Articles | Volume 26, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-5427-2026
© 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-26-5427-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 Apr 2026
Research article |
| 22 Apr 2026
| 22 Apr 2026
Aging of droplet size distribution in stratocumulus clouds: regimes of droplet size distribution evolution
Meteorologisches Institut, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
now at: NOAA Chemical Science Laboratory, Boulder, CO, USA
now at: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Short summary
We used high-resolution simulations to track individual cloud droplets within marine clouds. We discovered that while droplets grow similarly, they evaporate differently depending on their specific history of exposure to dry air. This helps resolve ambiguities in interpreting field observations, where droplet history is often unknown. We also propose a simple formula to capture this variability, offering a more accurate tool for representing cloud evolution in models.
We used high-resolution simulations to track individual cloud droplets within marine...
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