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Updated: Mar 8, 2026
12:11
Computation of Atmospheric Concentrations of Molecular Clusters from ab initio Thermochemistry
Published on: April 8, 2020
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Exploring the nonlinear cloud and rain equation
Ilan Koren1, Eli Tziperman1, Graham Feingold1
1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot 76100, Israel; Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA; and Chemical Sciences Division, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado 80305, USA.
Chaos (Woodbury, N.Y.)
|February 3, 2017
Summary
Marine stratocumulus clouds, crucial climate reflectors, exhibit two modes: open and closed cells. Higher aerosol loading, indicated by droplet concentration, drives deeper clouds towards a closed-cell state.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric Science
- Climate Science
- Cloud Physics
Background:
- Marine stratocumulus clouds significantly influence Earth's climate by reflecting solar radiation.
- These clouds exist in two stable configurations: open and closed cells, a behavior sensitive to environmental and aerosol properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analytically investigate the transition between open and closed cellular states in marine stratocumulus clouds.
- To understand the system's emergent behavior and its dependence on model parameters like droplet concentration and environmental conditions.
Main Methods:
- Linear stability analysis was employed to study the transition from steady to limit-cycle states.
- The study derived analytical expressions for state transitions based on model parameters.
Main Results:
- A single nondimensional parameter (μ=N/(ατH₀)) links droplet concentration (N), carrying-capacity (H₀), and cloud recovery (τ).
- Deeper clouds transition to closed cells with increased droplet concentration (higher aerosol loading).
Conclusions:
- The findings provide an analytical framework for understanding cloud state transitions.
- This research enhances comprehension of cloud-aerosol-environment interactions and their impact on climate regulation.
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