Substantial convection and precipitation enhancements by ultrafine aerosol particles

Author(s):Show less -

Fan, Jiwen ^[1] ; Rosenfeld, Daniel ^[2] ; Zhang, Yuwei ^{[1, 3, 4]} ; Giangrande, Scott E. ^{[5, 6]} ; Li, Zhanqing ^{[3, 4, 7]} ; Machado, Luiz A. T. ^[8] ; Martin, Scot T. ^[9] ; Yang, Yan ^{[1, 10]} ; Wang, Jian ^[5] ; Artaxo, Paulo ^[11] ; Barbosa, Henrique M. J. ^{[12, 11]} ; Braga, Ramon C. ^[8] ; Comstock, Jennifer M. ^[1] ; Feng, Zhe ^[1] ; Gao, Wenhua ^{[1, 13]} ; Gomes, Helber B. ^[14] ; Mei, Fan ^[1] ; Poehlker, Christopher ^[15] ; Poehlker, Mira L. ^[15] ; Poeschl, Ulrich ^{[16, 17, 15]} ; de Souza, Rodrigo A. F. ^[18]

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] Pacific Northwest Natl Lab, Atmospher Sci & Global Change Div, Richland, WA 99352 - USA

^[2] Hebrew Univ Jerusalem, Inst Earth Sci, IL-91904 Jerusalem - Israel

^[3] Univ Maryland, Dept Atmospher & Ocean Sci, College Pk, MD 20742 - USA

^[4] Univ Maryland, ESSIC, College Pk, MD 20742 - USA

^[5] Brookhaven Natl Lab, Environm & Climate Sci Dept, Upton, NY 11973 - USA

^[6] Harvard Univ, Sch Engn & Appl Sci, Boston, MA 02115 - USA

^[7] Beijing Normal Univ, GCESS, State Lab Earth Surface Proc & Resource Ecol, Beijing - Peoples R China

^[8] Inst Nacl Pesquisas Espaciais, Ctr Previsao Tempo & Estudos Climat, Cachoeira Paulista - Brazil

^[9] Harvard Univ, Dept Earth & Planetary Sci, Boston, MA 02115 - USA

^[10] Beijing Municipal Weather Modificat Off, Beijing 100089 - Peoples R China

^[11] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Fis, Rua Matao 1371, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[12] Univ Maryland Baltimore Cty, Dept Phys, Baltimore, MD 21228 - USA

^[13] Chinese Acad Meteorol Sci, State Key Lab Severe Weather, Beijing 100086 - Peoples R China

^[14] Univ Fed Alagoas, Inst Atmospher Sci, Atmospher & Climate Dynam Lab, Maceio - Brazil

^[15] Max Planck Inst Chem, Multiphase Chem Dept, D-55020 Mainz - Germany

^[16] Max Planck Inst Chem, Biogeochem Dept, D-55020 Mainz - Germany

^[17] Johannes Gutenberg Univ Mainz, D-55122 Mainz - Germany

^[18] Amazonas State Univ UEA, Sch Technol, Dept Meteorol, Manaus, AM - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Science; v. 359, n. 6374, p. 411+, JAN 26 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 59

Abstract

Aerosol-cloud interactions remain the largest uncertainty in climate projections. Ultrafine aerosol particles smaller than 50 nanometers (UAP(<50)) can be abundant in the troposphere but are conventionally considered too small to affect cloud formation. Observational evidence and numerical simulations of deep convective clouds (DCCs) over the Amazon show that DCCs forming in a low-aerosol environment can develop very large vapor supersaturation because fast droplet coalescence reduces integrated droplet surface area and subsequent condensation. UAP(<50) from pollution plumes that are ingested into such clouds can be activated to form additional cloud droplets on which excess supersaturation condenses and forms additional cloud water and latent heating, thus intensifying convective strength. This mechanism suggests a strong anthropogenic invigoration of DCCs in previously pristine regions of the world. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/15235-8 - Cloud processes of the main precipitation systems in Brazil: a contribution to cloud resolving modeling and to the GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement)
• Grantee: Luiz Augusto Toledo Machado
• Support type: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/05014-0 - GoAmazon: interactions of the urban plume of Manaus with biogenic forest emissions in Amazonia
• Grantee: Paulo Eduardo Artaxo Netto
• Support type: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/50510-5 - Brazil-USA collaborative research: modifications by anthropogenic pollution of the natural atmospheric chemistry and particle microphysics of the tropical rain forest during GoAmazon intensive operating periods
• Grantee: Henrique de Melo Jorge Barbosa
• Support type: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Regular Grants