A tendency of cloud ratio associated with the development of tropical water and ice clouds
Journal
Terrestrial, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Journal Volume
16
Journal Issue
2
Pages
419-434
Date Issued
2005
Author(s)
Li, X.
Abstract
The ratio of column-integrated cloud content between ice and liquid phases (CR) is a good indicator of cloud dynamics (e.g., convective or stratiform) and radiative properties. Clouds are more stratiform when the CR is larger and more convective for smaller CR values. In this study, a tendency equation of the cloud ratio is derived. The tendency of the cloud ratio ( ∂ ∂CR / t) is determined by six major cloud microphysical processes: vapor condensation and deposition as cloud sources, rainfall and evapora-tion of rain as the sinks of water clouds, and melting of graupel and accre-tion of cloud water by precipitation ice as the major conversion processes between water and ice clouds. Apparently, ∂ ∂CR / t is related to water cy-cling processes among vapor and different categories of clouds, and links the amount of water vapor and clouds with temperature through latent heating. An analysis of the tendency of the cloud ratio is carried out using hourly zonal-mean data based on a 2D cloud-resolving simulation with the im-
SDGs
Type
journal article