Observational constraints of aerosol-cloud-drizzle interactions for warm clouds using AMF measurements in Europe

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Description

To advance our understanding of why climate models produce a large aerosol indirect effect, one of the key actions, identified by the Atmospheric System Research (ASR) Cloud-Aerosol-Precipitation Interactions (CAPI) working group, is to enhance observational constraints by assessing statistical dependency of drizzle on aerosol and cloud properties from climatologically contrasting sites. To provide such constraints, we focus on warm boundary-layer clouds and analyse observations from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Mobile Facility deployments in Germany in 2007 and in the Azores during 2009–2010. Using measurements from cloud radar, lidar, microwave radiometer, and aerosol observing systems, we will show how the drizzle rate at cloud base varies with cloud liquid water path and ambient aerosol. We will also demonstrate how the probability of precipitation and the precipitation susceptibility respond to ambient aerosol loading and whether these responses agree with those suggested by state-of-the-art models and satellite observations.