A Numerical Study of Aerosol Effects on Electrification with Different Intensity Thunderclouds

Zheng Shi,Chunsun Li,Yongbo Tan,Haichao Wang,Luying Li

doi:10.3390/atmos10090508

Abstract

Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the effect of varying CCN (cloud condensation nuclei) concentration on dynamic, microphysics, electrification, and charge structure in weak, moderate, and severe thunderstorms. The results show that the response of electrification to the increase of CCN concentration is a nonlinear relationship in different types of thunderclouds. The increase in CCN concentration leads to a significant enhancement of updraft in the weak thunderclouds, while the high CCN concentration in moderate and severe thunderclouds leads to a slight reduction in maximum updraft speed. The increase of the convection promotes the lift of more small cloud droplets, which leads to a faster and stronger production of ice crystals. The production of graupel is insensitive to the CCN concentration. The content of graupel increases from low CCN concentration to moderate CCN concentration, and slightly decreases at high CCN concentration, which arises from the profound enhancement of small ice crystals production. When the intensity of thundercloud increases, the reduction of graupel production will arise in advance as the CCN concentration increases. Charge production tends to increase as the aerosol concentration rises from low to high in weak and moderate thundercloud cases. However, the magnitude of charging rates in the severe thundercloud cases keeps roughly stable under the high CCN concentration condition, which can be attributed to the profound reduction of graupel content. The charge structure in the weak thundercloud at low CCN concentrations keeps as a dipole, while the weak thunderclouds in the other cases (the CCN concentration above 100 cm−3) change from a dipole charge structure to a tripole charge structure, and finally disappear with a dipole. In cases of moderate and severe intensity thunderclouds, the charge structure depicts a relatively complex structure that includes a multilayer charge region.

Highlights

In recent years, considerable progress has been made in understanding the interaction between aerosol and lighting
The magnitude of charging rates in the severe thundercloud cases keeps roughly stable under the high cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration condition, which can be attributed to the profound reduction of graupel content
The influences of aerosol concentration on dynamics, microphysics, and electrification of different intensity thunderclouds were evaluated by using a two-dimensional thundercloud model

Summary

Introduction

Considerable progress has been made in understanding the interaction between aerosol and lighting. Zhao et al [22] revealed the role that cloud base humidity plays in the response of electrification to increased cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), and they suggested that the low water vapor content reduced the activating rate of aerosol, leading to a weakening in electrification in thunderclouds. From those studies, one can conclude that the influence of aerosol on electrification in thunderclouds has been studied with various numerical models in recent years. Based on the cumulus model, the impacts of CCN concentration on dynamics, microphysics, and electrification in the severe thundercloud, medium thundercloud, and weak thundercloud are evaluated

Cloud Model

Model Initialization and Method in Numerical Experiments

Environment

Dynamic and Microphysical Processes

Electrification Charge Structure

Conclusions