Increased aerosols can reverse Twomey effect in water clouds through radiative pathway
Abstract Aerosols play important roles in modulations of cloud properties and hydrological cycle by decreasing the size of cloud droplets with the increase of aerosols under the condition of fixed liquid water path, which is known as the first aerosol indirect effect or Twomey-effect or microphysica...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2022-11-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25241-y |
| _version_ | 1811315067498528768 |
|---|---|
| author | Pradeep Khatri Tadahiro Hayasaka Brent N. Holben Ramesh P. Singh Husi Letu Sachchida N. Tripathi |
| author_facet | Pradeep Khatri Tadahiro Hayasaka Brent N. Holben Ramesh P. Singh Husi Letu Sachchida N. Tripathi |
| author_sort | Pradeep Khatri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Aerosols play important roles in modulations of cloud properties and hydrological cycle by decreasing the size of cloud droplets with the increase of aerosols under the condition of fixed liquid water path, which is known as the first aerosol indirect effect or Twomey-effect or microphysical effect. Using high-quality aerosol data from surface observations and statistically decoupling the influence of meteorological factors, we show that highly loaded aerosols can counter this microphysical effect through the radiative effect to result both the decrease and increase of cloud droplet size depending on liquid water path in water clouds. The radiative effect due to increased aerosols reduces the moisture content, but increases the atmospheric stability at higher altitudes, generating conditions favorable for cloud top entrainment and cloud droplet coalescence. Such radiatively driven cloud droplet coalescence process is relatively stronger in thicker clouds to counter relatively weaker microphysical effect, resulting the increase of cloud droplet size with the increase of aerosol loading; and vice-versa in thinner clouds. Overall, the study suggests the prevalence of both negative and positive relationships between cloud droplet size and aerosol loading in highly polluted regions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T11:23:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c739613f8a924f7295f9889a9bdfc995 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T11:23:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-c739613f8a924f7295f9889a9bdfc9952022-12-22T02:48:46ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-11-0112111110.1038/s41598-022-25241-yIncreased aerosols can reverse Twomey effect in water clouds through radiative pathwayPradeep Khatri0Tadahiro Hayasaka1Brent N. Holben2Ramesh P. Singh3Husi Letu4Sachchida N. Tripathi5Center for Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies, Tohoku UniversityCenter for Atmospheric and Oceanic Studies, Tohoku UniversityNational Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight CenterSchool of Life and Environmental Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman UniversityInstitute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of SciencesDepartment of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology KanpurAbstract Aerosols play important roles in modulations of cloud properties and hydrological cycle by decreasing the size of cloud droplets with the increase of aerosols under the condition of fixed liquid water path, which is known as the first aerosol indirect effect or Twomey-effect or microphysical effect. Using high-quality aerosol data from surface observations and statistically decoupling the influence of meteorological factors, we show that highly loaded aerosols can counter this microphysical effect through the radiative effect to result both the decrease and increase of cloud droplet size depending on liquid water path in water clouds. The radiative effect due to increased aerosols reduces the moisture content, but increases the atmospheric stability at higher altitudes, generating conditions favorable for cloud top entrainment and cloud droplet coalescence. Such radiatively driven cloud droplet coalescence process is relatively stronger in thicker clouds to counter relatively weaker microphysical effect, resulting the increase of cloud droplet size with the increase of aerosol loading; and vice-versa in thinner clouds. Overall, the study suggests the prevalence of both negative and positive relationships between cloud droplet size and aerosol loading in highly polluted regions.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25241-y |
| spellingShingle | Pradeep Khatri Tadahiro Hayasaka Brent N. Holben Ramesh P. Singh Husi Letu Sachchida N. Tripathi Increased aerosols can reverse Twomey effect in water clouds through radiative pathway Scientific Reports |
| title | Increased aerosols can reverse Twomey effect in water clouds through radiative pathway |
| title_full | Increased aerosols can reverse Twomey effect in water clouds through radiative pathway |
| title_fullStr | Increased aerosols can reverse Twomey effect in water clouds through radiative pathway |
| title_full_unstemmed | Increased aerosols can reverse Twomey effect in water clouds through radiative pathway |
| title_short | Increased aerosols can reverse Twomey effect in water clouds through radiative pathway |
| title_sort | increased aerosols can reverse twomey effect in water clouds through radiative pathway |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25241-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pradeepkhatri increasedaerosolscanreversetwomeyeffectinwatercloudsthroughradiativepathway AT tadahirohayasaka increasedaerosolscanreversetwomeyeffectinwatercloudsthroughradiativepathway AT brentnholben increasedaerosolscanreversetwomeyeffectinwatercloudsthroughradiativepathway AT rameshpsingh increasedaerosolscanreversetwomeyeffectinwatercloudsthroughradiativepathway AT husiletu increasedaerosolscanreversetwomeyeffectinwatercloudsthroughradiativepathway AT sachchidantripathi increasedaerosolscanreversetwomeyeffectinwatercloudsthroughradiativepathway |