Graphical Abstract

• Tweet

Li, X., W.-K. Tao, H. Masunaga, G. Gu, and X. Zeng, 2013: Aerosol effects on cumulus congestus population over the tropical Pacific: A cloud-resolving modeling study. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 91, 817-833.
https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2013-607
Graphical Abstract

Highlights:

• A cloud-resolving model with spectral bin microphysical scheme shows that low aerosol concentration in background marine condition during TOGA-COARE experiment is conducive to the formation of cumulus congestus.
• Over the tropical oceans, where the low-level water vapor is abundant, the CAPE is relatively low, and a ubiquitous weak stable level exists near 0°C level, the small differences in latent heat release caused by aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions can result in cloud population shift from congestus dominant to deep convection dominant.
• Considering the importance of congestus in tropical dynamics and MJO lifecycle, we proposed a hypothesis that aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in an ultra-clean marine environment may serve as an important damping mechanism for tropical convection.