Articles | Volume 26, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13157-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-26-13157-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
An observational perspective on precipitation efficiency of mesoscale convective systems over the Asian Monsoon Region
Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, AZ, USA
Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, AZ, USA
Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
Julia Kukulies
Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Laboratory, NCAR, Boulder, CO, USA
now at: Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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Sylvia C. Sullivan, Aiko Voigt, Edgardo Sepúlveda Araya, Silvia Bucci, Annette Miltenberger, Meredith K. Kupinski, Christian Rolf, and Martina Krämer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 1685–1698, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-1685-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-1685-2026, 2026
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We assess the temperature, moisture, and dynamics in the upper troposphere-lower stratosphere simulated over South Asia in a high-resolution model relative to aircraft data. The lower stratosphere tends to be too warm, too dry, and too quiescent in the model, and as a result, too few ice clouds are predicted to form there. These biases could affect radiative balance and circulation in other areas also, as significant upward transport of moisture and pollutants occurs during the Asian monsoon.
Edgardo I. Sepulveda Araya, Sylvia C. Sullivan, and Aiko Voigt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 8943–8958, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8943-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-8943-2025, 2025
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Clouds composed of ice crystals are key when evaluating atmospheric radiation. The morphology of the crystals found in clouds is not clear yet, and even less clear is the impact on the cloud heating rate, which is essential to describe precipitation and wind patterns. This motivated us to study how the heating rate behaves under a variety of ice complexity and environmental conditions, finding that increasing complexity in high and dense clouds weakens the heating rate.
Blaž Gasparini, Sylvia C. Sullivan, Adam B. Sokol, Bernd Kärcher, Eric Jensen, and Dennis L. Hartmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 15413–15444, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15413-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15413-2023, 2023
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Tropical cirrus clouds are essential for climate, but our understanding of these clouds is limited due to their dependence on a wide range of small- and large-scale climate processes. In this opinion paper, we review recent advances in the study of tropical cirrus clouds, point out remaining open questions, and suggest ways to resolve them.
Sylvia Sullivan, Behrooz Keshtgar, Nicole Albern, Elzina Bala, Christoph Braun, Anubhav Choudhary, Johannes Hörner, Hilke Lentink, Georgios Papavasileiou, and Aiko Voigt
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 3535–3551, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-3535-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-3535-2023, 2023
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Clouds absorb and re-emit infrared radiation from Earth's surface and absorb and reflect incoming solar radiation. As a result, they change atmospheric temperature gradients that drive large-scale circulation. To better simulate this circulation, we study how the radiative heating and cooling from clouds depends on model settings like grid spacing; whether we describe convection approximately or exactly; and the level of detail used to describe small-scale processes, or microphysics, in clouds.
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Short summary
Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) produce a major portion of tropical rainfall. but how efficiently cloud water becomes rain remains uncertain. Using satellite observations and atmospheric reanalysis, we analyzed thousands of MCSs over the Asian monsoon region. We find that these organized systems produce rain more efficiently than non-MCS, particularly when clouds grow larger and deeper and during early stages of system development.
Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) produce a major portion of tropical rainfall. but how...
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