/10.5439/1323892

NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Radar Operations Center: NOAA Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) Level 2 Base Data NOAA https://doi.org/10.7289/V5W9574V

Post-processed data for Causal Analysis of Aerosol Impacts on Isolated Deep Convection: Findings from TRACER in Houston-Galveston D. Wang https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14298966

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Short summary

We aim to understand how tiny particles in the air, called aerosols, affect rain clouds in the Houston–Galveston area. More aerosols generally do not make these clouds grow much taller, with an average height increase of about 1 km. However, their effects on rainfall strength and cloud expansion are less certain. Clouds influenced by sea breezes show a stronger aerosol impact, possibly due to factors that are unaccounted for like vertical winds in near-surface layers.