On Cold Puddles in Cold Pools

Description

Convective cold pools are generated by latent cooling from phase changes (e.g., evaporation and melting) occurring in association with convective clouds. This latent cooling combines with hydrometeor loading to result in a pocket of locally dense air, which then descends and expands laterally along the surface to form a cold pool.

Not all of these phase changes must occur entirely within the atmosphere, as it is common for some precipitation to reach the ground. Upon falling onto a land surface, precipitation can face a variety of fates, including interception by vegetation and percolation into the soil. The precipitation’s moisture, as well as its temperature, may therefore modify the surface energy budget so as to alter cold pool properties.

In this study, daytime tropical rainforest convection is simulated using the RAMS/LEAF-3 modeling system. Mechanism denial experiments suggest that intercepted rainwater is responsible for profound cold pool invigoration in this setting. This poster presentation will discuss the mechanisms leading to this invigoration response, as well as sensitivity to factors such as land cover and aerosol loading.