edu.ucar.opensky::articles:19517 UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact 2025-12-26T02:34:35.411517 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata - Part 2: Extensions for Imagery and Gridded Data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d708674v Condensational growth of drops formed on giant sea-salt aerosol particles 2017-03-01T00:00:00Z publication https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d708674v https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS-D-15-0370.1 Jensen, Jørgen B. author Nugent, Alison author UCAR/NCAR - Library publisher The most basic aspect of cloud formation is condensational growth onto cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). As such, condensational growth of cloud drops is often assumed to be a well-understood process described by the drop growth equation. When this process is represented in models, CCN activate into cloud drops at cloud base, and it is often assumed that drops consist of pure water or that the hygroscopic contribution after drop activation is small because of the inclusion of only small CCN. Drop growth rate in adiabatic ascent in such models is proportional to supersaturation and assumed to be inversely proportional to the drop radius, thereby making the drop spectrum narrow with altitude. However, the present study demonstrates that drop growth on giant sea-salt aerosol particles (GCCN; dry radius r(d) > 0.5 mu m) behaves differently. For typical marine stratocumulus updrafts and for drops grown on GCCN with sizes r(d) greater than or similar to 2 mu m, these drops typically remain concentrated salt solutions. Because of this, their condensational growth is accelerated, and they rapidly attain precipitation drop sizes through condensation only. Additionally, drops formed on GCCN may also grow by condensation in cloudy downdrafts. The strong effect of condensation on GCCN is important when carried through to calculating rain-rate contribution as a function of aerosol size. GCCN larger than 2 mm account for most of the rainfall rate in the modeled precipitating marine stratocumulus. UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact PDF Text theme Resource Type 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z publication Copyright 2017 American Meteorological Society (AMS). None eng geoscientificInformation