Identification

Title

Analysis of the influence of film-forming compounds on droplet growth: Implications for cloud microphysical processes and climate

Abstract

Decades of cloud microphysical research have not provided conclusive understanding of the physical processes responsible for droplet spectral broadening. Numerous mechanisms have been proposed?for example, entrainment mixing, vortex shedding, giant cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), chemical processing of CCN, and radiative cooling?all of which are likely candidates under select conditions. In this paper it is suggested that variability in the composition of CCN, and in particular, the existence of condensation inhibiting compounds, is another possible candidate. The inferred potential abundance of these amphiphilic film-forming compounds (FFCs) suggests that their effect may be important. Using a cloud parcel model with a simplified treatment of the effect of FFCs, it is shown that modest concentrations of FFCs (on the order of 5% of the total aerosol mass) can have a marked effect on drop growth and can cause significant increases in spectral dispersions. Moreover, it is shown that FFCs may, in some cases, reduce the number concentration of cloud droplets, with implications for cloud-climate feedbacks. This trend is at least in qualitative agreement with results from a recent field campaign.

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document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7wd4142

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

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geoscientificInformation

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Text

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title

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reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

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date type

publication

effective date

2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

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Use constraints

Copyright 2002 American Meteorological Society (AMS). Permission to use figures, tables, and brief excerpts from this work in scientific and educational works is hereby granted provided that the source is acknowledged. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be "fair use" under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 USC ?108, as revised by P.L. 94-553) does not require the AMS's permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form on servers, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, requires written permission or a license form the AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy, available on the AMS Web site located at (http://www.ametsoc.org/AMS) or from the AMS at 617-227-2425 or copyright@ametsoc.org.

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

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