Cloud-Aerosol-Precipitation Interactions for Convective Clouds: mechanisms for invigoration?

Description

We investigate aerosol invigoration effects on convection using a physically based two-moment bulk convective microphysics scheme in the Community Earth System Model (CESM) General Circulation Model (GCM) and it's single column atmosphere model (SCAM). SCAM simulations are forced by ARM/ASR and other large-scale forcing data for tropical and mid-latitude convective cases, using order of magnitude perturbations to activated aerosol number. The aerosol perturbations result in noticeable changes of convective characteristics. Liquid and ice water path, cloud top heights, and high cloud fraction increase with increased aerosol loadings. The balance of process rates in convective clouds and the impact on stratiform clouds is also assessed. The global impacts of convective microphysics are also assessed in global simulations.